Regions Bistro and Bar

It gave up the ghost and Stone and Vine has been there unite a hike

Regions is not only a terrible restaurant, but also a terrible business. I worked for the Mill Avenue location for all of two months, when one morning I received a phone call from a coworker explaining that they had closed the restaurant overnight. And of course, if you have seen the AZ TV «3 on your side» segment (
…) then you would know that we literally had to chase the owner down for our paychecks.
The food is also pretty mediocre. Very bland, and also inconsistent. If we were out of an ingredient we would just throw something else on it and expect people not to notice. When they did, our manager would give them something free and call it a day. They give out so many free things for mistakes, it’s no wonder they couldn’t give me a paycheck. The only good thing there is the signature drinks, which are outrageously priced. Oh, and the balsamic vinegar glaze? Yeah, it had a label on it that stated, «not sold in california– MAY CONTAIN LEAD.»
…cool.

Update — August 9, 2010 — Regions is closed, yet again!
I was a fan in the past of their casual menu, homemade french fries, meatloaf, etc. Went in March, had a great meal. Went back Saturday night and was shocked. Entered at 8:15 pm and literally not one person in the restaurant. That should have been my first clue. Brought guests with me and could not stop apologizing. They have a new menu and new chef. Both a big disappointment. The menu is the most limited menu I have ever seen. 4 appetizers, 3 salads and 5 entrees. That’s it. Prices are up with mains between $ 18 and $ 28. Ordered a shrimp carbonara. Was told they were U6 shrimp. It arrived with 5 tiny, frozen, hard, dry, tough shrimp. We complained. He just looked at us, then said he’d ask the chef. Came back and told us they were out of U6’s so he put more of the 16’s. There were 5 total, so does that mean I would have only gotten 2 of the U6’s had they not run out? Then he proceeds to bring us more shrimp. Nice thought, but we didn’t like the first batch, why would we want more? They looked, felt and tasted exactly like shrimp you would get on a $ 9.95 plate at Denny’s. To make a long story short, don’t know what happened, why they changed chefs again, why they changed menus and if they couldn’t get customers before, why they raised their prices now. I think their days are numbered. Again. Sad, but true. I won’t be back!

I went to Regions Saturday night on a whim when my dinner plans did not work out. I was pleasantly surprised! I guess they’ve gotten a bad rap in the past, but now there is a new chef that definitely knows what he’s doing! I had the fresh fish of the day, which was halibut in a soy butter sauce with homeade potato gnocci. It was FANSTASTIC! I’m usually very wary of a restaurant cooking my fish, but it was perfect. It was smooth, not flaky or fishy, and the sauce and gnocchi were to die for!

All I could keep thinking about was Gordon Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares– It’s a nice enough looking restaurant inside… but on a Saturday night, the restaurant was ½ full–
Many of the previous comments have hit the nail on the head– uninspired entrees– Mac & Cheese shows up twice on menu as an entrée and as an appetizer size– mixed with lump crab your’d expect a nice dish– It was bland penne paste with an alfredo sauce and parmesan cheese baked on top— I have made better mac & cheese at home–
A friend ordered «fall off the bone» ribs… not exactly falling off the bone.
Food needs a «Kitchen Nightmares» makeover… or Regions will be history

This place has definitely gotten a bad rap and I have stayed away until this last weekend. To be honest, I had forgotten about it completely until on I was on Mill a couple of weeks ago meeting up with a buddy for lunch at Five Guys right next door to the Regions that opened in Tempe.
My fiancée and one of our other good friends celebrated their birthdays this past weekend with a bowl-​a-​thon at the Via Linda Lanes and we needed some place to eat beforehand. I did a little research and found Regions is part of both
and
, had a decent looking menu with stuff the group we were going with would like and I thought we should give it a shot. Besides, I was getting the points and a great discount anyways, if it was no good at least I would get a deal.
The inside is nice, clean, and modern. The seating is spaced nicely and not on top of each other and the music isn’t too loud either. We had a group of six so they sat us at the big table in the back corner. My fiancée and I arrived fifteen minutes or so prior to the next couple. Yumi was our server and she was great; very attentive as well. I felt bad that the rest of our group was running as late as the were and so we ordered some drinks and appetizers. The first apps we ordered were the Rings and Fries (The rings were good, a little on the softer side, but at least the onion didn’t come out of the battering on the first bite. The Fries were decent, but the Gorgonzola they were covered in was a bit too much in the cheese department. We also ordered the Mussels which were quite tasty. Yumi even apologized when she noticed 2 – 3 hadn’t opened before they were plated and served. We also ordered the calamari which was crunchy and had a little kick. All and all everything was enjoyed and brought in in a rather timely manner.
Once our entire party had arrived we took advantage of the date night special that Regions runs on Saturdays (any bottle of wine 80.00 and cheaper is half off) and ordered a couple of bottles as well as our entrees at that point. Half of the table ordered the mac and cheese with either crab or chicken. I tasted the crab one and it was good, although I like much more pepper on my m&c so it was a bit bland for me. I ordered the filet mignon med rare and it came out perfectly. They don’t ruin the meat with a bunch of spices and sauces here, it stands alone and was juicy and cooked just right. I was quite happy about it. It is served with a baked potato and veggies. I think if I do it again I would try to sub out the potato for another side if possible.
The birthday girls ordered an apple pie a la mode and a s’more for dessert. They were both nice and warm and very tasty. However we were all stuffed from the meal and couldn’t finish either of them between us. The bill came and we were happy that we used
because it made the meal even more affordable for the amount of food and drink we consumed. We will definitely go back and try other options in the future. It was nice that Yumi checked on us as often as she did as well as the manager and chef and I think these folks have something good going on over there.

My husband and I decided to try Regions after seeing that they had reopened. The whole experience was just disapointing. The food was uninspired and below average, the prices high, and the service mediocre. I can think of at least five restaurants within a five minute drive of Regions that blow this place out of the water. One out of five stars ONLY because it wouldn’t let me leave zero.

best vegeterian burger. EVER!

We read about the opening of Regions in the Phoenix New Times blog Chow Bella and found the perfect opportunity to check it out when another food lover happened to be in the area. We were particularly excited due to the lack of good restaurants in this part of N Scottsdale and went in with high hopes.
Upon entering we were told that the restaurant seating area would be closing in 5 min (9pm) and that the bar would be serving until 10pm. The bar looked much more inviting any way so that was fine with us. We were also immediately given a coupon for a free appetizer with purchase of any entrée, which we happily accepted.
The concept for Regions is that in addition to their regular menu, which focuses on comfort food, there’s also a monthly menu that rotates through the different regions of the US. Our main reason for coming was that we were enticed by the Deep South menu which runs until the end of March. We’ve always loved Southern food but Lo-Lo’s, Mrs White’s and Stacy’s are just a bit far for us to go regularly.
From the menu of the month, we ordered the Fried Green Tomatoes & Okra ($ 6) and Shrimp & Grits ($ 9). From the regular menu, Prime Rib Sliders ($ 9), Rhode Island Calamari ($ 8) and Mac and Cheese ($ 15).
The grits were rich and creamy — easily the best dish and deserves a spot of the regular menu. The tomatoes and okra were disappointingly not coated with a cornmeal crust which would have delivered a much more satisfying textural contrast — it just made us crave for Stacy’s fried okra.
The Sliders came in 3 and were filled with «Slow Roasted Prime Rib,» which were unfortunately a bit dry. The fried onion and horseradish sauce provided good contrast and kick. The tops of one of the buns was missing. Upon notification, the manager promptly brought one out and comped the cocktail one of us ordered.
With the Calamari, the batter barely adhered to the calamari so much of the crispy bits were left on the plate. Mac and cheese came in an entrée size and was made with penne, which was perfectly al dente and the cheese was creamy and well balanced. I would happily order it again if it came without the lump crabmeat and was priced sub $ 10. We could visually see the lump crab meat but barely taste it as it was overwhelmed by the cheese. Alternatively, they could take a page from the Tuck Shop’s lobster mac and present the crab on top.
Mark the bartender was very friendly and professional and the manager was very responsive. The restaurant had their soft opening last Wed and obviously still has some kinks to work out, especially in the deep-​frying area. The concept is great and very much needed in North Scottsdale — creative comfort food at very reasonable prices. Given time, I hope the execution will step up to the plate and deliver the home run that I’m routing for.