Tommy Lasorda & Antars Sports Bistro

We are in Tempe, AZ for a Karate tournament this weekend.  Gerry's grandnephew is participating in a tournament on Saturday and since they made the long drive from their home in Park City, Utah, we decided to meet them halfway.  Not exactly halfway, but close enough.

The team members and their parents all went to dinner at Antar's Sports Bistro near the Arizona State University campus.  I was a little surprised by the choice since the children ranged in age from 4-14, but it worked out fine.  They put us in the back section and we had it all to ourselves for most of the time.  They did serve some big meals there and this steak salad took first place honors.  More than enough for two people & they ordered a pizza, also.  The pizza went into a box and was taken back to the hotel.

The owner stopped by and welcomed us to his place.  He was very friendly and talked to us for a while.  Then he said we could stay for the private party for the former manager of the LA Dodgers, Tommy Lasorda and 30 of the present day Dodger players that were due to arrive at 6:30.  We left around 8:00 pm and no Lasorda.  He must have been held up at another function so we didn't get to see him.  It was a charity affair to raise money for a boys/girls club and they had a silent auction of sports memorobelia and the starting price was higher than I was willing to pay.  They were also raffling off a chance to sit with Lasorda at the head table for $30/chance. 

I managed to watch two basketball games on 2 of the 48 HD TVs they had all over the place.  Oooopppsss, what happened to Duke & Missouri??  I know a certain lady in Tucson that must be crying in her beer.  Of course, I've been crying in my beer.  Neither Maryland, Illinois nor Arizona got into the NCAA tournament.  Now I will have to root for North Carolina State and St. Louis University.  Go Wolfpack and Billikens!

Erin brought Christopher to the dinner and had an enjoyable meal.  The children sat at one table and the adults at another.  That worked out fine for all of us.   You can tell by her smile that she was happy with the arrangement.  

The restaurant was quite large and had indoor and outdoor seating.  Actually, the outdoor section had a roof over it and was in a breezeway.  There were tvs there also and the place was full.  The area around there had numerous restaurants and bars and was a "happening place" as the younger set likes to say.  It was very nice to see everyone out having a great time in the super weather we are having now.