There are days when you know the food gods are trying to get your goat (preferably marinated overnight and braised for at least three hours), but if you play along with humor and good grace, you’ll likely be rewarded in the end. Such was the case on Sunday night. I wanted to try the new Thai place on Shea at 70th St., mostly so I’d have something to write about, but when we pulled into the empty parking lot we realized it was closed on Sunday. My next idea was the new LoLo’s Fried Chicken at Thomas and Scottsdale, with a backup of Noodle Ranch, which is in the same shopping center. Although LoLo’s seems to be all set up and ready for business, it was closed to us, as was Noodle Ranch. Sunday. Rather than drive around Old Town looking for someplace open, we chose to go east on Thomas to Shanghai Palace, a place we remembered as being good, but hadn’t been to in a long time. You guessed it - we got there and it had been replaced by Tottie’s Asian Fusion. At least the place was open, so we figured the gods were trying to tell us something. I’m glad we listened.
It turns out that Tottie’s is the new and better Shanghai Palace. Same owner, bigger space (they took over the shop next door), redecorated and tastier than ever. The ambiance is excellent: dark wood tables and chairs, and booths upholstered in a soothing pattern. There’s lots of greenery (mostly fake, but pleasant nonetheless), and a fascinating dragon wall-hanging made of hundreds of crystals, each suspended from its own thread. This is located in the middle of the restaurant in a cute little area with couches and a coffee table for those customers waiting for a seat at the sushi bar.
The menu is a large one since it has dishes from Thailand, China, Vietnam and Japan. Ken couldn’t resist ordering a special, Javanese Iced Coffee. It was really more a dessert since it contained chocolate syrup and coconut cream mixed with super-strong coffee, but it turned out to mitigate the heat from our Spicy Cucumber Salad ($3.50). For entrees, I chose Vietnamese Bun Tom ($7.95) and Ken selected Thai Salmon with Basil Ginger Sauce ($10.95). The Bun Tom arrived in a large bowl with a mixture of lettuce, basil and mint on the bottom, topped by rice vermicelli and chopped peanuts. Surrounding this were 5 good size shrimp and pieces of pork, both of which had been charbroiled. My favorite topping was the Tottie Rolls, a creation of the chef/owner Tottie Kaya. They’re Thai style, pork filled mini egg rolls. You drizzle the slightly sweet soy based sauce over the top, and mix the whole thing up. It’s a wonderfully satisfying dish. Ken’s salmon was beautifully presented, covered with a deep brown thick sauce and served with steamed vegetables. The sauce was amazing, Ken actually spooned over rice the little that was left on the plate after finishing the fish, something he almost never does.
Sadly, since we’d had our dessert drink at the beginning of our meal, we couldn’t bring ourselves to order any of the homemade ice cream. A few years ago we tried the ice cream sampler ($12.95 and enough for four diners) and were intrigued by many of the Asian flavors. Oh well, next time.
The price is right, the portions generous, and the service gracious and friendly. Do yourself a favor and try it. By the way, a second location is opening at the corner of Scottsdale Road and Lincoln, in the Trader Joe’s shopping center.
Tottie’s Asian Fusion
7901 E. Thomas Rd. Scottsdale
480-970-0633
tottiesasianfusion.com
Tuesday-Thursday 11 - 9, Friday - Sunday 11 - 9:30, closed Monday
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