Warning!!! Bad Food Ahead!!!

Don’t be fooled by a pretty face. Every review I’ve read about Takeda Thai raves about the fancy facade and upscale interior of this small strip mall restaurant. I think belief is suspended at the door, as most reviewers go on to praise the food. Phoenix Magazine even rated it one of the 23 best new restaurants in its October issue. That actually is my reason for writing this entry - to give a dissenting view.

For lunch today, we ordered pad thai ($7.95 from the lunch menu, $13.95 at dinner), garlic mini pork ribs ($10.95) and angel wings ($11.95) from the appetizer section.

Our very nice waitress brought us two bowls of soup instead of the one we were entitled to. It was a mild chicken soup with a few vegetables and some tofu floating in it. OK, certainly not notable. Then the rest of the dishes came out. I was truly shocked by the plate of riblets. There were 6 tiny riblets on a bed of wilted lettuce. Remember, these cost $10.95!!! They had been fried to death and had no garlic taste. I looked closely at the lettuce and noticed a few bits of overly browned garlic sprinkled on it. These clearly had never touched the ribs. This was downright insulting. The portion size of the angel wings was somewhat better. Angel wings are large chicken wings which have been boned and stuffed with vegetables, minced chicken and glass noodles, then fried and sliced. Like the riblets, these had been overcooked and were totally dried out. The insipid “sweet and sour chili dip” tasted only of sugar, and dunking the slices of wing in it did not revive them. Somehow the “chef” even managed to turn out dry pad thai with a horrible fishy back taste. When our waitress came over and asked which was our favorite thing, the only answer I could give was “the service”. Our cost, even with a 10% discount coupon, came to $40.

I guess I could give the restaurant and its reviewers the benefit of the doubt and say that perhaps since it was lunch time a talented chef was not on duty. However, if that’s the case, and no one better than the person who was in the kitchen could be found, then lunch should not be served

The only review I read that got it even partly right was from AZ Central. It said “the kitchen assumes you don’t want to play with fire, so everything here is mild enough to feed a newborn.”

I hope you won’t think I’m a grouch, but I did want to warn you.

Takeda Thai

10271 N. Scottsdale Rd. Scottsdale

I’m not even going to supply the rest of the info.

Smiling Soul SORRY THIS RESTAURANT IS CLOSED (6/2010)

We’ve had several excellent meals since our misadventure at Eddie’s House, and these led to an epiphany. When I’m really happy with what I’ve eaten, I leave the restaurant with a smile on my lips and a smile in my soul. Which is the perfect segue to Fat Daddy’s Down Home Kitchen.

Fat Daddy’s is a fairly new soul food restaurant near South Mountain at the corner of 32nd Street and East Baseline in The Shops at the Raven Plaza, a mundane strip mall. Who could guess that big smiles are just an order away. Armed with a Restaurant.com gift certificate, we had to struggle to make our $35 mandatory expenditure. Ken went for the Southern Fried Chicken dinner ($10.99) and I decided on the 3 Meat Combo with brisket, pork ribs and beef ribs ($14.99). I had to settle for pork rib tips instead of the beef ribs since only one type of rib is allowed on a combo plate, Each entree came with two sides and cornbread. We ordered an additional side ($3.49) to up our bill, and we knew we’d be trying one of the desserts ($3.49). We even ordered two ice teas ($1.59). With all this we just squeaked by at $35.50.

After a reasonable wait our platters arrived. The BBQ had a nice sweet/tangy sauce already on it (there was no container of sauce on the table). The ribs were fall-off-the-bone tender. I think they had been simmered before being put in the smoker, a practice which seems to be more common in soul food places than in those which specialize in BBQ. I like them either way. The brisket was nice and juicy, as were the rib tips, which can often have a leather-like texture. Ken’s chicken also was succulent, with crispy skin, a little too salty. Sides came in ramekins so we could put them in the middle of the table for easy sharing. Two were outstanding: coleslaw had a delicious lemony dressing, and fried cabbage with chunks of bacon was surprisingly crunchy and not overly salty. Made -from- scratch yams had a light cinnamon syrup which, happily, didn’t cling to the potatoes, but merely flavored them. The mac and cheese was better than most, but Bobby Q restaurant still has the winner - it’s so buttery rich and cheesy you can only eat a few spoonfuls. Our cornbread was tender, with a touch of sugar. The only disappointing side was corn on the cob, which Ken felt had come from the freezer. The smile was already on my lips, but when the pecan pie arrived my soul did a jig. A tender cookie-like crust held an inch and a half high layer of filling which was nice and boozy and not too sweet. IMHO, this is the best purchasable pecan pie in the Valley.

Fat Daddy’s also does breakfast, which Ken is determined to try on a return visit (it’s available all day). He was salivating at the sight of the waffles which passed by our table. They’re big and golden brown and come with a choice of chicken and gravy, or catfish or whiting, plus eggs and grits ($6.99-$11.99). Of course, you can always order them on the side and then add steak ($11.99), pork chops ($10.99), chicken fried steak ($9.99) or southern grilled ham ($9.99). All these come with eggs, homefries and biscuits. The side waffle is $2.99. Lunch, which starts at !!:00 AM, offers BBQ sandwiches, hot wings, burgers, hot links, and Po’ Boys, most costing $6.99. I suppose I have to mention the other desserts even though I’ll probably never make it past the pecan pie. There’s peach cobbler, sweet potato pie, Momma Carol’s carrot cake, red velvet cake, and waffles with ice cream.

I’m all smiles just thinking about it.

Fat Daddy’s Down Home Kitchen

3220 E. Baseline Rd. Phoenix

602-438-7454

Mon.- Sat. 8AM-9PM Sunday 8AM-6PM

no website

A House is not a Home

It may be obvious from my enthusiasm for Restaurant.com that I can be pretty tight-fisted when it comes to spending a lot of money for a meal at a restaurant. That explains why, despite my curiosity, I hadn’t gone to Eddie’s House, chef Eddie Matney’s latest venture (now about a year and a half old). That particular gift certificate is always out of stock when Restaurant.com is having a sale, but last week Ken scored a coup and managed to snag one at $4. In order to realize the $25 savings we had to run up a bill of $50, but I didn’t expect we’d have any trouble doing that.

Eddie’s House is in Old Town Scottsdale, on Indian School - a high rent district. It’s a fairly large place (a storefront, not a house), with a bar on one side, separated from the dining area which is somewhat old fashioned, formal and clubby. Hanging on the wall were family photos and sketches which would have been more at home in a diner. The chairs are big yet strangely uncomfortable. This was to be the theme of our meal - things that ought to be good were not.

According to the website, Eddie’s House “boasts a menu that expands your boundaries”. It struck me more as glorified home cooking, which can be a wonderful thing. We skipped the appetizers which ranged in price from $8 for edamame (outrageous!!) to $14 for baby lamb chops or beef tenderloin kebabs. The entrees come in full or half portions. The most expensive dishes were a roasted Chilean sea bass and “the Famous One-And-Only, What’s-In-This Steak” (we never did find out). These were $29 for a full portion and $15 for half. I ordered the “East-Meets-West Sesame Tuna and Parmesan Encrusted Halibut with bok choy and asparagus risotto”, $25/13. Ken had the “Braised Pork Pot Roast, sweet potato gnocchi, chorizo bolognese” $19/10. Each entree listed its accompanying sides, and many of them sounded quite interesting. For

instance there was an apricot and goat cheese risotto baklava and a pear chili tapenade with parsnip puree. There was an additional list of sides, each $7, from which we ordered Brussels sprouts with bacon. We did this in order to reach our $50 quota.

Our server, who was very pleasant, brought us a basket of regular and flat bread and a dish with a scoop of cheese spread covered in pesto. The cheese spread tasted strongly of mustard, but surprisingly it went well with the pesto. We were later told that it was a combination of butter and blue cheese. Could have fooled me.

While waiting for our entrees, Ken watched the chef performing in the open kitchen. He looked quite competent, and Eddie was there to supervise, so what could go wrong? Plenty.

My Parmesan Encrusted Halibut was cooked beyond recognition. The halibut’s texture had changed so completely I wouldn’t have know it was fish if I hadn’t ordered it myself.

It was more like a cheese wafer. The risotto, which should have been nice and creamy, was a solid lump. To be fair, I will say that the flavors of both these dishes was good. There’s lots of seasoning in Eddie’s food. The tuna with bok choy was more properly cooked, but the tuna flavor was pretty much drowned out by its coating of sesame seeds and spices. Ken’s Braised Pork Pot Roast was slightly dry, but that’s hard to avoid when cooking relatively lean pork. The chorizo sauce was good - nice and spicy, not too hot. But the gnocchi was the real bomb of the night, and I do mean bomb! Talk about high specific gravity, these were the heaviest gnocchi ever. Once again, the flavors were good, but the technique was awful. As for the brussels sprouts, although they had been quartered, it couldn’t hide the fact that they were almost big enough to be called cabbage. Slightly undercooked, hard to cut through and hard to chew. Still, they were tasty.

But at these prices, tasty just doesn’t cut it. There’s no excuse for the lack of competence in the kitchen, especially when the chef/owner is in the house.

Because the full entree servings were quite large, and the fact that our bill was already over fifty dollars we decided to just read the dessert list. Also, I was pretty leery of trying anything else. There was a strange over-use of cookies, they appeared in almost every dessert including a chocolate cake with oreo cookie ganache. Each dessert was $10. I’m still trying to get used to paying $8.

Now that my curiosity has been satisfied (I guess satisfied isn’t the correct word), Ken won’t have to try snaring any more Eddie’s House gift certificates.

Eddie’s House

7042 E. Indian School Rd. Scottsdale

480-946-1622

eddiematneys.com

Sing A Song of Gizzards

A few hours after having lunch at Stacy’s Smokehouse BBQ, Ken is still singing the praises of the fried chicken livers he sampled. Unfortunately a sample was all that was available, since the rest had already been sold. On weekends,which I think is the only time that chicken is barbecued, the innards are fried, and quickly disappear. Sadly for me, that’s the only part of the chicken that is fried. When I asked Stacy for some fried chicken, I was informed that his was not a soul food restaurant, as it had been in the past, but a place for barbecue. Poor me, I had to suffer with ribs.

These were delicious - we tried both the pork and beef. When you pull into the parking lot at Stacey’s you can tell how good they’ll be, the smell is intoxicating. The ribs are fall off the bone tender, doused in homemade sauce. I thought the sauce was a good blend of spicy and sweet, but it was a little too sugary for Ken. Next time we’ll ask for it on the side. At Bad To The Bone (see below), the beef ribs are meatier, and they’re served naked, so you can savor the meaty flavor. Stacey’s are more typical of a BBQ joint. They really aren’t comparable. The pork ribs at Stacey’s, however, are way, way ahead of BTTB’s.

Before we ordered we were discussing the merits of various soul food and BBQ restaurants around Phoenix. I said we had been disappointed by the fried chicken (as well as the ambience) at Lo-Lo’s in Scottsdale. Stacy said he liked any fried chicken he didn’t have to cook, and that he actually was partial to KFC. In talking about Restaurant 28, I said that while the chicken was variable in quality, the hushpuppies couldn’t be beat. Stacey took this personally, and delivered to our table a basket of 3 large beauties, right out of the fryer. They’re bigger than 28’s, and therefore have a little less outside fry to inside bread ratio (in my opinion you can never have too much fry), they’re a touch drier on the inside, and a little less sweet. But they were scrumptious. And two important pluses, Stacy serves real butter, and his restaurant is way closer to us.

The ribs are sold by the half and full rack - pork: $9.99/$19.99, beef $7.50/$15. Chicken is $5.50 for half, $9.99 for a whole one. There are pork, beef, chicken and links smoked sandwiches which are $4.50 for a small one and $5.25 for a large. We didn’t get to see the size variation. In the fish department, Stacy serves catfish, tilapia and whiting, at market price. Sides include greens, beans, mac and cheese, slaw, and very good sweet potato fries. The desserts, except for the cheesecake are all homemade. You’ll be very surprised to learn that we didn’t try any of them. Next time.

Stacy’s Smokehouse BBQ

1650 E. Indian School Rd. Phoenix

602-230-6724

stacyssmokehousebbq.com

Monday - Saturday 11-9

CASH ONLY

Save Money

This is probably the most useful thing I’ll ever blog about. It’s Restaurant.com, which, next to Netflix, is my favorite thing on the web. You can save lots of money at restaurants across the country.

First, go to their website and register - it’s necessary to give your email address. Then pick the city that you’re interested in. A long list of participating restaurants will show up. There’s a photo of each, and a sample menu. Select the restaurant you want.You have the option of purchasing a $10, $25 or $50 gift certificate. At the beginning of the month the $10 certificate sells for $4, the $25 certificate for $10, and the $50 certificate for $20. The catch is that you have to run up a bill of at least $20, $35, and $100 respectively in order to use the certificate. For example, with a $25 certificate you’d end up paying $10 (on a $35 bill), plus the $10 you’ve paid to Restaurant.com. A savings of $15 over all. OK, but not really impressive. The thing to do is to wait a few weeks and you’ll receive an email announcing a sale, and a promotional code to use at checkout. If you hold out long enough you’ll get more emails with better and better sale prices. We usually end up paying $2 for a $25 certificate. That way a $35 meal costs $12. There was a special sale a few weeks ago and I got $260 in certificates for $10.60!!!

Sometimes there are restrictions, for example, a certificate might be good for dinner only. These are clearly spelled out before you make your purchase. Each person registered at Restaurant.com can use a specific restaurant’s certificate only once per month (certificates are good for a year from purchase); however, if your significant other has a separate email and is registered, you can go back with theirs. You can use only one certificate per table. Occasionally a restaurant will be out of business or no longer participating in the program, Restaurant.com will give you a credit, and sometimes even a bonus certificate. Payment is made with a credit card or through Pay Pal.

I used Restaurant.com before we went to San Diego and bought two certificates. Both were for places that had not otherwise turned up in my research. One meal was delightful, and the other was certainly interesting. And if you don’t like the looks of a place and deicde to go elsewhere, it’s only the loss of a dollar or two.

So check it out - you’ve got nothing to lose, and lots to save.

The new Lo-Lo's

On Tuesday we decided to try the new Lo-Lo’s Fried Chicken and Waffles at Scottsdale Rd. and Thomas. The original Lo-Lo’s, just south of downtown Phoenix has been open since 2002. Both are owned and run by Larry “Lo-Lo” White, the grandson of Mrs. White, long time proprietor of Mrs. White’s Golden Rule Cafe. The original Lo-Lo’s is a fun experience. The little house is crammed with ramshackle tables and chairs through which the servers sidle. It’s always crowded, but especially on weekends, where the wait can be over an hour. The mostly African-American customers chat outside on the street. As outsiders, we’ve always been treated courteously, but with some reserve.

The new location in Scottsdale is, of course, more upscale, particularly since it is new. It’s kind of cute, with lots of red upholstery and chrome accents, but it lacks decoration and a down-home feeling. Maybe when the patina of grease, found in all restaurants in which the deep fryer is the main cooking utensil, builds up a little more (it’s already starting) things will feel more natural. The weirdest thing for me, though, was the total whiteness of the customers, contrasted with the mostly black staff. It just wasn’t Lo-Lo’s. The other thing that has changed, perhaps for the better, is that the salt shaker has been retired. Most soul food has enough salt to make your feet swell up for a week, but here I was almost tempted to add some at the table.

The bestselling dish at Lo-Lo’s is KK’s Number 1. This consists of three pieces of southern fried chicken, two waffles, two cheese covered eggs, onions, and a side of grits ( $13). Since I’m not particularly fond of waffles (you’ll have to judge the quality of these yourself) or eggs, we decided to split Lo-Lo’s Famous Soulfood Platter ($13). On it are the three pieces of chicken (breast, thigh, and wing - legs are served with other selections) which can be fried or smothered in gravy, or two pieces of catfish or cod pan-fried in a special batter, and two sides plus cornbread. Here’s a partial listing of sides, ala carte they cost between $3.50 and $4.00: beans over rice, collard greens, smothered potatoes, fries, mac and cheese, cheese grits and candy sweets. Ken also ordered a piece of fish.

Our very full plate arrived in reasonable time. The chicken was fairly moist, and nicely crunchy - but lacking in salt. The pieces were good size. The cheese grits were disappointing, they were just plain grits with a sprinkling of cheese on top, and on top of that a huge wad of margarine. The cornbread sported the same margarine top hat, but despite that it was quite dry. The candy sweets are good, not so overly sweet that they’d pass for dessert. I tried dipping a piece of cornbread in their liquid, but it refused to absorb any. Ken said his fish was okay, but felt the portion was small for the money. By the way, I’ve had the mac and cheese before, and it’s not very interesting, not very creamy.

The only dessert offered is red velvet cake, something I totally don’t understand. The cake part has no distinguishable taste, not even vanilla, just red dye. Why? I can never identify the flavor of the frosting either. I guess it’s a cultural phenomenon.

All in all, it wasn’t a particularly satisfying lunch and I don’t think we’d go back. Unfortunately, the last time we were at Restaurant 28 my chicken was bad, very dry and impossibly salty. I’m willing to give them another chance since it was incredibly good the time before, but I’m leery. We still have to try the chicken at Stacey’s, but they only serve it once a week. Happily The Satisfied Frog is supposed to reopen in January - they make a reliably good batch.

Lo-Lo’s Chicken and Waffles

10 W. Yuma St. Phoenix (I recommend you go to this location) 602-340-1304

M-Th 10-7, Friday 10-10, Sat. 10-7, Sunday 10-4

or

2765 N. Scottsdale Rd. Scottsdale

480-945-1920

M-Sunday (although when we went on a Sunday it was closed) 7-3

later hours will be added soon

loloschickenandwaffles.com

So many choices.....

What’s the one food item you can’t imagine going through life without? Chocolate cake? Your morning coffee? A big, juicy porterhouse? Succotash? Mine would be cheeseburgers. I like the one’s you get at bars. I like the one’s from greasy spoons, and the one’s from fancy restaurants. The only ones I won’t go near are the fast food variety (i.e. MacDonalds or In-and-Out).

So today we tried out a new-comer to the Valley called indulgeburgers & more (sorry, that’s the way it’s spelled on the menu). At the corner of Scottsdale and Shea, it’s quite close to us, which we’re very happy about. The interior is a hoot because it combines elements of a sports bar (two TV screens and a bar with stools), a fast food place (the drink machines are out in the open, but strangely your waiter brings you your drinks and refills), and a somewhat upscale restaurant (fun burger art on the pretty colored walls, banquettes, tables both high and standard height). And you don’t have to order before you sit down, something I’m getting pretty tired of.

Your server brings you a two-sided menu which is reminiscent of a standardized test form since you have to indicate what you want by penciling in little circles (golf pencils are provided). One side has appetizers, signature burgers, sandwiches other than burgers (including a fried bologna sandwich, which cracked me up), and salads. The other side is the important one - you get to create your own burger. Choose your protein - beef, turkey, veggie, grilled chicken, or salmon. Then the size and how you want it cooked. You won’t get an argument here if you say you want it rare.

Next is cheese selection. There are 10 to choose from including herb goat cheese, horseradish cheddar and gruyere. Then “regular” toppings, 4 are included in the price. Sweet dried cranberries, black olives, grilled onions, and 13 more. If you want “indulge” toppings, each one is 99 cents extra. There’s avocado, chili con carne, fried egg and another 5. Sauces, which are served on the side, number 18, including remoulade, cranberry chutney, and bangkok peanut. And finally bun choices (they’re made fresh daily): brioche, wheat, english muffin, or a bed of lettuce. The burgers are priced from $8.50 for 1/3 pound, to $13.75 for a 2/3 pound kobe. I forgot to mention that along with the menu your waitress brings you a plate of homemade potato chips sprinkled with Parmesan cheese. They’re nice and fresh, crispy, and not overly greasy. They also tend to disappear very quickly.

Side dishes, other than a pickle aren’t included in the burger price. Under appetizers you’ll find fries, both white and sweet, crispy fried onion strings, a side salad, and fried dill pickle chips. These, and a few other selections, will add between $2.99 to $5.95 to your tab. Beverages are an outrageous $2.50. And finally desserts, including brownies, sundaes, bread pudding, and chocolate and carrot cake which run around $5.50.

Our food arrived in reasonable time. I had ordered a 1/3 pound medium rare beef burger with herb goat cheese, grilled onions, black olives, roasted chiles and avocado on a brioche bun. When I eat a burger I concentrate on the over-all taste experience, not the taste of each ingredient (I know lots of people are obsessed with the quality of the ground beef), and this was a satisfying mouthful. It just kind of melted and melded together - the bun was especially pleasing. The toppings were plentiful, and the burger seemed huge, more like half a pound. I have to tell you about Ken’s burger. He asked for pineapple, pickles, avocado, tomato, blue cheese, and grilled onions on his 1/3 pounder, with a whole wheat bun. You should have seen the expression on the waiter’s face when he brought it to the table. He, deadpan, called it an “unusual” combination. In order to keep you fully informed we ordered the 1/2 & 1/2 appetizer combination of sweet potato fries and fried onion strings. They arrived piping hot and crispy, just the way I like them, with sides of ranch and ketchup. It was a large serving that we couldn’t begin to finish (and I left about a third of my burger).

These were GOOD burgers. I liked them better than DeLux or Blue Burger, mostly because of the huge choice of add-ons and the fresh buns. Now that we’re more familiar with the concept and the menu, we’d probably order a 2/3 pound burger and split it. That would reduce the cost by $2.25. I’d ask the server to not give us the potato chips until our burger arrived, and I wouldn’t feel the need to order fries or onion strings (saving another $4.75). And I’d happily drink water. That would bring the cost of lunch for two to a little over $5 each, not including tax and tip. More than reasonable.

On Saturday and Sunday there’s brunch. Benedicts, pancakes, create your own omelet. One of the already designed omelets is called “Indulge Yourself - This Is It!”. “A hearty blend of our special sausage, smoked ham, cheese, bacon cooked right in the eggs with our vegetable mixture of diced tomatoes, onions and spinach. Then we stuff the omelette with Monterey Jack Cheese, top it with shredded cheddar and Hollandaise Sauce”. I hope they give out Lipitor for dessert.

Indulgeburgers & more

10392 N. Scottsdale Rd. Scottsdale

480-998-2222

indulgeburgers.com

P.S. I’m sorry to have to inform you of the demise of Swaddee Thai (see below). It really comes as a surprise since they seemed to do a good business and the food was outstanding.