Dylan-Dylan-Dylan's AZ Restaurant Thread

[thewoodenman]

just wanted to pop in here and say that i hit up four peaks on the way through mesa recently. the nachos were fucking awesome!

[westcoastpirate]

Has anyone been here?

http://www.publichousegarage.com/home.php

It's right up the street from our house so I want to check it out.

[dyltr0n3030]

my name is dylan. and that is what caught my attention to this thread.

[PapaDill]

my name is dylan. and that is what caught my attention to this thread.

ditto

[denies the day]

Dylan - it was affordable. I think 7 or 8 bucks for the movie tickets (it was a matinee, so I'm not sure if the prices change), and 4 - 7 for a beer. Not sure how much the food was, but I'm sure it wasn't expensive.

Oh, and it's on 2nd street and Garfield.

FilmBar is actually on 2nd Street and McKinley. The movies are all cheaper than what you'd pay at any multiplex, sometimes they're free. Downtown DJs play in the theater on First Fridays and Sundays after 9 pm. The staff are all incredible people who truly love cinema and if you're sitting at the back tables or on the sides during a film they'll bring you booze, too. Can't wait to see 13 Assassins here this month.

Dunno if it's been mentioned here before but Pino's on 1st Avenue and Thomas is excellent Italian food.

[I.F.A.]

^ Ah, I always get those streets downtown confused.

I'm actually not a huge fan of Pino's. The pizza is okay, but when I've had their pasta it's been a little blah. And the salads are overpriced. But, that's just me.

[Mr. Dylanja]

my name is dylan. and that is what caught my attention to this thread.

ditto

My thread, bitches.

[Stackamynutz]

I read the first couple of pages and it makes me wish Tucson was much closer to Phoenix so I didn't have to drive 2 hours to get some of this great food I'm reading about. However, since the title has AZ and not just Phoenix, I'll contribute with some of my more southern than thou favorites:

Zin Burger - Great "gourmet" burgers made with fancier-grade meats than most burger places. They also serve wine and it's good a cool atmosphere to the place. Zucchini fries? Yeah, they got 'em. They also have great truffle fries and a banana cream pie that will make you wish you hadn't eaten so much good food already.

La Mesa Tortilla - The smallest menu I've seen outside of a roach coach (and some roach coaches have larger menus), but the food is delicious and eating with the smell of their fresh-made tortillas all around you is hard to beat. Their Jalapeno tortillas are pretty amazing - get a quesedilla made with them and your tastebuds will be thanking you.

Rocco's Little Chicago - First off, don't go here when you're hungry; go an hour before you're going to be hungry as it's not fast. Secondly (and more importantly) the Chicago-style deep dish pizza is awesome. The "Kitchen Sink" recipe is my favorite, but I've had lots of topping combinations and none have been less than stellar. Have you ever heard of hot bread? It's like vegetarian hot wings and I can't eat here without ordering them. My wife has had some of their pastas and she gives 'em two thumbs up. Also some of the most filling food I've had, so keep that in mind when deciding what size to order (I take down a whole medium pizza from Dominos, but I usually can only have 2 slices of Rocco's before I have to throw in the towel).

Cafe Poca Cosa - Some of the best flavors that have ever been in my mouth came from their kitchen. A little bit more up-scale than the most places, but not suit & tie. Their menu is written daily based upon what fresh ingredients they can get, so it's not likely you'll see the same items very often. If you can't decide what items to choose from they offer a sort of chef's pick plate which comes with 3 of the items on the menu and each combination is different (so if you and someone else order it you won't get the same 3 things on each plate). Also, the amount of food you get is enough for most people to share. Well worth it.

[mountmccabe]

My thread, bitches.

Dude. It says "Dylan" three times in the thread title.

[Mr. Dylanja]

Touche.

[amyzzz]

...so it's only fitting that 3 Dylans show up.

[M Sparks]

Went to La Piazza Al Forno. I haven't been to Bianco, so I can't compare, but it was pretty great. The crust was a little too "floppy", you couldn't really pick it up to eat, but man were the edges of the crust delicious and chewy. Absolutely zero wait (it was half empty), quick service, and 3 of us got out of there for $40 including a healthy tip. (But we didn't have wine, obviously.) We got an Italian Meats pie and a White Pie, both were great.

[Mr. Dylanja]

Thanks for the review Marc. What's with the floppy crust? Are we talking fold-and-eat type slices? How can people prefer that? Crunchy is so uncomparably better.

[sin213]

i thought bianco's pizza was "floppy" as well...tried to pick up a slice and it just dangled and all the toppings were sliding off. had to fold or use two hands.

brick's pizza was good too. not as good as bianco, but no wait at all and probably almost as good. so in my book, that makes it better than bianco.

[M Sparks]

I had to fold slightly (or eat with a fork), but they are small. Not like folding a giant NY style slice.

The chewy edges made up for it.

[Timestretch]

HAVE WE TALKED ABOUT STOCKYARDS?!

http://www.stockyardssteakhouse.com/

my dad used to go to this place as a kid when there were actual stockyards. if you're looking for a decent steak without getting too fancy, this is the place.

They have free ground chuck sliders M-F for happy hour. Good if you get them when they are fresh. Beers are about $4. I've never splurged on the steaks, though. $85 for the BeefnReef!

I just saw Franks-A-Lot hot dogs is still open on 40th and Washington. Haven't been there in about 8 years.

As others have said, Ritos (14th st. & Garfield), Carolinas (Mojave & 12th st.) and La Condesa (16th st. N. of McDowell) for great-cheap Mexican food. The mango pork and Oaxacan chicken tacos at Condesa are awesome.

Time to try some of the many suggestions on this thread

[I.F.A.]

I tried the new restaurant by the owners of Postino which opened this month. It's called Windsor (& Churn - Churn being an ice cream parlor next door).

Sat at the bar and had a small pitcher, which was only $5. Don't know if that's just a lunch hour special or what, but great deal. Same price as their pint. I had the kale Caesar salad (quite tasty, though the greens weren't quite chilled enough for it to get the highest marks) and fried okra (I love that they have this on the menu). The halibut bahn mi, of which I stole a bite from my dining partner, was also pretty tasty.

The service was a bit slow for a lunch spot, but I'll definitely be going back again. Would be a really good drink-after-work type spot (especially if the $5 small pitchers are an all day thing), though I'm not sure if they have HH specials. I also need to try the ice cream.

http://www.thehotsheetblog.com/2011/...windsor-churn/

[sin213]

had lunch today at the CherryBlossom Noodle Cafe at 10th st/Camelback.

it was a nice place inside, not too many tables, but not too crowded either.

i had the Hatakata ramen with inari lunch special and it was really good. i dont have anything for comparison, as there aren't any places around that serve ramen. but i'll be going back to try the udon as well...which i can compare with a few places. the inari wasn't anything too special...i've definitely had better, which makes me a little hesitant to try their sushi items.

[Mr. Dylanja]

Dude, I can literally walk to CherryBlossom's in 2mins from my work

[sin213]

yeah? next time i head over there i'll hit you up!

[I.F.A.]

Cherry Blossom is awesome. My favorite thing on the menu is the calamari salad. Their pad thai is also really good.

And the sushi is definitely not the greatest. Stick to the noodle dishes.

[insbordnat]

Zaytoon Kabob Bistro - Tatum and Greenway. Really good, authentic Persian kabob joint. I haven't seen much solid Persian in the valley, so this was a nice surprise. A little spendy (only one kabob on the "entree" plate) but with everything (salad or rice/pita/meat) you'll be filled. 2 of us spent $27 for a feast of chicken kabob, lamb kabob, rice, salad, sauteed eggplant, and tabboleh.

[faxman75]

The best BBQ I have had in Arizona was my dinner yesterday at Joe's Real BBQ in Gilbert. I got the sampler which included brisquit, pork slices a piece of chicken and 2 ribs. It also came with two sides and I got the mac n' cheese and cheesy potatoes. To drink I got home made root beer and it was the best root beer I have ever had, drank two full cups (I never drink soda so this was a treat). I also filled a couple of cups with their habanero bbq sauce. All for $15. The flavor of everything was just fantastic, it's pecan smoked bbq.



http://joesrealbbq.com/

Next up is this place that i've heard so much about but have yet to try. The same owner as the bbq and all farm fresh food. I just have to figure out when to make the trek out to Gilbert again, this place is a bit further.

http://joesfarmgrill.com/

[Timestretch]

Let's just call 'em all Berto's.


I would be interested in hearing everybody's favorite wing's for those that eat them. I looooove me some chick'n wangs.

My favorite wings are at Oregano's although I don't like their pizza. The wings are a good size, have a good heat to them, all white meat, and all drums. Their crisp enough, but not the crispiest I've had. The medium wings are more of a dry rub so I had them add some of the honey mustard sauce to them (see picture).

Native New Yorker in Tempe use to have good wings ages ago. Now they are small, overpriced, and sometimes cold.

Long Wongs (on Thomas) tends to just flash fry their wings and serve them in a soup of oily wingsauce. The meat does not seem to be high quality.

[chairmenmeow47]

the long wongs on mill used to be superior to all other long wongs. i like native new yorker, but that's probably because they are cheap i also like streets of new york.

[Mr. Dylanja]

Oh, I'm glad you guys bumped this, because my search is over...



Zipps' Golden Medium - best wings in town.





I promise. HH 3-7 and 8-11 = double win.

[locachica73]

I have had them there, yes, they are good. Have you tried Brennen's yet? It is pretty close to you and they have some of the best wings I have had. Honey medium for the win.

[locachica73]

Also, Monday's they have 35cent wings and $5 pitchers of domestic beer.

[LickTheLizzard]

venezia's gold medium wings are good.

[NachoCat]

Venezias also has some of the best pizza in town. MMMMMMMMMMMM im hungry