Ugly Holiday Sweater Soiree at Rico’s

Have to thank the Unilocal crew and the staff at Rico’s for an awesome event. The Unilocal elite event was incredible. From the moment I walked in the Rico’s staff was friendly and helpful offering up drinks, explaining the layout, passing out food and just being overly helpful.
On top of that the food was good too. Te fish tacos were really good and I loved the salsa. The shrimp salad was good as well.
Overall the entire event was top notch and I will be making a return trip soon.

My compliments to the folks at Rico’s! They really seized the opportunity to show 100+ Unilocalers what they have to offer and why we should come back.
And, to seal the deal, they have outstanding staff who really understood the purpose and each took the opportunity to explain what they were showcasing and invite us to remember Rico’s. For example, the bartender explained happy hour and invited me to come back while passing my drink across the bar.
Speaking of happy hour and drinks, the beer selection is great, as is the happy hour pricing, which we were offered all evening, should we run out of drink tickets and care for more.
All of the foods sampled are on their regular menu, so it was «safe» to get attached to something. I will be back for pretzel sticks, for sure.
And, they sent us home with an exclusive bottle of (not for sale) Chef’s ketchup and a coupon to be used on a future visit.
Duh. How can I NOT return???

This was alot of fun and my first Elite event! I went by myself but quickly found some current Unilocal friends and met some new. I was tickled pink by all of the awesomely bad sweaters. It was great to see so many people in the ugly sweater spirit.
Rico’s put on a great spread. There was flatbread (although I was not diggin the goat cheese one but if you love some goat cheese, this is the one for you!), salad, fish tacos, chops, and soft pretzel sticks with this spicy honey mustard. Yum. There were like 4 desserts, too and I sampled most of them (strawberry shortcake, brownie, apple crumb). I heard the bread pudding was awesome.
Loved the pics with Santa and the cute Unilocal gloves. I flirted a little with Santa to snag a second pair. Okay, maybe I didn’t need to flirt but what’s the harm? :) Bottom line, this event was a jolly old time.

My review is based on a private event — Unilocal OYE, but I can’t wait to go back. I tried a sampling of the food and thought everything was delicious. The atmosphere was lovely and the service beyond compare.
Given the prices, we are certain to be back for dinner.

Another fantastic event! It really felt like being at a holiday party with a big group of friends. Thanks, Lindsey! Another job well done.
I was really impressed with Rico’s right from the start. The Restaurant has a really cool vibe and the staff was really friendly. All the chefs, servers, and bartenders had a lot to say about what was being served, and what’s on the regular menus and when they have their specials.
The food was all good and cut to perfect sampling portions.
I especially enjoyed the fish tacos. Not breaded, corn salsa and a spicy kick in its sauce… what’s not to love?
The pizzas were really good, especially the wild mushroom.
The chicken chop with sweet potato and green beans was wonderful.
The Strawberry shortcake was to die for.
The apple cobbler in a martini glass was okay, but not really something I would consider ordering.
I didn’t sport an ugly holiday sweater or have my picture taken with Santa. But for those who did, more power to you. I guess I’m a little bit of a scrooge. The gift bag with the Arizona’s finest ketchup and 15% coupon was a nice touch.
I will definitely head back up to Rico’s sometime. It’s a fun restaurant with great food. And if you’re getting married at the Pointe Hilton (which Rico’s shares its parking lot with), I would suggest looking into having your rehearsal dinner there. If they treat you half as good as they treated us, it’ll be a great time.

Had a great time seeing everyone! Everyone who dressed up really got into the holiday spirit. The food was really good, and the manager of the place was very knowledgeable about gluten free foods, which made it much easier to navigate for food.
Santa was by far the best part! He was the real deal. No fake beard and fake Santa gut. I believe!

Great new place. The Santa idea was amazing! I kept reminiscing about my childhood days I sat on Santa’s lap… even if it was only once. The food was delicious, especially the «chipotle grilled fish taco» and the flat bread pizza. YUMMMY!
The staff was very «efficient» on getting our dirty dishes… but they were eagerly comin’ to our table every minute, trying to take our dessert plates we were still working on to the point I had to say, «BACK OFF!!» jk… I did have to protect my plate from the clean-​fiend. :P
The party bags filled with goodies including Rico’s Ketchup was pretty neat! I can’t wait to taste the «special» sauce infused in the bottle.
I won the Polar Express DVD… watched it as soon as I got home. :) Happy Holidays people!
Sweet place for a sweet time!

This was a great time! Everyone was in great spirits with the ugly sweaters and equally as ugly accessories. We have some fasionesitas out there.
Ricos did a great job. They had this thing planned out and executed perfectly. Thank you for the excellent food, service and sauce.
This could be a nice hangout spot in the future for me.
Apparently there is a good fish taco in AZ… we just needed to wait for Ricos to open.
My only complaint… only beer and wine for the drink tickets AND the captain and coke was over $ 8 a pop… lilte steep when you not on the companies credit card. LOL
So who won the ugliest sweater?

I decided late in the game to attend the ugly sweater soirée, which meant I needed to locate an ugly sweater quickly. It was more difficult than I imagined. After going to more than 5 stores to try and find one I solicited advice from friends. One suggested I wear a sweater from my closet. It’s an ugly sweater party — not a sexy, stylish party — so that left my wardrobe out. Ebay was a great option, but waiting until the last minute counted that out. Another friend told me instead of thinking places where tacky people shop, think old people. JC Penny did have some — but more than $ 30. I hit the Unilocal talk thread and discovered a hint from Anna M. about Tiedeman’s Thrift — and she was correct. I had to go with a women’s sweater, but it was ugly. Later at the event she recognized the sweater and asked if I bought it at Tiedeman’s. First time for me that two people located an item at a thrift store and recognized it later in public. Thanks for the tip, Anna ;-)
I had never been to Rico’s, so this was a nice introduction. I used my drink tickets on Moose Drool, which I have only seen on tap at a few places. The flatbreads were excellent. Aileen B. was correct margherita — and actually listening to her provided good tips all night. The goat cheese was a bit too strong, the apple dessert a bit too sweet, but surprisingly the bread pudding was very good. Unfortunately I didn’t make it out to the pork chop station :-(
I enjoyed seeing many friends again and sitting on Santa’s lap. It’s been probably a good 35 years since I did that. I think after last night Santa may ask himself for a knee replacement, but he was a trooper. Printing the photos gave us a fun takeaway from the event. The Unilocal gloves were a nice treat too — I told Ryan C. that foodie bikers would really love them — so remember those guys on your holiday shopping list.
Thanks for a wonderful night. It was great to see everyone again. Happy holidays!

A huge local beer selection, a great varied list of food and great prizes.
Two out of three ain”t bad as I never win. But with local beers on tap I did not lose. I was happy to learn that they had a happy hour worth $ 3 pints of beer. Including sun up, pyramid, santan, left hand and more. This is cheaper than you can get the beer at the brewery.
The flat bread pizza was nice, it was par cooked in a oven the finished in a fire brick oven to add a nice char taste. The wild mushroom goat cheese pizza was great with its roasted whole garlic cloves. The Margarita was good too.
On to the salads I tried a one off creation with wild greens, avocado and dressing. Each was fresh and flavorful.
I skipped the carving table as it offered nothing for me, but the fish tacos were great. The marinade of the cod added a real kick but the chipotle mayo was a bit strong. The cabbage added a nice crunch.
The wide array of deserts were nice. A apple cobbler like dish. to a bread pudding ball that had a nice firm texture, a cheese cake shot that was quite decadent and a half baked brownie.
Brownies are better half baked. Everyone would agree about this, so why don’t we change the term «baked» for a brownie to what half baked is. And make baked to over done. Just an idea.

Let’s just say the theme and venue made the perfect pairing. It truly felt like a Holiday party at its best from my awkward moment with Santa to all the festive, tacky colors and designs of Christmas. Combine that with Rico’s wooden décor that made you feel like you were chillin’ at a swanky Colorado cabin/​resort, it was a match made in Unilocal heaven! The only thing missing were snow drizzling outside and icicles dangling on the rooftop.
The warm energy flowed throughout the event like butter on a pancake! I want to recognize Rico’s staff for their hospitality and all the wonderful delights that highlighted our experience here. The 3 winners for me went to the starter salad that came with a shrimp, chicken over sweet mash and the Alaskan cod. Very tasty and prepared just right. I must point out that the complimentary pretzel sticks with a side of honey mustard were phenomenal. They were soft, chewy and put a smile to your tummy.
Prior to arriving here, I was a little leery about rocking my hideous sweater but once I saw that the majority was all decked out, I felt I came to the right place.
Merci Beaucoup to Rico’s and the Unilocal Team for a killer Holiday event!

Well i must say I was very impressed with Rico’s. I went there for a Unilocal event tonight and I had a great time. The food was spectacular… the service was awesome… and the atmosphere was very festive. There is plenty of outdoor seating… a very nice fireplace outside to keep you warm on a cool night… live music… great bar… and very friendly staff. There was a raffle for great prizes… and ugly sweater contest… which I know i won even though there was no prize given… and of course I got a chance to meet some of my fellow Unilocalers and some new one’s as well.
I am sooooo looking forward to going there again for lunch or dinner because the menu is fabulous and the prices are very reasonable. My compliments to Unilocal for hooking us up again… they do such a great job hosting these events and it is ALWAYS first class all the way. Eleanor and Lindsey make the best hosts… and they always welcome you like your family. I can’t wait until the next event… but until then… Eat, Drink, and Be Merry my Friends!!!
NOTE: DON’T FORGET TO CHECK THE PICS OUT THAT I TOOK AT THE EVENT… THEY ARE GREAT… AND FOR ALL YOU UnilocalERS THAT COULDN’T MAKE IT… YOU MISSED A TRUE TREAT AND I HOPE TO SEE YOU AT THE NEXT ONE.

I attended an event here and I was very impressed with the food and service.
The chef and staff served a number of menu items and in all honesty, every one I tried was excellent!
From the turkey and andouille chile wrap to the several varieties of flatbread (my favorite was the BBQ chicken… I went back for more… twice) and the dynamite shrimp salad.
I really enjoyed the pan roasted chicken chop and the Arizona nights pork chop.
The dessert I sampled were delicious as well, I particularly liked the caramel bread pudding and strawberry shortcake.
Between the delicious food and the great service, I will be back to Rico’s for dinner soon.

Been procrastinating these events for a while. In between Unilocal and Couch surfing I’ll end up my time in US in the best way!
My favorite where the meats that had the Rico’s salsa, the desert that had the macadamia nut and the tomato pizza. Oh yes, THANK YOU for the Growler!
BTW…who won the ugliest sweater?

Believe it or not, the mission to find an ugly holiday sweater was a bit daunting! If only these parties had been popular in the Eighties, I would’ve held on to my collection of Bill Cosby winter wear. Nonetheless, I forged boldly onward, visited a thrift store and not only found a sweater I could not only work with but was able to accessorize. Fabulous! So if you’re wondering, that was me at the Unilocal Rico’s event with the fuzzy mog hat, gold lamé sparkly scarf, and patchwork sweater with Frosty the Snowman and Feliz Navidad appliqué.
This was an amazing Unilocal event! At first I didn’t recognize anyone and was a bit disheartened, but since Unilocalers are so welcoming, I joined a table and made new friends immediately. The food was really top-​notch. I am still salivating over the fish taco and was very impressed with the nutty bread pudding dessert. I also discovered a new favorite craft brew (SunUp Red Armadillo) thanks to the well-​informed staff at the bar.
A good time was had by all. Best Santa I’ve seen in recent memory (with a real beard and a jolly sense of humor) and the picture is a keeper. In all the controlled, friendly chaos I did manage to locate my familiar peeps as well as hang with some brand new friends.
Thank you Rico’s (I shall return to sample the rest of the menu and/​or the Happy Hour). Thank you Lindsey, for once again hosting a terrific event, and thank you fellow Unilocalers for providing that spark to get me in the Christmas spirit! Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!

As always, awesome event — –thanks Lindsey! This was was the best!
My first impression was impressed! Rico’s had reserved their entire restaurant and bar area for us — –how awesome is that?
And service… was 10+++. Everywhere you looked was a server offering yummy food or assisting with something. The staff was very attentive, it makes me believe that the service would be no different for an everyday experience here.
The food — it all looked so, so good. So I sampled as much as I could:
starting with the slice of pork chop with «smoky black beans» & BBQ sauce. Loved, loved, love that sauce
chicken with green beans & sweet potatoes. (another great dish, although the sweet potatoes had a «unique» taste to them)
Fish tacos — scrumptious! Non-​breaded fish, roasted corn salsa… awesome sauce
apple cobbler-​thing — apple slices with a crumb cake topping. good but after a few bites, the apples were a tad tart for me
Strawberry shortcake — oooooohhh, yumm! Jessie likey… I would definitely order this at my next meal here.
Brownie — — ohhhh sooo delicious!
Drinks of course — a special blend Red wine (sorry forgot the name) and their own ale, Rico’s Rough Rider. Both excellent!
So nice to see so many fellow Unilocalers wearing their finest Ugly Sweater threads. Nearly all had some wickedly bad sweaters on. (Several of us caught the memo that Walmart apparently has the best selection for cheesy holiday sweater vests that only a mother, grandmother, or aunt would love).
Everywhere you turned there were so many nice touches to this event. The venue gave complimentary goodie bags to all attendees — –yes, that’s right! It contained some of their AZ Finest Ketchup. I’m excited to try that… Plus there was Santa. Who doesn’t want a photo with the man w the beard? And I’m pretty sure that Rico’s had extra help on hand to assist with photos.
Management was all around… genuinely greeting us all, and thanking us for attending the party. While drinking some of their fine coffee with Vern G. and Michael F., I thanked one of the mgr’s Robert, for the bottle of BBQ sauce and told him how much i loooooved it. He said «Oh no, that’s not BBQ sauce. That’s really ketchup. I’ll go get you guys your own bottle of BBQ sauce.». And he did!
Wow — –that was just awesome. And definitely unexpected.
Thank you again — — great event, great peeps, great service, great food, and great night!

On the 1^st star of Unilocal-​mas my Unilocalers gave to me,
an ugly Christmas sweater party!
On the 2^nd star of Unilocal-​mas my Unilocalers gave to me,
2 biker gloves, ( Unilocal Life!)
and an ugly Christmas sweater party!
On the 3^rd star of Unilocal-​mas my Unilocalers gave to me,
3 flatbread pizzas!
2 biker gloves,
and an ugly Christmas sweater party!
On the 4^th star of Unilocal-​mas my Unilocalers gave to me,
4 glasses of wine! (Actually 2 drink tickets, but 2 Unilocalers = 4 & it’s the only 4 things I can think of to make this song work — Wink! :)
3 flatbread pizzas,
2 biker gloves,
and an ugly Christmas sweater party!
On the 5^th star of Unilocal-​mas my Unilocalers gave to me,
5 stars for this event! (Thanks Lindsey!)
4 glasses of wine,
3 flatbread pizzas,
2 biker gloves,
and an ugly Christmas sweater party!
Enjoy!

Fantastic party tonight! Thanks to everyone at Unilocal and at Rico’s American Grill! The service was very friendly and eager to please, from the servers, the bartenders, and the managers and resort’s directors! Even the wonderful staff that normally worked at other resort stations were called in to help out at the event– thanks to Jane and Judy who manned the photo printers! I love my three photos w/​Santa and friends :)
The atmosphere here was very cozy. Loved all the wood furnishings. Really wished we sat outside. It was a lovely evening, and the ambience out there was so laid-​back. When I return, I want a table next to the firepit!
The food stations were so much fun, and the flavors were very well-​thought out. I usually go for more exotic flavors on my flatbreads and therefore skip on the margherita, but Rico’s version was very tasty! (If only the pieces I had were crispier!) LOVED the pork chop station. The black-​bean base was so tender, yet still had a nice mouth-​feel (not mushy at all), and the green beans had a nice crisp to them. I couldn’t have any chicken dishes, but I did get to try the mashed sweet potato base from the chicken chop station– perfect!
And what about dessert? I tried all four, and the clear-​cut winner was the bread pudding! The macadamia nuts included were few, but I tell ya, every time I found one in my mouth, I was in heaven! Loved the crunch, and they helped to cut the sweetness of the caramel down. Following closely were the strawberry shortcake, the apple crumble (a bit too sweet, but still delicious!), and then the half-​baked brownie. Thanks to Tina, who persuaded me to give this dessert another try, bec. my first bite was so hard and dry, I pushed the plate away. Amy tried a bite, and she and I agreed it wasn’t worth the calories. The second piece I chose was much better. Amy– I hope you tried the brownie again, too…
Last, but not least, did anyone else get to try a glass of the Purple Cowboy (combo red)? It was so smooth, I would’ve had a second glass had I not already had a glass of pinot noir (pre-​party) before trying the PC. I noticed a few microbrews on the bar menu… Didn’t catch where they were made (if I were a beer drinker, I’d try the Milk stout– mmm, its description sounded absolutely lovely!), but I heard a few good things about a glass or two from the members at our table.

Yippee! My 200^th review and glad I saved it for such an awesome event! It was fabulous! Yes! Woohoo! Exclamation point! :)
I am officially calling this «The Cute Holiday Sweater Soirée» because everybody looks so darn cute in their holiday ensemble.
I am so grateful and feel lucky to have been a part of this Unilocal event, and I’m glad everybody participated and wore something fun.
Props of course to Lindsey for choosing such an excellent venue «Rico’s» with fabulous libations and delicious dishes. I had an Ale on tap and a couple of glasses of Prosecco. I also had Margherita and Mushroom Pizzas, Salads, all very delicious. And who could forget the Fish Tacos and their killer salsa bar? Also the dessert table. It was so hard to have just one dessert! Damn Gina! They were all very tempting and tasty. Good thing I have self-​control. I finished my meal and finished it off with coffee that tasted pretty darn good.
It goes without saying that I loved seeing and catching up with other Unilocalers, and I finally had a chance to meet quite a few people that I’ve wanted to meet for some time. This event rocks!
Special thanks to Rico’s, Unilocal,Hilton, Santa, Lindsey and the staff. Everything was wonderful, and the food and service were top notches.
I will bring my Mom at Rico’s for brunch!
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I love the swag bag. I scored Rico’s Arizona Night BBQ Sauce (Thanks to the Manager Robert), House-​made Ketchup and an awesome pair of Unilocal gloves. I love them! :)

Lindsey — It was awesome! You are one party thrower (is that a word?). This is my first event and WOW! Dude, I have been missing out!!! No wonder why Linda keeps tell me, GO GO GO! I loved the theme on ugly holiday sweater, we had a mini competion on getting the most ugliest we can find. It was fun! Now to build on bells and lights for next year?
Rico’s did an excellent job of keeping everyone happy. Food is circling, drinks are pouring, music is playing, then more food stations!!! OH, and HELLO to all the desserts. I do not remember how many Santa pictures we took. Thanks to Jane and Judy for making extras for us. It was also great to talk to the Greg from LCSA, I hope we filled the list and more. It is nice to know this Unilocal event is sponsing an Adopt a Family, what a way to share the joys of the holidays!
OK, down to the breakdown on food:
Flatbreads — loved BBQ chicken and Margherita (just the perfect amount of tastiness and flatbread. YUM!
Fish tacos — grilled fish with awesome chipotle sauce served on a corn tortilla (the fish was moist and flavorful, and chipotle was just the right kick). Mouth watering…
Chicken & sweet potaotes — The chicken was a moist by with a crispy of the skin (AHHHH) and the sweet potoates was just good. Nice balance with the chicken.
Pork chop & black beans — Pork was perfect and the black beans were a good touch to the BBQ sauce on the pork.
Had the brownie (my piece was a little hard) but the bread pudding was YUM!!!
Loved seeing a lot of Unilocalers with fulgy sweaters, love the spirit! Rico’s — Thanks for the good bag. Well done on the service and food with that many Unilocalers.
Again thanks, Lindsey and it was great to meet you in person finally!