Headquarters Grill Bar Sushi is located in North Peoria Arizona in P83. This is an American Restaurant with a full bar, thirty two taps, over fifty HDTVs, and a food menu that is all over the place. It almost like you name it and they probably have it.
They try to please any appetite.
Maybe you want to start with something healthy like edamame?
Or something unhealthy but more fun like made in house macaroni and cheese bars with spicy ranch sauce.
You can have tacos (two chicken tacos one Korean Style beef).
You can also have sushi tacos ( fried seaweed shells, spicy tuna, shredded krab, avocado, choice of sushi). (I prefer the sushi tacos to their regular tacos)
tuna, smoked in house salmon, and salmon
They also offer a variety of burgers with a few different protein choices.
atomic beef burger
Or maybe a pulled pork sandwich.
A few of the other things on the menu are all sushi, sushi rolls, sushi burrito, sushi burger, tuna pizza, wings, pizzas, salads, rice bowls, fish and chips, spaghetti and meatballs, pan seared sirloin and desserts.
There is a lot to taste at Headquarters Grill Bar Sushi in Peoria at P83.
The Craftsman Cocktails & Kitchen is an American Restaurant and distillery located in North Scottsdale Arizona. If you were a fan of the now closed fine dining Italian restaurant called Sassi then you should be a fan of The Craftsman because the chef is the same. This restaurant offers lunch and dinner menus and a new brunch menu will start up sometime fall 2021. The patio is large and wraps around the restaurant and also is dog friendly.
They also have garage door windows that open during nice weather that expand the patio even more. It so airy and comfortable here….I think this is the most comfortable restaurant I ever dined in…..The air conditioner is blowing and the garage doors are open. It just feels great here.
There is a variety of indoor seating, a bar area and the distillery.
distillery
The dinner menu is made of small plates like AZ chicken lollipops, charcuterie curated by chef Chris, and the popular chips and dip or dips that I noticed every table ordering. So I came back after a few visits and tried it.
chips and dip
The chips are really great….So crisp and seem free of oil….really great chips. The dips are different. The dips aren’t bad at all but not my favorite thing here….(but others might disagree since this is the popular dish from what I observed dining here several visits)
I thought the shipwright ahi salad was very good and was made with exceptional produce.
It was made of togarashi coated ahi, local greens, three colors of carrots, watermelon radishes, marinated shiitakes, wasabi peas, yuzu aioli, and ginger, passionfruit, sesame, dressing. (FANTABULOUS)
There’s the tomato and melon burrata.
It’s made with DELICIOUS fresh sweet heirloom tomatoes, creamy burrata, arugula and sweet watermelon….It was so light and delicious! I really LOVE this one! (FANTABULOUS)
Sandwiches like the distillers porcini crusted burger (ground in house) is on the menu. (the salads here are unusually good)
distillers porcini crusted burger with side salad
A wagyu pastrami on pretzel bun is also a sandwich that is offered.
to go – wagyu pastrami sandwich
There is (or was?) also a porchetta sandwich called hammer and advil.
hammer & Advil porchetta sandwich
The last brunch menu offered a dish called short rib hash.
short rib hash AZ chicken lollipops, wagyu pastrami sandwich with side salad, hammer & advil porchetta sandwich with house chips
My husband really enjoyed the Craftsman muffuletta.
Craftsman muffuletta
The sand was made with delicious house made bread, capicola, cabernet salami, prosciutto, fontina, and olive salad. (FANTABULOUS)
Some of the dinners offered are the desert branzino..
desert branzino
It was prepared to perfection with some chimichurri and a very fresh high quality salad made with arugula, watermelon radish and farm fresh heirloom tomatoes. (FANTABULOUS)
According to my husband the volcano pork is a FORKING FANTABULOUS Dish!
volcano pork
It’s basically a southwest style osso buco. It falling off the bone tender as can be shank of pork that was slow braised with incredible flavors in a mild hatch green chili jus. There is also this amazing dreamy cheesy cilantro lime queso and spiced black beans. Tortillas and jalapeño slaw are on the side. (FANTABULOUS)
Sadly I haven’t saved room for desert yet but maybe next time.
The Craftsman Cocktails and Kitchen is Worth a Fork! Some FANTABULOUS dishes can be found here.
Rocket Burger and Subs is a small not too fancy restaurant. Obviously they serve burgers and sub sandwiches. A Rocket Burger is a three patty burger. You can get two and single patty burgers but they are thin small burgers so most people need at least two patties. Rocket Burger offers more sodas than you ever knew existed. They also offer plenty of other things. They also offer, beef hot dogs, submarine sandwiches, pastrami, chicken sandwiches, fish sandwiches, soft serve ice cream, and a children’s menu. Did I mention soda? HUNDREDS of sodas, craft sodas and more! Prices are very low. Single cheeseburgers are only $5.79, double cheeseburgers are only $6.99, and Rocket Cheeseburgers are $11.99 (prices are subject to change). The food isn’t fancy and the beef is fresh and not from frozen. It’s only fast food priced and it’s better than fast food. That is why locals eat here.
It’s very casual here. You grab a soda like one of the hundreds of root and birch beers or maybe something exotic? Like lemon meringue..
Huckleberry
Or orthodox kosher grape
This one might not be kosher…………chocolate maple bacon
Then you order at the counter.
You seat yourself and they run your order to you when it is ready.
Below are a few of the offerings that you can enjoy from Rocket Burger.
New York burger (pastrami & slaw) with fries and a Frostie Root Beer
Double bacon cheeseburger
cornmeal coated onion rings
fried zucchini
crispy chicken salad
pescado de cottete (also known as the Mexican fish sandwich…This is really delicious! This is my favorite here…) with a cucumber soda.
double cheeseburger topped with a fried chili and a Kutztown birch beer.
Take out – double cheeseburger with fried onions
Take out – chicken sandwich
Take out – Santa Fe double bacon cheeseburger topped with a fried chili….To the right is a Mexican fish sandwich (I think they gave me extra fish by accident in this photo?)
crispy garlic chicken sandwich with fries and a fried chili
fried chili (was only $1.)
Philly cheesesteak double burger with fries
Rocket Burger can be a blast!
Rocket Burger is a world of sodas and a place where locals eat.
The Toast Craft Kitchen & Cocktails recently opened in a strip-mall in Surprise Arizona. It’s in the spot where Amuse Bouche used to be. This is a full service restaurant that offers a weekend brunch, lunch and dinner. The menu is American but leans towards Mediterranean. On the regular menu they offer appetizers, sharing boards, salads, sandwiches, entrees and desserts.
They offer patio dining.
They have a bar area.
This is the main dining area.
We started with a sharing board called The Italian.
It’s a generous tray with lots of fruit (dried & fresh), lots of creamy room temperature cheese, a hot pickled pepper olives, date spread, meats, and soft bread. We both liked the cheese best from this tray…
For dinner I tried the pomegranate salmon.
The fish was nicely seared and was well done but moist inside. It rest over a bed of rice pilaf and charred asparagus. It was drizzled with pomegranate sauce and pomegranate seeds. It was tasty and different.
My husband tried the balsamic marinated hanger steak.
The steak was very tender…but kind of plain……. The fries weren’t timed right and weren’t hot and fresh like they should be.
Well the salmon was good!
I haven’t found a website for The Toast Craft Kitchen and Cocktails but I did notice that they are on Instagram and Facebook.
Jetza Pizza Restaurante & Gelateria is located in Old Town Glendale Arizona. This is a TINY Italian restaurant with a great big menu. They are open for breakfast, lunch and dinner. On the menu are many things and many things like appetizers, wings, house made soups, salads, sandwiches, subs, pasta, dinners, Italian combination plates, pizzas, calzones, a children’s menu, desserts and of course gelato. And there are also dishes that you might not expect like pastrami, Italian nachos, green Chile Alfredo pasta, and jalapeño fried cheese ravioli.
A lot of bright light comes in threw the glass front.
It’s not a fancy place but it seems clean.
I didn’t notice alcohol here but I do see that they offer a variety of Italian sodas.
We started out by sharing a Greek salad. It was split in half on two plates for us.
The house made dressing is pretty good. The salad is fresh and crisp and is a very generous portion.
We shared a margherita pizza.
They added sliced tomatoes to it and used a generous amount of fresh basil. It’s a good pizza but I’m not sure what kind of style that it is…It’s a a cross between a Neapolitan and a Sicilian. It’s crisp on the bottom, thick, chewy and firm.
We also shared a combination plate called the Venecia of chicken parmesan, spinach tortellini and pasta with pesto sauce that came with garlic toast.
The chicken is moist and the pastas were heated up well. The pesto sauce taste like it was made with dried basil.
Portions were very large and prices were low.
Service was very attentive.
That was a little taste of Jetza Pizza Restaurante & Gelateria in Old Town Glendale AZ.
Campo Italian Bistro is a casual full service Italian Restaurant located in Scottsdale Arizona. This restaurant is brought to you by a group called Genuine Concepts Group that also have at least five other restaurants or bars in metro Phoenix. Campo Restaurant is unique and does differ a bit on the menu and from the atmosphere of other Italian restaurants.
On the menu for brunch they offer a full bar, baked goods, coffee, fresh juices, toast plates, salads, pizzas, classic breakfast plates with an Italian twist, panini and more.
They offer seating at the bar and inside by the bar are high top tables.
They also offer seating on the patio.
And traditional table seating.
On the special board was a snack of the day that we tried called goat cheese mousse with apples, beets pistachios and a cheese crisp.
It was tasty and not too much.
For brunch I went with the arugula salad with added salmon.
The salad with made with arugula, marinated fennel, pistachios, and citrus vinaigrette. The salmon seemed very fresh and was a good quality really moist salmon with a very crispy seasoned skin. The flavors all worked well together.
Francine is a French-Mediterranean fine dining restaurant located in the luxury wing of the Scottsdale Fashion Square in Scottsdale Arizona. This restaurant is by celebrity chef/Owner Laurent Halasz. The food served isn’t the typical French style food with lots of butter and cream and is lighter, healthier and seasonal like the food served is like what the chef was raised on in France.
It’s light, bright and airy inside.
They offer a mix of different seating choices. They offer traditional tables, booths, bar, and patio seating.
Today we started with the Stefano Burrata.
We received DELICIOUS thin cut country style toasted bread with rich creamy burrata that was served over caponata. The soft cheese was adorned with olive oil, fresh torn basil and what tasted like Aleppo pepper. The caponata ran heavy with balsamic vinegar and the pine nuts were very marinated and dark colored from the balsamic.
Today I went with the quinoa with added salmon as my main.
I received a moist flaky fish with a nicely crisped skin over many things that included avocado, cabbage, lentils, eggplant, sprouts, and sweet potato. I liked that nothing was oily. Most of the flavors were natural. It seemed like only the quinoa was dressed with flavors.
My husband went with the shaved prime rib sandwich with horseradish cream sauce, pickles and house chips.
I thought the chips were very good with a very nice crispness to them. My husband likes his food saltier than I do so for him the chips lacked salt. I thought the pickles and sauce were very good. I didn’t get to taste the meat in the sandwich because my husband said that it didn’t contain much meat. For both of us the ratio of bread is too much for the meat but the flavors are good and the rich fresh bun was nicely toasted. I thought it was very unusual that the meat on the sandwich was topped with shoestring potatoes. I asked my husband how that was and said that they didn’t really add much to the taste but it gave the sandwich some texture. The sandwich was also stuffed with some watercress.
It was a special day out so we splurged and tried a Francine apple tart. It came out very different than what I was expecting.
I was expecting a little open pie. We got a round of puff pastry lined with a very thin layer of apples topped with creamy vanilla ice cream. You can’t just dig in and eat it because the pastry needs to be cut like a steak. It’s almost like an unrolled croissant.
That was a little taste of Francine Restaurant in Scottsdale.
The Americano Restaurant is an upscale Italian Restaurant and Steakhouse located in Scottsdale Arizona. Sometime around the end of September 2020 James Beard Restauranteur and celebrity chef Scott Conant and team took over ownership and operation of The Americano.
The Americano has a rich, modern, stunning atmosphere.
hostess stationthe bar1/2 moon booths traditional tables main dining area with a private roomopen kitchen
They do not serve complimentary bread. Artisan bread and smoked butter is on current menu $6. and is served with a big glass dome for presentation. I think we were the only table that didn’t order bread. I had other plates on my mind so I had to skip the bread.
We started out by sharing the braised wagyu beef cheeks that was accented with a micro green and shaved cheese. It also came with vegetable fregola and pumpkin seed togarashi. ($21.) I did question our server about the pumpkin seed togarashi but they didn’t know what it was. (togarashi is a spice mix made with Japanese hot pepper)
The beef is tender and is developed with rich flavors. The fregola is much softer than I imagined it would be……the sweet peas and the pumpkinseed togarashi gave it the needed texture that was crunchy, nutty, and a little citrusy. It’s an excellent dish!
For my main I went with the seared Faroe Island salmon ($32.).
It was served with the bloodline but there were also fresh herbs and olive tarragon salsa verde for enhancement.
Many things things about the dish that are exceptional. The peeled sweet cherry tomatoes are FORKING AMAZING! All I got out of my server that she knows the tomatoes were marinated. Somewhere there were two tiny pieces of fennel that also tasted amazing….The flavor in the fennel was so concentrated that it was like fennel bombs……The tomatoes and fennel were so flavorful and delicious! They made me happy. The fish is prepared reasonably well……It’s a little past medium but is still moist. The black puree on the plate is called charred scallion puree. It doesn’t taste like scallions….It reminds me of balsamic with another taste something like fish sauce.
We also shared the macaroni tre formaggi ($12.) with added fresh black truffles ($35.) that Scott Conant brought in from Italy.
The macaroni is made in house. WOW! This is one of the best macaroni and cheese dishes that I have ever had in a restaurant. It’s sublimely cheesy. The truffles are not the worst or the best and lack moisture and do have some flavor but are not full flavored….These I would have skipped if I knew what they were like today. But that macaroni and cheese is something that is a must to order. Between paying someone to make the pasta and all that real delicious cheese in there I bet that they don’t make any money on this dish. There is so much cheese in it Holy Chezus!
My husband had the campanelle ai gamberi ($29.).
It’s pasta with prawns, sea urchin (that butter of the sea), Calabrian chili, and breadcrumbs. He said that it was very good. He also said that the cherry tomatoes in his dish were exceptionable.
We were waited on by a team of people. Our glasses never ran dry. Plates were cleared quickly and all the glassware, silverware and plates seemed sparking clean.
That was a little taste of The Americano.
www.TheAmericanoRestaurant.com
Everything is subject to change and it often does change.
Bahia De Guaymas is a Sonoran Mexican Restaurant located in Phoenix Arizona. They offer mostly seafood items but also do offer meats and chicken. The menu is mostly in Spanish. Here English is the second language but the servers are bilingual.
This isn’t a fancy place but parking is easy since they have their own parking lot.
In the front of the restaurant a bar stretches across the room and behind is a dining area filled with traditional tables and booths along one side.
The tables are set with a bucket of many bottled sauces that don’t look clean or safe to use.
Lets take a peek at the menu….
They start us off with chips salsa and a bowl of limes.
I see marlin tacos on the menu. You can’t find marlin tacos everywhere so we share one.
This marlin taco is served on a fresh made grilled slightly puffy shell and has melted white cheese inside with the smoked marlin and is garnished with a little salad.
For my main I had the filete a la diablo.
It’s a nicely grilled mild white fish covered in a blanket of a chipotle-ee tomato-ee sauce. It’s a little spicy…….The rice is seasoned some with maybe a chicken broth and is studded with a few vegetables like peas, carrots and corn. The refried beans are very loose and soupy. We also got tortillas to share. The corn tortillas were hot and were grilled extra nice. The flour tortillas were maybe the thinest flour tortillas that I have ever had anywhere. I don’t know if they made them but they did taste like home made tortillas.
My husbands meal was very similar but was with camaron (shrimp).
That was my trip to Bahia De Guaymas in Phoenix AZ.
This restaurant has an authentic feel to it. The standout dish was the smoked marlin taco.
I haven’t found a website for this restaurant but they are on Facebook
Little Miss BBQ is a casual central Texas style bbq restaurant with two locations in Phoenix Arizona. The original location is smaller and is located near the Phoenix Airport. It’s Little Miss BBQ University on University Drive. The 2nd location is in North Phoenix in the Sunnyslope area. The Sunnyslope location offers more seating, expanded hours, limited alcohol, and a few more menu items.
First you wait in line. Usually you start by waiting on the porch and get a whiff of BBQ from all the smokers going. Then you look at menus and decide on what you are having today.
The line moves slow soon you will be inside.
Here is a closer look at the front where you order.
You pass some rubs, sauces, canned alcohol, and some other stuff.
Now it’s your turn. Time to decide on what you want.
Then they slice up the meat for you. You get your sides. You pay and seat yourself.
You can seat yourself on the patio.
Or inside.
Today we shared a two meat plate of 1/2 lean and 1/2 fatty brisket (They use the highest quality prime here), turkey with slaw and potato salad. On the upper left corner in the below picture is the pork belly. My husband said his favorite today was the pork belly. …The pork belly was even more succulent than the fatty brisket.
Sometimes the fatty brisket is too succulent for me. But I know that is how most people prefer it.
My husband also tried a burrito.
He got it with the red mole sauce. He liked it for $10. but is a bigger fan of the meat plates.
Once I came on a Thursday and got the Thursday pastrami special…(This was excellent).
The above plate is from a prior visit….They did differ some in taste (turkey and the brisket) but it’s all very good…No complaints.
This plate has the jalapeño cheesy grits, meaty beans, fatty brisket, pulled pork, and sausage.
