We woke up today & needed to go to the post office to mail away my niece's 2nd birthday gift: here's a shout out to our lil 2yr old, J.Snow! Since we were up around 7th ave & Indian School we decided to head north a few hundred yards & hit up TWO HIPPIES BREAKFAST JOINT!
I went with the pomegranate flavored lemonade $3. This thing is amazing! They use the old fashion ice that is small & crunchy. The drink is wonderful & highly recommended! I wish they did a refill on these, it goes by way too quick for me...
The wife ordered a Breakfast Bowl which comes with 3 scrambled hippie eggs, has browns, & 2 halves of homemade toast $6 & they allow you to choose 6 toppings as well for your bowl/scramble. She went with the feta cheese, onion, tomato,
After she ordered I was flabbergasted by the offer for an egg scramble for $6 so I went for it also. I decided to go a bit different w/ my 6 toppings of choice however: Onion, Roasted Garlic, Provolone Cheese, Chorizo, Bacon, & Sausage! THE BEST EGG SCRAMBLE I'VE EVER HAD IN MY LIFE! Garlic with Provolone & Chorizo? I thought I had died & gone to hippie heaven for sure... The taters were nondescript but the bread with butter & jam was fabulous & will be hit up time & time again!
Before concluding our order we noticed something called the "HOT JAM SANDWICH" $5 & thought it sounded good so we went for it. It's a stuffed french toast type of contraption; has apricot spread with some type of sweet cream cheese in the middle than grilled like french toast. They give you some powered sugar on top, some butter to spread on top, & some maple syrup so you've got all the bases covered. If you're wondering if we used all the stuff they gave us the answer is an obvious YES! We each had about half & had once again thought we had died & gone to TWO HIPPIE HEAVEN this time! Talk about a "WOW JOINT" this was far out FoSho... Who usually has desert with their breakfast? I guess we're now "That Couple", why not, right? We're soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo groovy after all...
VENUE & LOCATION: 10 out of 10. Fun spot, old dining room feel, tables & chairs are straight out of a dump pile but that's their M.O. here. They have the most random junk all over the walls, comic books, 30yr old posters, advertising gimmicks, etc. Some of it is quite funny actually, where they found it I couldn't even begin to wonder! Location is just north of Indian School on 7th ave on the Melrose curve. I've driven by this strip mall hundreds of times not noticing anything in there but now will be back to enjoy it almost weekly!
VALUE & SERVICE: 8 out of 10. I'd say the PHood for the money was good. The way the PHood tasted & got us full was great! The over all bill was $22.78 for 2 adults & 2 bird eating type kids... We had 1 soda can $1. We had a lemonade $3. We had our loaded toast sandwich $5 & we had 2 egg bowls $6 each. It was a lot of PHood for sure, for the money not bad at all. Service wasn't anything special, felt a little rushed while ordering as it was packed, long line, & didn't know what we wanted to order. Asked the guy up front to help us & he was kind but definitely in a bit of a hurry. Great Value! Decent/Good Service.
COMFORT: 9 out of 10. If you're a 1 or 2 it's going to be a 10. If you've got kids such as we do it'll be fun maneuvering yourself around some of the decorations inside. It was nice since we grabbed the back table & had plenty of room, once we sat down of course. Like I said earlier, the seats, tables, booths, etc. were either given to them for free or salvaged from a 10yr old salvage yard. Not knocking it, just mentioning it so you know it's not going to be like "Good Egg" or any other upper end restaurant you may like eating at. The PHood is served HOT & on plastic plates, you eat with plastic utensils. Not a big deal, like I said, it's the M.O. there, but do be careful when getting PHood from counter & taking to your table, it's HOT & plastic plates don't insulate much.
OVER ALL: A+ for breakfast! Comfortable, well priced, perfect location as it's not in a supermarket parking lot or way too small like Matt's lame breakfast. I'll take out of town visitors here for sure & I'd order my egg scramble again & again! Maybe YOU order my scramble & tell me how it tasted... LEAVE A COMMENT & TELL ME WHAT YOU ATE HERE! Hope ya love tha grooooooovey JOINT! ;)
So we have a few favorites that are not exactly hole in the walls but still tastes like grandma cooked it back on the ranch. We went to Scottsdale & let the lil'gurl run around the Fashion Square Mall for a bit. Z-Tejas was our choice a few nights ago! The wife wanted a strawberry pina colada extra blended $5. This was fantastic. It tasted correct & was decent size for the price! They offer tons of different drink options to choose from so we were very happy to enjoy some good stuff!
Z-Tejas offers free cornbread after you order your meal. They serve it piping hot in the tin, w/ knife, & honey butter. I always ask for an extra honey butter side because it's so dang good & I don't like cornbread unless it's moist! This is wonderful & they'll give you a 2nd one if you ask, so make sure you do... ;)
The wife went with the Jerk Chicken Salad Mixed greens tossed with sesame-ginger dressing and topped with jerk chicken strips, Roma tomatoes, crispy tortilla strips and feta cheese $11.59. This is one of our favorite salads in this world! It's light enough where you don't feel like you've got to "Roll Out" of the restaurant but it's also filling enough so you don't have to get a snack on your way home either. The greens they use are super fresh, crispy, & a perfect mix with the chicken. The feta is not overwhelming & goes very well with the sesame-ginger dressing they offer!
I decided on the Z’ Burger 8 oz. burger served with lettuce, red onion, tomato and jalapeño mayonnaise. 9.49 w/ cheese .50. The fries I chose were the 1/2 sweet potato 1/2 Z'fries as the side. The bun they use is some type of a Hawaiian sweet bread bun & is truly phenomenal every time I've eaten the "Z'Burger" and with cheese added might be one of the best burgers for the money around! I highly recommend this if you're craving a burger & are around the Scottsdale mall.
VENUE & LOCATION: 10 out of 10. Located in the mall & being a brand new (7yrs old or so but very clean) type of restaurant allows me to give a 10 out of 10 here! Valet your car by Crate & Barrel, walk across the street there, in the doors, & get a table @ Z-TEJAS! Enough said!
VALUE & SERVICE: 9 out of 10. The wait staff is very friendly, offer refills often, & the PHood was served with good timing. Value is great considering what you'd pay in Scottsdale at another spot for the same type of PHood! Give it a try, the menu is vast & worth a shot!
COMFORT: 9 out of 10. We had a stroller w/ us as we always do @ the mall & they took good care of us allowing us to put it aside. They also took care of us with 5 people, 2 of which needed highchairs. The dining room is spacious & clean! The tables are correct size & chairs are new & comfortable. This was a very comfortable experience for sure!
OVERALL: A+ Great service, Great PHood, Great experience! Give it a whirl & you won't be disappointed!
We spent 9 days in San Diego & have missed reviewing our local restaurants. I found myself absolutely craving one of my old weekly stops so I decided to take the family for a fun late lunch. We drove over to The Capital Grille located @ the Biltmore Fashion Park & parked in the front spot right by the valet.
Our lil'gurl had to take a picture with her crackers that was served as soon as we sat down. They also serve piping hot rolls as well in the same basket. These crackers are huge & entertaining for the kids, if in fact you even take kids to The Capital Grille...
As I have done about 25 times I went with my usual Ribeye Steak Sandwich with Caramelized Onions and Havarti w/ cream spinach as my side $18. I absolutely crave this sandwich & find myself often driving over to the "Grille" just to quench the craving! The roll is soft but pointed in taste, the onions are caramelized perfectly, & the steak is easily a $20 steak as a dinner entree later in the evening! The wife has never once tried cream spinach at other venues such as Ruth's Chris or Morton's but did @ the "Grille" & absolutely loved it! My kids loved it also & it was fun to watch a 3yr old & an 8 month old eat it.
The wife went with The Grille’s Signature Cheeseburger with Truffle Fries A Blend of Chopped Sirloin, Smoked Bacon and Sweet Onions $16. Amazing in every way for sure! The burger is one of a kind with all it offers & the fries offer many different type of tastes. The burger was cooked perfectly & the kids loved sharing with mom on this plate as well...
The fries are covered in spices & oils & are so very tasty. They'll also give you any type of "DIP" you desire, we went with a few, fry sauce, honey mustard, & some type of sweet & sour mix they offer. Give this a try sometime, it's wonderful...!
VENUE & LOCATION: 10 out of 10. Venue is a white tablecloth type of spot, very "Frank Sinatra" type of place; It's great! Parking is now paid parking but they'll validate it for you if needed. I choose to park in my "Secret spot" where I don't have to walk far nor pay for parking, we'll keep this my lil'secret for now however...
VALUE & SERVICE: 8 out of 10. If you're looking for the dollar menu this is not the place. However if you're looking for a "Presidential type lunch" this is certainly an option for sure! The service is a 10 out of 10 but the $50 lunch is sometimes too pricey for what you get. I'm not complaining as I love this place but it is sometimes costly & may feel like the value isn't exactly always there...
COMFORT: 10 out of 10. I usually sit at the bar if I'm alone, I can talk w/ other businessmen, watch ESPN, & get refills quickly by the gal who usually is always there bar-tending. If I'm with a party I usually pick table #2 in the bar area but over by the windows. It's very private & gives you great room to spread out. I love either location & would gladly choose these 2 spots over a normal table in the main room. I've never been uncomfortable while dining @ "The Grille"...
OVERALL: A+ Amazing PHilling PHood, tip top service, & amazing location for those who live downtown, in Central/South Scottsdale, or Arcadia. This is one of my favorite places, even though it's not a hole in the wall, in the entire country! ABSOLUTELY LOVE IT & WOULD RECOMMEND IT TO ANYONE & EVERYONE!!!
The old man offered to take us out for some tasty yet affordable PHood the other night so we al decided on TEXAZ GRILL. On the NE corner of 16th St. & Bethany Home is (what looks like) a 100yr old strip mall of shops. TEXAZ is located on the corner of the little mall & famous for it's eclectic wall coverings, quality food, & affordable prices.
With each of our meals we got a salad. They have a house dressing that is mustard vinaigrette & a very good ranch as well. These salads are fresh! They use good lettuce, not wilted "Give Away Lettuce" like other restaurants that offer a complementary salad with your meal.
The wife ordered the chicken kabob Four chicken breast fillets skewered with mushrooms, onion, bell pepper, tomato and a little seasoned salt with mash patatoes w/ gravy $12. The chicken is so PHlavorPHul & juicy, the veggies are crispy & PHresh! If I were going for lunch I'd get this meal almost every time myself, it's a good amount of PHood, fresh, & filling.
I decided to go with the BBQ SPECIAL with 3 BBQ ribs, 3 slices of brisket, & 1 hot link; it also had mashed potatoes w/ gravy $16. I only ate half of this meal but but it was delicious! The BBQ sauce was homemade & incredible. A little watery compared to store bought BBQ sauce but the flavor was on point! The meat on the ribs was soft, fell off the bone, & tasted great, especially dipped in the sauce. The brisket was a bit over cooked & stiff. The hot link was certainly spicy! It was the 2nd best thing on the plate after the ribs. I also love the gravy @ TEXAZ! I usually get an extra side of it $1 to have w/ the potatoes & this time was no different, I did split the side with the old man for his taters also...
The old man is famous for ordering things while he's out that he wouldn't normally make or eat @ home. He did the FRIED catfish $12 & loved it! It's been coined the BEST CATFISH IN THE VALLEY up til now from the old man. It was light & flaky in all the right ways. The amount was enough to eat 1/2 there & take 1/2 home. Make sure if you order this you use the lemon squeeze they give you, it's not the same without it! What a great plate here, ESPECIALLY FOR THE PRICE!
VENUE & LOCATION: 9 out of 10. A 1 of a kind type of hole in the wall. The location is very easy to access from all areas, the venue has stuff on the walls that has been there for over 20yrs, the venue is old but fun to look at! Parking isn't exactly a strong suit nor is the waiting area if you've got a long wait. If it's not packed it's not a big deal, if it's packed you'll know before you park. There is only 15-20 parking spots in the entire strip mall.
VALUE & SERVICE: 10 out of 10!!!! The PHood is worthy of double the costs, it's fresh, hot when served, marinaded wonderfully, filling, & just flat out good! The service is friendly & good! I don't normally give a 10 out of 10 but this was deserving of a 10!
COMFORT: 9 out of 10. If being surounded by cluttered walls & good PHood isn't your thing than TEXAZ isn't your place. If you like PHood that would be cooked @ some type of ranch cookout in TEXAS or ARIZONA than this is the 1st place you need to go to in PHOENIX! The seats & booths are older than the word "TEXAZ" & are nothing special, the small dining room is really tight but you'll get over it & understand the PHood is worth the lack of true comfort here!
OVER ALL: "A" Gotta go to TEXAZ if you want a good fresh dinner for a good price!
GIVE IT A SHOT BUT PLEASE DON'T TELL EVERYONE, WE DON'T WANT TOO MANY PEOPLE EATING THERE & MAKING OUR WAIT TOO LONG!
http://texazgrill.com/
We were really craving some solid hole in the wall Mexican PHood so we headed up to the SW corner of McDowell & 16th street & went to La Cocina Mexican Food Restaurant.
When we walked in we were greeted with by 2 friendly ladies who walked us through the menu, which has pictures on it so you know what you're ordering, & were pleased to see that they had Apple Soda as well!
We requested some chips & helped ourselves to their salsa bar w/ sliced cucumbers. One of the ladies also made us some of their "Special Salsa" (black bowl) which was tasty & mild. The chips were so hot when they were served & after adding some salt were PHabulous!
The wife ordered the 5 tacos for $5 special. They're mini tacos with double corn tortillas. These had good quality chicken with good seasoning. They were served warm & had some onion mix on them as well. The wife said she'd certainly get these again & was impressed with how filling they were (3.5 of them) with out being overwhelmingly stuffed. It was a relatively lite dinner she said...
I went with the Pastor Plate $6.95, served with rice, beans (w/ cheese), pico, guacamole, & a few PHlour tortillas. The marinade was great & I was impressed with my own little tacos w/ the beans, pico, guac, & meat... It was wonderPHul PHood PHor sure, especially for the price!
VENUE & LOCATION: 8 out of 10. It was very clean, a little older in decor (but after all you're not going to a place like this for decor), & the building was spacious inside. The location is great, especially if you're coming from the north, west, or south. If you're coming from the east valley you'll have to get off on the 51, then McDowell or get up to 7th st & back track to the SW corner of McDowell & 16th st.
VALUE & SERVICE: 9 out of 10. As good as you'd need for a place like this. The ladies went above & beyond for us. Helped us through our orders, made us some special salsa, brought our PHood to us (rather than calling our order up), cleaned our table, etc. Value was good as well, This type of PHood in Scottsdale @ a nicer place could have been $25+ total. I'd give them an A on V&S for sure!
COMFORT: 8 out of 10. Not the most secure area necessarily, nothing to be afraid of either. The inside was spacious but fast food feeling, which it kinda sorta is I guess... Still very good, just explaining what we noticed here.
OVER ALL: A-
Good PHood.
Good Location.
Good spot to hit up, monthly perhaps!
