Eating Arizona (Triple D Adventures in the Grand Canyon State) Part 3

After a full morning and early afternoon, I returned to the hotel near the Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport to relax for a few hours and watch a bit of the Washington Nationals first playoff game, but alas, Major League Baseball decided to put it on Fox Sports One, which is a new sport network carried by very few hotels and of course mine was not one of them!  I wanted to cool down a bit, too!  Even though it was early October, the weather was very hot in Phoenix!  The nice thing is that although it is hot it is dry, but as I have heard before, so is an oven. 

I made my way to my next stop and glanced at the thermometer in the car and this is what it read....

Early October!

Oh well, I am in the desert!

I headed back to an area right near Chase Field, where I had been just a few hours before, into an industrial area to one of the strangest and most outrageous places I have ever been to, "The Duce".  This place is part restaurant, part bar and totally crazy!  I told one of the staff that it sort of reminded me of a "honky tonk" like Billy Bob's in Fort Worth and she told me that they just call it a "mosh-ga-nosh", whatever that is? 

One Funky Joint

There really isn't a front door, there are several wall openings that lead throughout the place.  I entered in and wasn't greeted at all.  Most of the staff was setting up and getting ready for what would be a very busy Friday night  There were couches and tables and even a boxing ring and then I reached a pretty large bar and ordered a coke and asked how the place worked.  The bartender directed me out the back door to an area where the food is ordered and bordered by picnic style tables and a 1950s kitchen with a TV showing reruns of "Leave It To Beaver"!

1950s Kitchen showing "Leave It To Beaver"

The Duce's Food Ordering area

I went to the order food and asked the very friendly staff hostess about the menu and what they had made during the filming.  I do remember that during the filming they showed some of the impromptu boxing matches that they hold amongst the patrons.  She told me that they made on a dish that is the most popular item on the menu, so of course I had to order it.  It was a Chicken Pot Pie baked in a Mason Jar!  Mason Jars seem to be the most popular food and drink container throughout the place.  This is really an outdoor venue, even on the inside there seemed to be no air conditioner but a lot of ceiling fans.  I took an outdoor seat near the order area (they asked me what "alias" I wanted to use for my order and of course I used Guy, and showed her the book).  After a few minutes the meal came and it was delicious.  The jar was topped with a pie crust and the filling of chicken, vegetables and thick sauce was just right!

Mason Jar Chicken Pot Pie

The delicious filling

It was served piping hot, I could see why it was a favorite of the patrons.  The price was very reasonable and the portion size was pretty good, too!  As I finished and got ready to leave I had a hard time trying to get someone to sign the book!  It seems that all of the staff became bashful, but finally the manager signed it and the hostess put a big red lipstick kiss next too his signature, that is definitely a first for my Triple D book!

I headed north out of the city back to Glendale to a place that is about 50 yards from Haus Murphy's, where I visited just the night before.  "Il Piazza Al Forno" is a little bit of Italy in Glendale.

Il Piazza Al Forno in Glendale, Arizona

This is not a huge place but has a semi-open kitchen that features a Brick Oven imported from Milan, Italy.  They have a number of specialties but I couldn't decide between two meals that looked good to me.  One was the Pesto on homemade Linguini, the other was Cheese Ravioli.  I asked the very informative waiter what he recommended and he told me to try the Ravioli.  The meal was served with a bread basket.  There were about 6 large ravioli covered in a tomato cream sauce.  I took a bite into the ravioli and I had a flashback to my childhood.  My grandmother made homemade cheese ravioli and she made the best cheese filling.  My first bit brought me back to that and I have eaten a lot of cheese ravioli in the years since and I have never had that taste since.  I was able to talk with both the owner/chef and his wife and they seemed very moved when I told them about my grandmother's ravioli.

Cheese Ravioli and Tomato Cream sauce

Il Piazza Al Forno's bread service

I had the owners sign my book and off I went.  Right next door was a comic book store and I only mention it because "The Big Bang Theory" is one of my favorite shows and as I passed by I peered in to see if Sheldon, Leonard, Wolowitz, and Raj were there, but alas they weren't!

The Green Lantern

It's Superman - But no Sheldon!

I was done for the day and headed back to the hotel to prepare for my last day in Phoenix and to try a few more places.

I got up and out at about 730 and headed almost due south of the airport and after about a 20 minute drive arrived at "La Taquito's Grill".  It is located in a strip mall and there were a number of people in there when I arrived. 

I headed up to the counter and ordered the Breakfast Quesadilla.  As I waited for the meal, I noticed a lot of really cool Mexican art on the walls. 

La Toquito's cool wall art

My number was called and I got my food, which had been prepared for take-out, it seemed that even though they ask you if you want to eat it in, they prepare it to go except they put it on a tray.  The Quesadilla was cut into about 8 pieces and each was filled with eggs, cheese, bacon and sausage along with peppers and jalapenos.  It was very tasty and not too spicy, I really enjoyed it.

La Tosquito's Breakfast Quesadilla

After getting the hostess to sign my book I headed out to a town about 25 minutes drive east called Gilbert.  The place I went to was featured on an early season episode and is pretty unique place in it's own right; Welcome to "Joe's Farm Grill"!  Joe's is on an actually fully working farm and really looks a lot like a drive-in building that has inside seating built in, they also feature a large grove of picnic tables under some trees to create a very pretty and inviting place.

I knew that I had to something that was grown on the farm.  My friend, Tera, told me that her young daughter loved the Pancakes and Fruit, so I decided that was what I wanted.  I was hoping to meet Tera, her husband and daughter at Joe's, but they had just left for a trip and we just missed, oh well, maybe next time!

Joe's is a very busy place and while I was there the line grew from moderately long to very long!  They give you one of those pagers and it buzzes when your meal is ready.  After about 15 minutes my buzzer went off and I went to get my meal.  Four pancakes topped with Strawberries, Blackberries and Blueberries and whipped cream.  The pancakes were good and the fruit was great.  Knowing that the fruit was all local made it even better!

Joe's Pancakes and Fruit

The whole place is very cool.  Now, I don't write about the bathrooms very often, but these were pretty unique.  The one I used seemed to be themed.  There were two glass cases I the walls with a Barbie Doll in one and a G.I. Joe in the other, also there was a TV playing the old show from my youth, called "The Thunderbirds".  It was a kids action show that featured marionettes!  Brought back a lot of memories.  It was so busy that I was unable to find anyone to sign my book, which was a disappointment!  As I walked back to the car I saw a sign that I would definitely heed!  I really liked this place and if I can I would like to get back and try one of their lunches!

Joe's Farm Grill Outdoor seating area

No Problem, I am not touching the trees!

After a break back at the hotel, I headed to lunch, just a few miles from the hotel in Tempe, right next to the campus of Arizona State University (ASU), home of the Sun Devils.  "Curry Corner" is about a mile form the campus in a small strip mall and was doing a very busy lunch service.  I was led to a table just underneath a TV and guess what was showing??? Yep, "Diner's Drive ins and Dives" was on.  When the server came over I told him why I was there and showed him the book and pointed to the TV just above my head!  He gave me the rundown and I chose the Tikal Tandoori Chicken that came with a side of Naan bread. 

Tandoori Chicken looks like it would be very spicy, it is a fiery red color, but looks, in this case are deceiving.  There is a very mild heat and the taste was delicious.  The Naan was a perfect accompaniment.  Naan is a flat bread that is served all over the Middle East and India.  Many times he bread can be dry and crunchy, but not this time, it was warm and chewy.

Tandoori Chicken

Naan Bread

The prices here were extremely reasonable and the service was fast and friendly, if you like Indian food this is a very good place to try when you are in the Phoenix area.  I asked to get my book signed and the server took me back into the kitchen to get the Owner/Chef to sign it.  I love going into the kitchens and seeing the area where the "magic happens"!  She was very gracious and I was very appreciative. 

On the way back to the hotel I had to stop at the ASU book store to see if there were any cool shorts to buy.  Although I didn't find any, I did enjoy some of the phrases on the shirts.  Their symbol is Sparky the Sun Devil and his pitchfork.  My favorite phrase was "Fear The Fork!"

My last stop was for dinner at a place in North Phoenix.  I thought on a Saturday night it would be busy so I made sure I got there when it opened at 5p.  In a small shopping center is a place that is putting out some very good Italian food, "Giuseppe's on 28th".  It is a small place and I guess getting there early is the best bet because I was the only one there until shortly before I left.

I was seated at a small table and looked over the menu.  Now this place was more expensive than many of the other places I had visited, but they are pretty much a nice dinner restaurant.  I remembered that on the show the Chef and Owner spent a long time in Italy where he honed his culinary skills and also was a Cellist in the symphony there.  His specialty is Pasta Bolognese, so I knew that I had to try it.  The menu boasted that it is made with 7 types of meat and although it is a sauce, it is so thick it is almost like a spread.

Giuseppe's signature Pasta Bolognese

Pasta and Bread

It was very tasty and had real parmesan cheese on the table, which made it even better.  The pasta was a thick noodle almost like linguine, I think I would have liked a thinner noodle, but that is just my taste, it is worth trying and I can see why it is his specialty.  After having the chef sign my book, I headed out and back for a quick night before getting on an early fight back home.  The flight home was pretty uneventful, especially after the nerve wracking flight out to Phoenix and I was disappointed not to have been able to get to Albuquerque, but all in all it was a great trip and my DDD count is now 379!

Eating Arizona (Triple D Adventures in the Grand Canyon State) Part 2

I headed back south out of Prescott towards Phoenix passing the same great scenery.  When I left Prescott it was barely 50 degrees.  I made a stop at a rest area to program in some of my upcoming stops into the GPS and I noticed that the temp was now about 70 and I had dropped in elevation bout 1000 feet.  By the time I got to my first stop I had dropped about 3500 feet and the temp was in the mid 90s!

My first stop was in the northern part of Glendale at a place that looked like the classic silver diner so prevalent in New Jersey.  "Thee Pitts Again" is a barbecue joint nestled in the parking lot of a strip mall.  For lunchtime the parking lot was empty and I wasn't sure if it was open or not.  I was greeted and seated by the only person that seemed to be working there.  I am not sure where the other patrons had parked because there were about 10 to 15 others having lunch.

This is the classic barbecue joint menu and the owners have won a number of barbecue competitions.  Many of their ribbons and trophies are on display throughout the restaurant.  I chose the pulled pork sandwich with a side of barbecue beans.  The service there is very fast and friendly. 

My Pulled Pork Sandwich and Barbecue Beans Lunch

They provide a bottle of sauce on the table, but I didn't really need it as the sandwich came with sauce already on the meat.  I was a good sandwich, but a bit messy so I ate it with a fork and sort made the bread a side.  The beans were in a thick sauce with some pork shreds mixed in but there was a very heavy vinegar taste to it, I don't mind the taste of vinegar but to me this was a bit too much!  I was able to get the waitress to sign my book and what was really cool was instead of giving mints with the check they gave Jelly Belly jelly beans, very cool!  I headed off to my next stop, which I remembered was in a gas station.  I had programmed the place into my GPS and it came right up, but as I got to the place, there was gas station but it was closed!  Now I had researched the place online before the trip so I knew that it was still open.  Not sure what to do I decided to head to hotel I would be staying at and figure what to do next.

After checking in and taking a short rest, I headed out and realized that my reliance on the GPS was not the best idea, the place had moved and I got the new address and took it from there.  I headed to the town of Anthem on the northern side of Phoenix and found the place that had seemed so elusive in a upscale town center type of shopping area.  "Roberto's Real Authentic Mexican Food" looked like a very antiseptic fast food joint, but don't let the look fool you.  The name says "real authentic" and from my limited knowledge the name is right on the money!

I walked in and was greeted by Roberto himself.  I decided to try the Chiles Rellano ala carte.  This is one of the items that he cooked with Guy and I wanted to try it.  Roberto brought me some chips and salsa and he came over many times to chat with me about the time Guy was there and ask me about my travels.  He told me that they had recently moved from the gas station site they had been at and I told him that the GPS had the old location, he was glad to hear that so he could call the GPS companies and have them update their data base.

My Chile Rellano meal

Roberto and one of his cooks with me

As you know I am not the biggest fan of spicy and I thought that this might be on the spicy side, but WOW! it was very hot!  I soon figured out that all of the spice came from the pepper and it's seed (I think it may have been either an Anaheim or Poblano pepper).  I peeled the pepper back and ate the filling and sides and it was delicious.  I was so impressed with how much time Roberto gave me as it was pretty busy.  He signed my book and then we got a few pictures together and I was on my way.  This is a place that is a must when in the area!

More Pictures with Roberto

From there I headed back south towards Phoenix to one of the most unique places that Guy has been to.  Not that the two cuisines are unique, Mexican and Chinese are very common on Triple D, but to specialize in mixing the two is pretty unique, at least to me.  "Chino Bandido" is a Mexican-Chinese fusion carry-out.  There is a seating area and a lot of the patrons use it but it has a carry-out feel to it.  As you enter there are menu cards and you choose what you want and I think that all in all there are over 600 combinations to choose from.  I chose something small and the Jerk Fried Rice sounded interesting.  I got it to go, so I could go on to the next.  It was very good, the Jamaican spices mixed quite nice with the rice.  It s a very cool and popular place.

A Unique Combo Carry-Out

I headed to my last place for the day and went to the town of Glendale.  Glendale is a pretty big place, it is home to University of Phoenix Stadium, home of the Arizona Cardinals and the upcoming Super Bowl.  I went to the old town area home of numerous restaurants and bars.  It is a cool area, with inviting shops to check out.  I parked near by and went into "Haus Murphy's".  This is a little bit of Germany in the heart of the Phoenix area.  The place is decorated with photos, art work and memorabilia of Bavaria.

This place is also unique that it was not only on "Diners Drive ins and Dives" but was also on "Mystery Diners".  I asked my server about that and he said it was very hard to see all that went on with the family and was glad to have it behind them!  The menu is full with authentic German dishes and they all looked so good, but I decided to try a couple of appetizers that really caught my eye.  I chose the Sausage Sampler Platter and the Haus Cheese Tray.

Sausage Sampler Platter

The Sausage Platter had two sausages, a spicy beef sausage and a pork sausage and was accompanied by a bed of house made sauerkraut and had a side of spicy mustard, sweet mustard and curry ketchup.  The sausage were very tasty, I preferred the more mild pork sausage and the curry ketchup was a great side sauce.  The sauerkraut was delicious!

The Haus Cheese Tray

The cheese tray had 4 rolls and a cup of the house made soft German cheese accompanied with vegetables.  The gherkins and pearl onions had a very vinegar taste to them.  The cheese was sharp and tasty and rolls very soft.  All in all I think I made a great choice!  After having the server sign my book I took off and went back to the hotel for the night, I had another couple of days to go and try some new places!

After another good day I headed out very early because my next place was notorious for being small and very popular.  Despite the name "Matt's Big Breakfast" is not big!  I arrived a few minutes before it opened at 630a and the place looked shut down.  Now I know that this wasn't the case as just about everywhere I stopped someone mentioned Matt's.  There was a sign on the door, Matt's had moved, but only about 100 yards down the street and there were already people waiting to enter!  I am not sure how many the old place held but after I was seated I did a quick count and figures the new place held about 50 seats!

Matt's Big Breakfast - the old location

Matt's new location about 100 yards south

Wall art!

I was seated and pretty much knew what I wanted as it had been featured on the show.  The prices were very reasonable throughout the entire menu and I chose the platter called "Chop and Chick".  Pork Chop with eggs and hash browns served with real thick sourdough toast and blueberry preserves.  Within a few minutes of opening the places was almost totally full!  

"Chop and Chick" Breakfast

Sourdough Toast and Blueberry preserves

I am not a fan of eggs so I really didn't much of them but the pork chop which is marinated in a pesto like mix was great and the sourdough was real west coast stuff.  In the east we seem to get thick toast and it's called sourdough, but this was the real thing!  I can't say enough about the staff, they were friendly and efficient, always smiling and making everyone feel at home, they seemed to exceed the needs of the patrons.  I did get he owner to sign my book but she was so busy that I didn't get to talk to her.

I headed through the city to another breakfast place called "Over Easy".  I was really surprised when I arrived as it was in a shopping center and looked nothing like it did on the episode.  The symbol was the same, but that was about it.  I sat a small table and looked over the menu and decided to try the malt waffle with real maple syrup.

The Over Easy Malt Waffle

As I was waiting the owner saw my book and asked me about it and when I told her what I was doing we got to chatting about other places in the area that were on the show, the filming and my travels.  She told me that since the filming 6 years ago they had moved from the original location that had been the very first Taco Bell in Arizona, built in 1962 and I told her that I thought that it had been a Taco Bell, but I didn't want to come right out and ask it (I had been trying to figure how they had filmed it in their current location and made it look that way).  I also got to meet her husband and co-owner and they told me that it was their son who had cooked with Guy.  I remembered most that he had a very unique "Jazz Hands" salute to Guy.

I headed out for a break.  One of the things I really enjoy is touring stadiums and ball parks and I was staying very close to Chase Field, home of the Arizona Diamondbacks.  It was a very cool tour.  Chase Field, which was originally called Bank One Ballpark is still known among many as "The BOB".  It was the first stadium to have retractable roof over real grass and one of the features is the swimming pool suite in the outfield.  Let's get 35 of us together and rent the suite for a game!  It costs $3500 and includes 35 tickets, food, drink, towels and a great view from the pool!  I won't bore you with all the stats but want to show you some of pictures I took during the tour

The BOB

2001 World Series Champions Trophy

Team Symbol on the opened retractable roof

The other side of the roof

The Pool Suite

Home Dugout and Dugout Suite

The Randy Johnson hanging bar used by Johnson to relieve back pains during his time in Airizona

In the Dugiut

After the tour I went off to try a few more places before taking a rest.  I headed north of the stadium to a very cool place in a part of town that is home to a large Mexican population.  My next stop was "Barrio Café".  I entered what looked like a plain place at first entry, but it turned out to be very nice.  Linen napkins and silver service on the tables, very nice.

Very cool wall art

I decided to try the Pork Torta.  It is a sandwich that included  a huge chopped type of salad and bread service with a tomato and olive tapenade.  The pork was marinated in spices and cooked in banana leaves and topped with pickled onions and vegetable salsa.  Everything was delicious!  The staff was very friendly and accomdating

My Torta at the Barrio Café

Barrio Café Bread Service

I would have to say that the prices there are a bit higher than I would like, but the food is very good and the staff was very nice.  I was able to get the chef to sign my book and I headed to Scottsdale to my last stop before taking a break.  In a little strip mall on Scottsdale Road is a place called "DeFalco's Italian Deli and Grocery".  This place was doing a booming business for lunch, making Italian sandwiches and meals and all kinds of deli salads.  It also had a small hopping area and I decided to take advantage of that!  I bough a couple of items to take with me to have for my snack on the flight home.

Some of the deli salads that they make at DeFalco's

This place is so full of items in a small area that the line and seating area for meals are part of the store!  With that I headed off the hotel to rest and relax before heading out for my next adventure.  My DDD count was now at 373!