Monday, September 27, 2010

The Pits, Again

     It’s a really sad thing when the final meal of an outstanding vacation is a lousy one. We had spent a week in San Francisco, foodie nirvana, dining on Indonesian, Basque and Moroccan cuisines. On the last leg of our journey we reached Phoenix at about 1PM. We were tired, hungry, and hadn’t been able to find the restaurant we were planning on going to, so as a default we ended up at Thee Pitts Again, a BBQ joint on Bell Road at about 57th Ave. 
     When Thee Pitts Again had first opened it had been pretty good, with a few out-of-the-ordinary entrees, like smoked turkey, available. Over the years, I felt it had gone down hill. This visit more than confirmed my opinion. The place was almost empty. We sat on the side usually reserved for groups (tables and chairs as opposed to booths). It felt like a nursing home dining room, trying to be kindergarten cheerful. I became more depressed by the minute. 
     We decided to share a slab of ribs - ordering potato salad and fresh fruit as our sides. Our dishes arrived almost instantly, really not a good sign. Especially since it looked like nursing home food. The ribs were on one plate, with pools of orange fat and a lone piece of decorative kale. They had a slightly off smell, but the taste was even worse. Either they had been reheated on a dirty grill, or they had spent a lot of time absorbing odors in the refrigerator (or both). YUCK. The potato salad had turned grey with age and was inedible. It matched my mood. The corn bread was served with margarine... What more can I say?
     A few years ago Thee Pitts Again had made it onto the Food Network show Diners, Drive Ins & Dives. The chef/owner had won many prizes at BBQ cook-offs. Too bad there was no competitive spirit in the restaurant. It sure was a loser.
Thee Pitts Again
5558 W. Bell Rd.  Glendale

Tuesday, September 7, 2010

NASA Should Do So Well

     Have I got a place for you un-health conscious, frugal foodies out there!  Rocket Burger and Subs serves up huge sandwiches and fried delights for astonishingly low prices, and much of the food is home-made. There’s also an enormous section of unusual soft drinks; for instance, there’s over two dozen brands of root beer to choose from. Dennis, one of the owners worked for A&W for 8 years, so he probably has root beer running through his veins by now. 
     I saw Rocket Burger in a listing of new valley eateries, then did a little research. The reviews I saw were all stellar, so I knew we had to give it a try. It doesn’t look like much, inside or out - it’s in a little strip mall tucked behind Churches Chicken at 35th Ave. and Cactus. But it’s clean, and everybody is helpful and pleasant. Ken gave a happy whoop when he saw Cheese Curds ($2.49/$4.49) on the menu. We decided to get an order while waiting for our friends Randy and Marty to join us. The curds came quickly out of the kitchen, piping hot, served with some tasty homemade marinara. They were a touch greasy, as they should be, and the oil was fresh. Marty and Randy arrived in time to save us from ourselves by helping to finish off the curds. Then we took a while trying to make our selections from the extensive menu. Eventually Randy and I both went for the New Yorker: pastrami with homemade slaw and thousand island dressing ($2.99, $3.99 or $4.99). Ken had a homemade-meatball  sub, with more of that good marinara and some provolone. It was the same price structure as our New Yorkers and all the rest of the entries under Classic Subs and Sandwiches. Marty went with a double burger ($3.89, the singles are $1 less). He could have opted for a Rocket Burger - !0 inch sub with three burgers and the fixings in either plain, cheese, bacon, teriyaki, or chili style ($4.99 to $5.99). Of course we had to try the fries and onion rings.
     Again our food arrived quickly, served in plastic baskets. It became very quiet, except for the occasional growl of pleasure. The onion rings ($1.99) had been dipped in a thin cornmeal batter which made them nice and crunchy.  The handcut fries ($1.49) were skinny, the way I like them. Randy thought they were undersalted, but I thought they were fine - our usual disagreement. At any rate, they disappeared quickly. Unlike the sandwiches. They were so big that we all ended up taking half of each sub home. The slaw on the New Yorkers was delicious, as was my whole wheat sub roll. The meat balls were nice and tender, and there was plenty of cheese on top. Randy had found a bottle of ginger beer imported from Australia that had a wonderfully refreshing true ginger taste. There seemed to be actual pieces of ginger in it - instructions on the label said to invert the bottle before opening. It never did tell you to turn it right side up again - the Aussies give us more credit than we deserve. 
     Other food items available: Hebrew National hot dogs in several styles ($2.49), Pizza  
Bread with various toppings, Gyros ($3.69), salads ($1.99 - $3.99), a fish sandwich ($2.49) served with homemade tartar sauce. And lots more. I don’t know how Dennis and Steve manage to turn out food of this quality for so little money, but I surely do hope they continue and prosper!
Rocket Burger & Subs
35th Ave. and Cactus    602-993-0834
therocketburger.com

Monday, September 6, 2010

Seasonal Subtlety

     Back in the gold rush days before the real-estate bubble burst, we went to Fiamma Restaurant in the Mondrian Hotel (or was it called the James Hotel?) for a post theater dinner. The driveway was lined with hummers, manned by twenty-somethings in their $200 jeans, all screaming for attention. It was no better inside: the noise was deafening, the service poor, the food downright bad and the prices outrageous.
     How things have changed! The hotel is now The Theodore, and the parking lot, when we arrived at 6 PM on a Saturday, was deserted, as was the lobby. As, indeed was the restaurant, although by 7:30 (the hour when people more civilized than we go out to eat) several more tables were occupied.  Service was outstanding, the food excellent and reasonably priced. Under Chef Comer Smith the seasonal menu is Italian, with the emphasis on local and sustainable ingredients. The pasta is made from scratch daily, and it tastes like it - toothsome and fresh. Gelato is also house-made. 
     The menu changes frequently and I forgot to write down the descriptions and cost of our entrees, so please forgive any errors. Ken had the special of tuna and olives in a tomato sauce with big fat spaghetti (I don’t know it’s technical name). From his first bite he raved about the quality of the pasta. The serving size was generous. I ordered braised pork shoulder with brussels sprouts served over polenta with gorgonzola ($20). The combination was divine as was the rich sauce served on it. I had read that the truffled mac & cheese ($6) was good, so I had to give it a try. At first I thought it was bland and under truffle-oiled, but after a few forkfuls I could appreciate the subtlety. I forced myself to leave a bite or two so I’d have room for dessert. Panacotta ($8) was one of the choices, and something Ken loves. It was a peach version, served atop a disc of white chocolate and accompanied by a limoncello granita. I had the intriguing sensation of being able to taste the colors. This truly is food made by a thoughtful chef.
     I looked on line at some of the past menus so I could give you a few more examples of the cuisine and the prices. One of the appetizers was Polpettine Siciliano ($10): little meatballs with raisins, pinenuts, tomato sauce and baked ricotta salata. Braised Oxtail Tortellini ($17) served with tomato sugo and parmesan crema was something I have to go back and try (I think it was on our menu). Jumbo Sea Scallops ($26) with blood orange and fennel caponata didn’t sound bad either. Pizzas ($14) are made in a wood burning oven.And, of course, here’s the best part - you guessed it! - Ciello (pronounced chee-EL-oh) is on Restaurant.com.
     I have to comment here about the decor of both the hotel lobby and the restaurant. If I thought Athena (see below) was over-the-top, Ciello takes the cake. Actually you feel like you’re inside a wedding cake, all white and rococo, although there is some odd rooster art left over from a previous incarnation. The mishmash of styles - huge steer heads and abstract sculptures - was a great conversation maker.
Ciello at Hotel Theodore
7353 E. Indian School Rd.    Scottsdale
480-308-1131
Dinner Tuesday - Saturday   6-10

Wednesday, September 1, 2010

Gifts From the Gods

     About three weeks ago the Greek gods decided to take a break from their endless squabbling, descend from Mt. Olympus, and pay a visit to us mortals. Fortunately they landed in Phoenix, and they came bearing gifts. These can be sampled at Athena Greek Cuisine, a new restaurant in the shopping center at Mayo and Scottsdale Rd.
     If the Scordalia ($6) isn’t heaven sent, I don’t know what is. This spread, made from bread, almonds, potato, olive oil, white wine vinegar and GARLIC is jaw-droppingly good. It has a mellow, almost sweet taste and is good smeared on anything, but especially on the Greek Sausage appetizer ($7), another gift. In fact, all the appetizers we had were delicious. Ken chose Grilled Octopus ($12); Pat had Greek Style Wings ($9), which had been marinated in olive oil, parsley, oregano and lemon (these were even better cold the next day). Marinated Beets ($7) were refreshing. Meg, to whom we owe a debt of gratitude for introducing us to Athena, says the Fried Smelts ($7) are tasty too. It’s so nice to have out-of-the-ordinary menu selections available. And the servings are surprisingly large, great for sharing.
     The entrees don’t reach the sublime level of the appetizers, but for the most part they were good and reasonably priced. Meg and I split Moussaka ($13). It was as good as any I’ve had in Phoenix, but there was nothing to lift it out of the ordinary. Stewed green beans were served with all the entrees, and these were a nice foil for the richness of the moussaka. Ken had the Combination Plate ($15) which had Pastitsio, Moussaka, Dolmades with Avgolemono Sauce, and Roasted Leg of Lamb. I thought the lamb was 
overcooked (but that seems to be the norm for Greek restaurants) and tasted curiously liver-y. Pat was disappointed with her Greek Spaghetti ($12) which was way too salty.
     We were quite full, but Pat, being half Greek, felt we had to sample the Galaktoboureko, a filo and custard concoction. The custard was pasty, rather than
silky, and the lemon sauce needed some zest to wake it up. But it was nice to see something besides Baklava on the menu (in fact there were a number of Greek desserts). 
     I loved Athena’s decor. It’s happily over the top. There’s a statue of Athena centered in the doorway, an aqua back-lit frieze on one wall, a white bar framed with Greek columns. The white painted wooden chairs (which Ken said were not very comfortable) look great against the dark floor. The only jarring note is the two TV screens flanking the bar. If you go on Athena’s website you can get a virtual tour of the restaurant, and also check out the menu. 
     Our waiter Chris and his “shadow” were both very pleasant and seemed familiar with the menu. There was a huge amount of staff for the number of patrons, but better too many than too few. Given that Athena has been open only for a short time, I find it easy to overlook the shortcomings - in fact we’re planning to return this weekend. We’ll probably stick to the appetizers, but believe me, that’s no sacrifice!
Athena Greek Cuisine
7000 E. Mayo Blvd.    Phoenix     480-502-4466
athenagreekcuisine.com
daily, 11AM-midnights