Archive for December, 2007
December 31st, 2007, 11:53 am by Jess Harter
“Gastrological Dinners,” The Boulders Resort’s quarterly alternative to traditional winemaker dinners, have proven so popular that they’re being offered more frequently.
 The 2008 series kicks off Jan. 24 in the Carefree resort’s new Organic Garden. The dinner, which will feature wines from Oregon’s King Estates, starts with cocktails at 6:30 p.m.
The menu: assorted hors d’oeuvres; roasted cauliflower soup with maple-smoked bacon and lobster; galantine of pheasant with truffle and cognac; granite of Granny Smith apple and chocolate mint; spiced seared elk loin, sweet potatoes, braised mushrooms and succotask; cheese tasting plate; flourless chocolate espresso cake and quenelle of kahlua panna cotta; and mignardises.
Cost is $150 person and reservations are required. The evening will include spiritual readings by astrologer Tom McMullan.
Other scheduled dinners are Feb. 28 (Long Meadow Ranch Vineyards), March 20 (Stage Coach Vineyards) and June 21 (Frog’s Leap).
Info: (480) 488-9009.
Posted in: Carefree | Post a Comment »
December 30th, 2007, 10:19 am by Jess Harter
To be honest, 2007 wasn’t a banner year for new East Valley restaurants. Sure, there was quantity — more than 100 openings — but there were few shining stars. Most years, there’s at least one or two new places that would crack critics’ lists of the top 20 or 25 restaurants in the East Valley. In 2007, though, I don’t think I’d put any new restaurant on that list.
But there were several worthwhile additions to our local dining scene. I didn’t get to all of them, but I made it to most. Here are my favorites:
1. Centro Paninoteca
Created by chef-owner Chris Cottingham, former manager of the Biltmore area’s Delux, this midtown Scottsdale eatery (picture above) is tiny — just eight two-top tables and a small bar — but offers delicious panini sandwiches and wine by the glass until 2 a.m. 7120 E. Becker Lane, Scottsdale, (480) 443-7162.
 2. Brush Fire Arizona Grill
D’Vine Bistro owner Mark Nowicki and chef Ramon Rice have transformed the former Dual Contemporary Cuisine in Gilbert into an upscale but affordable showcase for bold-flavored barbecue beef and pork, steaks and other grilled meats (shown at left). 4972 S. Power Road, Gilbert, (480) 457-8903.
3. SanTan Brewing Co.
Stuffed burgers and gourmet pizzas nicely complement a half-dozen excellent beers crafted by former Four Peaks Brewing Co. brewmaster Anthony Canecchia at this half-century-old bank turned brew pub in restaurant-rich downtown Chandler. 8 S. San Marcos Plaza, Chandler, (480) 917-8700.
4. Chef H
This small, unassuming Gilbert restaurant just opened by chef Hesham Khalik, whose previous gigs include The Phoenician and Arizona Biltmore resorts, offers inexpensive Meditteranean food like gyros, kebabs and wraps that taste way too good to be so healthy. 3107 S. Lindsey Road, Gilbert, (480) 786-9829.
 5. Andreoli’s Italian Grocer
Italian chef/proprietor Giovanni Scorzo (pictured at right) makes his own bread, mozzarella and chocolate at this north Scottsdale stand-alone shop, which includes a deli case of imported meats and cheeses and a small dining room crammed with a mish-mash of antique furniture. 8880 E. Via Linda, Scottsdale, (480) 614-1980.
6. Urban Campfire
Owner-chef Robert Stempkowski has worked at some of the Valley’s finest restaurants, but there’s nothing fancy about the inexpensive smoked meats and simple comfort foods dished out at the former Greasy Tony’s building on the edge of the ASU campus. 921 E. University Drive, Tempe, (480) 967-5524.
7. Luc’s
Decorated in creamy white and powder blue, Cliff Skoglund and Robert Hall’s luxurious desert hideaway in far north Scottsdale fuses Southwest, French and Asian cuisines in dishes like seven-spice pork tenderloin and nuoc-mam-marinated rock hen. 34505 N. Scottsdale Road, Scottsdale, (480) 488-3811.
 8. EJ’s Steakhouse
High-back mahogany booths with linen-covered tabletops help generate a Rat Pack-era vibe at this cozy east Mesa strip-mall steakhouse (shown at left), which includes a swanky lounge on one side and its own full-service butcher shop on the other. 5609 E. McKellips Road, Mesa, (480) 985-2925.
9. Cien Agaves Tacos & Tequila
Thirteen types of tacos and the namesake 100-plus tequilas draw an eclectic crowd, ranging from baby boomer turistas browsing Old Town Scottsdale’s curio shops to hip 20-somethings who can pack the place after dark, to this rustic two-story restaurant and bar. 7228 E. First Ave., Scottsdale, (480) 970-9002.
10. Forefather’s Gourmet Cheesesteaks & Fries
The name pretty much sums up the menu at this south Tempe strip-mall shop, but the Philly Original — complete with Wiz, of course — is one of the better cheesesteaks in the East Valley, and the fries (or, if you choose, sweet potato fries) are pretty good, too. 8707 S. Priest Drive, Tempe, (480) 763-1776.
Posted in: Chandler • Gilbert • Mesa • Scottsdale • Tempe | Post a Comment »
December 28th, 2007, 8:25 am by Jess Harter
 I drove over to Phoenix to meet my friend Thomas Bond for lunch at Delux, the small but popular grill on the northwest corner of Camelback Road and 32nd Street. Delux is opening a second location in Scottsdale in early 2008, and I wanted to see if the burgers are as good as I’ve heard.
We arrived at 1:30 p.m. on a weekday and the strip-mall eatery was packed. We were lucky to get the last available table on the patio on a chilly afternoon.
Thomas and I both got the Delux Burger ($9, shown above), which comes with Maytag Bleu and Gruyere cheese, baby arugula and a mixture of caramelized onion and bacon, and is served on a demi-baguette. It’s a good burger, although Thomas liked it more than I did.
 We could have gotten the Standard Classic Burger (also $9), with a choice of cheddar, American or jack cheese, with tomato, onions and pickles.
A large helping of fries ($5, pictured at left), served in a miniature shopping cart, is cute but nothing special in terms of taste.
We also tried two of the desserts: a slice of carrot cake ($5.50) and a lemon-berry cupcake ($3). On this day, both were dry and disappointing.
I think $14 for a burger and fries is a little steep, but Delux’s Phoenix location has been quite busy for two years. It’ll be interesting to see what happens at the new location, across the street from Stax Burger Bistro at Camelback and Scottsdale roads.
Posted in: Phoenix | Post a Comment »
December 28th, 2007, 8:02 am by Jess Harter
Taneko Japanese Tavern will offer free sake tastings Mondays in January. Guests at the Scottsdale restaurant will be able to sample as many as three different types of the Japanese staple from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Sake experts will explain how to evaluate the beverage and identify what foods can accentuate tastes. Anyone who attends all four Monday tastings in January will receive a free bottle of sake. Information: (480) 308-9950.
Posted in: Scottsdale | Post a Comment »
December 27th, 2007, 4:23 pm by Jess Harter
One of the coolest things about newspapers moving online is the opportunity for readers to post comments on pretty much any story - agreeing, disagreeing, asking questions or adding information.
One of the problems with reader comments, though, is almost every website allows them to be posted anonymously, typically under an alias (unlike reporters, who have their real name listed at the top of the story) so you never can be sure who the “reader” is.
 Perhaps the greatest abuse of this system comes with dining reviews. When a new review is posted, whether it’s favorable or unfavorable, you can pretty much count on the restaurant’s supporters (and often, I suspect, the restaurant’s employees or owners) to post a series of flattering comments.
I don’t have a problem with this - everyone is entitled to share his or her opinion. What I object to is when someone posts several similar comments under various “names,” blatantly trying to mislead other readers.
How can newspapers tell this happens? For one thing, we can compare the IP (computer) addresses on the comments. When comments purportedly from five different people are posted from the same computer in a 20-minute span, I’m pretty sure someone’s trying to pull a fast one.
For example, look at the reader comments on this week’s unflattering review of Majerle’s Sports Grill in Chandler. After it appeared in print, several readers called me to say they agreed with my review; no one called to disagree with it.
On the web version of the review, though, it was the exact opposite: More than a dozen comments were immediately posted - all strongly disagreeing with the review. Many of these comments came from the same computer, although the “names” are quite different.
Oh, I suppose it’s possible “Don W” and his wife (who’ve had two “great” visits to Majerle’s), “MJ” (who’s had several “great” visits with family and friends) and “Jackie” (who’s been there three times) are coincidentally sitting together, perhaps in some Internet cafe, sharing the same laptop at 2:30 in the afternoon.
Or maybe “Mario” (who raved about his “many” visits to Majerle’s) posted his comments on a computer at the public library, only to get up and walk away and, coincidentally, have “Jimmy” immediately sit down at the exact same computer to share his great times at the restaurant.
I’m not trying to pick on Majerle’s. I’ve noticed the same phenomenon on a lot of restaurant stories on our website.
Perhaps this simply is the new way that restaurants now advertise (particularly when trying to do damage control after an unfavorable review): Have your employees post a series of fake comments raving about how your restaurant isn’t really so bad.
I suppose it will fool some people. At least for a little while.
Posted in: Chandler | Post a Comment »
December 26th, 2007, 7:01 pm by Jess Harter
You’d think a restaurant owned by Dan Majerle, namesake of the Phoenix Suns’ annual Hustle Award, would provide great service. Sadly, this isn’t true at Majerle’s Sports Grill in Chandler.
 The six-week-old sibling of the former Suns player- turned-broadcaster’s popular downtown Phoenix sports bar is like a high-profile rookie who’s still struggling with the fundamentals.
At first glance, the rookie’s moves are eye-catching. Majerle and his partners have totally remodeled the former Rockfish building on the outer ring of Chandler Fashion Center. The cozy space boasts 18 high-definition TVs, plenty of sofas and even a bocce ball court. Despite its monotone palette — brown booths, brown tables, brown walls, brown floors — there’s an unmistakable upscale vibe.
Contributing to a see-and-be-seen atmosphere is a staff of black-clad female servers — all young, all pretty, all baring cleavage. It’s a Scottsdale nightclub, only one that serves burgers and chicken wings. But if you’re not part of the “in” crowd … well, you’ll pretty much feel like a bench player.
On my first of three visits, it takes 10 minutes for a server to take our drink orders. After she does, she walks over to another table where she and two other servers spend 20 minutes talking to friends.
 When our beverages finally arrive, we order appetizers. It’s halftime of a Suns game, and the restaurant is only two-thirds full. Still, when the fourth quarter starts — 30 minutes later — our starters are no-shows. All the while, I watch one server talking to her boyfriend at a nearby table, and two others sit in the booth behind us with friends.
Finally, a cook comes out and asks if we’ve gotten our appetizers. When we tell him no, he goes back to the kitchen and returns with two plates — unfortunately, not what we ordered.
There’s much more, but you get the idea about the service. And the food? Well, most of it is mediocre.
The chicken wings ($8.59), which the menu calls “the biggest and highest quality around,” are neither. At least they’re not as bad as the Asian chicken chopped salad ($8.59) with big hunks of lettuce covered with rubbery won tons.
 The Fully Loaded pizza ($10.99, shown above right) has a nice flavor but the consistency of casserole. (Thinking the light, doughy crust was made soggy by so many toppings, I order a simple two-item pizza on a subsequent visit, but still need a fork, or maybe a spoon.)
Sandwiches, such as the Philly cheese steak ($8.99, shown at left) and Cajun chicken sandwich ($8.59), are average at best. In fact, about the only stars on the menu are the burgers, especially the cheeseburger sliders ($6.99).
With a lineup like that, Majerle’s won’t score many points with diners.
>> Majerle’s Sports Grill, 3095 W. Chandler Blvd., Chandler, is open 11 a.m. to 1 a.m. Sunday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. Friday and Saturday. (480) 899-7999.
Posted in: Chandler | Post a Comment »
December 25th, 2007, 1:48 pm by Jess Harter
Four Fox Restaurants in Scottsdale — Bloom, North, The Greene House and Olive & Ivy — are offering three-course, prix-fixe dinnes for $55 to $60 on New Year’s Eve. You can get the details here.
Posted in: Scottsdale | Post a Comment »
December 25th, 2007, 1:08 pm by Jess Harter
Atomic 29 Grill, which hold a special promotion on the 29th of every month, has announced its December deal: Anyone who brings two or more non-perishable food items to the Mesa restaurant between 11 a.m. and 9 p.m. Saturday will receive two half-rack of ribs for the price of one. The food items will be donated to United Food Bank.
Posted in: Mesa | Post a Comment »
December 23rd, 2007, 10:39 pm by Jess Harter
I have a confession: I’ve never been a big fan of Meditteranean food. Oh, I’ve tried my share of hummus, gyros and kebabs, but I’ve never really developed an affinity for the cuisine.
Until last week.
I was doing some last-minute holiday shopping when I noticed a new restaurant, Chef H Restaurant & Grill, on the northeast corner of Lindsey and Pecos roads in Gilbert.
 I figured I’d just stop and grab a menu, but the place was nearly empty and the small staff had that hopeful we’ve-finally-got-a-customer look on their faces. So I figured, what the heck. It was around lunchtime and what would it hurt to order a small menu item, even if I only tried a bite or two?
I ordered a Moroccan chicken wrap, and the server brought out a sampler plate of side dishes (pictured at right) so I could choose one for my lunch. Black beans with pineapple, baba ghanoush, tabouli, Israeli salad, carrot salad with onions, chick peas and celery. All were surprisingly delicious, and before I knew it I had eaten them all.
And my wrap (shown below) was just as fantastic – large and stuffed with well-seasoned chicken, fluffy couscous and saffron. It came with one side (more black beans and pineapple) and was just $5.99.
The entire meal was so good that I — a person who didn’t even like Meditteranean food — had to go back for lunch the next day to try something else, which turned out to be a gyro filled with beef, flavored with about 20 different spices, and homemade yogurt. With sides of saffron rice and carrot salad, it cost just $6.99.
 Chef H, I learned, is owner/chef Hesham Khalik, born in Egypt and raised in Germany, where he started his culinary career. Locally, his chef gigs have included the Hyatt Regency-Scottsdale, The Phoenician and the Arizona Biltmore.
Now he’s started his own restaurant, a new but tiny eatery (just six booths) that focuses on Meditteranean foods but also serves almost anything from quesadillas to filet mignon, as the personable chef is quick to point out in his heavily accented English as he visits with every diner who comes in.
Because his restaurant is so small and storage space is limited, Khalik says he has to make everything fresh every day. The secret to his recipes, he says, is a balance of flavors.
Knowing he didn’t have a clue who I was, I asked him to elaborate. He grabbed a sheet of paper, sat down at my booth and began diagramming the molecular structure of various foods, explaining the chemical reactions that take place when you add salt, sugar or oil.
Most of it was over my head, but I know this: He’s won me over with his tasty Medittereanan food. The fact that it’s healthy and inexpensive are bonuses.
And I’m not alone. Although the restaurant only has been open for three weeks, it’s cultivated a small but passionate following.
“We gotta get the word out about this place,” says a burly guy who describes himself as a lunch regular. “Tell everyone you can.”
Consider it done.
>> Chef H, 3107 S. Lindsey Road, Gilbert, is open 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily. (480) 786-9835.
Posted in: Gilbert | Post a Comment »
December 22nd, 2007, 6:06 pm by Jess Harter
Pizza lovers in Chicago are well-acquainted with Vito & Nick’s II Italian restaurants, which ship delicious thin-crust pies nationwide. East Valley fans no longer have to resort to such extreme measures: The expanding pizzeria chain has opened a location on the southeast corner of Higley and Queen Creek roads in Gilbert.
 They tried to sneak in a “soft opening” earlier this week, but the strip-mall eatery was quickly swarmed with diners starved for restaurant options in the southeast East Valley.
I stopped in the next day for lunch and sampled a 9-inch pizza with homemade sausage, pepperoni and onions. The pizza ($14.25, pictured), which turned out to be a whopping 12 inches in diameter and was cut into 48 bite-size squares, was very tasty.
The bartender, Mingo, assured me the rest of the extensive menu is just as good.
There are more than a dozen sandwiches, as well as a giant one-pound burger ($10.75 with fries). Pastas ($10.25-$15.75 with soup and salad bar) include spaghetti, lasagna, manicotti, ravioli and mostaccioli.
Other entrees range from Italian sausage and peppers ($11.95) to chicken marsala ($13.25) to steak delmonico ($17.95).
More than 30 wines, domestic and Italian, are available by bottle, and most by the glass. Italy’s Birra Moretti is one of six beers on tap.
The decor at Vito & Nick’s II is upscale-casual, with maroonish-brown walls, a stone floor and mostly banquette seating. A 10-seat bar is located at the back of the restaurant.
Happy hour specials should be in place by this week, and a patio is forthcoming. Delivery service is also planned.
>> Vito & Nick’s II, 3321 E. Queen Creek Road, Gilbert, is open 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily. (480) 279-4482.
Posted in: Gilbert | Post a Comment »
December 21st, 2007, 4:21 pm by Jess Harter
A couple months ago, I wrote a rave review on Luc’s, a new upscale Southwest-Asian-French restaurant at el Pedregal marketplace in far north Scottsdale. Since then, though, the menu has “evolved” as chef Eric DiStefano returned to co-owner Cliff Skoglund and Robert Hall’s well-regarded Geronimo in Santa Fe.
 The new menu, designed by chef German Sega, isn’t a radical change, although Asian influences are now the focus. In fact, when when Style editor Sam Mittelsteadt and I re-visited Luc’s this week, our server told us that the new dishes will be introduced gradually, one or two at a time.
Some change are subtle. The filet mignon, for example, now comes grilled with a karashi sumiso crust. Rotisserie rock hens are now marinated in nuoc mam, a Vietnamese fish sauce.
I was pleasantly surprised to find the ravioli appetizer, filled with leeks and Gruyere cheese and covered with a corn sauce, still on the menu, as well as my favorite Luc’s entree, a seven-spice pork tenderloin with a hot mustard plum sauce (pictured). At least, both remain for now.
Roasted banana cream cake is no longer on the dessert menu, having been supplanted by a panacotta-topped sesame seed cake.
The restaurant’s neo-classical decor, softened by a color palette of powder blue and creamy white, retains its luxury, and the service remains formal. But even wearing jeans, Sam and I were in sync with the laid-back Cave Creek-Carefree-north Scottsdale crowd.
>> Luc’s, 34505 N. Scottsdale Road, Scottsdale, is open 4:30 p.m. (tapas bar) and 5:30 p.m. (dining room), with seating until 9:30 p.m. daily. (480) 488-3811.
Posted in: Scottsdale | Post a Comment »
December 20th, 2007, 2:59 pm by Jess Harter
I’m always on the lookout for good, inexpensive Chinese food. So when I hear about Red House, a month-old restaurant in the Fry’s Marketplace strip mall on the northwest corner of Via Linda and 90th Street in Scottsdale, I grab a friend and head over for lunch.
 The mood: Red House is tiny — just six small tables inside and two others on the sidewalk. It’s located on the strip mall’s corner, so two walls are full of windows that let in plenty of light.
We place our orders at the counter and fill our sodas at the fountain. It’s nearly 1:30 p.m. and the lunch crowd has died down a bit, allowing us to get a table.
The food: While we wait for our orders, a young woman brings us a complimentary plate of wontons with a small bowl of citrus-flavored dipping sauce. We also get bowls of steaming-hot soup — we chose egg drop over won ton or hot and sour — as part of our lunch specials.
In less than five minutes, our entrees arrive. I opt for Chicken Amazing ($6.25), a large plate of chicken, broccoli, red and green peppers, mushrooms, corn and carrots, all covered in a spicy sauce. It comes with pork-fried rice.
My friend gets the shrimp lo mein ($5.25), which has lots of tasty shrimp and seasoned noodles. He chooses white rice over brown or fried. Our meals come on china plates. Nice touch.
Both entrees are very good. We finish lunch with a couple of fortune cookies.
The drinks: Our fountain sodas for just $1 apiece.
The damage: $14.57. Not only is Red House’s food good and cheap, it’s fast. No wonder this place already has established itself as a neighborhood favorite, especially for takeout.
>> Red House, 8902 E. Via Linda, Scottsdale, is open 10:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 10:30 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, noon to 10 p.m. Sunday. (480) 860-8888.
Posted in: Scottsdale | Post a Comment »
December 19th, 2007, 2:48 pm by Jess Harter
Let’s just cut to the chase: Cantina Laredo is one of the best restaurants I’ve eaten at this year.
A circular bar dominates the main dining room, with mostly booths ringing the outside.
We start with the botanas platter ($13.99), a medley of scrumptious appetizers: tacos al pastor, chicken fajita quesadilla, stuffed jalapeños, chili con queso, beef fajita, chicken fajita and shrimp. There’s not an average item in the bunch.
 Since assuming the role of Tribune dining critic in June, I’ve formally reviewed 64 East Valley restaurants and informally visited more than 100 others in the course of writing features and columns.
Cantina Laredo ranks with the best of them.
Yes, it’s a chain. Yes, it’s in Gilbert (although there’s also a north Scottsdale location). Yes, it’s in a shopping center (SanTan Village). It’s also, from appetizers through dessert, delicious.
The cuisine is gourmet Mexican, but don’t expect to see any sombreros or colorfully painted wood furniture. The decor is modern, with light wood panels on the walls, slate floors and shelves of contemporary glasswork.
 Every table’s setting includes a bowl of avocados, which can be used to make fresh guacamole ($8.99). Our server, Brittany, brings out small dishes of limes, spices, onions, cilantro, tomatoes and chili peppers and, using only a fork, quickly creates a large bowl of chunky guac for us.
Although I’ve never been a big fan of this Mexican dip, I love the flavors and freshness of Cantina Laredo’s version. It’s hard not to eat the entire bowl with chips and save some room for our entrees.
Fortunately, we also have two wonderful salsas — a traditional zesty red and a green that tastes like meatless chili — to scoop with the chips.
By the time we get to entrees, we’re already getting full. But it doesn’t take much effort to dig into the tacos cascabel ($13.99, shown above), five small tortillas brimming with chili-coated chicken, or the camarone mesquite ($17.99), eight large shrimp sauteed in garlic butter.
 Even the fajitas ($15.49, shown at left), especially the beef, are packed with flavor. Our entire meal’s only “disappointments,” if you can call them that, are the beans and rice, which are quite basic. Then again, how much can you do with beans and rice?
Completely stuffed, we decide to forgo dessert — that is, until a neighboring table gets the Mexican apple pie ($5.49), served in a hot iron skillet that sizzles when brandy butter is poured over the pie, filling the restaurant with a mouthwatering aroma.
Loosening our belts, we force ourselves to try our own helping, only in the interest of providing the most thorough review possible, of course.
In fact, I promise Tribune readers to continue my research by checking in on Cantina Laredo quite often.
>> Cantina Laredo, 2150 E. Williams Field Road, Gilbert, is open 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday. (480) 782-6777.
Posted in: Gilbert | Post a Comment »
December 17th, 2007, 12:04 pm by Jess Harter
 Ra Sushi opens its fifth East Valley location today at Dana Park Village Square on the northwest corner of Val Vista Drive and Baseline Road in Mesa.
The 5,000-square-foot restaurant features a sushi bar, a dining area and a lounge area. Besides sushi, the menu includes Japanese dishes with chicken, pork and beef.
Ra, which opened its first sushi restaurant in 1997 in Scottsdale, also has locations in California, Nevada, Texas, Illinois and Florida.
>> Ra Sushi, 1652 Val Vista Drive, Mesa, is open 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. (with bar open to 1 a.m.) daily. (480) 632-9500.
Posted in: Mesa | Post a Comment »
December 13th, 2007, 11:51 am by Jess Harter
What’s your favorite number?
Seven is considered lucky in most cultures, and many people think their birth date has significance. Sports fans often identify with a number worn by a favorite player.
 And then there are Mark Voss and Mike Stevens, who in October launched Atomic 29 Grill, on the northwest corner of Gilbert and Baseline roads in Mesa.
“The owners are a little obsessed with the number 29,” says daytime bartender Heather Talbot (pictured at left). “Arizona is the Copper State, and 29 is the atomic number for copper.
“Also, we have 29 beers on tap. And specials on the 29th of the month, like 29-cent rib dinners. There’s other 29 stuff, too. They really like that number.”
But don’t think Atomic 29 is some kind of New Age hangout for numerologists. Part rib house, part roadhouse, this is a blue-collar tavern for those looking for grilled meat and draft beer.
 The decor is purposely well-worn. The copper-colored paint on the walls has been sanded off in many spots, and the floor has been similarly scuffed. Artwork includes old-fashioned tin advertising signs, maps of Arizona and historic black-and-white photos.
A row of comfortable booths front the open kitchen, with simple wood tables filling the rest of the dining area, as well as the large patio. The shorter leg of the L-shaped space is the bar area, where most of the building’s 15 high-definition televisions are tuned into games.
The appetizer menu includes standards like wings and chicken strips, but also offers several surprises, such as Atomic Fire Crackers ($5.99) — wontons filled with blackened chicken and red pepper flakes — that are surprisingly hot.
 Another is the Queso Rah ($6.99, shown at left), a peppery cheese dip with small pieces of smoked meat that comes with thick, homemade chips instead of typical tortilla chips.
Entrees aren’t nearly so creative or fancy, although there’s a cedar-plank trout ($15.99) that’s a nice piece of fish, unfortunately underserved by an almost tasteless bacon-hazelnut butter.
Stick with the baby-back ribs ($9.99 half-rack, $17.99 full rack, pictured above). They’re not fall-off-the-bone, but they’re tender enough with lots of meat and a good smoky flavor.
Dress ’em up with one of Atomic 29’s barbecue sauces: Sweet Tang (sweet and tangy), Smokin’ Pistols (bold and smoky) or, my favorite, Valley Fever (spicy and hot).
Burgers ($7.99) also shine in a down-to-basics kind of way, especially with the seasoned crispy fries. But other sides (onion rings, baked beans, mac ’n’ cheese) are mostly ho-hum, as are the few desserts.
So if you’re looking for destination dining, this isn’t your place. But if you want some good ribs or a decent burger with a beer, Atomic 29 Grill just might have your number.
>> Atomic 29 Grill, 1910 S. Gilbert Road, Mesa, is open 11 a.m. to 1 a.m. daily. (480) 503-0029.
Posted in: Mesa | Post a Comment »
December 13th, 2007, 11:40 am by Jess Harter
There are a lot of cheesesteak places in the East Valley, but few offer what I consider a really good Philly.
So when Get Out nightlife writer Kelly Wilson, a Philly native, heard from her mom about a new place, Forefather’s Gourmet Cheesesteaks & Fries, we wasted little time in heading to south Tempe.
 The mood: The strip mall space is clean and utilitarian. About the only things on the red walls are a giant menu board and small portraits of George Washington, Ben Franklin and Thomas Jefferson.
We order at the stainless-steel counter, fill our sodas and take a seat at one of a dozen wood-lattice tables inside. There also are a half-dozen tables available on a small sidewalk patio.
The food: Kelly chooses the Philly Original combo meal ($7.95). The shaved steak is well-seasoned and topped with grilled onions and Cheez Whiz. For an extra 50 cents, she adds mushrooms. The fresh-baked Italian roll is crunchy on the outside, soft on the inside.
I go with the Chicken Cheesesteak, made with large cubes of white meat, grilled onions and American cheese. My combo meal ($7.95), like Kelly’s, comes with a large side of tasty fries (regular, cheese or sweet potato).
The chicken sandwich is good, but the Philly is even better. Kelly and I agree Forefather’s offers one of the better cheesesteaks in the Valley.
The drinks: Our sodas are included in the combo meal.
The damage: $17.73. Kelly’s already been back to try the sweet potato fries (she liked them). My next order: the Jamaican Jerk Chicken Cheesesteak with a green apple cilantro salsa.
>> Forefather’s Gourmet Cheesesteaks & Fries, 8707 S. Priest Drive, Tempe, is open 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday. (480) 763-1776.
Posted in: Tempe | Post a Comment »
December 12th, 2007, 11:24 am by Jess Harter
Barbecue lovers, rejoice. Reggie’s ribs are back. Reggie Payne, former owner of R&B Ribhouse, is back in Mesa, serving up his delicious spare ribs, beef brisket and fried catfish at Home Plate Café.
 It was just over a year ago the transplanted Mississippian’s popular restaurant on East Main Street unexpectedly closed, leaving customers all over the East Valley wondering what happened.
The closure, says Payne, was the result of several factors, but the main reason was he moved his family to California to care for his father-in-law, who ultimately lost a battle with cancer. Now, the family has moved back and Payne has partnered with Diane Turley, former owner of Waldo’s BBQ in Scottsdale, at Home Plate Café, a cozy eatery attached to a car wash on the southwest corner of Country Club Drive and Guadalupe Road.
Home Plate, formerly a baseball-themed restaurant, is a work in progress. Besides all the barbecue and Southern entrees, sides and desserts diners enjoyed at R&B, the menu includes burgers, cheesesteaks and BLTs. There’s also a full breakfast menu with chicken and waffles — just as good as Lo-Lo’s, Payne says — country-fried steak, omelettes and biscuits and gravy.
Restaurant hours will be expanded in January, Payne says, and the space may be enlarged.
>> Home Plate Café, 2828 S. Country Club Drive, Mesa, is open 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Info: (480) 632-0600.
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