AlFerris's Profile
Peking Duck PHX.
I was at Phoenix Palace on July 2 and was hugely disappointed. First of all, I didn't know that they got rid of the buffet. Second, they only had about 12 tables set for lunch. Third, they only had ONE dim sum cart, and you had to request that they come back. Fourth, they kept asking if we had enough, apparently trying to turn the table.
Not only did they seem to be rationing the minimal dim sum offerings (only about a dozen basic items), they were also rationing the condiments. We asked for chile sauce, and we got one tablespoon of chile sauce in a small dish. When we requested more, since we had three people at the table, they actually brought out two extra small dishes and a teaspoon so we could split the tablespoon!
In addition, the barbecue station where they usually have the roast duck was barely running. I think I saw one duck hanging. I used to always stop at Phoenix Palace to pick up a roast duck to go, but after this visit, I would be hard pressed to go back. Phoenix Palace used to be one of my favorite places in the Valley, but I can't possibly support them anymore.
Posh - Scottsdale
Based on the rave reviews, I gave Posh a try on July 1. I will say that it was a good experience, but not stellar. I would still go back, but I can't give it as rave a review as everyone else.
Granted, we started off a little crabby because all their parking spaces in the garage were filled by building residents. The Posh team, however, handled it fabulously and bought our first round, which was a pleasant surprise.
We, too, went with the "say stop" tasting, although since it was a slow night, I think they said stop for us. I can't remember the order, but we had the foie gras brulee, the popcorn soup, the frog leg, the rabbit gnocchi, the chocolate pate, and the meyer lemon lollipop, so I won't repeat what others have said about those. They were all good, although my dining companion was picking small bones and cartilage out of the shredded rabbit.
We also had light salads of endive (me) and arugula (companion), two fish courses, a duck sausage, which was too salty, seared New York Strip, and a cheese course, which lacked contrast--two soft cheeses of similar flavor profile. They were out of kangaroo, which was disappointing.
I think the thing that threw me off was that it seemed like the courses were all about the featured protein: the sauces and accompaniments felt like an afterthought. While we saw some creativity in the ingredients, we thought the composition lacked nuance. My dining companion described it as "idea beyond execution." We also thought that the wait staff could do a better job of "selling" each course--the last time we dined at Binkley's, I was salivating just on the server's description of the plate he put in front of me. At Posh, what I got was, "Here's your New York Strip," which really was just a 2 ounce chunk of beef.
On a positive note, the bar manager was very good, and I had no complaints about the service. You could tell that all the staff is well intentioned and wants the place to succeed. I will give it another try because I genuinely liked the people there, but I hope that next time the courses are a little more refined.
Peking Duck PHX.
Only place I've had Peking Duck recently in Phoenix was Golden Buddha in the Chinese Cultural Center. It was fine last time, but not amazing.
Palagor Asian Fusion, Yuma AZ
Even though Los Manjares de Pepe was calling, my dining companion and I decided to give Palagor a try, since we were trying to check out places we hadn't been yet. Palagor is owned and operated by the same family that runs Highway 95 Cafe, and they even have the Highway 95 shield below the restaurant name on the sign.
I don't know what this location used to be, but they've done a respectable job in converting it to an Asian restaurant, with the requisite Chinese style artwork and bubbling fountains.
Their beer and wine list is nonexistent, but luckily, we weren't really in the mood for drinks. I had a Tsing Tao beer, just to be a little festive.
We started with the Hot and Sour Tom Yum Soup ($6 for two) which was crammed full of seafood and vegetables. It was good, but we both agreed that it needed a little more broth. It was more like a hot seafood salad lightly dressed with broth! The seafood, however, was very well done--mussels, squid, shrimp, and scallops were all tender and not overcooked.
Next, we moved on to the Peking Duck Dim Sum Bun ($6 for 4 buns). These were the traditional Peking Duck rolls with more duck meat than skin, a light smear of hoisin, and a good portion of green onion. I thought they did a pretty good job with these, although I would have liked more crisp skin. The only other place in Arizona that I've been able to find Peking Duck of any sort is in Phoenix, so it's good to know they have this on the menu.
Next was the Triple Choices: barbecued pork, two spring rolls, and two rice crisps for $8. In retrospect, I'm not sure why we ordered this one. The barbecue pork was gristly and greasy, the spring rolls were really standard, and the rice crisps were truly peculiar. They are like an unsweetened rice krispie bar rolled into a tube. A tube shaped rice cake. Styrofoam. I'm not sure why this dish is also marked "not available for To Go orders."
Finally, we had the Vietnamese Chow Fun ($9). We thought it sounded interesting: "Seafood medley, wok-fried chow fun, wrapped in rice paper." When it arrived, it looked like a giant, glistening brain. They had balled up the noodles and wrapped it in a translucent rice paper bundle. Big noodle brain. The seafood medley was really hard to find--I think I had one shrimp. My dining companion noted, "They like to put mussels in things," so I guess he found a mussel. The noodles were overdone, and cut into short lengths which made them really difficult to snag with chopsticks. But I'm sure that made them fit in the brain better.
So strong start, weak finish. Service was fine, but I hope they pare down the menu to focus on dishes they do well.
-----
Palagor Asian Fusion Restaraunt
771 S 4th Ave, Yuma, AZ 85364
Highway 95 Cafe
2585 E 16th St, Yuma, AZ 85365
Tacos Mi Rancho, Yuma AZ
Another trip to Yuma this month, and once again, forgot to shout out to Ed Dibble in advance. Sorry Ed. I'm back in June!
As I've posted before, I'm not a fan of Mi Rancho Restaurant in Yuma, but its sister restaurant, Tacos Mi Rancho, has been on my list for a while. Finally got there for lunch this week, and it was great!
My dining companion and I had just finished up a challenging conference call with a client (in our car, in Yuma, in May) so we both started with a margarita. Pretty standard, but generous and a quick way to cool down! The chips were fresh, and the salsa has just enough heat and good texture.
Since we were at "TACOS" Mi Rancho, we felt obligated to eat tacos. We couldn't decide on which ones, however, so we decided to order several and split them. Here's the parade:
Carnitas: very tender and flavorful pork on corn tortillas with a good balance of cilantro and white onion. I liked this one.
Chicharrone: way better than our last experience with chicharrone in Yuma. Good balance of pork flavor with sauce--not slimy like our last experience.
Al Pastor: marinade was a little too sour for my taste, and it was more saucy than I expected.
Asada: nice amount of char, and meat was still tender.
Lengua: Nicely chewy and flavorful, with a little bit of char that surprised me. I liked it; dining companion not a fan.
Fish: Boring. Fried fish filet with a little bit of cabbage on a flour tortilla. Packet of ranch dressing to go along.
Chorizo: dining companion's favorite, but I thought it was a little too saucy.
We also ordered a chile relleno and a tamal--relleno was fine, but nothing spectacular. The tamal was surprisingly meaty and we gave it a thumbs up.
On the tacos, I would probably order the carnitas, asada, and lengua again. And I'd get another margarita!
(Even though the Chow link below simply says "Mi Rancho Restaurant", this review references the location near the Best Western Coronado. The address is right.)
-----
Mi Rancho
188 S 4th Ave, Yuma, AZ 85364
Tinderbox Kitchen (Flagstaff)
My family and I stopped in for dinner on Thursday this week. Since as soon as I stepped through the door, a friend spotted me and said, "I thought you might have posted about Tinderbox on Chowhound," I figured I'd better put in my two cents. (Full disclosure: Chef Scott Heinonen and his wife, Carrie, are my friends.)
Scott used to be the chef at Cuvee 928 on Heritage Square. I always watched for when he decided to be creative on the specials, because he was very good at reimagining comfort food, which is exactly his goal at Tinderbox Kitchen. Also, I think because Scott and Carrie have a child, the place feels kid friendly, even though it's elegant. There were a couple families, including ours, dining that night. (Sorry about the marker on the tablecloth though...) It's the kind of place where I feel like I could dress up or dress casual and still be comfortable.
I decided to start with the daily house wine special, a syrah/grenache blend ($10). I don't remember the label, but it was tasty. The wine list is a little challenging to read--I found it hard to see quickly which wines were available by the glass--but it's respectable. Hubby had a New Castle bottled beer ($4), off of the separate beer list. I was amused when it came out with a small, slightly larger than orange juice size glass, which allowed him to have "four" glasses of beer out of the one bottle. Chinese tend to serve beer with small glasses, so it made me feel at home, strangely enough. Our son had a lemonade ($2.50), which he said was a thumbs up.
We also started with the blistered green beans and agree that they are yummy.
My son had the London Broil with garlic mashers and succotash made with edamame instead of lima beans ($20). (Yes, my son is a budding 'hounder.) We thought we'd bring half of it home as leftovers, but he ate almost all of it, only stopping when we mentioned dessert. The steak was done perfectly medium, and my son even ate all the succotash. He gave this two very high thumbs up, which is an exceptional review from an 8 year old.
Hubby had the Seared Diver Scallops with wild rice hush puppies and bacon creamed corn ($22). Good thing I snagged a taste at the beginning, because it was gone very quickly. The scallops were moist and tender, and I could have eaten a whole bowl of the creamed corn. Never did get a taste of the hush puppies.
I got the Jalapeno Mac and Cheese with duck confit ($14). I was surprised when it came out blistering hot with a WHOLE duck leg, which was much more generous than I was expecting. The duck was still crispy on the skin, and tender inside, although a teeny bit dry. Still tasty. The mac and cheese was, well, really good comfort food. I expected a more pronounced jalapeno flavor, though.
Finally we moved on to dessert. We decided to share the homemade donut holes and the chocolate trilogy ($6 each). The donut holes are 5 holes with a custard dipping sauce. They come out warm, rolled in cinnamon sugar. Something about a warm donut--it's so basic, but delicious.
The chocolate trilogy was three lemon infused truffles, a "grown up" chocolate milk in a shot glass, and a homemade version of Nestle Crunch. Beautiful presentation. My son wanted more truffles--they were excellent. Hubby and I enjoyed the chocolate milk, and started thinking that they should use edible chocolate straws for the milk. I didn't really care for the Crunch, but my son ate my piece whole heartedly.
I exchanged emails with another friend who has eaten at Tinderbox Kitchen, who did note that as a vegetarian, there weren't many options for her. My personal philosophy is "everything tastes better with bacon," so I guess I didn't notice.
There was a great vibe in the room, and we were even there early. This was way more than we would normally spend for a night out on a weeknight in Flagstaff, but it was worth it.
Enjoy!
-----
Tinderbox Kitchen
34 S San Francisco St, Flagstaff, AZ 86001
Yuma Trip Report, Feb-Mar 2009
Thanks Ed! Maybe we can try Market Restaurant or Palagor in May! I didn't make the Hwy 95/Palagor connection until I saw a newspaper clipping on the door at Hwy 95.
I'm cross-posting my post shortly at http://goalbustersconsulting.blogspot.com/ with some photos if anyone's interested!
Alice
Yuma Trip Report, Feb-Mar 2009
Just finished up another week long trip in Yuma and thought I'd post my dining thoughts. I'm totally bummed that apparently I crossed paths with Ed Dibble and didn't get to meet him! Ed, next time!
Day 1: Nature's Express, Healthier Fast Food. This totally plant-based menu is deceptively good, and Dr. Carl Myers, the owner and an oncologist, has said in the past, "If I can make this work in Yuma, I can be successful anywhere!" I love the sauteed greens, which are very simple, stir fried (usually) kale with tons of garlic. I also am fond of their wraps, especially the thai peanut. They also make a darn good reuben that beats many meat-filled reubens! Real rye bread with caraway seeds and a thick layer of something that resembles meat. Not sure what it is, but it's tasty.
Dinner at Mi Rancho. I've now given this place two tries and I think it's just okay. I tried the al carbon and the birria (stewed goat). The al carbon was better than the birria, which was very fatty and more bone than meat. The broth was good though. On the positive side, the al carbon was very flavorful, and I really like the salsa. I think I just need to go to Tacos Mi Rancho instead, because the service was erratic here.
Day 2: Ah-So Sushi and Steak. Had to attend the Village Jazz Series for work, so we thought we'd go hang outside at Ah-So and have some creative sushi. We had a great experience last February and thought we could recreate it. Well, we had to be extremely persistent to get a good experience this time. In general, I've heard from several people that the service here is sub par. I would have to agree, unless you can speak to the manager, Joe Corona. Our initial server was totally flummoxed with the request to "let the sushi chef do what he wants." While my business partner was going back and forth between the concert and our table, the server came back twice trying to convince me to order something...anything...off the regular menu. Just when I was about to close out the tab and go someplace else, Joe returned from a break and spoke with me about ideas. Thank goodness! We ended up with very fresh shrimp (amaebi) with the heads battered and flash fried--crispy and delicious; mixed tempura with the usual dipping sauce spiked with chile sauce; monkfish pate, super white tuna, and togorashi crusted seared albacore. So we ended up with a great meal, but it sure was hard to get from point A to point B...
Day 3: Bad meal day.
Lunch at The Crossing with a donor. Chicken salad was incredibly icky. Swimming in mayonnaise and lots of non-chicken filler like eggs, celery and more mayo. Ugh. Our server was incredibly nice though.
Dinner--leftovers heated in the microwave in my room. Like I said, bad meal day.
Day 4: Taco trucks! YAY! Went back to Juanita's for the campechana cocktel. This is SOOO good. Delicate tomato broth with tons of fresh seafood. After that, over to Mariscos Nayarita for shrimp empanadas. Thanks Ed.
Also stopped at Raspados Piguino for dessert, since I wanted something frosty. I had never had raspados, so the kind person behind the counter gave us a quick lesson in what our choices were for this Mexican snow cone. Between my business partner's functional Spanish and the counter guy's halting English, I ended up with a tamarind version with vanilla ice cream, which was mildly sweet and very refreshing. My business partner had the pineapple version with vanilla ice cream--the pineapple flavor was incredibly concentrated and a great counterpoint to the ice cream. Yummy.
Day 5: Back to Nature's Express for dinner. Felt incredibly virtuous.
Day 6: Lunch at Ciao Bella. I inhaled my pesto capellini with lots of veggies. I also had the red pepper bisque, which is really rich in roasted pepper flavor. Dr. Myers would be so proud of my plant-based diet.
Happy hour at the hotel and wings at The Crossing. Even though I hate their chicken salad, I do like their spicy sweet wings. So much for the plant based diet.
Day 7: Lunch at Burgers and Beer with a client. I like their asparagus fries, but I really wish they would be more careful about trimming the woody ends. It's really inelegant to be picking stringy asparagus out of your teeth in front of a client. I also had the guacamole burger, which is a total mess, so I didn't do so well on etiquette points.
Day 8: Lunch at Mimi's Cafe with a client. I like their blue cheese and walnut salad, but everything else was just adequate.
Dinner at River City Grill. Excellent, well prepared cocktails and I really liked the red snapper dish, which had nicely spicy black beans, basmati rice, and a tasty, fresh salsa on top.
Day 9: Lunch at Highway 95 Cafe. They always seem so happy to see me there--wow, a real Chinese person. In Yuma! I stuck with the super combo bowl this time, but added some sauteed bean sprouts on top and lots of chile sauce. It's very quick and affordable.
I missed Los Manjares de Pepe, the Pupuseria, and Carla Renee this time, but they are on the list for next time. Also on the list for next time is Mustards, which had gotten good reviews from friends and Tacos Mi Rancho. Any suggestions for my next trip in May are welcomed and appreciated!
Flagstaff Dining
Here are my recommendations for Flagstaff:
Cuvee 928 is one of my favorites. Strictly tapas-size plates at dinner time, but good size lunch plates. I usually order one of the specials off the chalkboard, or if the chef knows I'm coming, he'll make chicken liver pate.
Brix is pretty good, although allot at least 90 minutes for lunch and longer for dinner. I would agree that it is on the high end, price-wise, in Flagstaff.
My favorite Thai place is Pato Thai on San Francisco next to the Monte Vista Hotel. Their idea of "medium" hot is a bit hotter than other places in town, so be ready for it.
Picazzo's Pizza is part of a small chain with locations throughout Arizona. My favorite pizza is "Fire in the Hole" with pepperoni, red and yellow peppers, and fresh jalapenos.
Strombolli's is a college hangout for inexpensive Italian. I like the pastas, so I very seldom order the pizzas, but I know others like them. Corrina is the manager and makes really good tiramisu.
Don't like any Chinese food in town.
Big Foot Barbecue is also pretty good, although it can be uncomfortably loud sometimes, given the acoustics of being in the basement of the Old Town Shops. It's inexpensive and one of those places where you throw peanut shells on the floor.
For sushi, I'm usually at Hiro's or Karma. I'm at Hiro's when I want a good quality, low key experience, and at Karma when I want to "be seen." Karma does have real grated wasabi, though, the only place in Flag that has that. I'm occasionally at Sushi Fuji when I'm over on the west side, but I don't really go out of my way to go there. It's pretty pedestrian.
The Pho Loc Restaurant is a new Vietnamese restaurant in the Western Hills Motel on Route 66. Nothing great on the ambiance scale, but solid food. Definitely a hole in the wall, though, and inexpensive. I'm curious about the new Vietnamese place, AZPho in the same shopping center as Sushi Fuji, behind Wal-Mart. Haven't tried it yet, but will do so soon.
Hope that helps!
Yuma
I was in Yuma earlier this month and am heading back tomorrow. Following Ed's advice once again, my last trip included a return to the Pupuseria where I had very good pollo (but skipped the somewhat average arroz), the fluffiest, most delicate tamal I have ever tasted, and a sampling of the pupusas of the day. A great bargain--three of us filled up on less than $20.
I also visited Mariscos Nayarita on 8th St for the raved about shrimp empanadas which were amazing as promised. The coceteles was also excellent. The dust storm that my companion and I encountered after lunch, however, wasn't the best digestif!
We also went to Juanitas for some fish and shrimp tacos. They were good tacos, but they didn't amaze us like some of the other selections we've had on 8th. Maybe we ordered wrong?
My companion and I also stopped at Elvira's Bakery on 8th and had a really good pumpkin empanada and a fluffy cake with a lovely pastry cream. We also got a guava filled turnover which probably would have been better if I hadn't thought I was buying the mango filled one. We also appreciated the air hockey table that you can play for free. I was totally outscored on our game though.
I'm taking my son with me on this next trip to celebrate his 8th birthday in Yuma as I manage an event for the public radio station. He's already excited about shrimp empanadas and Elvira's! Good to start Chowhounding early in life.
Thanks again, Ed!
Asian market in Flagstaff or Prescott, AZ?
Sorry, there aren't any. I usually take a monthly trip with a cooler to Lee Lee in either Chandler or Peoria. Otherwise, I make do with the stuff in the Asian aisle at Safeway or Albertson's. Occasionally, you can find some ingredients at Cost Plus World Market.
Help--traveling along the I-40 through AZ and NM
The Cottage Place has a lovely tasting menu right now for a little over $50 per person. Otherwise, entrees are usually in the $30 range.
Brix, likewise, is in the $25-30 range. I'd personally select Cottage Place over Brix if you only have one meal in Flagstaff.
-----
Brix Restaurant & Wine Bar
413 N. San Francisco St., Flagstaff, AZ 86001
Cottage Place
126 W Cottage Ave, Flagstaff, AZ 86001
Flagstaff Dining
Monsoon is in Heritage Square in downtown Flag. I would agree that they are mediocre at best. I had a spectacular meal at their other location on Milton, but that's now a Mexican place.
Hiro's Sushi is probably the most consistent in town and is usually comfortably busy.
Sushi Fuji in the Woodlands Village Plaza on McConnell behind the Wal-Mart plaza is also pretty consistent, but I find the serving sizes a little more modest here. The miso soup is better here, though.
Oh, I don't know if someone else has already posted this, but Racha Thai has now closed at it's relocated place. They moved from downtown to the Western Hills Motel, and now that restaurant location is for lease.
moving to Yuma... where to eat?
Wow, my first Yuma Chow shout out. ;-)
Sorry, I've been chasing Ed's recommendations in Monterey, CA. Thanks again, Ed.
I am going to slightly disagree with Ed, however, on Ah So Sushi and Steak. It's not very promising in concept--I mean, it's at the mall in the food court. However, at the recommendation of Johnny Rodriguez of Apparel by Johnny ("the" place to rent a tux in Yuma), my business partner and I stopped in late one night, spoke with the manager, and asked the chef to go "freestyle" on a sushi/sashimi combo platter. It was very creative and exceptionally fresh. Could have been a fluke, but we enjoyed it.
There is a little Asian market in the Foothills--I think it's on Foothills Blvd, and if not, it's off of Fortuna. I'm sorry I can't remember the name of it, but it's in a little strip mall. I was not expecting much, but again was surprised when I visited at their selection. It's not a Ranch 99 by any stretch, but it had a decent selection of dumpling wraps and pretty good variety in the frozen foods. They also have pork sung, which is comfort food for me--the latest Saveur 100 called pork sung "pork cotton candy" which is pretty accurate. That stuff on top of a hot bowl of rice and I'm a happy camper.
I don't know if they have much left, but when I was in Yuma at the beginning of April, Ciao Bella was closing out the last of the Anthony's Deli stock. We got a smoking deal on cheese, and almost all the pantry items were 50% off. They had them in the entryway at Ciao.
I really wasn't all that impressed with River City Grill until I ate there at night on the patio. Now, by the time you move there, it probably won't be eat outside weather, but somehow the patio made the food taste better.
Nature's Express is one of those places that would work really well in northern California, but instead, it's in Yuma. Even the owner said to me, "Well, if I can make this work in Yuma, I can make it work anywhere." Nature's Express is a vegan, counter service place in a converted Taco Bell building on 4th Ave. I tried the "essential greens," which were sauteed kale, and the "chicken" peanut wrap, which is made with a plant-based "chicken." It was remarkably flavorful. Their website is http://www.natures-express.com/ if you want to check it out.
I'm due back in Yuma at the end of the month, so I'll let you know if I come across anything else. I'm looking forward to Ed's Yuma foodie post!
Vegas Lunch Solo ~ Dinner Itinerary
Nice report! I was at Bouchon on Tuesday night and had a wonderful experience. Similar to your LOS experience, the terrine de foie gras has now ruined me for all other pate. It was ethereal!
My dinner companion also had the grand plateau of seafood and commented that although he probably should have had something "more Bouchon" it was exceptional. He ate it quickly too! I had the mussels and frites and pretty much didn't touch the frites. They were twice fried, so nice and crisp, but I had better fries elsewhere. The mussels were fine, but not remarkable. We ended with the cheese plate and there was a blue cheese that was wonderful--wish I could remember what it was called!
My other dining locations were Stack at the Mirage for a pre-show snack, Lotus of Siam for lunch, Japonais at the Mirage for a post-dinner drink, and Mon Ami Gabi at Paris for a very late lunch/early dinner.
My experience at both Mirage locations was a "too cool for school" attitude from the service staff--not appreciated by me. Stack had one nice appetizer--the tuna tacos--and the presentations were very elegant, but the service experience put a damper on the whole night. The woman who was bussing my table was the nicest, most engaged person there--I wished she had been my server instead of my actual server. The server and bartender were totally disconnected from the patrons. The hostess was just apologetic.
LOS was incredible, which I've commented on in a different post.
Mon Ami Gabi was my fourth choice after striking out on several locations, all of which were closed between 2 and 5:30 pm. That said, I thoroughly enjoyed it, with a table inside next to the patio so I could see the Bellagio Fountains. I had the skate with caper sauce, garlic "chips" (fries) and a marinated vegetable trio. The skate was meltingly tender and seasoned perfectly, with a generous amount of capers. The garlic chips were thin ballotins of potato--nicely crisp, but I would have added more garlic.
All in all, I once again ran out of meals before I ran out of places I wanted to eat. Time to schedule a return trip!
What should I order when I go to Lotus of Siam?
I was at LOS on Tuesday for lunch since my dinners were booked for my short trip.
You should definitely pass on the lunch buffet--it's pretty average. We ordered from the menu and had the raved about nam kao tod, which I loved; the ton kai kah, which I thought was very well done, contrary to some of the other posters; the green chili dip from the northern menu, which was fine, but I wouldn't order again; one of the jackfruit entrees, also from the northern menu, which was, again, fine, but nothing spectacular--a little too soupy and bland for my tastes; and the duck curry, which was quite good and not too greasy--a pleasant surprise, as duck dishes are very often way too greasy. The service was very pleasant and we appreciated their level of attentiveness. I would definitely go back.
Rod's Steakhouse, Williams AZ
Since I live in Flagstaff, I have never really had much reason to eat in Williams, Arizona, about 30 minutes away. But, I was headed back from a business meeting in Prescott, and was hungry, so I thought, why not give Rod's a try.
Rod's Steakhouse is on Route 66 going through Williams. It's toward the east side of town. They are known for their die-cut steer menus, the steer on the sign, and the fiberglass steer right next to the entrance. According to their website (http://www.rods-steakhouse.com/) the steer is named "Domino."
My dining companion and I had few expectations of the place, other than we hoped to get a decent meal. And Rod's is a decent place, with a local feel to it. There were several families there celebrating birthdays.
If you're going to Rod's, you're obviously going for beef. Don't even bother if you want chicken or seafood or pork, which is on the limited menu, but looks like an afterthought. At least 75% of the menu is about steaks.
Service was a little slow, but not to the point of warranting comment to the server. We had a young server who had to go ask about things a couple of times, but she was well intentioned so we cut her some slack. We both ordered cocktails and discovered that the bar has a pretty limited stock--just your basic well brands and a small selection of mid-range liquors. The tall stirring pick is a nice souvenir, though.
I ordered a 16-ounce T-bone and my friend ordered the Rod's Special seared top sirloin, which is dipped in sugar before being cooked on the mesquite broiler. Both entrees came with the typical choice of soup or salad, rolls, and a choice of starch.
The salad was a stereotypical iceberg lettuce salad. Nothing special, but at least the lettuce was crisp. The rolls were small, but clearly made there--nice and brown on the top and warm. Compared with the cottony supermarket rolls we had with our business lunch in Prescott, these rolls were great.
The entrees arrived promptly and we both immediately decided that the T-bone was the better choice. It was a generous serving, cooked exactly to the temperature I ordered (medium rare) with a nice and fluffy baked potato. It was well seasoned and flavorful. My friend's "sugar steak" was fine, but we could only barely detect the sugar caramelization. I think they could have used an off the shelf barbecue rub and gotten more flavor.
Our total bill with two cocktails each and two dinners was $77.85 not including tip. Kind of expensive for Williams, but generally a good meal. Definitely better than Max and Thelma's at the Grand Canyon Railway, if you're in town for that. I'd go back to Rod's if I'm driving by Winslow and hungry again.
-----
Rod's Steak House
301 E Route 66, Williams, AZ 86046
Recs for a solo female diner in Scottsdale?
Also right next to the two mentioned above is Taneko Japanese Tavern. I ate there last week and had a nice sampling of appetizers. It was very comfortable with friendly servers. The tempura oysters were exceptional, and the sake selection is varied but not overwhelming. A little pricey, but not too bad.
Outer Limits Space Age Restaurant, Gila Bend, AZ
Yes, they're open for breakfast. They serve breakfast until noon, according to the menu.
Outer Limits Space Age Restaurant, Gila Bend, AZ
Who knew that you could get decent food in Gila Bend?
For those of you not familiar with the trip from Phoenix to San Diego, Gila Bend is a very small community along the way that most people use to stop for gas and a rest room--essentially a wide spot in the road before you get to I-8. It's also home of Desert Sweet Shrimp. I travel frequently on business to Yuma, AZ, so I'm through Gila Bend pretty regularly.
Today, however, was the first time I hit Gila Bend with my stomach, rather than my gas tank, running on empty. Since my traveling companion and I are not really keen on chains or fast food, we decided to give the Outer Limits Restaurant at the Space Age Lodge a try.
The parking lot was still relatively full when we arrived around 1:30 pm. We were seated very promptly and acknowledged even before we got past the first rack of space themed tkotchkies in the "gift shop," a small collection of display racks.
The decor is space themed, as you can expect, and the place is clean and sunny. My traveling companion usually makes a quick assessment of the salad bar to decide how clean the kitchen might be, and this one passed muster.
After perusing the somewhat limited menu, we decided to pass on the Mexican food (the sign says they serve Mexican and American food) and ordered chicken fried steak and the broaster fried quarter chicken. My companion had the salad bar; I had the vegetable soup.
The salad bar was small, but had the basics and a couple interesting things. There was pasta salad, cole slaw, potato salad, a choice of mixed lettuces or romaine, parmesan cheese, really nice beets, baby corn, and some fruit choices. The ingredients looked fresh and well maintained.
The soup was clearly made there--definitely not canned. There were huge chunks of potato in the rustic soup, and it was a generous serving.
The chicken fried steak was nicely battered and fried, not too greasy. The meat was pretty standard. The red mashed potatoes were a nice surprise since they are listed as "whipped" on the menu. We were both expecting boxed potatoes. My companion ended up asking for both the brown and white gravies on the side, both of which were just fine.
The broasted fried chicken was fantastic--very moist and well seasoned, not greasy at all. The fried crust was crisp and didn't just come off in one piece--it integrated well with the chicken meat. I'm a big fan of this one.
Our server was very attentive and kept our drinks refilled. She even provided me with a diet coke to go at the end.
All in all, it was a very pleasant surprise to find a decent place to eat in Gila Bend. I guess we'll slow down a little more frequently driving through.
Is there one place in Yuma, Az that is a must?
I'm on another one of my regular trips to Yuma. I will put in a plug for Ed's posts--Ed, you have not let me down yet!
This week, I've been to Ciao Bella, which is always a refined, elegant experience. Excellent cocktails, nice appetizers, very fresh seafood. I went to a fundraiser for the Yuma Ballet Theater on Saturday catered by Ciao Bella and the salmon was caught by Chef Nan Bain herself!
I've also been to Brownie's Cafe this week, and the owner, Bobby, makes the experience very welcoming. You feel like you've dropped in on an old family friend. Chicken fried steak is awesome.
Otherwise, Ed's post includes my favorites. Hopefully some other hidden gems will pop up on this posting!
Alice
Review: Dudley's, Lexington KY
I am an Arizona 'Hound visiting Lexington KY for a meeting. Thanks to posts on this board, I decided to try Dudley's last night. Here's my take:
Because it's unseasonably warm in Kentucky (as in a few places), I sat outside on the patio. It was quite pleasant--the constant traffic noise becomes white noise after a while. My server, Daniel, was very prompt and gave me the proper level of attention throughout the evening.
I was served some bread and olive oil with my manhattan and given time to consider the menu. The Autumn Linguine looked really good--butternut squash, browned sage butter, manchego cheese--but one of the seafood specials ended up swaying me.
My starter was the endive and blue cheese salad with butternut squash flan. The flan was amazing--pure essence of butternut. It was creamy with a tinge of sweetness. I could have just eaten that. I thought the endive competed a bit with its vinaigrette dressing and with the flan, but the pieces of endive that weren't as heavily dressed fared better. I was surprised that the endive and flan didn't work together really, but eaten separately they were delicious.
My entree was a queen snapper special, with a flagolet bean ragu and baby bok choy. The snapper was perfect--moist, seared on the outside for a beautiful crust, well seasoned. The beans were also good, although it was described as a bean and lobster tail ragu--if there was lobster in there, it was cooked beyond recognition. The baby bok choy was also well prepared and a nice foil for the snapper.
Because I had been traveling all day, I hadn't eaten all day either. So of course I had dessert. I ended up with the ice cream of the day, chocolate bourbon cherry ice cream. I was expecting a chocolate base with maybe bourbon soaked cherries in it, but instead it was vanilla ice cream with chunks of a chocolate, presumably bourbon and cherry, fudge. It was nice enough, but I think I would have preferred the chocolate base. It was served with a chocolate chip cookie.
All in all, I was pleased with my experience--the service was very good. I mentioned to my server, Daniel, that I often feel rushed when dining alone. Their pacing was spot on--I felt relaxed and able to enjoy my meal. If I had to change anything, I would add a few more "by the glass" selections to their wine list.
Thanks, CHOW'ers, for a great local recommendation.
Flagstaff eats
Racha Thai has actually moved--they are now in the Western Hills Motel on Route 66 at Enterprise and Route 66. (That's where Dara Thai was originally located.) Haven't eaten at the new location yet, but will report when I do.
Where to eat in Page and Williams AZ?
Page is not a very "chowish" place, but you can get decent food at the Dam Bar and Grill. RD's Drive In is also a Page institution--kind of a local A&W. I think I ate at Zapata's Mexican last time I was there, and that was okay too. Most eating places in Page are bars or fast food.
Enjoy your trip!
Decent crepes in Phoenix?
I spent the weekend in Tempe and as has been mentioned on this board before, there is definitely a lack of breakfast options within walking distance of the Tempe Mission Palms. (I refused to pay over $10 for a pancake for my 6 year old at the Mission Grill.) We went to Mill's End and the salmon crepe was pretty tasty--good size serving, lots of salmon, red onion, capers and cream cheese. The crepe was a tad too chewy around the edges--it would have been a better experience if I hadn't had to cut the crepe with a plastic knife. My son had the three pancake and scrambled egg combo and was very content. Good prices, too--good value overall.
Flagstaff Italian deli-grocery
I think it's Fernandez Brothers Fine Foods--the Fernandez family owns Pesto Brothers Piazza. It is located on Heritage Square next to the back entrance to Pesto Brothers. It's also next to the Old Town Creperie.
The deli is not "grocery" by any stretch of the imagination--it's really small and the last time I was there, wasn't very well stocked. However, what they did have there was very nice--I bought a beautiful Queso Azul--spanish blue cheese--yummy. They also have olives and some deli meats, as well as bread from the Village Baker and some fresh pastas. I should probably go back and see what they have now. When I was there last, they had only been open for about a week.
Yuma Fine (?) Dining (Very Long)
I had a chance to visit Carla Renee's as well on this last trip. I liked the ambience, although the A/C was on the fritz. It wasn't totally broken, so we could still be there, but they had a lot of fans going to try to deal with the 119 degree heat outside.
I went with my two co-workers, who became more my *drinking* rather than *dining* companions this night. Since the place was pretty empty--there was one couple at the bar and the three of us--the bartender was apparently feeling generous.
We started with one round of cocktails--my manhattan was very well prepared, I may add. We ordered the seared ahi tuna special appetizer and the won ton appetizer. I was kind of looking forward to the won tons, since they were not fried, but poached. Unfortunately, I think they were overcooked, because they were just slimy. I liked the ahi, though, which was served with a wasabi butter sauce. One of my companions thought the ahi was too dry in the seared part.
I ended up splitting a ribeye special with a gorgonzola crust with one of my companions. I was kind of disappointed, since the steak was really thin and a bit tough on the outside. But, I was pretty tipsy at this point, so I'd better not comment further...
Since it was so slow, we did get to chat with Kyle, our chef, and the bartender (can't remember her name) for a little bit. We were concerned at how slow they were--only two other parties were there while we were there. They did say that the night before was booming...because there was a fire at Lutes Casino down the street and everyone needed someplace else to go. Hopefully some of those people will return, because I think Carla Renee's is well intentioned. They just need to work out some of the kinks on the food and pour smaller cocktails. :-)
Alice
Yuma Mexican Restaurants
Another report--we also tried Mi Rancho for lunch, but unfortunately the "hit or miss" thing that Ed describes was in full "miss" mode.
The service was about as slow as I have ever received at a Mexican restaurant. When we finally flagged down a server, she took forever to come back and tell us that they had run out of the "blue" margarita mix. We ended up with two overly sweet strawberry margaritas.
The chips and salsa were really good, however, and maybe we should have stopped with that and the cheese crisp. Both of us were happy with the cheese crisp, but we ordered it with chiles and it arrived without. We asked the server about it and she said, "Oh, I didn't write that down. Sorry."
We both had combo plates to try a variety--I didn't have your recommendations with me, Ed, and I wish I had! The beef taco was great, but the rest of the meal was pretty average. My dining companion said that the chicharrones were "the worst thing I've ever put in my mouth." The green chile stew was good, but not exceptional.
Guess we'll go back to Los Manjares next time!
Thanks again for the review Ed!
Alice
Yuma Mexican Restaurants
Chowhound never fails me! Thanks to the enthusiastic recommendation from Ed, my dining companion and I tried Los Manjares. I was a little worried that they wouldn't be open, since we didn't get out there until 8 pm, but they are open until 9 pm, to my relief. The nice hostess/server/cashier motioned us to the dining room to the left as you walk in: "that room is cooler," she said. (By the way, it was 95 degrees at 8 pm.)
We started with a refreshing margarita--the jumbo size for my companion and regular for me (or "petite" as my companion likes to say). The jumbo size is pretty big, so be ready. Our server brought us chips and the salsa that Ed describes so well above. She was kind enough to answer questions about the menu and honest enough to subtly shake her head when we asked about the chicken. Apparently it was another bad night for chicken (like Ed's last experience as noted on mmm-yoso) and we took her advice.
We ended up with the Pepe's Special Pork in Tomatillo Sauce, the Chiles Relleno and one tamal because we just had to try one.
The tamal was a good balance of masa and pork filling, although I think it was a little overcooked. However, compared to other tamales I've had, I would rank these in the top 20%. My companion liked it more than I did, and we both agreed that it was better than most restaurant tamales.
The Chiles Relleno were delicious. The batter was light and almost souffle-like. It had just the right amount of cheesy filling, and the chile itself was al dente, unlike the mushy, flaccid chile you often get at other restaurants. It was not at all greasy and the flavors were well balanced. I often order chiles relleno in restaurants and am, nine times out of ten, highly disappointed. These are the one in ten.
The star of the evening, however, was the pork in tomatillo sauce. It was astounding--velvety texture without being greasy, firm enough cubes to pick up with a fork, but then fall apart tender in your mouth. It had a subtle smokiness that makes me think it was also barbecued, but it didn't have a strong grilled flavor. I practically licked the plate, it was so good.
I'll be in Yuma another couple days, so hopefully I'll be able to try more of Ed's recommendations. Thanks!
Alice
Yuma Fine (?) Dining (Very Long)
Ed,
Thanks again for another in-depth posting. My next trip is in a couple weeks, and I'll be sure to check out some of the ones I'm not familiar with. Too bad to hear about Ciao Bella's recent food decline--I had high hopes for them. Hopefully things will improve!
Alice in Flag
