hohokam's Recent Activity
Chowhound Post
Xmas in Scottsdale
The Herb Box's DC Ranch location is worthy of consideration for breakfast, lunch, or a casual dinner.
Chowhound Post
Phoenix/Scottsdale-recommendations welcome
...and at this time of year, one is likely to have to endure a wait of Bianquian (Bianco-ish? Bianconian?) proportions at the South Phoenix Los Dos location.
Chowhound Post
Cuban food in phoenix
let's see if this works... Mimita's Cuban Cafe
Chowhound Post
Cuban food in phoenix
trying to add a place link (and failing). will try again...
Chowhound Post
Things to add to chili recipe?
I second the beer recommendation. I find that bottle of darkish slightly malty beer (e.g., Negra Modelo, Dos Equis amber) added to chili or to a spicy pot of beans contributes depth and little bit of sweetness to the broth.
Chowhound Post
What to do with chopped up pork neck?
The Professor nailed it. For a specific example, all you need to do Google up a link to Lidia Bastianich's (fantastic and bulletproof) Sugo di Carne recipe.
Chowhound Post
Seeking great pie in Scottsdale (preferably) or Phoenix
Even here in the Oakland-Berkeley area, where great bakeries (e.g., Masses, Cheeseboard, La Farine, Crixa, Bread Garden) abound, I've found that most do not offer pies. Lots of beautiful (non-fondant wrapped) cakes, tarts, galettes, breads, scones, muffins, cookies, croissants and other small pastries in the cases, but few pies.
Chowhound Post
Greek Market - PHX
Assuming "PHX" isn't a typo for "DEN", I would guess that the source of the confusion is Chow's new place link generator, which scans the place database for any text matching that in the post and then automatically attaches a link if a match is found.
My current work-around is to click the "MANAGE YOUR LINKS" bar and to check for any erroneous place links before submitting a post.
Chowhound Post
Favorite Central Phx hole in the wall Mexican?
Restaurante Huachinango in south Scottsdale specializes in Pueblan style dishes. Hard to leave there hungry with huge platter-filling huaraches going for about $5. I wish their 7th Ave location (just north of Indian School) was still open, as that spot is a hop and skip from my house.
Chowhound Post
Need suggestons for Mesa?Tempe?Chandler area
...fixing up Elote Cafe's link
Chowhound Post
Need suggestons for Mesa?Tempe?Chandler area
I was granted special powers and with them edited the Restaurant Mexico entry. Said powers seem to be available for the asking on the Site Talk board.
Chowhound Post
Need suggestons for Mesa?Tempe?Chandler area
doing a little place link clean-up
Chowhound Post
Thanksgiving (plus a few more dinners) in Scottsdale
Bourbon Steak place link (I think).
Chowhound Post
Thanksgiving (plus a few more dinners) in Scottsdale
Quiessence will be serving a fairly tradtional Thanksgiving dinner this year (sorry, no Southwest twist) at noon, 2:30, and 5:30. Cost before tax and gratuity is $59 per adult and $29 per child under 12. No mention of wine, so I assume that is extra.
See here for more details:
http://tinyurl.com/yzzymnh
Chowhound Post
New Restaurants Section: Please reply here if you would like to be able to edit Restaurant/Bar Pages
Yes, please. Errors have been popping up on the Southwest board, and it would be nice to be able to fix them, especially for those times when we're addressing queries from out of town 'hounds.
Thanks!
Chowhound Post
reasonable priced & interesting eats in Phoenix
Chino Bandido did not get properly linked above (some place called "Bandid0s" in CO was linked to instead). Let's see if I can get this new fangled place link doohickey to work...
Chowhound Post
Review Redux: Binkley's Restaurant (Cave Creek, AZ)
Hard to sum up NOCA in a few lines. On any visit, you're likely to see something classical, something whimsical, something challenging, and something homey. Sometimes you'll see all of these aspects in a single dish. Chef Curtiss's food draws on influences and ingredients from Japanese, American, Spanish, French, and Italian cuisines, and dishes range from classic combinations to modern/haute twists on simple comfort foods to totally original creations.
Even though NOCA is not a seafood restaurant per se, it is my first recommendation for anyone seeking good fish in this town. Everything is carefully sourced and perfectly prepared.
Perhaps the best way to get a feel for where the NOCA crew is coming from is to ignore my blithering and instead look over the current menus online:
EDIT:
I removed the links to the online menus. They were totally jacked by Chow's new place link embedding thingy. Follow one of the links above to the CH restaurant entry for NOCA and then click on the "Go to Website" link. The home page for NOCA has a link to the regular menu and the menu for Sunday Simple Suppers.
Chowhound Post
reasonable priced & interesting eats in Phoenix
Just a couple of miles east from the Biltmore on Camelback, you have Padre's (Southwestern/Mexican) and Lola (Spanish tapas). The Parlor (or Parlor or Parlor Pizzeria), which is even closer just announced (via Twitter) some new dishes for fall: http://twitter.com/TheParlorPizza . You can find their regular menu (in pdf format) here: http://www.theparlor.us/Images/Parlor... .
Another Southwestern option that's not too far away is Sierra Bonita Grill. Many of their starters are hearty enough to serve as entrees, especially when paired with a salad.
These places might not fit your definition of "interesting", and Padre's and Sierra Bonita might be too Mexican-y; however, they are all nearby, locally-owned, and in your price range.
Chowhound Post
Turkey Time (Phx)
We usually do chicken rather than turkey on T-Day, but this year, I'm considering going traditional. If we go that route, I'll probably order a pasture-raised bird from Josh Koehn, of Josh's Foraging Fowl's based in SE Arizona. I've bought several chickens from Josh and have always been pleased. So, I'm kind of eager to try one of his turkeys, assuming he has any left.
I can forward you the order form/info sheet for Josh's turkeys. Feel free to contact me at the address in my profile, if you'd like.
Chowhound Post
Opinions on Ticoz Resto-Bar? (PHX)
I'm not making any guarantees, but I've never had a problem with the noise level at Padre's. The space is divided up between a large room with a bar and high-top tables and a smaller dining room. I think Padre's might also have a small outdoor dining area off of the west side of the smaller dining room, but I can't remember for sure.
Chowhound Post
Opinions on Ticoz Resto-Bar? (PHX)
I think I understand why some people like Ticoz, but frankly, it just doesn't do it for me. I've been disappointed by the food, the drinks, and, at times, the service. Too many of the food items seem to have come out of a can or a bag in the freezer. Great place for people who value style over substance, IMO.
For good unfussy food in that area, I'd go with Padre's (Southwestern/ Mexican) or Lola (Spanish/North African tapas). The noise level at Lola can often be a challenge, so I'd recommend grabbing seats outside if you can. If you're willing to venture a little farther, I'd add Sierra Bonita Grille (Southwestern/Mexican) and The Parlor (Italian/Pizza/Pasta) to the list.
Edit:
...and depending on how you define unfussy, Hana (Japanese) could be a good option to consider. Hana is BYOB, so if you want to have drinks with your dinner there, you will want to add a trip to the beer and wine shop to your plan. Place link to follow...
Chowhound Post
Seeking life changing Chinese food like House of Nanking (PHX)
Without knowing what exactly you liked about House of Nanking, it's hard to say what would deliver the same experience. I've had food just as good at places like China Chili and Big Wong (RIP), minus the long lines, elbow to elbow crowding, and sweatshop atmosphere. The people who owned China Chili back in the day sold it and moved on to Ahwatukee to set up Mr. Chao's Asia Bistro. I've never been to their new place, but it might be worth checking out, depending on where you're located.
Chowhound Post
Looking for restaurant recommendations in Sedona area
I think that post was a reaction to a thread on Trip Advisor:
http://tinyurl.com/ygmgyc4
The OP on the other site didn't elaborate on what information she used to come to the conclusion that the neighborhood is sketchy and then didn't comment on it in her subsequent trip report. Third-hand (mis)information, at best, it would seem.
Chowhound Post
More changes afoot on Stetson Drive (Scottsdale)
Matt Taylor of Metro leaving town, and Payton Curry moving on to Caffe Boa.
http://www.azcentral.com/thingstodo/d...
Chowhound Post
St. Francis (PHX)
We went about 3 weeks ago, which was maybe just a week or 2 after they had opened.
We enjoyed our starter and our dessert, but I was somewhat underwhelmed by the main courses we ordered (wood oven seafood "stew"; pork chop) and by the limited wine selection. I recognized, of course, that it was much too early to pass judgment on the place. To their credit, the staff were actively seeking feedback and seemed to be taking critiques seriously without being defensive. They conveyed my comments to the kitchen, and (I think) they implied that the wine selection was going to be expanded.
On our next visit, I think I'll suggest to my partner that we play it safe and double up on the apps but split an entree. I'd like to give St. Francis another chance or two, but I'm reluctant to spend as much as we did on our first visit until I can be reasonably sure that the kitchen can deliver the goods.
I recommend giving the place a try, but keep in mind that the kitchen crew might still be finding their sea legs.
Chowhound Post
Low desert gardeners (Sunset Zones 12 & 13): What are you putting in this fall?
With raised beds, you're probably OK with just amending the soil with manure and compost; and following up with occasional applications of bone meal, fish emulsion, and manure based fertilizer.
The grower I'm working with uses humic acid/humates in addition to compost and fish emulsion. In theory, humates help plants absorb micro-nutrients (e.g., trace minerals) and macro-nutrients. I'm trying humates out at home, but I haven't attempted to conduct a true experiment to examine their effects.
Chowhound Post
Low desert gardeners (Sunset Zones 12 & 13): What are you putting in this fall?
Welllll, that's kind of of a long story. We've been using a technique that we call "sheet mulching", which involves putting down a degradable weed barrier (e.g., heavy cardboard) sprinkled generously with nitrogen-rich organic material (e.g., chicken manure, blood meal) and then a layer of "proto-compost"--basically a mix of nitrogen-rich stuff and carbon-rich stuff (e.g., straw), and then a top layer of a mulch material that won't blow around (e.g., flakes from straw bales). Because the soil in our area is clay-ey, we sprinkle the area with gypsum first before putting down anything.
This amounts to simultaneous mulching and composting directly in the planting area. Because we expect a lot of the soil nitrogen to get used up in the degradation of the carbon-rich materials, we supplement with side dressings of manure, manure-based fertilizers, and fish emulsion. We also add minerals to help acidify the soil (sulfur) and promote root growth (phosphorus via bone meal).
We generally try to keep soil covered with some kind of organic material--usually straw and/or leaves from our carrizo (Arundo donax), but sometimes that forest mulch stuff from the nursery. If we had space for proper crop rotation, I'd probably try planting cover crops in spots, but that's just not gonna happen anytime soon.
Chowhound Post
Low desert gardeners (Sunset Zones 12 & 13): What are you putting in this fall?
Very cool. I think I saw calamondin at Baker Nursery last winter/spring. I could be mistaken, though. What I remember for sure was that they had a much improved selection of less commonly available citrus varieties like limequats, bergamot, and Palestine sweet lime, to name a few. They also had lots of new deciduous fruit tree varieties.
If you have some fruit now, I bet you'll have at least a few to harvest when the time comes--we managed to get a half dozen good-sized fruit from our 5-gallon Meyer lemon after its first winter in the ground.
Sounds like I'm the only NOT growing beets at home. I had good luck with the little round "Tonda di Parigi" carrots last year, so I'll probably give those another try this time. Many of our herb plants are dead (rosemary, some thyme) or in a sorry state (mint, Greek oregano), so I'm working on replacing and/or reviving those. I started some English thyme from seed before I left town last week, and it germinated in 4 days (rather than the 10-15 days indicated on the package). I'm pretty eager to see how the seedlings are doing when I get back later this week.
