Indulge me

Before I began writing this entry I looked up the word “indulge” in the thesaurus. It said, among other things, “gratify”, “fulfill”, “revel in”, and “abandon oneself to”. I thought these were all apt words to describe our brunch experience at Indulge Burgers and More. Having sampled and written about the Burger part of Indulge (see below), we decided to try the “More”. I did this with a small amount of trepidation since I’m not a breakfast person. But Ken is, so I thought I’d indulge him (sorry, I couldn’t resist).

The brunch concept is presented the same way as the burgers. You get to build your own - in this case - omelet. For $6.95 you choose 2 cheeses, 2 veggies (I had grilled onions and avocado), 2 sauces (spicy sour cream for me) and 1 choice of toast (bagels and croissants are $1 extra). You can opt for a protein like chorizo, kobe beef or bologna, but these cost and extra $1.50) Ken decided to have one of the Benedicts, the classic ($9.95). There are 5 more, including one with lobster meat ($12.00) which was calling my name. There’s also French toast, pancakes and a cinnamon roll.

The omelet was quite large, at least a 3-egger.  The onions and avocado were in the fold, and the cheese was melted on the outside top of the omelet. This was my only complaint - I would have preferred the cheese to be shredded up and sitting on the inside so it would stay warm and melty. The onions were sweet and plentiful, and the avocado nice and fresh. The spicy sour cream was a great addition. My multigrain toast was thickly sliced and loaded with crunchy bits - it’s so nice to eat healthy.

Ken’s classic Benedict was the hit of the meal. The hollandaise sauce was so good I wished we had ordered an additional side of it. It was lemony and light. We suggested to the manager, Keegan (a very nice guy), that they serve it at lunch to go on a burger. Keegan really got into that concept and went in the kitchen to whip one up for his lunch. He was planning to top it with avocado. 

You know, of course, that we had to try the cinnamon roll. It was big and warm and a little gooey. Our waitress brought us a container of maple syrup to go with it. I’d never heard of that, but I was willing to try. I didn’t think it actually added much, since the roll was so good on it’s own. No wretched excess here. Maybe later.

So we reveled with abandon and went away gratified and fulfilled. What more can you ask?

Indulgeburgers & More

10392 N. Scottsdale Rd.  (SW corner of Scottsdale and Shea)    Scottsdale

480-998-2222

Brunch Saturday and Sunday - I’m not sure of the times

indulgeburgers.com

Competition

We were back out in Fountain Hills yesterday to drop off some jewelry at Style With A Twist, a fun ladies clothing and accessory boutique. Our friend Candy, the owner, enthusiastically told us about a new restaurant that she thought we’d like. She was especially happy because it was one we hadn’t yet heard about. It’s called MPJ’s Grill and Restaurant, and it turns out to be catty-corner from Phil’s (see below). We had, in fact, driven right by without noticing it when we ate there last week.

The chef/owner who used to work at Phil’s has put together a nice menu, much smaller and slightly more upscale but with comparable prices. There are 7 starters including crab cakes and seared tuna, each $7, two quesadillas, and a shrimp and avocado tower ($7). We shared a cup of corn chowder (a steal at $2), loaded with fresh corn kernels and subtly spiced. Since we were both very hungry we skipped the salads and sandwich portion of the menu and settled on meat - NY strip steak ($14) for me, with blackened spices and blue cheese. Ken ordered the marinated  center cut pork chops with melted gorgonzola ($11) which Candy had raved about. Each came with a side salad and choice of potato - mashed, rosemary roasted or fries - or rice. No veggies. 

The salad was disappointing. It was clearly made from bagged lettuce blend, and none too fresh. A few chopped tomatoes and cukes had been added. The thousand island dressing was quite good (it tasted very much like Phil’s), the blue cheese dressing was mediocre. We perked up when our entrees arrived. My steak was quite large, and spread with a melty blue cheese/cream cheese mixture. It was cooked medium rare as I had requested, and was tender and not fatty. The pork chops were the real hit. They were juicy as could be, flavorful, and well served by their blue cheese topping. Our rosemary potatoes were good too, although I would have liked them to be a little crisper on the outside. The one jarring note was the clump of lettuce mixture used to garnish the plate - it was useless, messy and certainly didn’t add to the presentation. That aside, we were very happy with our choices, particularly for the price.

MPJ’s has only been open since the end of June, but they have quite a following. We had arrived at 5 PM, and by 6 PM there were people waiting for tables. I hope that both this place and Phil’s will each survive the competition. Once they get a liquor license MPJ’s will likely be even more popular. They’re already expanding into the next store front. In the meantime, the decor is nonexistent. And the bathroom is outside around the corner. Their website stresses the notion that this is a “fine dining” restaurant, and shows a very misleading photo. But really, this is just a place to come to get a good solid meal at a remarkably good price.

So, let me finish telling you about the menu. There are 8 main- dish salads, most around $8. In the sandwich department there are 6 different burgers ($7 and $8) and they looked really delicious. Paninis, club sandwiches, and wraps round out this category. And finally, there are 8 pastas, from $10 to $13. Sugar spiced salmon with creamy spinach pasta and Romano cheese tempted me. The desserts sounded “corporate”, cheesecake, tiramisu and chocolate cake. We didn’t try any.

MPJ’s Grill & Restaurant

15225 N. Fountain Hills Blvd.   Fountain Hills     480-284-6767

Monday to Sunday  10:30 AM - 9 PM

mpjsgrillandrestaurant.com

A Perfect Patio

We just had lunch on the most beautiful patio this side of Provence. It’s at Petite Maison in downtown Scottsdale. The umbrellaed space is surrounded by a low terra cotta wall that’s topped with a colorful variety of potted plants and flowers. There was even a hummingbird flitting through the greenery. I wonder if he’s trained to do that. One wall is divided by an ivy covered trellis through which you enter the restaurant. The other contains a fireplace. The 8 patio tables are covered with white cloths. Sadly, the chairs are not the most comfortable. But the French never did want you to be completely happy. The menu is chock full of French goodies, the biggest concession to American taste being a hamburger, but that’s okay since it’s served with tomato confiture instead of ketchup. If not for the buildings across the street, you’d swear you were in southern France.

Could the food meet the high expectations created by the ambience? Yes and no. We started off sharing a cute tureen of Soupe a l’onion ($6). The stock was slightly over-salted and didn’t have the sweet undertones of the stock at Amy’s Baking Company. But the cheese was nice and nutty and a little more interesting than Amy’s. Overall, I gave Amy the win. Next we had Steak Tartare ($8). The mound of ground raw grass-fed beef had been mixed with lots of mustard, banyuls vinegar and something I could not identify, perhaps mayonnaise, which gave it, according to Ken, a kind of ham salad texture. It was topped by a lightly fried egg, with a nice runny yolk. This could be scooped up on the large pieces of thinly sliced and deep fried potato. I thought the potato planks were a great substitute for slices of baguette which is the usual accompaniment. Some black pepper would have been a good addition, but none was offered, nor was there any salt or pepper on the table. Next, and most disappointing, was the Crepes au Poulet ($8). The crepes themselves were nice enough, but the chicken, which was supposed to have been roasted, had no character. The braised mushrooms and the sauce soubise (which was almost nonexistent) were equally flavorless. I was leaning toward a negative verdict of Petite Maison, but I was still lulled by the wonderful patio and the lovely service.

Two desserts were offered, a chocolate creme brulee and a port poached pear served with creme fraiche and port syrup. Our waitress’s description of the pear ($6) struck our fancy. This was such a French dessert that it actually did make the buildings across the street disappear and we were sitting in the middle of a field of lavender as we savored it. I forgave the crepe au poulet and decided that I wanted to return and try some of the dinner offerings. The main courses range from $16 to $39 for bouillabaisee for two. Quite reasonable. I’ll write the other half of this entry after our next visit.

Petite Maison

7216 E. Shoeman Lane  Scottsdale        

480-991-6887

Brunch 10-2 Sat. & Sunday      Lunch 11-2 Mon-Friday   Dinner  5-10 daily

Staff meal 10PM-midnight  Thu.-Sat.

www.PetiteMaisonAZ.com

It ain't Kozy anymore

We stopped into Kozy Cactus the other day for lunch. It’s not one of our favorite places, but they have some interesting things on the menu, and they try hard to be “local” and organic. At least they used to. The menu we were handed had been cut in half and everything but bar food was gone. We asked the waitress what had happened, and she said that the management had changed but the name remained the same. Since we had our Restaurant.com coupon with us we decided to stay......not a great decision.

We ordered wings with sauce on the side, chili, onion rings and a patty melt. We waited and waited some more, and the place was not very busy. When our wings came they were slathered in sauce but we didn’t want to send them back and risk waiting another half hour. Silly us, the sauce was awful!! It seemed to be a mixture of marinara and bbq, to the detriment of each. Too bad because the wings themselves were decent. Ken said the chili recipe was totally changed - it had no seasoning other than “hot”. No onions or cheese were offered with it and our waitress was too busy chatting to come to our table for a request. The onion rings were dripping with grease, and like the hamburger, way too salty.

There are bars that serve way better food at much lower prices. I suggest you find one. And don’t be fooled by the name. Like I said, it ain’t Kozy anymore.

Kozy Cactus

4326 E. Cactus Rd.   Phoenix

602-569-5699

That was soooooo good!!

The size of my smile as I’m leaving a restaurant is a reliable measure of how much I enjoyed my dining experience. As I exited Luci’s Healthy Marketplace I could feel it reach from ear to ear. And even more, as we drove home from the 16th Street/Bethany Home location I kept murmuring  “That was sooooooo good!! That was soooooo good!!”.

What I was referring to was Luci’s chicken pot pie, which we had come specifically to try. When we arrived a little after 4PM there was a huge pan of freshly roasted chicken on the counter. Our pot pie was made from one of these, sauced and pastry- topped on the spot. A 9” take out container was loaded with big shreds of chicken mixed with a delicious almost sweet, slightly peppery gravy with a few vegetables and the crowning glory, an airy, flaky puff pastry hat. Perfection. It easily fed the two of us. If it hadn’t been so good, it could have fed three.

We decided to have a salad while waiting for our pot pie, and chef  Justin Wolter

came to our table for a consult. He said we could have pretty much anything we wanted on the salad, so we chose artichoke hearts, olives, cherry tomatoes, romaine, and feta cheese. Justin suggested we top it with tzaziki dressing, which was the perfect choice. Unlike most tzaziki, it contained more oil than yogurt, and lots of garlic and parsley (or some other green tasty herb) which added a light green cast to the dressing. Like the pot pie, it was huge. And totally fresh.

Since I was very full, I chose to take dessert home. The charming barrista, Lane (I should have asked how she spells her name) told us these come from two sources. Slade Grove, of Wicked Bakery once on Cave Creek Road, does truffles, mini cakes and incredible cinnamon rolls. Chocolate layer cake, carrot cake, and quiches are imported from New York. I tried the chocolate cake which was moist and light, with a nice chocolate flavor.

Luci’s is open 7 days, and serves breakfast, lunch and dinner. On weekends there’s an omelette bar, which does a booming business. There are soups, salads, hot and cold sandwiches and wraps, and after 4PM there are dinner specials. Luci’s is also a miniature grocery store specializing in “good-for-you” items. Organic and gluten free is a common theme, but these aren’t dour health food things. We tried some chips made from hummus which were sensational, and the baba we got to go with them was top notch. The owners are great believers in local first, and the products reflect this. Prices are quite reasonable.

Luci and Ken Schnitzer live just around the corner from their neighborhood grocery/restaurant, which is a good thing considering how hard they work. Luci,a real dynamo (and a delightful person) has two small children and until just recently ran a day care center in her home. You really have to come experience Luci’s and feel the vibe. You’ll leave with a big smile too. 

Luci’s Healthy Marketplace

1590 E. Bethany Home Rd.   Phoenix  (S.E. corner of Bethany and 16th St.)

602-773-1339         lucisHealthyMarketplace.com

Almost a diner

About the only thing that makes me nostalgic for New York is the thought of a Greek diner, open all hours, serving a huge array of food for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Phil’s Place in Fountain Hills almost fills the bill. Since this is “early to bed” country, Phil’s closes at 8:30. But I feel forgiving as I peruse the 6 page menu.

It was lunch time. Should I go for a 10” sub?  Meatballs? Steak? Philly Cheese? A salad? One with coconut crusted tilapia, or whisky BBQ chicken? There are 12 different half pound burgers to choose from. But there are also five 20 ounce burgers stuffed with various cheeses and veggies. Then on to the sandwiches: BBQ pork, pastrami, gyros, Jamaican jerk chicken. Pizza. Pasta.

I ordered a cheeseburger delux, no problem when I asked for medium-rare, and instead of the fries (sweet potato, cajun or regular, refilled as many times as you wish) I chose the add-on onion rings.  Ken was in a dinner frame of mind and got the 14 ounce cut of roast beef. Baked potatoes were not available, so our friendly waitress said he could have as many kinds of fries as he wanted. The dinner also came with a salad and vegetables. When our plates arrived, we were both surprised by how nice the roast beef looked, thick, juicy and served medium-rare, as ordered. The sweet potato fries tasted notably like sweet potatoes (this is a rare thing). The “special sauce” on my burger had a nice peppery bite. The ground beef was ordinary, but the sandwich as a whole was delicious. And the Russian dressing on the salad was fabulous.

There are house specials - BBQ ribs, liver and onions(!), chicken fajitas, greek souvlaki. Prices for these range from $9.95 for the fish fry to $20.95 for a full rack of ribs. The prime rib was $17.95. Burgers and sandwiches cost from $5.25 to $10.95. For breakfast there are eggs, omelettes, wraps, pancakes and waffles. I brought home a piece of pecan pie for dessert - it’s huge and looks very good. If it isn’t, I’ll let you know.

The ambiance is homey and retro, filled with Coca Cola memorabilia. But there are also lots of TVs scattered around for those who can’t leave the games at home.

Phil’s Place

16758 E. Glenbrook Blvd.  off of Fountain Hills Blvd. You might want to take your GPS.

    Fountain Hills

480-816-5620

Monday - Saturday 7AM-8:30PM   Sunday - we were there at about 1PM, but call for  

   hours

There doesn’t seem to be a website

A Sporty Burger

If you find yourself in downtown Scottsdale at lunchtime you might drop in at Don & Charlie’s, the sports memorabilia paradise which incidentally serves really good steaks, chops and ribs. The main restaurant isn’t open, but the lounge hosts The Burger Bar from 11:30 to 2:30 PM. 

The menu is small. There are a few appetizers - guacamole (not the best in town) and a Cabo style shrimp cocktail ($6.95) which I’ve heard is quite good. A few salads - chicken  

Caesar and Mediterranean with chicken, both $8.95. They looked tasty and were quite large. And a few uninspiring sounding sandwiches.

The real reason to come here is the burgers; big, juicy and cooked to order (even if the menu says differently). The basic burger is $7.95, and nine variations are listed (all $8.95), but you can create your own for the same price. Slaw is served alongside. But, get this, for $1.95 you can get a huge plate of delicious onion “strings”. I don’t know why they’re called strings, which are often dry and overcooked. These are basically onion rings which have been cut open so they’re not round (again, I have no idea why). Fries are the same price, or you can have half and half.

The other reason to go to The Burger Bar is the broasted chicken. This is half a chicken  deep-fried in a pressure cooker. According to the explanation on the menu, “pressure frying seals in the flavors and seals out the oil”. Ken will attest to this. The chicken was nice and crispy, not greasy and not salty. And the price was right - $9.95 for a serving size that runs at least $16 almost anywhere else. A word of caution. The chicken isn’t pre-cooked (thank heavens) so it takes 20 minutes to a half hour to reach your table.

There’s a mini creme brulee ($1.95) for dessert. This lone little offering struck me as very funny. 

While you’re waiting for your chicken you can walk around and look for artifacts from you favorite team. It’s a fun place and a most reasonable price for lunch.

The Burger Bar at Don & Charlie’s

7501 E. Camelback    Scottsdale

480-990-0900

donandcharlies.com

Lunch   Monday - Friday   11:30 - 2:30

Out of the Ordinary

The dining gods were kind today, At lunchtime they led us to La Mirage, a Mediterranean restaurant in the almost deserted Bell Canyon Shopping Center near Rt. 17. On entering, you’re in for a surprise - a stage set up for musical entertainment, a dance floor, catering style cloth-covered dining tables with upholstered barrel chairs on wheels. And not a customer in sight.

The extensive menu is a combination of familiar Greek dishes, more exotic Lebanese ones, and a great many dishes I had never heard of (which made me very happy). The owner is Arab, so perhaps that’s what these dishes are. There are many combination plates and family platters. You can even get a whole lamb with rice (called Quzy) for $225.

We ordered the deluxe appetizer platter ($13.95) which came with stuffed grape leaves (served hot), falafel, a large plate of hummus, and fattoush, a salad with pieces of fried pita bread. This was more than enough for a meal, but we had also ordered an entree of

Shish Kafta ($13.95), skewered ground beef with onions and parsley. The two skewers were accompanied by a mound of fluffy rice and a pile of raw chopped onions coated with sumac, a spice not used enough in restaurants in the U.S. A bowl of lentil soup came with the entree, and it was delicious, as were all the various dishes. Our very nice waitress also supplied us with a bowl of curry potato stew because the sauce goes well on the rice.

Here’s a list of some of appetizers and entrees. I hope it whets your appetite and curiosity: Quail, Foul Mdmass, Bajilla, Kibbe done three ways, lamb chops, kabobs and shawarma, chicken cream chops,

ghallaba, lablabee, fruit smoothies.

If you go to the website you can check out La Mirage’s menu, and also their entertainment schedule. There are card games on Sunday and Wednesday evenings, belly dancing on Saturdays, and Latin and Salsa dancing on Thursdays.

This is another place that’s barely managing to hang on. So if you feel like having a Middle Eastern meal, safe or adventurous, please give them a try.

La Mirage Mediterranean Cuisine

2734 W. Bell Rd. #1330 Phoenix

602-978-2800

lamirage.info

Tuesday & Wednesday 11:30 - 10, Thursday - Saturday 11:30 - 2AM

Sunday noon - 10

I’m not sure if they’re open on Monday

D'Vine Est Omnis Divisa in Partes Tres

This entry is about D’Vine Bistro and Wine Bar in Chandler. I wish I was more competent with my word processor, because I’d like to divide the review into three columns: Very Successful, Adequate, and Giant Flop. I think it would mean more if you could see side-by-side comparisons, but you’ll just have to try and visualize it.

I’ll be nice and start with the Very Successful column. (1)The menu: it’s full of innovative selections. There are a number of Tapas, such as fried plantain cakes topped with grilled mango poke, seared pork belly, and a habanero vinaigrette ($8) and salmon cakes with chipotle molasses ($7). Many of the entrees come with interesting sides and sauces, for instance grilled pork tenderloin with a pan seared goat cheese polenta cake and roasted peppers, finished with a chipotle, espresso and raspberry BBQ sauce ($18). Which leads me to the Most Very Successful item of the evening. (2) Ken ordered one of the specials, a New Zealand farm-raised venison 2 rib chop with a juniper berry marinade, accompanied by spinach and roasted potato hash and the raspberry espresso BBQ sauce. Given how far the deer had to travel, the $32 price tag didn’t seem too unreasonable. The chop was truly superb, moist and flavorful but not gamey. The sauce suited it perfectly. (3): portion sizes were quite generous. And (4): White anchovies were featured in several of the dishes. That’s it for the Very Successful.

On to Adequate. (1) The ambience is pleasant, if somewhat noisy. There’s a bar, with a television above it, high top tables, and those of regular height. The paintings on the wall are for-sale originals, some good, some not-so. There is a patio (this will also appear in the Giant Flop column). (2); Our dessert selection of chocolate mousse cake was “corporate food”, not made in-house, and nothing special, but certainly both edible and size-able. The coffee fell in this column, too. (3) The nicoise salad ($12) ordered by our friend Sena came with seared Ahi tuna rather than the canned variety packed in olive oil. This would have put it in the Very Successful category for me, but Sena likes the more traditional canned tuna.

OK. Here’s the column you’ve probably been waiting for: Giant Flops. I’ll start with (1) the above mentioned patio. The misters were on and it felt like London on a foggy morning. When we asked that they be turned off, nobody warned us that we would get dripped on, and our drinks would get dripped in. We soggily moved inside. (2) Sangria shouldn’t be offered unless the proper ingredients are available. The white sangria ($5 at happy hour) given to us had a few slices of lemon in a poor quality wine. When we told our waitress that it was unacceptable she brought us a little carafe of “berry juice” to add to it. This made it even worse. (3) Nobody should ever put slices of cucumber in drinking water. While it may look stylish, after about 5 minutes it tastes really strange, and after 15 it’s horrible. Imagine drinking it while eating chocolate mousse cake!! (4) My entree. I ordered one of the specials - fried chicken marinated in buttermilk, served with gouda mac & cheese, sauteed vegetables and a rainbow peppercorn gravy ($18).

I asked for all dark meat, and my plate arrived with two huge chicken legs. I thought the coating was good, although the crispness of the coating was quickly lost to the gravy. The first few bites were quite good, the chicken was moist, with a pleasant taste. But then I noticed how pink the chicken meat was getting as I got closer to the bone, and it was actually almost raw in the center. The second leg, which I had given to Ken was somewhat smaller, and he said it was adequately cooked. The mac & cheese, if it had a flavor, was drowned out by the gravy which was cough-inducingly peppery. The sauteed vegetables consisted of a few strands of bell peppers.

When our bill arrived, $6 had been deducted from the price of my entree, and we had not been charged for the sangria (which we had not drunk). As we were leaving the restaurant a woman whom I assume is the manager asked how our meal was. I politely listed some of our complaints and she seemed genuinely upset and was quite apologetic. While we were getting into the car she came out to the parking lot and gave us a gift certificate to use if we’d give D’Vine a second chance. Because of the items in the Very Successful column, I think we will. It’s not every place that has pork belly, white anchovies and venison.

D’Vine Bistro and Wine Bar

3990 S. Alma School Rd. (at Ocotillo) Chandler

480-782-5550

dvinewine101.com

Monday - Thursday 11 - 10, Friday and Saturday 11 - 10:30, Sunday 4 - 9