fledflew's Profile
phx metro cheesesteak recommendation?
If you find yourself anywhere downtown Phoenix, check out The Phoenix Cheesesteak Company. I believe that it started as a food truck, but went brink and mortar a few months ago. I've eaten there a handful of times and they use top notch ingredients and turn out great quality stuff. 7th Street between Mcdowell and Thomas.
2605 N. 7th Street
What are your FAVORITE meals or dishes to enjoy when it's HOT outside?
I fire up the grill because it's a method of cooking that doesn't heat up the house. In Phoenix when it's really hot outside, the A/C is already chugging along pretty good and cooking outside reduces the amount of heat that needs to be pulled out. Also, I like to air out my place after cooking so the whole place doesn't smell of food. Opening the windows for a couple hours in the evening when it's still 100+ degrees outside isn't really an option.
What are your FAVORITE meals or dishes to enjoy when it's HOT outside?
When it gets hot out, I crave chilled and/or raw seafood - ceviche, oysters, sushi, chilled seafood platters, etc.
I also eat more Vietnamese food that is heavy on the fresh herbs, cold soba noodle dishes, and all sorts of grilled proteins and veggies
To drink - vodka, gin, champagne, sparkling water, and iced tea.
Razor clam ideas
Chowder, although it might not be worth it if you only have one pound.
Maybe a pasta? You could cook them like steamers with whatever flavorings and aromatics.
The fritters mentioned above sound great..
Wine Bistro Near Airport?
Panevino is a wine-centric Italian restaurant on Sunset just east of LV blvd. It's a freestanding restaurant not located in a strip mall, but it is just south of the runways. No numbers in the name, but it is a power lunch sort of place.
I can't think of much else that matches your description.
Maybe it might be a place in Town Square that I'm not aware of?
Fall off the bone ribs [split from MSP]
That is a perfectly good waste of ribs. This is not a swipe at the OP, but a more efficient way to mushy fall apart meat with no smoke flavor is to use shoulder (much cheaper) and put it in a crockpot with sauce and let it go for 8+ hrs. Same result.
Too often, I hear people requesting fall off the bone meat when I make ribs. If the meat is steamed to that point what is the point of eating ribs? Is this a result of brainwashing from the chain restaurant marketing departments that need to justify their ribs that have been sitting on the steam table all day?
Seeking very spicy food!
Not everything at LOS is spicy and some of those dishes aren't necessarily enhanced by having it made super spicy. That being said, it's still one of my favorite restaurants, they do have several spicy dishes, and is definately worth a stop.
Mr. Curtas put together this list a little while back and I've been working my way through it slowly. Whew - hot stuff!
http://www.eatinglv.com/2012/03/elv-gets-lit-up-on-wake-up-with-the-wagners/
Help - need cookware suggestions
The addition of a cheap durable colander for pasta/washed veggies, measuring spoons for baked goods, and a good can opener would provide just about everything for prospective tenants.
Best Sausages / Hot Dogs / Hamburgers for grilling - large bbq
As of a few weeks ago when I tried to pick up some sausages, the Stanleys on Mcdowell is no longer open for business. The sign indicates that it is temporary but there is no indication of when it will re-open and refers customers to their NW valley location
Costco rotisserie chicken...why is it so good?
I don't like them either. I've tried then a couple times over the years and didn't actually find them salty. In fact, I found them to be flavorless. Perhaps their chickens originate from different suppliers depending on the region? If they tasted more chickeny, that'd be a step forward. The other issue I have is the texture. They seem really mushy and pasty. Kind of like play-doh. The flabby skin isn't very exciting either. In all fairness to Costco, I find these same faults in supermarket rotisserie chickens as well. The only readily available takeout rotisserie chicken I really care for is from Boston Market.
How do you part with Kitchen items that you rarely use?
There is a great place a few miles from me that sells used home kitchen equipment on consignment.
Ambiance and fine chow
House of Tricks does get good reviews. I ate there a couple years ago and found it completely unremarkable. It wasn't terrible, but there was nothing that I could get excited about eating and the execution seemed a little sloppy. Service wasn't horrible, but could have used a lot of improvement. My cousin ate there on a seperate occasion and came to the exact same conclusions. Couldn't figure out why everybody likes this place so much.
Downtown Phoenix for 5 nights....food/drink recs
I forgot to mention Tuck Shop in the Coronado neighborhood.
Your disappointing purchases from Costco
This may be a regional thing. In Phoenix, the babyback ribs are from Swift as well and they've always been terrific. Much meatier and more tender than any supermarket. That being said, I believe that there are several Swift processing plants, and one region's Costco may receive their Swift ribs from one packing house while a Costco on the other side of the country may recieve their ribs from a different packing house.
Downtown Phoenix for 5 nights....food/drink recs
As mentioned above, cab fare to Old Town Scottsdale will be rough, possibly $40 each way. Using the light rail, you can get to Postino Central and St Francis. Postino Central isn't bad, although people here seem to think it's the greatest thing ever. They do have a pretty good $20 bruschetta and wine deal on Mondays and Tuesdays, but it's not on a CPH/FnB level. I like St Francis a lot. The food is basic, but solid and the building and patio are quite nice. Both places have a bar that is food-friendly. You may also want to try Noca at 32nd st and Camelback (halfway to the scottsdale places you mention).
Las Vegas, Japanese, Sushi Off Strip
Raku and Sen as listed above are the way to go. Haven't been to Ichiza myself yet, so I can't comment. Definitely skip I love sushi.
Your disappointing purchases from Costco
I agree with the take and bake. I usually keep my purchases to meat and liquor at Costco, but the pizza looked promising and I'd always wondered about it. Boy was I wrong. Although I cooked it completely, the crust was biscuity and doughy. The cheese was like white paste on top. I didn't care for the sauce, either. It was a couple bucks off, so I only paid 6 busks out the door. I ate one piece, put the rest in the fridge, and gave it away the next day to the homeless people at the park.
Your disappointing purchases from Costco
Regarding the Friday "fish on ice" stand - the seafood road show, as they call it, it definately varies by region. I've seen bags of live cockles, clams and mussels at the Phoenix locations. In the bay area, I've seen 8-10 lb wild caught whole king salmon - head-on, gills and fins included. Also fresh halibut.
Seasonality appears to play a role, too. Sometimes in the summer, I'll see whole main lobsters. Other times of the year, I'll see the previously frozen Australian tails on ice.
Fish/Seafood Stores in the Phoenix Area?
The retail counter at Bluewater Grill has some great stuff. Some of it is pricey, but it's all top quality. The only thing I regularly buy from them is oysters. The type of oysters that they have on any particular day vary and run about a dollar each.
The Costco that I go to on 44th street just south of Thomas has a seafood stand on some weekends. I imagine other locations offer this as well. I grab whole bags of clams or mussels when they have them. If I recall correctly, they run somewhere between $3-4 per pound. They also have wild caught king salmon available periodically at the stand, among other things.
I seem to remember seeing some fresh fish at Hobe meats on 16th street, but have not purchased it for mthere before. I have purchased some frozen rock shrimp from the freezer case which was a pretty good product.
What is the one item you always leave Costco with?
No significant other, offspring, or domesticated animals here, so my consumption habits and priorities are a bit different.
Every trip -
Liquor and wine
Fresh seafood if they have the stand set up
Cheese of some sort
Haricot verts
Romaine hearts
Mushrooms
Raspberries or blueberries (whatever looks good)
A couple boxes of Pellegrino
Periodically -
Brussel sprouts
A box of navel oranges if they have them
Whole peppercorns
Dental floss
Standing rib roast
Butter
A pair of cargo shorts
Aluminum steam table trays
Underwear
Maybe a case of baby back ribs or a whole leg of prosciutto if I'm having a bbq/party
When I'm in Maui, I hit the Costco on the way out of the airport and grab a couple boxes of fresh pineapples to live off of (so good!) and good coffee for drinking at the condo and to bring back to friends in the mainland
I don't consume their media (books, music, movies), frozen/canned processed food (no desire/no microwave), and chicken (grew up on the good stuff so I'm not a fan of the factory stuff).
Know any businesses that sell microwaveable plastic food containers in the LA metro?
I'm not sure if they carry them, but have you tried smart and final? Several in the LA area and I know I've purchased other types of take out containers from them.
Also, have you tried restaurant supply stores? Most of them sell to the public (cash account). I was in one in San Jose and they had those exact ones pictured and they sold them by the case or by the individual sleve. I suggest that you visit the places in person to check, as they generally cater to businesses and accounts and might not have the staff to check for that particular item.
Last suggestion would be to just go to a restaurant that uses those containers for their take out service and ask if you can buy a few sleeves to last you until you can source them yourself. People used to come into my old reatuarant and we'd sell them stuff like this because they didn't know where to get it themselves.
Good luck!
Need your Vegas Foodie advice for April Convention
All suggestions and recs above are pretty solid.
I'll add...
Skip hot n juicy crawfish. It's overpriced, wait is usually long, and service is spotty. The three times that I've been there, the crawfish have been really, really small. I love crawfish, but can't see the why people like that place so much. I'd wait until you take a trip to the south (or anywhere else) to try crawfish.
As mentioned, the Circus Circus isn't the deal that it used to be. Plus, you have to walk through a lot of mess to get there. There are countless steakhouses in LV that are perfectly acceptable. Depends on where you're staying. Golden Steer is not just food, it's really an old-school experience with the tuxedo shirts, pianist in the lounge, and red booths. I've eaten there several times and it's not bad, but there might be a better match for you.
I'd suggest the Barrymore. Defoinately one of my new favorite restaurants in town and in line with your price range.
For Chinese food, there are quite a few restaurants along Spring Mt. that are excellent. Let me know if you'd like additional suggestions on that.
Skip Joe's stone crab. It's not a bad place, but way overpriced.
Maybe Firefly on Paradise? It's a tapas restaurant on Paradise behind Harrah's/Venetian (shor cab ride). In that same plaza is Musashi. Teppan steakhouse and sushi. The sushi's pretty decent and they have great lunch/late night specials (regular dinner can get pricey there).
The Harrah's oyster bar is okay. Not great but not bad. Very convenient for a light meal if you're closeby. Most of the locals places (Station and Coast casinos) have a comparable oyster bar with lower prices, but they're all off strip in the suburbs.
Eating good overnight in Vegas
The secret pizza spot in the Cosmopolitan is open past 3am, maybe even past 4am and is surprisingly good.
Many non 24 hr restaurants stay open until 2-3am, so you are fine if you can get out for a meal by about midnight.
Plenty of places in Chinatown open late/all night. For late night Vietnamese, I like Pho Kim Long (really, that's the name) on Spring Mountain and Wynn. It's open 24 hours and has a large selection of both Vietnamese and Chinese food. Up the road a little farther is Cathay House which is open until 5am. Fantastic HK style food and limited dim sum made to order anytime.
Lots of all night video poker bars and they all serve food. Some of them do it quite well, lots of them just serve stuff that is delivered frozen and tosesd in the deep fryer though. It depends on what side of town you'll be in. On the south side by Henderson I like Black Mt Grill, among others. In Summerlin, the Chicago Brewing Company is pretty good.
Eating good overnight in Vegas
I have to think really hard for something positive to say about Central. I've been there a total of three times and to say that I've been totally disapointed everytime would be an understatement. It's little more than a diner with horrible service and vastly overpriced entrees. The waitstaff can't answer basic questions about food. Food often takes 40+ minutes to come out of the kitchen when the restaurant is only a third full. The servers rarely refill drinks and do not attend to the needs of the table. The worst part is that the managers that I spoke with all three times that I've dined there weren't even capable of correcting our problems. The only nice things that I can say about the place is that it's right next to the valet station so manuvering through the casino is unnecessary and the hostesses are competent and easy on the eyes.
If I've come across as overly harsh, please know that I don't have a bone to pick with them. I'd just like to let others know what they might encounter if dining there. Online reviews seem real hit or miss and it appears that many others have had similar experiences to mine.
Special meal in phoenix/scottsdale
Binkley's. No question about it. Amazing food and awesome service, but a bit out of the way. I don't make it there as much as I'd like due to its location, but eveytime I do I tell myself that I need to go there more often.
Different Pointe of View is good, but takes second place to Binkley's. I've only been there for restaurant week events. Spectacular view.
Skip Olive and Ivy altogether if you're looking for something special. It's just a middle aged meat market bar-centric restaurant. The food is unremarkable. The restaurant as a whole is not horrible, but definitely not what I'd consider a special occasion restaurant.
As far as suggestions go, check out FnB in Scottsdale. Great intimate restaurant that I like a lot..
Good eats near North End of the Strip?
I dined at The Barrymore a couple weeks ago and can't say enough good things about the place. Very impresesd with the food, service, and decor. Ingredients are top notch and expertly prepared. Prices are very reasonable, much less than you'd pay for the same stuff right around the corner at a strip resort. They have a pretty strong bev program as well. Great cocktails and they have a list of 50 wines under $50. This place is truly a hidden gem and I can't recommend it enough. It's located less than a mile away from HGV within the Royal Resort on Cenvention Center. I had difficulty making reservations online through open table, but when I called they were able to accomodate me without a problem.
http://www.barrymorelv.com/
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The Barrymore
99 Convention Center Dr, Las Vegas, NV 89109
Phoenix Restaurant Recommendation
Sunday supper at Noca
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Noca
3118 E. Camelback Rd, Phoenix, AZ 85016
Lotus of Siam Help
I don't intend for this statement to sound snarky, but it really depends how much/what you order and what you drink with it. I've had satisfying $20 per person meals there and have also spent over $100 on just the for food for two people (we ordered everything!). I suggest ordering family style and sharing several entrees. The specialties like whole boneless fried duck (my favorite), egg noodles with panang shortrib (also excellent), and the fish are pricier. If you go with some salad(s) and entrees to share, you should expect to eat really well for about $30 per person or less. They have a very impressive reisling selection and wine adds up quickly, so keep that in mind. As mentioned by others, the wait staff will be more than willing to assist you in ordering if you're unsure of how to go about it. Just tell them what you like and they'll guide you in the right direction. It's a very welcoming and unpretentious place.
Looking for a restaurant with great whole crabs
The Salt Cellar and Bluewater Grill (formerly the Fish Market) both do king crab legs as an entree. Pappadeaux has fried soft shells as well as king crab legs as an entree. Durant's sometimes has Florida Stone crab, but last time I was there, it was pricey ($8 per claw). Wildfish has lots of seafood, but it's been a couple years since I've been there and can't remember if they have crab in a non cake form. Bluewater and Pappadeaux (and maybe Wildfish) are technically chains, but I find them perfectly acceptable and well run. If you're willing to venture away from steamed with butter, I had some fantastic live dungeness that was lightly coated, flash fried, and then tossed with salt, pepper, and chilis at Great Wall a couple weeks ago. They will also do it sauced with ginger and green onion, among other methods.
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Durant's
2611 North Central Avenue, Phoenix, AZ 85004
Great Wall Cuisine
3446 W Camelback Rd, Phoenix, AZ 85017
Salt Cellar Restaurant
550 N Hayden Rd, Scottsdale, AZ 85257
Wildfish Seafood Grille
7135 E. Camelback Road, Scottsdale, AZ 85251
Pappadeaux Seafood Kitchen
11051 N Black Canyon Hwy, Phoenix, AZ 85029
Bluewater Grill
1720 E Camelback Rd, Phoenix, AZ 85016
Where to splurg for a dinner on the Strip
Le Cirque mentioned above would be fantastic meal for you two. If you go to LOS for lunch, don't get the buffet. The stuff that they put out there is pretty unremarkable. Not necessarily bad, but definately nothing special and it gets picked through by everybody before you. Ask for their regular menu if they don't give it to you when you're seated and order off of that.
