CORE Kitchen & Wine Bar — Restaurant in Marana

Went on Christmas 2016, expecting the same incredible brunch we had had there on Christmas day 2014 and 2013. We have always regarded Core's brunch as the best brunch we have ever had. Its quality was significantly better than even the Hotel Del Coronado in San Diego (which was more expensive), and the spread almost rivaled the Del's.

We were, to say the least, disappointed with the 2016 brunch. I will emphasize that the outstanding quality was still there. Everything we ate was delicious and absolutely top drawer. We have no complaints on the quality of the food whatsoever. But the variety, the extensiveness of the layout, were gone. The former artisan breads are no more; some croissants and some muffins were all the bread we found. The former entire table-side of cheeses were reduced to a small handful of selections. The desserts were reduced in variety and pre-packaged in plastic globes. Overall, the spread was (by our estimate) only about two-thirds of what it used to be.

It's tragic, to us. Brunch at Core was a very special occasion, to us, one that we were willing to drive fifty miles (each way) to get to and spend a major amount of money on - significantly more than our next favorite brunch in Tucson. We had actually based our choice this year on the difference between the spreads compared to the price difference.

Our description of Core's brunch has always been that despite its sky-high price, it was the one brunch we had ever found in any of the cities we'd eaten brunch in that - based on both quality and variety - actually surpassed its price. No more. We can get almost as good a brunch with just as big a spread as this reduced one for significantly less, significantly closer to home. I am sorry to say that we will not return. It is no longer...

I didn't actually eat at the restaurant, but during one night of my stay at the Ritz, my friend and I were in dyer need for some water after we had a long adventurous day in the hot Arizona sun. It was midnight and we searched the entire resort for any vending machines (which they have none, as we now know). As it was midnight, all of the stores and bars were closed so we had no where to get any water from, until we stumbled across the Core kitchen. We noticed there were still some workers in the back cleaning up the kitchen ( which they were doing a wonderful job) and we decided we would ask them if they knew if there was anywhere to get water bottles, or anything really. After we got the attention of one of the workers, he told us to hold on and he would be back with someone who could help us with that. Lo and behold, a man named Jason came out, I think he was the lead chef or maybe the manager, maybe both, but he was the absolute best/ most helpful person ever. We told him our situation and he told us he would get us some bottles free of charge ( which I was planning on paying for the water because I needed it so bad) and proceeded to ask if FIJI water was okay? I was expecting some tap water in all honesty, but dang, FIJI? Anyway, he went back to the back and was there for just a little until he came out and explained to us that he was very sorry but he was all out of bottles, however, he gave us two big glasses with lids filled with ice cold water. If Jason was the head chef, he should be the manager because I have never had any friendlier service at 12 am from a man just trying to clean his restaurant and get home. If he was the manager, then I will definitely come back and eat at this restaurant, as I know it is in...

The food quality and friendliness all deserve 4-5 stars, but I am rating 2 stars for the management’s handling of a mouse that interrupted our dinner. Yes, a MOUSE, crawled over my foot under our dinner table. I jumped in reaction and the mouse was undeterred. It returned repeatedly, leaving us feeling creeped out and on edge. Later we realized there was a piece of food under the table that must have been drawing it in. When the waiter brought us our check, I asked the waiter if they gave us a discount for the mouse intruder and he was surprised by my request, saying “that happens a lot because we are in the desert, but I can ask my manager.” The manager came to our table with a polite apology for the situation and discounted a dessert. My frustration is not that the manager didn’t compensate further, but that they repeatedly said “this happens and there’s not much we can do about it.” It begs the question, if they can’t keep rodents from the dining room, how do they keep them from the kitchen? I’d suggest ensuring more thorough cleaning between seatings to deter such a situation. Who knows how many seatings earlier the piece of food was left behind, a more thorough cleaning under the table possibly could have prevented the rodent from brazenly crawling over my foot and around our dinner table. In the end, I’d rather eat at low scale restaurant that doesn’t have a rodent problem than a “fine dining” one who does and doesn’t seem to think it...