The Arizona Republic Reported that 30 restaurants opened just last month and at least 7 have closed. New restaurants come and some others not so old have to go. Most of these places I wrote about are Asian Places. I don’t cook Asian so it’s a type of cuisine I gravitate too sometimes but not always when going out to eat. I like the bold interesting flavors and usually it is food that is also filled with vegetables. These were all dependable, reasonably priced places. I’ve been to them all several times and never had an off meal at any of them.

Bean Thread in Spicy Sour Sauce from Miu’s Cuisine Tempe AZ

The Metro Phoenix Area’s very best Szechwan Cuisine with out a doubt came from Miu’s in Tempe Arizona. They had very welcoming service but had not so great atmosphere and opened in an existing place with no windows. They were big on fiery foods that weren’t too saucy or too sweet and were AUTHENTIC like what you’d forking really get in China.  It was a very big treat for me to taste what the authentic  Kung Pao Chicken is like. It’s a completely different dish than what any of my local Chinese eateries would prepare. It was much more flavorful, more spicy, made with chunks of chicken not batter dipped and most of all not sweet at all. It was very hard to eat with chop sticks you really needed to be good with chop sticks here.  Other popular dishes are called water boiled. They sound boring but are not boring. They are your choice of protein it could be intestines, fish or meat in a tongue numbing  broth with interesting spices and fresh vegetables. The eggplant with potato dish was very additive. I had no idea they were such a perfect paring. I was there about 3 or 4 times and was looking forward to trying other dishes like the Tomatoes with eggs or the lettuce with garlic dish. I have never came across such Chinese Dishes like these anywhere. Mui’s is a really big loss.

I also lost my local favorite Sushi Place.

From Sushi Catcher Glendale AZ

I learned how flavorful sushi can be from the Sushi Catcher. I always received fresh Fish that danced with flavor no matter what I ordered. The Sushi Catcher is still open today but has changed ownership and the recipes are different now. Still was fresh fish but lacked all the delicious sauces that made it special.

Miller’s Deli Grill Scottsdale AZ

You could always count on fresh tasty Pastrami on better Rye Bread here. The rye bread is a big thing in Arizona most rye bread is just white bread with caraway seeds here. You got real rye and always tasty pastrami. Most pastrami in Arizona is just Boar’s Head Brand Pastrami that isn’t real with all the spice or fat it needs, but you did get a more tasty pastrami here. I also liked that I could get a 1/2 sandwich because the whole is too much for me. The service was also above average and the food was always fresh and tasty. Besides the pastrami they served other favorites like tasty sandwiches on Latkes and higher end lox was served here. Also the fluffiest lightest Matzah Ball I ever tried.  All the food I tried here was always good  and fresh.

Oriental Buffet Grill and Sushi Peoria AZ

You could get very seriously delicious food for almost nothing from this unique buffet. It was unlike all the other budget Asian Buffets I ever tried. The food was actually good and not a greasy oily mess like from many other budget buffets. They served fresh tasting carefully seasoned moist flounder here. The salmon wasn’t all dried out and fishy like at most Asian Buffets here it was tasty and moist. They also made many fresh delicious vegetable dishes that weren’t oil logged like from other buffets I’ve been too. The Spinach was delicious and my favorite was the tasty Asian Eggplant. All the Chicken dishes were very good and made with moist chicken. Many of them were spicy and flavorful and better tasting than from most Chinese Restaurants I can take out in my area. I do note they didn’t make the best tempura as it was always too heavy and sometimes doughy and the sushi was just above supermarket sushi but what the heck it was dirt cheap to eat here. I forgot exact ally what it cost but I think the bill with tax was only about $21.00 for two people with two drinks. It was a steal and I have no ideal how the fork this place could have folded.

I hope these places resurface. They were very above average for what they were.

Forking Truth