Foo(d) Bar Blog - Chandler

The Arizona Republic's 2008 Readers Choice Awards for Food and Dining

Sat, 17 May 2008 09:59:00 -0400

Back in 2006, I wrote a post criticizing the Ahwatukee Foothills News for their Best of Ahwatukee list. The winners in almost all categories were well known chain restaurants, leading me to wonder whether it was the paper pandering to their advertisers, or the case that people in Ahwatukee just had no taste. You'll understand then why I became completely infuriated when I came across the Arizona Republic's 2008 Reader's and Critic's Choice Awards for Best Dining & Food. While I can say that the critic's awards were all within the realm of possibility (although I find some of the categories odd), the Reader's Choice awards were completely appalling. By an amazing happenstance, Oreganos's Pizza Bistro (no link, their site requires an annoying ActiveX control, which is a possible security hazard) won 11 out of 31 categories. That's right. Not only did they win best pizza, but also best Italian, best sandwich, best dessert, best family owned, best for a first-date, best local treasure, best takeout, best patio dining, best worth the wait and best quick (non-fast) food. How the heck do you win both best quick and best worth the wait? I don't even know where to start with this. If Oregano's had simply won best pizza, I could have lived with that, although I would have personally disagreed. However, winning 11 out of 31 categories, some of them totally ridiculous completely smacks of ballot-stuffing. Come on AZ Republic, wake up! Learn how to run a poll. I've never lived in or visited another major city with such a crappy (and consistently crappy) reader's choice awards. Just so you can see the full list for yourself, here it is, along with some snarky commentary from me:

Best Dessert: Oregano's Pizza Bistro - I know people like the pizza cookie, but come on. There are some seriously talented pastry chefs in the valley, and this is the best that people could come up with?
Best Breakfast: Crackers & Co. - never been there, so I can't argue with this one.
Best Indian Restaurant: Indian Maharaja Palace - Indian food in the valley is mediocre at best.
Best Pizza: Oregano's Pizza Bistro - If this is the will of the people, fine. However, there is much better to be found as you can see from the runner-up list.
Best Neighborhood Mexican: Carolina's Mexican Food - This makes sense.
Best Bakery: Wicked Witch Bakery - Works for me, although I find the bakery selection in the valley to be seriously lacking.
Best Family-owned Restaurant: Oregano's Pizza Bistro - it is a family owned restaurant.
Best Late-Night Eats: Fez - Couldn't agree more. Excellent food all the way through closing.
Best Place for a First Date: Oregano's Pizza Bistro - if someone took me here for a first date, it would also be the last date.
Best Salsa: Macayo's - WTF?!!?
Best Sushi: Ra See best salsa!
Best Restaurant 'Worth the Wait': Oregano's Pizza Bistro - with long waits both at lunch and on weekends, Oregano's is definitely popular. However, I can't say it's really worth the wait.
Best Wine Selection: D'Vine Bistro & Wine Bar - Been there and wasn't that impressed. If wine selection is really the criteria, then how could a place like Cowboy Ciao (even though I hate how their wine list is organized), or Kazimierz not win?
Best Barbecue: Famous Dave's Legendary Pit Bar-B-Que - very hot topic. My pick would be Joe's Real BBQ, but that's just me.
Best Local Treasure: Oregano's Pizza Bistro - Seriously now. Local treasure? Can you say huh?
Best Chinese: P. F. Chang's China Bistro - Good Chinese isn't great in the valley, but we do have better than P. F. Chang's, and I don't mean Pei Wei.
Best Place for Takeout: Oregano's Pizza Bistro - NO!
Best Non-Chain Hamburger: Zipps Sports Grill - Oh boy. It's a typical bar burger. It isn't bad, but it's by far not the best. Both Delux and Chuckbox should easily have been at the top of the list.
Best Ice Cream/Frozen Novelty: Maui Wowi - Wowi Maui. Good job.
Best Middle Eastern Restaurant: Haji-Baba - Very popular and supplies most of the rest of the middle eastern/Mediterranean restaurants in the area.
Best Italian Restaurant: Oregano's Pizza Bistro - It's a pizza place with a handful of other Italian dishes! There are many, many more Italian restaurants in the valley that are far superior.
Best Sandwich: Oregano's Pizza Bistro - This is such a broad category. In many other cities they would break this one out. Mention this wind to a dozen of your friends and see how many of them react with "are you kidding me?"
Best Restaurant to Splurge: Fleming's Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar - it's definitely $$$, but for the money, I'd rather go to Kai.
Best Quick (Non-Fast) Food: Oregano's Pizza Bistro - This one defies logic. Considering the long waits that are a staple of Oregano's, I don't see how you can read this one with a straight face. Even when you do finally get a table, it's often a long wait for the food!
Best Steakhouse: Donovan's Steak & Chop House - I think you'll find a lot of people divided on this one.
Best Romantic Restaurant: The Melting Pot - Fondue can definitely be romantic, however, for overall atmosphere, there are better choices.
Best Pub with Grub: Zipps Sports Grill - For the love of all things! Four Peaks, Sonoran, and about ten other places come to mind before I would have ever thought to myself "hey Zipp's!"
Best Patio Dining: Oregano's Pizza Bistro - The AZ republic actually got this right in their commentary on the win when they wrote "Located all over the Valley, with patios overlooking parking lots, streets and walls, it's hard to say what, exactly, it was about the outdoor dining spaces at the various Oregano's that azcentral.com voters found so alluring."
Best Health Food Store: Trader Joe's - I love Trader Joe's, and so does everyone else.
Best Sunday Brunch: T. Cook's - There is talent there, although the execution can be spotty.
Best Thai Restaurant: Pink Pepper Thai Cuisine - NO WAY IN HELL. Swaddee, Maylee's, Yuppha, and many more should be at the top of this list.

It's hard to get people to take Arizona seriously as a foodie destination when this is the best we can come up with.

Phoenix Metro Sushi Restaurants on Google Maps

Wed, 11 Apr 2007 11:47:00 -0400

Google recently released a new feature of their popular Google Maps application called My Maps. Essentially, it's a way to create customized Google Maps without any programming. In about 10 minutes, I was able to create a map of all Sushi restaurants in the Phoenix Metro area. Check it out: Phoenix Metro Sushi Restaurants (Google Maps)

Hangar Cafe - Chandler, AZ

Fri, 29 Sep 2006 18:38:00 -0400

Every Friday, I meet up with a couple of work friends for breakfast before heading into the office. We try to keep our breakfast meetings central to where we live and also close to our Chandler office, which doesn't leave a whole lot of places to choose from. While I was surfing the web a few weeks ago, I stumbled upon a restaurant I had never heard of before - the Hangar Cafe. Even more interesting than the fact that it was previously unknown to me was its location, the Chandler Municipal Airport. This Friday, we finally got a chance to pay the Hangar Cafe a visit. Turns out that the cafe is actually located right out near the flight line, with a great view of the planes and helicopters both on the tarmac and in flight. When we arrived, the place was almost packed inside. There were a few people out on the patio, and with the temperature still fairly cool, we decided to sit outside so we could better take in the view. I had just seen the movie Flyboys the previous night, so I was pretty excited when a replica French Nieuport rolled out of the hangar next to us with two parachute clad pilots ready to take it for a spin. The menu at the Hangar consisted of typical American breakfast items including bacon, eggs, sausage, pancakes, several omelets, a breakfast burrito, corned beef hash, and chicken fried steak, among others. I opted for the chicken fried steak with eggs over medium, hash browns, rye toast, and coffee. The wait staff at the Hangar Cafe was super friendly and the service was prompt and competent. I never had to ask for a refill on my coffee. When my food arrived, it was cooked as ordered. Breakfast at the Hangar Cafe is nothing fancy, but the food I had tasted great. The chicken fried steak was one of the best I can remember having. The gravy was a standout. The hash browns were good, but I would have preferred them a bit crispier - something I realize very few breakfast places can pull off successfully. I really enjoyed our outing to the Hangar Cafe and plan to keep it in my regular rotation of breakfast spots. It's also open for lunch, which presents another opportunity for a repeat visit. In addition to the good food, friendly service, and relatively cheap prices, the fact that you can relax and watch the planes take-off and land is n added bonus.

BevMo is Coming to Town

Thu, 21 Sep 2006 11:08:00 -0400

Phoenicians rejoice! BevMo Beverages & More, the popular California wine, spirits, and beer giant is headed to the Phoenix area. Their first store in Arizona is set to open on September 29, 2006. Located at 7230 W. Ray Road (across from AJ's), the 13,000 square foot Chandler location will carry upward of 3,000 wines, 1200 spirits, 800 beers, 1000 specialty foods, 150 cigars, and assorted glassware. Personally, I can't wait for BevMo to open. I find the wine and beer selection in the Phoenix area to be pitiful. While AZ is certainly convenient with beer, wine, and spirits available in grocery stores, what you pay for that convenience is choice. I realize there are a few decent specialty shops and liquor stores in the area with a better selection than most, but I really haven't found a place that I can honestly say I've been impressed with. Maybe it's because I used to live two miles from a Total Wine & More, where the wine selection was over 8,000 bottles , the spirit choices over 2,000, and more than 1,000 different beers. Maybe it's because I'm tired of paying AJ's inflated prices just for a little variety. Whatever the case, BevMo is sure to make an impact in the area.

Chodang (Cho Dang) Tofu & Korean BBQ - Chandler, Arizona

Wed, 20 Sep 2006 16:30:00 -0400

Where I work, we maintain a long list of local lunch spots we regularly eat at, as well as a list of places we've never been but want to try. We make it a point to try at least one new spot a week. A few weeks ago, Moody and I attempted to try out a new Korean restaurant in downtown Chandler called Chodang, but unfortunately, they were closed at the time (it was a Tuesday). It wasn't until the other day that we finally got another chance to give them a try. From the outside, the restaurant didn't look like anything special. Many of the restaurants on Arizona Avenue in Chandler are housed in buildings that have been there for quite a while, and many of them are a bit rundown, so I wasn't setting my expectations very high. Imagine my surprise when we stepped off the street in Arizona and into what can only be described (by Moody) as the most authentic looking Korean restaurant he's seen in Arizona. The place was extremely clean, well lit, and pleasantly decorated with hardwood floors and partially wood paneled walls. Tasteful pictures and paintings of Korea hung on the walls. Each table was outfitted with a call buzzer, another touch popular in Korea. Ringing the buzzer activates an LED panel behind the service area, alerting the wait staff that you require attention. Moody gave it a try, and sure enough, about 30 seconds later, our waiter appeared. Our meals started out with small salads, which were fairly plain and dressed with a sweet, soy based dressing. Shortly after, we placed our orders. While we waited for our entrees, the waiter showed up with a tray full of side dishes (banchan). My favorite thing about Korean food isn't the entrees; it's the side dishes that typically accompany them. In almost every Korean restaurant I've been to, you get between five and six small dishes of various types of kimchees and other items to go with your meal. The side dishes at Chodang were excellent - I really could have made a meal from them alone. Both Moody and I opted for tofu soups. I ordered the beef version. Korean soups are served boiling (literally) hot, and this one was no exception. When the waiter served the soups, he asked us if wanted egg. Most Korean restaurants add the egg to the soup automatically, so I thought it was a nice touch that Chodang offered the option, especially since I wasn't in the mood for the egg anyhow. The soup itself was very flavorful and contained a healthy amount of beef and a ton of tofu. There was certainly no skimping on quantity. Chodang's beef tofu soup was easily the best I've had. Of all the Korean restaurant's that I've eaten at in the valley (Hodori, Takamatsu, GoMo, Korean BBQ), I'd have to say that Chodang is my new favorite. The combination of interior aesthetic, tasty food and good service place them a notch above their competition.

Roy's Hawaiian Fusion Cuisine - Chandler, Arizona

Fri, 07 Jul 2006 18:36:00 -0400

Last night, Pere and I decided to have dinner at the (relatively) new Roy's Hawaiian Fusion on Chandler Blvd. I had just finished talking to my brother about his honeymoon in Hawaii, so that had me in the mood. We got there around 6:30 and were immediately seated. The building housing Roy's used to be a Copeland's, but from the interior, you would never know it. The interior was really nice and tastefully decorated without being over the top Hawaiian. Once seated, our waitress promptly appeared with menus and asked if we would like anything to drink while we looked things over. Pere ordered a Hawaiian martini (vodka, vanilla vodka, Malibu, and fresh pineapple juice) while I opted for a pomegranate martini. Both drinks were excellent. Pere and I both love poke, so when we saw it on the appetizer list, we had to order some. The version Roy's serves is made from yellow fin tuna, avocado, tobiko caviar, and wasabi aioli. We also started with an order of the Kahlua and shrimp lumpia. The poke came served in a martini glass and was good, but there was just a bit too much wasabi aioli. By the time we finished, there was still a big gob of it in the bottom of the glass. The pork and shrimp lumpia was fantastic. Lumpia is very similar to egg roll, only this one was much tastier. It came with a very nice (if mild) habanero sauce for dipping. For entrees, Pere went with seared diver scallops over lobster scented risotto with wasabi foam. I was in the mood for fish, and the Thai pesto steamed walu with wild mushroom ravioli sounded really good. We both wanted wine, but I was in the mood for red while Pere was thinking white. She was all set to order a glass of some Pinot Grigio neither of us had heard of before when the waitress suggested she try the Trimbach Pinot Blanc instead, claiming it was a bit smoother than the other. Pere mentioned that she had never had either, so the waitress offered to bring her a tasting of both to help her make up her mind. Fantastic! After tasting both, Pere went with the Trimbach as suggested. I decided on a glass of 2003 Benton Lane Pinot Noir. It was well balanced and had strong plum and berry notes. I thought it was pretty good. The presentation of Pere's entree was really nice. There were four scallops, each placed on its own bed of risotto and foam and garnished with drizzles of sauce. I had a bite and thought they were pretty good, although some of the rice grains were a little too al dente. My fish was another story. It was a nice sized piece of walu topped with pesto sitting in a shallow pool of sauce, with four ravioli accompanying. The first bite of fish had me saying "eck"! I don't know exactly what it was, but something about the pesto left an astringent, metallic taste in my mouth. Just to be sure, I scraped the pesto off of another piece of the fish and tried the fish alone. It tasted fine. Next, I tried the pesto again and wound up with the same metallic result. This makes the second time in my life that I've had pesto that was just foul. I probably should have sent the dish back, but I didn't. I just scraped all of the pesto off and continued on from there. The ravioli were excellent. The pasta was cooked perfectly, and the wild mushroom filling was very flavorful. I could have skipped the fish and just had an entire bowl of ravioli. By the time we finished our meals, neither of us had room for dessert. We had our leftovers wrapped, paid the bill, and headed out. We were very happy with the ambiance and service at Roy's, and the appetizers and drinks were excellent as well. Neither of us were thrilled with our entrees, but we both felt we would be willing to have dinner there again, or perhaps just have appetizers at the bar. Unfortunately, though, this isn't the end of the story. After we had gotten home and put our leftovers away in the refrigerator, we decided to watch some TV. About 15 minutes into the movie, I felt a rumbling in my stomach, followed by that sinking feeling that things were about to go downhill. Let's just say that the next 3 hours weren't much fun. I wouldn't have thought much of it if Pere didn't have the exact same problem within 10 minutes of me. We figured it had to be something with one of the appetizers we had. Since the lumpia were freshly fried, I doubt it was that. More than likely, it was mishandling of the tuna in the poke, or something similar. I probably should have called the health department, or at least the restaurant, but it was late by the time I had recovered and at that point all I wanted to do was go to bed. So, bottom line is that Roy's was pretty decent, but the combination of my disappointment with my entree and the food poisoning episode that followed have me a little skittish about returning in the immediate future. I'll probably give them another shot in a few months, though, as there aren't too many restaurants around here with a decent number of seafood dishes on the menu.

Wonderful Wanda's Breakfast & Lunch - Chandler, Arizona

Fri, 17 Mar 2006 16:51:00 -0400

Every Friday morning, I meet up with friends for breakfast before heading into work. The breakfast scene in the East Valley is woefully lacking. We usually end up at chains like Waffle House and Village Inn, which I don't mind, but I don't consider them particularly great. This morning, however, we met at Wonderful Wanda's Breakfast & Lunch. Wanda's is in a small stand alone building off of Chandler Blvd, just East of I-10. Stand alone non-corporate restaurants are rare in Phoenix as most tend to be located in strip malls. The place itself is fairly small with only about 12 tables. The place was packed when we arrived, but luckily there was still one table open which we promptly grabbed. I don't know if Friday mornings are usually this busy at Wanda's, but they weren't prepared for the volume. There was only a single waitress on duty. She was running around like mad, but there was just too much going on for a single person to handle. As a result, it was a good 10 minutes before she finally got to our table to take our order. Fearing we might never see her again, we ordered our drinks and food at the same time. Wanda's menu is fairly small. There's a selection of omelets, breakfast burritos, breakfast sandwiches, and assorted items such as biscuits & gravy, pancakes, and French toast. During a previous visit, I had tried one of the breakfast burritos, and it was pretty good. This time around, though, I was interested in an omelet. It just so happened that there was a special. $4.95 for a bacon and Swiss cheese omelet with onions and tomatoes, served with hash browns and a side of toast. Sounded good to me. My friend Moody ordered a breakfast burrito while Adam went with the biscuits & gravy. Surprisingly, the food came up pretty fast considering how busy the place was. My omelet looked to be a three egg version and was nice and light. The first bite was a little disappointing, though. Both the egg and the filling were in desperate need of seasoning. I added some salt and pepper from the shakers, which helped a good bit, but it's never the same as when it's incorporated into the cooking process. My hash browns came out a little undercooked. They were about two inches thick, which meant that even though the outside was browned, the center was still a little raw. All in all, my breakfast at Wanda's was ok, but it didn't rise to the level I had hoped. Moody really liked his breakfast burrito, and it seems like that might be what they do best. I'm sure I'll be back again, hopefully when things are a little less hectic and they have a little more help.

Thai Rama - Chandler, Arizona

Thu, 26 Jan 2006 18:19:00 -0400

Yesterday, Moody and I headed over to Cyclo for lunch. When we got there, the place was packed so rather than wait, we decided to head across the street to Thai Rama. I've been to Thai Rama a few times before, and although the food is nowhere near as good as the food at Swaddee or Yupha's, it had always done the job when a Thai craving was at hand. We were in a bit of a hurry, so by the time the waitress came by to take our drink orders, we were ready to order everything. I went with the yellow curry. I asked for it "super spicy". I love really hot food, and am usually able to tolerate the hottest foods that most eateries can dish out. I get tired of telling wait staff that "no I haven't eater here before, but I want it as hot as you can make it", or "yes, I mean number 10". Our waitress didn't argue, and I was happy for that. When the waitress returned with our order, I immediately noticed something off about my yellow curry. The first thing that got me was the layer of oil floating on top with bits of pepper throughout. The pepper I didn't mind, but the oil definitely didn't belong there. There was also an odd odor. It took me a few minutes to place it, but I finally realized it was habanero. The first bite was completely disappointing. Not only was the curry devoid of any flavor, it was so unbalanced that all I got was heat and the pungent taste of habanero. The dish was definitely spicy, which was good, but it came completely at the expense of any flavor. The chicken was bland, the potatoes were overcooked, and anything else that was in there had completely turned to mush. Worst of all, there was absolutely no coconut flavor. I think I remember now why I don't go to Thai Rama on a regular basis - there are just too many better choices for Thai in the area. Next time I'm in a pinch, I'll save myself the disappointment and head down the road to Swaddee.

Tomasso's - Chandler, Arizona

Wed, 16 Nov 2005 19:38:00 -0400

The night before Pere and I left for St. Louis, we had a strong craving for Italian. Normally, we would satisfy this at Va Bene, but Pere really wanted something other than risotto, which she wouldn't be able to stop herself from ordering if we went to Va Bene. Remembering that we still hadn't tried Tomasso's over at Casa Paloma, we decided to give it a go. I had eaten at what I assume was their sister restaurant on Queen Creek Road before it closed a year or so ago. I had lunch there and thought my pasta dish was pretty good. I was looking forward to something similar this time around. I never realized how large Tomasso's was. From the outside, it looks like any other strip mall restaurant in Arizona. Once inside, however, I realized that the place was large to the point of being cavernous. The interior reminded me of your standard hotel restaurant. There was a semi-open kitchen in the rear which we were seated next to. The service counter was about 20 feet long, and a buffet table stacked with plates and other table service pieces sat beneath. It looked as though this setup belonged in a buffet style restaurant, and seemed out of place. After looking over the menu, we decided to split an order of calamari as an appetizer. Pere ordered the cannelloni and I ordered the lobster and shrimp stuffed ravioli. The calamari arrived promptly. It was an instant disappointment. There was nothing to the presentation of the calamari. The fried rings and tentacles were plopped in a medium sized bowl with no arrangement or garnish and accompanied by a gravy boat of red sauce on a separate plate. The calamari were on the soggy and chewy side. At this point, I was hoping that this wasn't a sign of things to come, especially since the entrees were on the pricey side. My disappointment was further heightened when the waiter came to take away our appetizer plates and asked us to hold on to our forks. When the average entree price is $25-$30, I expect my used flatware to be replaced between courses. To me, it's a sign of good service. When our meals finally arrived, again, the presentation was bland. If it weren't for the fact that my ravioli were made of dark colored pasta, the entire dish would have blended into the white plate. The pasta ended up being tough. I understand al dente, but in this case, the pasta tasted like cardboard. The filling was ok, but was completely overpowered by the saltiness of the cheese in the cream sauce it was sitting in. Pere's meal was no better. Although her pasta was cooked correctly, the dish was also way too salty. It was ok, but absolutely unremarkable in every aspect. At this point, all we wanted to do was get out of there and put an end to a disappointing meal. We kindly declined desert after looking over the menu. Even if we had wanted something, the choices were completely predictable and boring. Creme brulee, tiramisu, etc. Needless to say, I won't be recommending Tomasso's to my friends anytime soon. Next time we get a craving for Italian, we're going to stick to old standards like Va Bene or Amano Pizza.

Go Mo's Korean Restaurant - Chandler, Arizona

Wed, 31 Aug 2005 15:47:00 -0400

Update: Looks like GoMo's is no longer in business. Moody, Adam and I headed over to a relatively new Korean restaurant in town for lunch this afternoon. Moody had eaten there before and said the food was pretty good. Moody has visited Korea several times, so I tend to trust his judgement on Korean food. Adam's been there once as well, but he wasn't as adventurous then as he is now. Adam ordered the Yuk Gyae Jang, a beef brisket soup with green onions. Moody and I both had the Kimchi Tofu Soup with Beef. I asked for mine extra spicy. While we waited for our food, the waiter brought out a simple lettuce, cabbage and carrot salad with a sweet dressing for us to share. It was simple, but it tasted good. Besides, I was starving. Just as we finished the salad, the waiter came back with a tray of six or seven ban chan (Korean side dishes). There was kimchi, small anchovies, pickled radish, and a few others that I didn't recognize. They were all good, but the anchovies were my favorite. I was really hoping for bean paste of some sort, but there wasn't any to be had today. Go Mo's makes different side dishes every day, so you never know what they are going to bring you. As we nibbled on our side dishes, a contingent of Koreans from my office came in. We're a Korean founded company, with a lot of Korean expats working in the office. When they give a restaurant their business, it's usually a good sign. When our meals finally arrived, my soup was boiling (literally) in the bowl. It had a really good aroma and was nice and spicy - just the way I like it. My only real complaint here was that they use soft tofu in the soup. This made it really hard to tell the tofu from the egg they put into the soup. I'm not a fan of soft tofu in general, so I would have much rather had firm tofu. The one thing that was absent from Go Mo's was the table top grills common in most Korean restaurants. I'm not sure why Go Mo's opted not to install them, but I think they add a sense of adventure and fun to restaurant dining that's missing from Go Mo's. The next time we come here for lunch, I'll probably try one of the bulgogi (BBQ) dishes.

Cyclo - Chandler, Arizona

Thu, 11 Aug 2005 17:43:00 -0400

Deciding on where to go for lunch is often a last minute proposition at my office. Just yesterday, Moody and I had already turned onto Price Road before we decided where we wanted to eat. When we can't initially come up with something, we fall back on one of our usual standards. Yesterday, we decided on Cyclo, a Vietnamese place near our office that we frequent. Last time we went there, we had a bad experience with the service, which isn't typical, so we decided to let them redeem themselves. We like Cyclo for a number of reasons including good food, decent service, and the fact that it isn't a chain restaurant like so many other places out here. One of my favorite dishes at Cyclo is the Pho Ap Cho (crispy rice noodle cake). It's a stir fry of beef, scallops, shrimp, and vegetables with an oyster sauce served atop crispy fried noodle cakes. I liked it so much that I'd stopped working my way through the various dishes on the menu because I craved it every time we visited for lunch. I've ordered the Pho Ap Cho so many times, in fact, that when Justina (the owner) came by the table, she pointed at me and said "crispy rice noodle". I gave her pause when I piped up that I'd try the Beef Chow Fun this time. After reading about it over at Jack's Brain, I decided to give it a shot. When the plate arrived, I was initially disappointed as it looked as though the portion was a bit skimpy. I was wrong. By the time I was half-way through the plate, I was getting full. There was a good ratio of meat to noodles, and the sauce evenly coated the noodles without becoming soupy. I thought it had good flavor overall, but the beef was a little tough. Adding a little sriracha made it even better. All said, it was good, but not nearly as good as the Pho Ap Cho. I really need to come back here for dinner again with a bigger appetite as I'm still waiting to try their version of a green papaya salad. Moody ended up going with one of their gigantic beef noodle soup dishes. I'm partial to the Pho Hai San, a seafood version, myself, but the beef version is also very good. One of the best parts is the plate of accompaniments - lime, sprouts and basil. They all serve to highlight the flavor of the dish. Moody's only complaint here was that there didn't seem to be the usual amount of beef in the soup.

Shimogamo - Chandler, Arizona

Thu, 30 Jun 2005 09:11:00 -0400

I'm woefully behind on my posts lately. I'm traveling back East these next few weeks, so hopefully, I'll get some time to catch up... Last Monday, Adam, Nathan, Moody and I went out to my favorite Sushi place for lunch, Shimogamo in Tempe. Shimogamo is run by a Japanese man who opened the place because he was unable to find decent Japanese food in the valley when he came here for business. Like everything else in Phoenix, Shimogamo is located in a strip mall. However, the interior is nicely designed, with a sushi bar, main dining room, semi-private back room, and I think a private back room as well. I usually come to Shimogamo for dinner, and eat nothing but sushi (it's that good), but lately we've been coming to take advantage of the lunch specials. On this visit, I ordered the chicken katsu tray. It came with a panko-breaded fried chicken cutlet (the Japanese use panko as opposed to traditional bread crumbs for the breading), miso soup, salad, rice, and pickle. This is a decent amount of food for $7.95. Not being able to help myself, I also ordered a Shimogamo roll, one of my favorite rolls there. It's a shrimp tempura roll that has very thin slices of lemon as well. The first time I had it, I was a bit skeptical, but it really works well. My katsu was very good, as always. They serve it with a type of barbeque sauce and wasabi, which work equally well. Adam had the same thing I did, but Moody decided to go with the chicken teriyaki. He's pretty particular about his teriyakis, generally despising the stuff that's been simmering in syrupy and sickeningly sweet goop all day. Luckily, the teriyaki at Shimogamo was nothing like that. The chicken was very tender, with just the right amount of teriyaki. I may have to give it a try on the next visit. I'll have to come back for the full sushi treatment soon, as I'm dying to write about it. Shimogamo is definitely the best sushi (that I've had) anywhere in the valley so far.

Floridino's Pizza & Pasta - Chandler, Arizona

Fri, 10 Jun 2005 12:32:00 -0400

Yesterday, I had lunch with Moody and two co-workers. We decided on Italian, and I suggested we try Floridino's Pizza & Pasta,on Alma School Rd. I had been there several times in the past, and was in the mood for a calzone. As far as Phoenix is concerned, Floridino's makes the best one I've had so far. I ordered a deluxe, which came with pepperoni, sausage, and beef. Overall, the calzone was really good. It was huge - so much so that I was surprised that I finished it. I ordered extra sauce on the side as I find I like to dip my calzone in the sauce - especially the more doughy parts. And speaking of dough, that tends to be what makes or breaks a calzone. Floridino's has a decent dough - one that I'd like to try as a pizza on a future visit.

Swaddee Thai - Chandler, AZ

Wed, 27 Apr 2005 16:32:00 -0400

Swaddee Thai is one of my favorite Thai restaurants in the valley. They make the absolute best yellow curry around. It's a spot I frequently visit for lunch, just as I did yesterday. I was really in the mood for sticky rice with mango ever since the last time I had it at Yupha's. Given that I find Swaddee's food generally better than Yupha's, I was looking forward to seeing how their version of the tasty dessert stacked up. As usual, I ordered the yellow curry, 5 star "Thai hot". This is usually amusing to my friends and coworkers as I tend to sweat profusely when I eat it, and sometimes even before the dish makes it to the table. For me, it isn't hot enough unless it makes me sweat. I like my yellow curry so spicy that it almost resembles red curry, and Sawadee usually gets the heat right. As expected, when my meal arrived, it was just what I had expected. The potatos cooked to the point where they are still firm, almost crunchy without being raw. The carrot the same way. The sauce itself was that perfect balance of hot and seeet that I just can't seem to get enough of. I could drink this stuff with a straw! When I first started ordering the dish, I used to spoon it out of the bowl and onto the mound of rice on my plate. Not anymore. These days, I spoon some of the rice from my plate into the bowl of wonderful golden red goodness and eat it with a spoon, just like soup. Although I had asked for an order of the mango and sticky rice to be brought out with my meal, it didn't actually arrive until we were all done eating. Normally this would have been fine, but we were in a bit of a hurry to make it back to work. When the dessert arrived, I was a little disappointed right off the bat. At Yupha's, the presentation was artistic with the sticky rice molded in a mound, and each half of a mango nicely fanned out across the plate and garnished with a flower. The plate I got at Sawadee contained what can only be described as a "glop" of the sticky rice on the plate with the two cut halves of the mango on either side, sliced through, but not fanned. Unfortunately for me, the overall taste of the dish wasn't much better. The rice was overly starchy and bland, with the sweetness of the coconut milk unevenly distributed. The mango wasn't bursting with flavor as it was at Yupha's either. So, while Swaddee may make a better yellow curry than Yupha's, they could certainly take a lesson or two from her on how to make a great sticky rice with mango.

56 East Bar and Kitchen - Chandler, Arizona

Thu, 21 Apr 2005 12:31:00 -0400

Last night, we had a small get together at 56 East Bar & Kitchen in Chandler to celebrate both Pere and Nathan's birthday, which happens to be on the same day. I've been there three or four times now, and find that it's a nice place to hang out on the patio and enjoy a nice glass of wine (or two or three). 56 East is owned by the same people who own 98 South, the popular wine bar in downtown Chandler. I probably should have called for a reservation as our group ended up having nine people in it. Luckily, Pere, Jason, and I got there around 5:30, before it was too busy and were able to grab a fairly large round table out on the patio. 56 East has a happy hour that runs until 6:30. Although they don't have any drink specials, they do have half-price appetizers which suited us well as the dinner menu is pretty boring. While we waited for the rest of our friends to show up, we ordered drinks. Jason had a pint of Stone Pale Ale, Pere ordered the house martini, the 56, and I ordered a bottle of David Bruce Pinot Noir, one of my current favorite Pinot's. When the waiter came back with the drinks, we hit a couple of snags. First, he gave Pere the wrong drink. Apparently, the special drink of the day (which he never told us about) was also a "56", a 56 Royale. He apologized for his mistake, brought her the right drink, and threw in the 56 Royale for free. The 56-tini was pretty cool. The drink was poured from an individual shaker into a chilled martini glass with a chunk of dry ice frozen to the bottom. The fog effect was cool, until some of the drink started shooting out because the waiter filled the glass a little too full. The second problem had to do with the wine. When the waiter attempted to uncork the bottle, the cork snapped in half while he tried to extract it - generally not a good sign. He apologized and said to let him know if it was bad as he poured me a taste. I could tell immediately that the wine was bad. He was very apologetic and promptly brought me another bottle which I tasted again and gave a green light to. This is only the second time that I've gotten a bad bottle, a pretty good track record from what I've been told. As the rest of our friends showed up, we ordered more drinks, another bottle of the pinot, and additional wine glasses. Since appetizers were half-price, we ordered a whole bunch of them for the table - caprice, muscles, crab cakes, calamari, three orders of skirt steak with potato cake, and a cheese plate. None of the appetizers were spectacular, but they were all good, especially at half-price! The only mishap here came when the waiter went to take the empty mussel shells away and dripped some of the juice on Pere's head and down the front of her dry clean only blouse. A comedy of errors was the theme of the evening, but we all took them in good spirits. As the night went on, we tried several other bottles from the excellently priced wine list. One of the things that I really like about 56 East is their wine list. It's reasonably priced, updated frequently, and contains quite a few wines by the glass (somewhere upward of 40). We took turns letting different people pick the next bottle. Moody chose a Duboeuf Moulin-à-Vent, which was okay, but a bit lighter and more tart than I generally like. Jason chose the David Bruce Petit Syrah, which I also liked. It was nice and dry, with a soft mouth feel. I think I'll have to pick up another bottle for home to try again. All in all, 56 East isn't a bad place. The atmosphere is nice and the patio seating is great. They seem to understand wines, and how to put together a decent selection at very affordable prices. If anything, I think they need to spend some more time on the food side of the house. The appetizers are decent, but the entrees are totally unoriginal and lack any real creativity. Chandler already suffers from a distinct lack of non corporate, non chain restaurants, so I hate to see a place like this with such potential fall flat in the food category.