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.

Thank you gods

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

A New Meaning for Southern Italian

Face it, there aren’t too many places where you can get fried okra, hushpuppies and lasagna on the same plate. Probably you wouldn’t want to, but at The Italian Spoon you can. Also fried catfish, gyros and a breakfast burrito. We discovered the Spoon while combing through Restaurant.com for their latest deals. It’s not a place you’d likely find on your own, since it’s tucked away in the corner of an office complex on East Redfield Road, just west of Hayden.

Hours are from 9AM to 4PM Monday through Friday, so they’re clearly there to service the office trade. There’s loads of “for lease” signs up, but the Spoon was doing a fair business at lunchtime while we were there. Prices are quite reasonable, portions are big, and our food was good. We stuck with the Italian dishes, although we did get an order of hushpuppies ($2.65). They weren’t up to Restaurant 28 standards, but you can’t expect miracles. I had an eggplant parmesan plate ($10.25) which came with a whopping side of pasta. The eggplant was beautifully cooked, thinly sliced, not heavily breaded and very tender. My only complaint was with the sauce, which was too thin and not well seasoned. Ken had baked ziti with ricotta and mozzarella ($7.75). Every forkful had strings of melty cheese dripping down. We brought home at least half of our lunch.

The reason that there are southern specials on the menu is because the family owns a second restaurant, a fish and chips place called Mandy Fish, at 24th Street and Jefferson. Codfish and catfish, as well as shrimp are available at the Spoon. There’s pizza, which looked quite good, and some salads. Oops, I forgot about the calamari and clam strips. I’ve left out a number of items, but this is a menu you have to see for yourself. Unfortunately there’s no website, and the menu on Restaurant.com is woefully lacking. So if you’re in the area at lunch time, stop by.

The Italian Spoon

7950 E. Redfield Rd. (N.E. corner of 79th St. and Redfield)

480-596-5119

Monday - Friday 9 - 4

Let them eat fries

I went to Sapna Cafe expecting (and even wanting) to dislike it. These are some of the things I read about it that really turned me off:

“winsome”

“healthy, globally inspired food”

“funky”

Even the name Sapna (which in English has an ugly ring to it) means “dream”. All of this added up to something which in my mind was, please excuse more quotation marks, “hippie precious”.

The ambiance served to underscore my feelings. There are gauzy Indian prints hanging from the window tops, and insubstantial tables and chairs crowded into the little pie-shaped space, which appropriately enough is in the old Bragg’s Pie Factory building on Grand Ave. So, too, the menu which is very small, weird, and “organic”.

Breakfast is served from 7 - 11 and includes omelets, scrambles and tofu with veggies. At lunch there are a few quesadillas, one with brie and onion marmalade, another with blue cheese and tomato marmalade ($5 each). There are panini ($7) such as croque monsieur (without the sauce), and brie with pears and walnuts. A number of salads are served. Ken had one of the rotating specials, eggplant, garbanzos, and couscous on field greens (the salads are also $7). He loved it. A lentil salad with onion, carrots, zucchini and red pepper also comes on field greens. I understand the tabbouleh is very popular.

To drink: there’s hot or cold mint tea, ginger lemonade, homemade orangeade with pomegranate and orange flower water, and a few other things - most strangely, gazpacho, served in a glass with a straw. It’s kind of amusing to drink because bits of vegetable keep clogging up the straw so you either get to suck it up really hard, or blow it out while trying to keep all the liquid in the glass. There are usually two or three desserts to choose from.

Now, I’m sure you can tell from my tone that I’m still not happy. And this is despite the fact that I enjoyed my panini (it was so big I took half home and ate it for dinner). The service was excellent. When Ken mentioned that he doesn’t like cilantro, our waitress made sure that his food was free of it, and offered to substitute parsley. We commented to her that our chocolate pie, while quite tasty, would have been better with whipped cream, she said that next time we should just ask, and it would be given (homemade, not canned). So what explains my grouchiness? I don’t know, maybe if it was called “unhealthy, globally inspired food” I’d feel better. Or if there were french fries.

So don’t let me keep you away. You really should try Sapna Cafe. If only they’d name it something else!!!

Sapna Cafe

1301 Grand Ave. at McKinley Phoenix

602-254-6726

Mon. - Fri. 7 - 7, Sat. 10 - 7, closed Sunday in the summer

I suggest you call and check the hours before you go.

There seems to be no website