Archive for July, 2008
July 31st, 2008, 6:43 am by Jess Harter
Scantily clad young women roll giant dice and dance suggestively to American pop songs. A small man is pulled out of the audience and starts to sing — badly. But he’s given a wad of cash as the crowd and dancers cheer.
 This is “Wowowee,” the No. 1-rated television show in the Philippines, which — no matter the time of day — always seems to be on the big-screen TV at Gingerroot, a new Filipino restaurant on the northwest corner of Alma School Road and Chandler Boulevard in Chandler.
The zaniness of the show stands in stark contrast to the almost chic dining room, an intimate space where nine tableclothed tables are carefully arranged in three perfect rows. Still, the evening’s 10 other diners, all of whom appear to be Filipino, are watching with rapt attention.
Now, I must admit, I’m not experienced with Filipino food. But I like Asian cuisines — Chinese, Japanese, Thai, Korean, Vietnamese — so I’m excited to try Gingerroot, which replaced the Boracay Grill, another Filipino place, and still has some of the same staff.
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Posted in: Chandler | 2 Comments »
July 29th, 2008, 11:41 am by Jess Harter
Nick Haddad maybe should have chosen a different name for Sautee. Whenever I mention his nearly year-old Chandler restaurant to someone, the reaction usually is the same.
 “Sautee? Never been there. I don’t like French food.”
Well, forget about foie gras and frog legs. Sautee mostly serves good ol’ American favorites like steaks, chicken and burgers, albeit slightly fancy versions.
For the most part, Sautee is a casual, comfortable place. The industrial-like interior is energized by an infusion of primary colors, courtesy of lights, glass panels and modern artwork.
It also can be a fairly noisy place, especially if you’re seated next to the open exhibition kitchen, which is dramatically framed with a broken mosaic of red and orange tile.
Calamari ($10, pictured below) is a must-have appetizer. Six-inch-long strips of squid are soaked in buttermilk for hours and then flash-fried. Slightly crunchy on the outside yet tender on the inside, it’s one of the best preparations I’ve tasted.
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Posted in: Chandler | Post a Comment »
July 28th, 2008, 9:22 pm by Jess Harter
 Fresh From the Farm, the eight-month-old restaurant at Schnepf Farms in Queen Creek, is planning to open a wine and beer bar in August. The restaurant (pictured at right) had gone on summer hiatus for two weeks, but is back open for breakfast and lunch Wednesdays through Sundays and dinner on Fridays and Saturdays. Info: (480) 987-8398 or schnepffarms.com.
• Picazzo’s Gourmet Pizza & Salads has added a full bar and lounge, additional seating and a bigger patio to its Tempe location on the northeast corner of Kyrene and Warner roads. It’s celebrating with daily specials, such as half-price appetizers and bottles of wine, through Saturday. The deals are available after 4 p.m. and only at the Tempe location. Info: (480) 831-5823 or www.picazzos.com.
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Posted in: Phoenix • Queen Creek • Scottsdale • Tempe | Post a Comment »
July 28th, 2008, 3:09 pm by Jess Harter
More than 80 Valley restaurants have signed up to participate in the first-ever Arizona Restaurant Week this fall, more than double what organizers hoped for.
 The restaurants will offer special three-course menus of signature dishes for $29 per person from Sept. 20-26. The price excludes beverages, tax and tip.
Restaurant Weeks have become popular annual events in nearly 100 U.S. cities — from San Diego to Dayton, Ohio, to Bethesda, Md. — in recent years.
“I was like, ‘Why isn’t this happening here?’” says Scottsdale-based restaurateur Sam Fox (pictured at left). “We’re the fifth-largest city in the country and we don’t have this?”
Fox operates 11 restaurants in the Valley, including Olive & Ivy (pictured below), North, Bloom and The Greene House. He also has three in Denver, where he’s participated in several Restaurant Weeks.
“It’s one of our better weeks there,” he says. “Not only is it good for business that week, but it’s bringing in a lot of people that normally wouldn’t come into the restaurants.”
In Denver, the week features dinners for two for $52.80, a reference to the Mile High City’s altitude of 5,280 feet.
“We talked to a few people (in the Valley) and nothing really got going, so we decided to talk it upon ourselves to make it happen,” Fox says. “Our goal is to be the catalyst and make it happen this year.”
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July 24th, 2008, 9:12 pm by Jess Harter
Since his second-place finish on Bravo’s reality television show “Top Chef” last month, Richard Blais has been a busy man. He’s welcomed his first child, daughter Riley Maddox, and opened a new restaurant, Home, in his home city of Atlanta. He’s also consulting on a new gourmet burger restaurant called Flip that will open in September.
 The fauxhawk-sporting 36-year-old is working on deals for a book and a TV show that would feature his creative cooking style, a cross between a mad chemist and MacGuyver — think liquid nitrogen and smoke guns — that’s been labeled “molecular gastronomy.”
Blais also is working on product innovation with companies ranging from Garrett popcorn to Red Stripe beer. And this Saturday, he will participate in “Top Chef: The Tour” (read a preview) when it comes to the Valley for three interactive shows.
I caught up with Blais by telephone as he was on his way to his Atlanta restaurant.
Your culinary career seems to be blowing up right now. What did you really want to be when you grew up?
I wanted to be a professional athlete, in particular a baseball player. No one ever told me until I was a senior in high school that I really didn’t run that fast and that I was a little shorter than most athletes. But I definitely wanted to be an athlete, and that kinda carried over into my cooking career. I really enjoy the camaraderie of working as a team in the kitchen.
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Posted in: Phoenix | 1 Comment »
July 24th, 2008, 2:40 pm by Jess Harter
 Richard Blais will have an unusual way of staying cool when “Top Chef: The Tour” stops in the Valley Saturday.
“I did (a tour stop) in Columbus, Ohio, a few weeks back and this one’s gonna be even more amazing,” the 36-year-old Atlanta chef says. “We had a blast but I didn’t bring any of my toys with me.
“For the Phoenix one, I’m actually bringing one of my toys. It’s a big toy; it’s a 600-pound toy. I hear it’s pretty hot out there so I’m bringing the second-coldest substance on Earth with me.”
The substance is liquid nitrogen, one of the more unusual kitchen tools Blais (pictured at left) employed on the just-completed fourth season of the Bravo reality television show, “Top Chef.
“It’s one of those things not too many people have seen applied to food,” Blais says. “We’re definitely going to give the fans who come out to the show a good effort.”
The fauxhawk-sporting chef, who narrowly lost to Scottsdale Culinary Institute graduate Stephanie Izard in the show’s finale, became a fan favorite with his mad-scientist approach to cooking known as molecular gastronomy.
He joins Betty Fraser, a 45-year-old Los Angeles chef who competed on the second season of “Top Chef,” for the downtown Phoenix stop of the show’s 20-city tour.
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Posted in: Valleywide | 2 Comments »
July 23rd, 2008, 8:37 pm by Jess Harter
Randy Schoch is somewhat of an expert on chain restaurants. Over the past two decades, he’s owned five Ruth’s Chris Steak Houses, three Roy’s and a Romano’s Macaroni Grill.
So when the Valley restaurateur decided to create his own casual Asian restaurant, is it any surprise it would take pages from two of the Valley’s most successful Valley-based chains?
 The result is Ling & Louie’s Asian Bar & Grill, which opened in January on Shea Boulevard east of the Loop 101.
It’s hard not to compare its Asian-inspired menu to that of Pei Wei, the fast-casual spinoff of P.F. Chang’s China Bistro. The two aren’t exactly the same, but there’s a lot of similarity in their rice, noodle and speciality dishes.
And Ling & Louie’s playful attitude — right down to the servers’ T-shirts with corny slogans like “Rice to Meet You” — will remind a lot of people of Oregano’s, if somewhat more strained in its attempted humor.
The combination apparently works, at least for the mostly neighborhood crowd that fills Ling & Louie’s during the lunch and dinner hours, enjoying sumo-sized Kirin beers ($5.25) or two-person Frozen Thai Mais ($9.99)
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Posted in: Scottsdale | Post a Comment »
July 22nd, 2008, 5:15 pm by Jess Harter
 “Oxtail, huh?” one of my lunch companions says as he suspiciously eyes a small piece of the bony meat I’ve offered to share. “Uh, no thanks. I think I’ll stick with what I ordered.”
It’s his loss. The beef medallions (pictured at right), braised to draw maximum flavor from the bone and marrow, are delicious.
Then again, I suspect many East Valley diners are unaware of the remarkable diversity of Caribbean food, which counts French, African and Indian among its many influences.
It’s not entirely their fault. There isn’t exactly an abundance of Caribbean restaurants in the East Valley.
Fortunately, Damian Muir (pictured below) has increased that small number by one. The Jamaican-born chef and his wife, Elisa, recently opened their first restaurant, Caribbean Fusion, in the former Scottsdale Road strip-mall space vacated earlier this year by Twisted.
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Posted in: Scottsdale | 5 Comments »
July 22nd, 2008, 4:31 pm by Jess Harter
 Goodbye, Taneko Japanese Tavern. Hello, Blanco Tacos + Tequila.
Scottsdale-based P.F. Chang’s closed its 20-month-old Japanese off-shoot at Scottsdale’s upscale Borgata shopping center Sunday. The building has been taken over by Scottsdale restaurateur Sam Fox, who will open the Valley’s first Blanco on Nov. 3.
Blanco, one of 11 restaurant concepts operated by Fox, offers modern Mexican food in a casual-chic atmosphere. Look for items like chipotle shrimp tacos ($13), green chile pork enchiladas ($14) and chicken mole ($15). Six Mexican beers and 28 kinds of tequila are served.
 Tucson already has a Blanco (pictured above), but the Scottsdale location will have an expanded menu. Taneko’s former space also will be renovated to accommodate a larger patio.
According to Taneko’s website, outstanding Taneko gift cards can be redeemed at any P.F. Chang’s China Bistro or Pei Wei Asian Diner.
• Read my October 2007 review of Taneko Japanese Tavern
• Check out the menu for Tucson’s Blanco Tacos + Tequila
• Read more about Blanco Tacos + Tequila on Fox’s website
Posted in: Scottsdale | 1 Comment »
July 21st, 2008, 3:05 pm by Jess Harter
Los Sombreros Mexican Café & Cantina in Scottsdale has started a reverse happy hour from 9 p.m. to 11 p.m. Tuesdays through Fridays with $5 menu items, such as black bean queso fundido with chips, two quesadillas de rajas, a shrimp cocktail with chunks of mango or a jicama and orange salad with chile-lime dressing.
Drinks specials include $5 margaritas, mojitos, Cuba libres, sangria and wine. Pints of Dos Equis are $2. Info: (480) 994-1799 or lossombreros.com.
 • Foodbar (pictured at left), the first eatery to open last summer at Old Town Scottsdale’s SouthBridge complex, has closed for renovations, including the addition of more indoor seating. Look for it to reopen this fall.
• Estate House, the mansion-inspired dinner-house at SouthBridge, is passing around free happy hour appetizers in its upstairs lounge from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays. Info: (480) 970-4099 or estatehouseaz.com.
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Posted in: Gilbert • Scottsdale • Tempe | 1 Comment »
July 18th, 2008, 7:24 am by Jess Harter
 Starbucks finally has released the official list of all 600 stores it’s closing, and Arizona is pretty much unscathed. The only location in the state to get the ax is a Starbucks along I-10 in Eloy.
Compare that to California, where 88 locations are closing, or Texas, which is losing 57. Even Minnesota, which has a million fewer residents than Arizona, will see 27 closings.
Besides Arizona, other states losing only one Starbucks are New Hampshire, Delaware and South Carolina.
Starbucks announced plans to close 600 stores earlier this month in an effort to boost profitability and its slumping stock price. The closures are expected to take place by March 2009.
• See the full list of Starbucks stores that are closing nationwide
• Find your nearest Starbucks in the East Valley
Posted in: Uncategorized | 1 Comment »
July 17th, 2008, 3:06 pm by Jess Harter
 I know from the comments I receive from readers that a lot of you follow the health inspections of Valley restaurants posted on Maricopa County’s website. Now the Tribune has just launched its own searchable database of health inspections, which has a few extra bells and whistles.
Much like Maricopa County’s version, you can search for restaurants by name or city. But you also can search by ZIP code, type of restaurant or inspection date. Another neat feature is you can click on different inspection dates without having to go back to previous screens.
• Check an East Valley restaurant’s health inspections
Posted in: Valleywide | 1 Comment »
July 17th, 2008, 12:18 pm by Jess Harter
 Was Brush Fire Arizona Grill another victim of the Valley’s current economic struggles, or was the restaurant the victim of another jinxed Gilbert location? Either way, Brush Fire has closed its doors after just seven months.
The restaurant, from D’Vine Wine Bar & Bistro owner Mark Nowicki and chef Ramon Rice (pictured below), featured Southwest-flavored meats, such as roast pork shoulder with sweet prickly pear demi glace and rib eye steaks rubbed with black pepper and coffee.
Menu prices likely weren’t a factor. A shredded pork sandwich with beer-battered fries was a reasonable $9. A huge bowl of green chili alfredo pasta with chicken was $13.
 Maybe the location had something to do with it. The strip-mall space near the Santan Freeway and Ray Road formerly was occupied by Dual Contemporary Cuisine, another well-regarded restaurant that just couldn’t seem to gain a foothold with southeast Gilbert diners.
If another couple restaurants fail there, the space may start to rival the “jinx” of downtown Gilbert’s recently closed GrainBelt GrillHouse, whose previous incarnations included Mahogany Run, Gonzo’s All-American Grill, Heartthrob Music Café and Rock City Bar & Grill.
• Read my February 2008 review of Brush Fire Arizona Grill
Posted in: Gilbert | 6 Comments »
July 16th, 2008, 9:23 pm by Jess Harter
With the first six months of 2008 in the books, it’s time for a mid-year look at the best restaurants that have opened in the East Valley. Despite our economic doldrums, it’s been a banner year. Here, no particular order, are the 10 new restaurants that have most impressed me, taking into consideration their respective categories and niches:
Humble Pie: This cozy pizzeria and wine bar (pictured above) at Hilton Village makes delicious 11-inch, wood-fired pizzas topped with locally produced meats and farm-fresh vegetables, complemented by wines and beers selected by co-owner Tom Kaufman (Rancho Pinot Grill). 6149 N. Scottsdale Road, Scottsdale, (480) 556-9900, humblepieusa.com.
Digestif: Restaurateur Peter Kasperski (Cowboy Ciao, Sea Saw, Kazimierz World Wine Bar) adds another jewel to his empire with this SouthBridge eatery, which sets chef Payton Curry’s rustic “Cal-Ital” menu to an indie music vibe. 7114 E. Stetson Drive, Scottsdale, (480) 425-9463, digestifscottsdale.com.
Bar Tepo: This stylish yet casual New American eatery from Valley restaurateur Steve Short (Basis, Atlasta Catering) offers unusual treats, such as roasted artichoke and Boursin cheese puffs with a bacon fondue or brown suger Hoisin chicken tacos with mango salsa. 1652 S. Val Vista Drive, Mesa, (480) 633-0155, bartepo.com.
Fine’s Cellar: Michael Fine, founder of Sportsman’s Fine Wines & Spirits, started with a great wine list — also available in the barrel-vaulted restaurant’s retail shop — then tasked chef Cullen Campbell to create an all-day menu of gourmet sandwiches and entrees to match it. 7051 E. Fifth Ave., Scottsdale, (480) 994-3463, finescellar.com.
Cork: Robert and Danielle Morris’ ambitious small-plates restaurant and wine bar in Ocotillo offers delicious nibbles of everything from lobster to pheasant to antelope to ostrich. Traditional-sized dishes are served for lunch and Sunday brunch. 4991 S. Alma School Road, Chandler, (480) 883-3773, corkrestaurant.net.
Roka Akor: Trendy London restaurant Roka chose Scottsdale for its first North American spinoff, where marinated meats, seafood and vegetables are cooked over oak charcoal on a large robata grill. Sushi and Japanese kitchen dishes also are available. 7299 N. Scottsdale Road, Scottsdale, (480) 306-8800, rokarestaurant.com.
Latitude Eight: Novice restaurateur David Fliger’s simple yet modern Thai grill is the latest gem in restaurant-rich downtown Chandler. The family-run eatery — Fliger’s mother oversees the kitchen — boasts a wonderful five-course tasting menu for a mere $13. 11 W. Boston St., Chandler, (480) 722-0560, latitude-eight.com.
Eddie’s House: Chef Eddie Matney’s first public foray into the East Valley presents his eclectic versions of American comfort foods in a comfortable, casual atmosphere. Look for Matney bantering with guests and handing out samples nightly at the chef’s counter. 7042 E. Indian School Road, Scottsdale, (480) 946-1622, eddieshouseaz.com.
Bourbon Steak: Taking over the former space of the Fairmont Scottsdale resort’s well-regarded Marquesa, celebrity chef Michael Mina brings the American steakhouse into the 21st century with three tiers of beef, topped by a $175 Japanese “A5” Kobe New York strip. 7575 E. Princess Drive, Scottsdale, (480) 513-6002, michaelmina.net.
Culver’s: Yes, it’s a fast-food restaurnt. But this Wisconsin-based chain’s famous ButterBurgers — the buns are buttered, then toasted — are the epitome of fast-food burgers. Delightful frozen custard desserts cap off this guilty pleasure. 1909 S. Country Club Drive, Mesa, (480) 733-5330, culvers.com.
Related links:
• View this story as a slideshow with photos of all 10 restaurants
• Review my top East Valley restaurants of 2007
Posted in: Chandler • Mesa • Scottsdale | 4 Comments »
July 15th, 2008, 12:18 pm by Jess Harter
Present-day Caffe Boa bears little resemblance to Jay and Christine Wisniewski’s original shoebox-sized eatery that opened on the south end of downtown Tempe’s Mill Avenue in 1994.
Back then, its sophisticated sandwiches and pasta dishes seemed out of sync with a no-frills décor and college-hangout vibe. And there was always a challenge in getting one of the five indoor tables, especially when hot weather rendered a tiny patio inhospitable.
Thankfully, the Wisniewkis were able to move a couple blocks north in 2005 into a much larger space that formerly housed Mill Landing. Its covered front patio, a shaded oasis of green plants and red brick, alone provides more seating than the entire former location.
Inside, dramatic floral photography and colorful murals contrast the dining room’s greenish-gray and wheat walls. Weathered, butcher-block-like tables and dark hardwood floors soften exposed brick.
It’s an atmosphere — slightly upscale yet still casual and comfortable — that perfectly complements Caffe Boa’s mostly European-style cuisine, which emphasizes high-quality organic ingredients.
 Meals begin with fresh breads (pictured at left) from Mesa’s Breadsmith bakery, presented in large baskets by servers who also deliver trays of olives and oil from the Queen Creek Olive Mill.
Handmade pasta dishes remain menu mainstays. Ricotta and spinach tortellini ($18.95) is one of my favorites. It comes with broccoli florets, sweet peas and mushrooms in a wonderful brown cream sauce that leaves a garlicky reminder on my lips for hours afterward.
Almost as good is goat cheese ravioli ($18), made with artisan goat cheese from Black Mesa Ranch near Snowflake and served with a sage-tinged butter sauce and toasted hazelnuts.
If you prefer variety, spinach ravioli filled with artichoke and ricotta ($17.95) provides two different tastes: Half the pasta is covered with a tomato basil sauce, the other half with a not-as-flavorable white garlic cream sauce.
 Aside from pastas, the dinner menu offers a half-dozen entrees. The highlight is the poularde ($23, pictured at right), tender pieces of poultry in truffle oil and a mushroom cream sauce, with Forbidden rice, almost black in color and nutty in flavor. It’s an earthy and incredibly rich combination.
The free-range filet mignon ($25), perfectly cooked, comes on a chevre tart that’s a tad too crusty, but a side of delicious root vegetables and porcini mushrooms more than makes up for it.
I’m not a huge fan of blue cheese burgers, but I’d definitely have Caffe Boa’s version ($13) again. A half-pound of American Kobe beef holds its own against the sharpness of the Point Reyes blue cheese. I just wish accompanying Yukon gold potato wedges could do the same.
 Desserts — such as a praline pyramid with caramel and Gianduja chocolate ($9), a triple chocolate mousse cake with chocolate ganache ($9) or tiramisu ($9, pictured at left) — are decadent but all surprisingly light.
Wine lovers may want to study Caffe Boa’s wine list on its website before visiting; it’ll take some time to get through all 25 pages detailing the Wisniewski’s impressive 2,500-bottle cellar.
Bottles are a little pricey because of the quality. Most reds and whites are north of $50, and more than a few exceed $500. But there also are two dozen selections available by the glass for $10 or less, so almost any budget can be accommodated.
Caffe Boa
Where: 398 S. Mill Ave., Tempe (northwest corner of Mill and Fourth Street)
Open: 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday through Wednesday, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Thursday through Saturday.
Prices: Appetizers $7.25-$15.50, salads $6.95-$14, panini $7.95-$13, pasta $14.95-$18.95, entrees $18-$36, desserts $9.
Info: (480) 968-9112 or cafeboa.com.
• View a slideshow of Caffe Boa
• Check out the menu for Caffe Boa
• Check out the wine list for Caffe Boa
Posted in: Tempe | 2 Comments »
July 14th, 2008, 3:49 pm by Jess Harter
Last week, I wrote about five East Valley pizzerias where diners can get a good slice of pizza at a reasonable price. One of those places was Oregano’s. A lunchtime visit to their Mesa restaurant today, though, left me very disappointed.
• Read my original story on East Valley pizzerias for a good slice
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Posted in: Mesa | 6 Comments »
July 14th, 2008, 12:25 pm by Jess Harter
Bar Tepo, the New American restaurant that opened earlier this year at Dana Park in Mesa, has launched some daily lunch specials, including poblano and chicken mac ‘n’ cheese ($7), tempura fish and sweet potato chips ($8) and a cilantro and chile seared chicken quesadilla ($7).
• Read my April 2008 review of Bar Tepo
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Posted in: Chandler • Gilbert • Mesa • Queen Creek • Scottsdale • Tempe | Post a Comment »
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