These are the most memorable dishes from metro Phoenix Restaurants from 2021 (in no particular order) I do note that I haven’t been everywhere and certainly can’t taste everything…But I have tried a lot! It’s also possible that I have missed some good ones because it is hard for me to see the postage sized photos that I have to pick from on my computer. I picked what I remember that stood out.
The Wagyu Beef Cheek from Confluence in Carefree They also made another dish with beef cheeks and miso that was just as FANTABULOUS pictured below. OMG both these beef cheeks dishes were maybe the #1 best beef dishes that I have ever tasted anywhere. Get any beef cheek plate that Confluence offersStrawberry gelato from Fabio on Fire in Peoria Probably the BEST Strawberry gelato in the whole country!
This next one is memorable…..
I ordered a take out fish dish from a certain Thai Restaurant in Peoria (I already wrote about it so I won’t mention their name…or go there again) They packaged me fish with most of the flesh removed……There is NOTHING for me to eat. I will NEVER FORGET this one. It sure was memorable. Goat cheese creme brûlée from Bottega Pizzeria Ristorante in Glendale was sublimely smooth and cheesy.The chicken from Valentine in Phoenix was sensational! So many flavors……The macaroni and cheese from The Americano in Scottsdale might have been the best macaroni and cheese I’ve tried from a restaurant. The Italian truffles were just ok.The doughnuts for Daily Donuts and Wings in Phoenix are the best that I have ever tried anywhere. (lemon filled, blueberry filled, sprinkles, Boston cream (hubs loved the cinnamon and chocolate iced)Corn soup from SWB SouthWest Bistro in Scottsdale was unusually very good!The Wagyu Brisket from Renata’a Hearth in Phoenix was to die for. (went back and wasn’t the same)Memorable but in a bad way. This fish (smoked trout) tasted like ammonia, deep funk, smoke & extreme fishiness ..served with bitter fizzy lettuce and bitter oranges……..YUK! I already wrote about it..If you read my blog then you know where it came from….Burrata pizza from Fabio On Fire in Peoria was either the best or one of the best pizzas I ate this year.Combo with Jerk Chicken and Curry Chicken from Desert Island Eatery in North Phoenix was really delicious!The ground in house Prime Beef ground filet burger from The Bourbon Cellar in Scottsdale was the best burger I ate this year. I didn’t try the next burger yet but……..Arrowhead Grill in Glendale The A.G. Burger ( ground in house Prime tenderloin topped with a slice of prime rib) According to my husband This was also a phenomenal burger. He said that I have to try it.Tis Chula Salmon Salad was as great as a salmon salad can possibly be from Pomo Pizzeria in ScottsdaleFrom Little Cay in Phoenix I got the Kokomo Chop Bowl the flavors are great but you must add the special Puerto Rican hot sauce on the table to it to get the whole experience and all the flavors.sea bass with Fresno chili and fregola from PA’LA wood fired Downtown Phoenix was really great and had unique flavor combinations.Had a few fish dishes from Twist Bistro and Gallery (North Scottsdale) that were particularly good. This one is the salmon croustade. Also had their filet one night…..It was far more flavorful and did cost much less than one I tasted from Ruth’s Chris.This seems like a very pedestrian dish called cheesy corn from Urban Margarita in Glendale but it taste amazing.All the fish dishes from Confluence in Carefree are amazing and are prepared more masterful than from most places. This is the only restaurant that serves fish with crisp skin that tastes good and stays crisp and never turns soggy.This came from a very good restaurant around downtown Phoenix. It was an African seasoned fish. This dish was flavored so great that it would have made my Fantabulous Dish list but it was only cooked on the edges and the whole middle was raw………(we did let the owner know and he did try to make things right with me)Seasonal Harvest Salad from Lure Seafood House in Scottsdale. The Seasonal salads, bowls, and sand dabs are always really great from Lure.Also memorable but in a bad way. This one I also already wrote about (a place in Mesa). It’s like they took bulgogi and blended it with cream cheese. It was like vomit on a skillet.These Seaweed shell sushi tacos from Headquarters in Peoria were pretty darn tastySalmon salad from Campo Italian Bistro in Scottsdale was particularly good. Really great flavors and nicely prepared salmon. Their dinner salmon is just as great…This one looks good but tasted so terrible that I couldn’t eat it. The fish had a house made balsamic rub that might have been made with spoiled wine and only God knows what else, Candied cabbage under the green beans was on the side that was awful. The jalapeno creamed corn was more sugary than taffy…ICK. The complimentary red sangria they served me was made with old spoiled wine….I felt sick to my stomach from this place. I already wrote about them. Some place in Phoenix.The Fish Collar from Vecina in Phoenix was Amazing!Gelato from Pomo Pizzeria in Scottsdale was really great! I had a different one on a different visit with mostly hazelnut that was also amazing!I didn’t eat this one but my husband really loved the osso buco from the Italian Daughter in Scottsdale.This salad made with tuna from The Craftsman Cocktails and Kitchen in Scottsdale was delicious and incredible.. Great flavors, fresh fish, and fancy pristine farm fresh produce.Lunch – Buttermilk Fried Chicken from Confluence in Carefree is not like any other and is SCRUMPTIOUS!Miang Kham from Chada Thai AZ in Scottsdale. Really great flavors that POP!Pickled Fish – Water boiled fish with pickles and chilies from Shaanxi Gardens in Mesa
These were most of the most memorable dishes from Metro Phoenix Restaurants from 2021. It’s always a joy to eat eat something so well made and delicious.
The Mexicano is a Mexican Style full service Unique Restaurant in the Paradise Valley area of Phoenix Arizona. This restaurant is unique.
There is something about it that is festive. People of a certain age might remember a Mexican restaurant called Chi-Chi’s. The Mexicano is kind of like that Chi-Chi’s festive atmosphere and style but on steroids with better food.
This place is already a hit. I knew it would be packed so we came extra EXTRA EARLY at 4pm and they were ALREADY on a 45 minute wait. By 5pm they were on a hour and a half wait.
The wait estimate was accurate and we made it to our table in 48 minutes.
Lots of people waiting for seating.
On my way to a table I notice the build your own Michelada area.
I also notice that they have someone with a cart selling shots.
We start of with margaritas and complimentary tasty chips and salsas.
Then we share the Mexican flaming cheese called saganaki.
The manchego cheese was ignited with tequila and topped with roasted poblano peppers and onion bulbs.
For dinners we tried the lava rock fajita salmon and the birria enchiladas.
(sour cream and smashed avocado also arrived)
The winner here was the fajita salmon. It was fresh tasting and very moist. It never got overcooked despite sitting on a hot lava rock. It was also delicious. They gave small hand made purple tortilla with it.
The beef enchiladas didn’t come out perfect but had a nice flavor. My husband enjoyed both of the cannellini refried beans. (They made things right)
Our service was attentive and very good.
That was a little taste of The Mexicano in Phoenix.
Charley’s Sports Bar is a neighborhood type pub located in the Arrowhead section in North Glendale Arizona. Besides offering breakfast and an all day menu of various dishes (soup, salads, sandwiches, entrees, and more) they also offer off track betting, and events such as cornball, trivia night, karaoke, and Friday, Saturday night live music. They have also been awarded The AZCENTRAL official community award for 2021 Best Desert West Valley.
It’s not a fancy place and looks similar to other pub restaurants. They do offer patio dining. Inside are traditional tables, high tops and bar seating.
The atmosphere is energetic and loud.
My husband tried a red Irish beer called Smithwicks that he liked and I had a Patron margarita that seemed pretty good.
They had a lot of appetizers on the menu. I saw a lot of the usual things like wings, sliders, fried foods. I thought the corned beef hash street sized tacos sounded the most interesting so we started with that.
These I wouldn’t get again or recommend only because ours were served completely cold. But everything afterwards was very good!
I didn’t try the chili but my husband said it was very flavorful and also spicy.
The salmon salad is a little different but good. It’s nicely grilled and glazed with a mild chipotle orange glaze that isn’t overpowering to the fish and salad. The Atlantic salmon. is grilled to a perfect medium rare in the center. The greens are adorned with candied pecans and chunks of blue cheese.
My husband tried the 13 hour pulled pork sandwich with fries (slaw on the side at his request)
The flavorful tender pulled pork is on a rich brioche bun with some pickles. The fries are hot and fresh.
That was a little taste of Charley’s Sports Grill in Glendale AZ.
Eric’s Family Barbecue is a Texas Style casual Barbecue Restaurant that cooks with mesquite instead of the usual hickory and oak Texas barbecue is most famous for. This restaurant is located on the west side of Phoenix in Avondale Arizona. It’s not a fancy place but it seems clean. They offer some patio seating.
They also have some seating indoors.
You wait in line to order and look at the menu on the wall to decide.
Today they are out of sausage and burgers today.
Ordering is a little different.You make up your own plate by ordering The amount of meat(s) that you want. You can order all the pounds that you want or a fraction of the amount of meat or meats that you desire. The meats that were offered today were brisket, beef ribs, pork ribs, pulled pork, turkey, and rib tips. They offered a few specials, some sandwiches, sides, desserts, soft beverages……Not sure if I saw beer bottles but I thought I did..?
We went threw the line and our platter was made up for us. We ordered not all but a good amount of the menu. They might have been a little generous with the servings. We have enough for over four meals.
Going clockwise starting in the lower left corner are the complimentary pickles, onions & jalapeño. We also have potato salad, pulled pork, brisket, turkey, beans, and macaroni and cheese.
We thought some things were much better than other things. I do note that any barbecue can’t really be judged in only one visit because none of them are completely consistent. They take hours smoking the meat. Then the hard part is timing the meat to stay ready for you.
Our mutual favorite today was the turkey. It was extremely flavorful and so moist it really did melt in your mouth. The turkey today was AMAZING!
The pulled pork was also amazing because it also was flavorful, moist, and tender.
We thought the house sauces that we tried were very good.
We tried the house bbq sauce, the spicy bbq sauce, and the mustard. All the sauces were very flavorful and delicious. Also none of them were too sweet.
We thought both sides were average for barbecue places. The macaroni and cheese was soggy and sticky. It tasted more like children’s macaroni and cheese. The potato salad was laced with dill but seemed like it was missing the usual onions and celery. We thought that it did taste better when I added a little bit of mustard sauce to it.
The brisket had perfect textures to it. The burnt ends were crusty. The meat was succulent but not too succulent. The only thing missing on the brisket today was flavor.
It wasn’t the day to try rib tips. They were dried out and lacked flavor.
That was my trip to Eric’s Family Barbecue in Avondale AZ.
The Arrowhead Grill is a steakhouse located in the Arrowhead section of North Glendale Arizona. I generally don’t dine at steakhouses but a good bar menu from a steakhouse can lure me in.
Here is the indoor bar seating. I only saw high top tables for the bar seating.
They also offer outdoor bar seating at high top tables.
They offer glasses of luxury wines.
And on the other end of the spectrum they also have reduced prices for Happy Hour 3pm-6pm everyday where well drinks and house wine only runs $5,99 each.
They ask if you would like a bread basket even at the bar tables.
The bread basket contained four different kinds of bread.
As far as bar menu goes one of the best bets might be the A.G. burger ($22.99 or $12.99 Happy Hour)
All the burgers are made of prime beef trimmings ground in house. The A.G. Burger is considered their best burger and is made from ground tenderloin (8oz.). That is topped with a 6oz. prime rib and crispy fried onions, cheese, mayonnaise, and a horseradish cream sauce on a toasted eggy bun.
Some of the other bar offerings are crab and cheeseburger sliders, crispy green beans, lamb chop fondue, bone in prime rib, a cheese plate, salads with steak or salmon, lamb chop, a mixed grill plate, 1/2 chicken, petite prime rib, and a surf and turf.
A.G. salad with salmon
The A.G. salad with salmon is among the best salads that you can find in the immediate area. Everything is very fresh tasting. The salad is lightly dressed and the salmon is prepared medium/medium rare. The creamy goat cheese pecans, cranberries, and super sweet slices of pear make this salad more of a treat.
This was a little taste of bar food at Arrowhead Grill in Glendale AZ.
Chada Thai AZ is a Thai Restaurant located in Scottsdale Arizona. They were well known for many years as Cha Da Thai at their original location about ten minutes away in Scottsdale. They advertise that they serve authentic Thai Food. You can find dishes here that aren’t on many menus in Thai restaurants like boat noodle soups and the miang kham (tasty leaf wrap salad bites).
The FANTABULOUS Dish means – top of the line, marvelously good, peachy keen and DYNAMITE!
The miang kham from Chada Thai AZ is a FANTABULOUS Dish!
one of six miang kham
I read on the menu that the miang kham is the original snack in Thailand. It starts with a leaf that is either a green butter leaf or a wild pepper leaf depending on the time of year. The leaf is stuffed with roasted shredded coconut, peanuts, unpeeled lime cubes, fresh ginger cubes, onions, oranges and a sauce made with tamarind and bird’s eye chilies. It’s a combination of sweet, spicy, savory, tart and tangy. This sets off all kinds of delicious sensations in your mouth. It’s just delicious and is a must get dish.
The Miang Kham from Chada Thai AZ in Scottsdale is a FANTABULOUS Dish!
Ground Control is a casual neighborhood bar, restaurant, coffee bar, and event center located in Litchfield Park Arizona. For breakfast hey offer breakfast burritos and breakfast plates. For lunch and dinner they offer an all day menu with appetizers like Dakota style beef. chislic (marinated fried cube steak), fried cheese curds, and wings. You can find burgers, sandwiches such as a Cubano, a pastrami, a Nashville hot chicken, a few salads and entrees that include three street pork tacos, Nashville chicken tenders, a protein bowl and more. For beverages they offer locally roasted coffee, wines, craft beers, mead and soft beverages.
It’s casual here. On our visit there was a sign that read seat yourself. They have seating indoors and offer patio dining.
I tried the Nashville hot chicken sandwich (xtra hot…it comes in regular hot, extra hot, and cozy hot) with a side salad.
The salad is fresh and adorned with sweet delicious sweet tomatoes.
The chicken and the bun were cooked more than what people like.
The bun was charred to black.
The best part of the chicken was the crunchy breading that stayed on. The chicken wasn’t served hot from the fryer and came out luke warm. It was edible but very dry today. We both thought they forgot the heat element of the sandwich at first bite because all we tasted at first was paprika. Heat did kick in at the second bite but it was mild heat and mostly just a paprika taste. I left most of the bun on my plate and some of the chicken so my server could see…….
My husband tried the Cubano dip sandwich (shredded pork, ham, Swiss cheese, mustard, pickles, pressed hoagie bun)
He said that it would have been good but the meat was very dry.
I thought maybe the house made gelato might be good so we asked for some. (I saw it on their website and also read about it on the black board pictured below.
When we asked about the gelato the server said that they haven’t had any in months….
That was my trip to Ground Control in Litchfield Park AZ.
Slight update****The owner contacted me and was apologetic. He said that he had trouble lately getting help. He also said that he would have refunded me if I brought all this to someone’s attention. Also the gelato machine is fixed now so they are serving gelato again.
Fantabulous means – Top of the line, marvelously good, peachy keen and dynamite.
Daily Donuts & Wings recently opened in a strip mall on Bell Road in North Phoenix Arizona and the donuts on every visit have been FANTABULOUS! I read that they also have other locations in Mesa, Tempe and in Glendale (*****UPDATE haven’t been able to find the other locations…..maybe they plan to expand?). Besides FANTABULOUS Donuts they also offer breakfast, wings, chicken tenders, fries, smoothies and a few snacks.
They have some indoor seating across the front and a table to the side.
OOOOOOOOH! It’s that sweet doughnut aroma………….Doughnuts!
Oh my what will we try?
Today I tried a blueberry filled donut and my husband tried a chocolate iced. I was so excited that I forgot to photo them. But WOW!!!! were they FANTABULOUS! The blueberry filled donut was one of the best donuts that I have ever had in my life. The donut really just melted in my mouth. It had the perfect sweetness and was so tender and seemed light as air. I didn’t get to try any of the chocolate iced doughnut but my husband said that it was better than other chocolate doughnuts that he has tried.
Then we went back the next week and tried two more donuts.
Today I got a lemon filled doughnut. (the blueberry looked identical) It’s this just right lightly iced doughnut that seems light are air and it just melts in my mouth. I don’t get lemon in the first few bites because the filling is squeezed into the center. BUT WOW! It’s the best lemon filling that I ever had in a doughnut. It’s very lemony and tart but not too tart….It’s just right.
My husband picked one of the cinnamon doughnuts (they make a few different kinds).
Went back the following week and tried a Boston Cream.
I think this is the best Boston Cream doughnut that I ever had. The cream is so smooth and delicious. The doughnut is so fresh and so light as air. The chocolate icing is has the right amount of chocolate and sweetness. (my husband had the same cinnamon doughnut again)
On my most recent trip back I got a doughnut with sprinkles and my husband got the cinnamon doughnut again.
This is the FORKING BEST doughnut with sprinkles that I have ever had. Even the frosting is better than from other places. It’s not too sweet and actually taste good. The doughnut is so light and so fresh….It’s FANTABULOUS!
FANTABULOUS Doughnuts from Daily Donuts and Wings. So light and so fresh….these doughnuts are easy to inhale.
Worth a Fork!
Worth A Fork!
You can find Daily Donuts & Wings on Facebook and the North Phoenix location has a website and lists the other locations.
Shaanxi Garden is a Chinese Restaurant located in Mesa Arizona. They specialize in serving Chinese Dishes from the desert Shaanxi region of China. Most dishes are large and are meant to be shared. Some of the dishes do run spicy and some dishes might contain mouth numbing Sichuan peppercorns but the dishes are not fiery hot like Szechuan dishes. They serve hand made noodles here so you might want to give them a try.
It’s casual.
The word biang is the sound of making noodles……(hint hint…get the handmade noodles)
During the day they tell us to seat ourselves.
There is a small bar in the restaurant indicating that some alcohol is available.
The current menu is broken down into cold dishes like coming called mixing cucumber, spicy beef tripe, and pork in garlic sauce. You can find appetizers such as egg rolls, potstickers, and dumplings. Soups like seaweed and egg, congee with pork and century eggs. They offer various chicken, beef, pork, lamb, seafood, and vegetable dishes. Some of the dishes offer are American Chinese style like orange chicken and beef and broccoli. However you can also find the seldom found at other restaurants like toothpick lamb, twice cooked pork with Shaanxi buns, and Talchi squirrel shaped fish.
We always order way more food than we need and always bring home the leftovers.
Our last food critic raved about the crispy chicken Shaanxi Style so we tried it.
It’s fried chicken breast with a crispy coating with the seasoning on the side. The seasoning has all kinds of flavors and sesame seeds and heat in it. It is tasty. Most people would like the taste of it. Today this dish ran a bit dry.
I’m not entirely sure what they served us as our main this time. I asked for the water boiled fish filet because I’ve had this dish at several other places and knew what to expect. I think the waiter repeated back water boiled fish with pickled cabbage and chili? On my receipt it reads, pickled fish. Whatever it was……. it was REALLY GREAT!
It doesn’t look like water boiled fish because it doesn’t have all the oil, chilies, and mouth numbing peppercorns on the top. This is actually better than water boiled fish. It has more flavors and more textures than other water boiled fish dishes that I have tried.
This dish also has rice noodles in it.
It has heat in it but not a crazy amount of heat. The fish is mild and melt in your mouth soft. The broth is well made. The pickled peppers in this dish make it interesting. There is a lot of fish in this dish. I think that this dish can feed 3-4 people.
Last time we had a plate called the house special braised chicken with noodle.
This plate is very special. It is more well known in Shaanxi Cuisine as Big Plate Chicken.
It’s like Chinese Thanksgiving in a bowl. It’s full of chunks of marinated chicken, peppers, onions, potatoes, garlic, chestnuts, chili peppers, and maybe cumin, star anise, soy sauce, and chewy long noodles. Actually I thought this dish was even better the next day when I had it again.
We also tried a few vegetable dishes that were very good!
Below is a- choy in garlic sauce. (I don’t recall seeing it on the current menu?)
On my last visit we tried the sautéed potato, pepper, and eggplant dish.
It was delicious anyone would like it.
That was a little taste of Shaanxi Garden in Mesa.
Outta Bronx in Peoria Arizona is a small casual sandwich shop with limited seating. The original location is in Phoenix. On the Peoria menu you won’t find some New York classics like a spiedie or beef on weck, club sandwiches, or New York Bagels and lox. However you will find are a variety of hot sandwiches. Many of the sandwiches are some sort of beef like a New York inspired chopped cheese (with beef), there’s also pastrami, hot dogs, corned beef, beef brisket, and beef meatballs. Besides beef sandwiches they also offer a fish sandwich, a bacon, egg, cheese and hash brown baguette sandwich, a shrimp sandwich, a gyro, a grilled cheese, a veggie sandwich and two chicken sandwiches. Outta Bronx also serves burgers a few salads, wings, fish & chips, a shrimp basket, lots of sides, and a children’s menu.
The Peoria location is located in an outdoor shopping center between a vape shop and a UPS store and anchored by a Fry’s Supermarket.
It’s only postage sized inside.
You order, pay, and pick up at the counter.
In the next picture you are looking at all of the indoor seating and the bottle of hand sanitizer is the only place to clean you hands (no public restroom available).
A few patio tables are outside.
I tried a sandwich called the East Coast (thick cut pastrami, pickles, mustard, on a baguette)
It taste good but…..my thick pastrami is sliced very thin.
They might have sliced it thin because the pastrami is under done. (the fat is still hard and if it was thick you wouldn’t be able to eat it). It taste good but it is a bit chewy.
My husband tried the chopped cheese. (grilled Angus beef, American & provolone cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, pickles on a baguette)
Mayonnaise wasn’t in the description…..and. mayonnaise is maybe the one thing that my husband hates. the most. The sandwich is slathered with mayonnaise. (I worried about him becoming unhinged over mayonnaise but he remained cool…)
My husband goes inside to ask why mayonnaise is on his chopped cheese sandwich. The girl at the counter insist that the white spread on the sandwich isn’t mayonnaise and is the melted cheese. (it truly was mayonnaise…I should have taken another photo)
Anyways…..
The cheese is slightly over cooked and hard. My husband wouldn’t eat the bread because it was polluted with mayonnaise so he ate around the mayonnaise and all the beef and cheese was like a solid block all glued together because the cheese was hard and chewy.
We also shared what they called a 50/50 (fries and onion rings.
The 50/50 isn’t actually 50% fries and 50% onion rings I guess it’s more like 80% skinny thin fries and 20% onion rings. The fries and onion rings remind me of a certain fast food restaurant.
That was my trip to Outta Bronx in Peoria AZ – Newly Opened
