Ever the slaves to mass media, Tara and I decided to try Stacy's Smokehouse Friday night. Michelle Laudig gave it a really good review in the current New Times and it sounded too good to pass up. Stacy's is located on the NW corner of Indian School and 17th St. We nearly missed it and had to turn quick before I drove past. The tiny parking lot was full and I had to squeeze Tara's Camry between the curb and a sweet Audi Cabriolet.
We entered the bright purple building from the rear entrance and were immediately hit by the saliva-inducing aroma of good smoked BBQ. A bunch of people were sitting in plastic chairs that lined the short hallway, waiting for their to-go orders. The main room is somewhat small, with five tables (four four-tops and a very wobbly two-top) and all but the two-top were taken. You order at the counter and the menu is written on a large chalkboard above the entry to the open kitchen area. The very busy but friendly lady at the counter also pointed out paper copies of the menu that definitely saved us some neck pain.
Judging by the aromas, I figured it would be hard to go wrong. After looking over the extensive menu, I decided to get a half-rack of pork ribs, a piece of white meat fried chicken, onion rings, and an Orange Crush. Tara got rib tips, beans, cornbread, and a Coke. As I was paying, an older guy looked like he was going to take the last table, so had Tara scurry over and snag it. Our order came to about $27. The lady handed me the drinks and I sat down at the two-top with Tara to wait.
It was quite chilly in the dining room and Tara was turning a bit blue as we were sitting under a ceiling fan going about 200 mph. I leaned on the table and nearly catapulted Tara's Coke into her. The table top was loosely secured to the base by four small nails that weren't pounded all the way in. Eventually a couple at a table near us left and after it was bussed, we jumped over to it.
Our food seemed to be taking quite a while, but we also noticed a constant stream of to-go orders coming out. After about 1/2 an hour, a table that was there before us got their food and ours came out immediately after.
First out was Tara's rib tips, cornbread, and beans, along with my onion rings topped with a great-looking piece of fried chicken. Tara's tips were good, but she said the little white cartilage pieces grossed her out. The beans were ok. They reminded me of canned baked beans. She really liked the cornbread. She thinks the rib tips were probably really good for what they are, but that she just ordered badly. Rib tip fans will probably love them.
The fried chicken was excellent. Moist, perfectly fried, and a bit crunchy. I was able to take a nice big bite and loved it. Tara tried it and wished she'd gotten a few pieces instead of her tips. The onion rings were very sweet but not too crunchy. They were good, but I wished for a bit more crunch.
A few minutes after the first food arrived, the lady came out with large styrofoam container holding the "half-rack" of ribs, cut into single ribs for convenience. I'm not sure if this is a different cut or what, but they filled the container and were covered in what turned out to be an outstanding bbq sauce. Since there was no way I was going to eat the ribs with the provided plastic utensils, I dove in with my hands. Luckily the lady also put a huge stack napkins. I took a bite of the ribs and they were amazing. Fall-off-the-bone tender with a great smoky flavor. I was able to eat three of the seven or eight ribs before I had to give up. Despite being cut with more fat then I like, these are my favorite ribs in the Valley. I ended up eating the leftovers cold and they were still great.
Between the fried chicken and ribs, we'll definitely be going back. According to Michelle's review, the chicken is only available after 3pm. I didn't see anything saying that in the restaurant, but I might have missed it. It's a true Mom-and-Pop place and the long wait for food might put some off, but after sampling the goods, we both think it's well worth any service quirks. Everyone was very friendly and helpful. I had polished off my first bottle of Crush and after our food was delivered, the lady asked if there was anything else. I said I needed a Crush, but I'd wait until the crowd at the counter died down. She grabbed another one for me and brought it out. After our meal was done, I went up to pay, but she refused. She said we'd be back and that was good enough for her.
And we'll definitely be back.
Tuesday, April 8, 2008
Monday, March 31, 2008
An Asian Comfort Food Weekend
With the minor windfall burning a hole in our pockets, we headed out to Osha Thai in Scottsdale. We arrived at around 7:30 and the place was about 3/4 full. We took last free booth and eventually Adella came by and dropped off menus and took our drink order. We settled on vegetarian egg rolls, Osha Golden Pockets, Gaeng Kari (yellow curry, carrots, potatoes, onions and chicken) for me and their garlic beef for Tara.
While I prefer some meat in my egg rolls, these were pretty good. Nicely fried and burning hot when they were served. All the veggies tasted very fresh. The Golden Pockets were outstanding as usual. Minced chicken, veggies, and some yellow curry. Yum. My Gaeng Kari comes with bell peppers, but I had them hold those. It had a really good curry flavor, but since I got mild, no heat, which is fine by me. I'm in it for the flavor. The carrots were sliced a bit thick and weren't quite soft, but still good. Tara loved her garlic beef and was in a very blissful mood when we ordered dessert. She loves their sticky rice with coconut milk and I decided to try their homemade green tea ice cream. Tara polished the sticky rice. Their green tea ice cream had the strongest green tea flavor I'd ever tasted in ice cream. It was excellent. Apparently it comes out yellow and they add blue food coloring to turn it green. Just one of the fun facts Maybelline told us. I could probably eat at Osha every day and not get sick of it.
Sunday night we have a kind of started a tradition where we go to Super Dragon before we do our weekly shopping. We started with our usual bowls of wonton soup, hot and sour soup, and crab puffs. For entrees, Tara got the House Chicken and I decided to try the Ginger Shrimp. The soups were very good and the crab puffs have been very addictive to us lately. Tara loved her House Chicken, which seems to be about 3 chicken breasts worth of meat. My shrimp, ordered mild, still had a burn to them. The sauce seemed like a spicy sweet and sour sauce that I really enjoyed. I had water chestnuts for a nice crunch too. I'll definitely order it again.
While I prefer some meat in my egg rolls, these were pretty good. Nicely fried and burning hot when they were served. All the veggies tasted very fresh. The Golden Pockets were outstanding as usual. Minced chicken, veggies, and some yellow curry. Yum. My Gaeng Kari comes with bell peppers, but I had them hold those. It had a really good curry flavor, but since I got mild, no heat, which is fine by me. I'm in it for the flavor. The carrots were sliced a bit thick and weren't quite soft, but still good. Tara loved her garlic beef and was in a very blissful mood when we ordered dessert. She loves their sticky rice with coconut milk and I decided to try their homemade green tea ice cream. Tara polished the sticky rice. Their green tea ice cream had the strongest green tea flavor I'd ever tasted in ice cream. It was excellent. Apparently it comes out yellow and they add blue food coloring to turn it green. Just one of the fun facts Maybelline told us. I could probably eat at Osha every day and not get sick of it.
Sunday night we have a kind of started a tradition where we go to Super Dragon before we do our weekly shopping. We started with our usual bowls of wonton soup, hot and sour soup, and crab puffs. For entrees, Tara got the House Chicken and I decided to try the Ginger Shrimp. The soups were very good and the crab puffs have been very addictive to us lately. Tara loved her House Chicken, which seems to be about 3 chicken breasts worth of meat. My shrimp, ordered mild, still had a burn to them. The sauce seemed like a spicy sweet and sour sauce that I really enjoyed. I had water chestnuts for a nice crunch too. I'll definitely order it again.
Sunday, March 30, 2008
Bad Service
While we were eating at Osha last night, Tara and I tried to think of the best and worst service we've had in restaurants. Some of the list:
Chili's, last week, Bell and 7th Street - We were seated and no one ever came the table. at least ten servers walked by our table of the course of ten minutes. The final straw came when a table seated right next to us, ten minutes after we sat down, was immediately greeted by a waiter. We got up and left.
My Big Fat Greek Restaurant, Tatum and Shea - We were seated and for fifteen minutes watched the staff meander through the nearly deserted restaurant, often glancing at our table and even making eye contact, but never coming over. As we got up and left, several waitresses and the hostess watched us leave without a word.
Benihana, Tuscon - We were seated at one of the grill tables with a couple parties already there and drunk. We waited for nearly 1/2 hour before a waiter noticed the table seemed to be without a server. He offered to get us drinks and we ordered. He brought them and told us our server would be there soon. After another fifteen, Tara and I walked to the hostess stand and asked to speak to a manager. He wasn't happy to hear what happened and the waiter who had brought us drinks saw we were leaving so he had come over. He explained to the manager that the new guy was assigned to our table, but was swamped. The manager asked that guy if he could take our table and to get us to stay, offered to comp our whole meal. Good customer service this time to keep customers somewhat happy.
Chanpen, 51st Ave and Thunderbird - Not all the time, but on occasion the older staff can be downright surly if you aren't a regular. Both by myself and with Tara, we've had incredibly unfriendly service, but at the same time, watched them be totally fawning with other tables who obviously go there a lot. It's mostly because of this that we don't go here regularly. Tara loves their garlic dish (with it's pile of crushed roasted garlic chips) and satay, but the hit-or-miss attitude of the service doesn't make up for it.
Corbin's Bar & Grill, N. Central just south of Dunlap - Ranging from distracted during a very slow Saturday afternoon to all but ignoring us in favor of larger groups at dinner, it certainly wasn't the attitude and service we expected from a supposedly friendly neighborhood restaurant. From no one wanting to wait on our table or even knowing who should, it just went south from there.
Oregano's, Camelback and 10th Street location - Normally we have great service at any of the Oregano's we visit, but one time Tara and I went and were seated. Again, servers would just blithely walk by for long periods of time. Finally, we overheard one waitress ask another waiter if he was serving us, and he said we weren't in his section. She finally TOLD him to help us and for the rest of the night suffered through a sulky service experience. Rule number one, you don't argue within earshot of the customers.
China Max, San Diego - We went for dim sum and ended up in the Phantom Zone. Servers wouldn't come to our table. The would approach and then veer away like we were like-charged magnets. This happened for ages. Finally someone pointed at our table and a waiter came over to reluctantly take our order.
Pinky's Cafe, 7th Street and Thunderbird - Brain-dead hostess, waitresses who think making fun of how long our food took to arrive will help cut the tension with obviously pissed customers, and watching the staff take shots of maple syrup. Never again.
Yupha's Thai Kitchen, Tempe - Waitstaff gabbing at the soda fountain, completly ignoring that we are waiting to give our order. Same thing happened during the entire meal. Finally we were the last table and STILL our waiter didn't come by to give us the check. Instead, he started cleaning the bar. Eventually he sent the bus boy over to give us our check and the bus girl had to take it, because the waiter couldn't be bothered. Another thing is that all three times we visited, Yupha herself has visited nearly every table in the place and asking how the food was, but never once stopped by our table. She once went from the booth in front of us to the booth behind us, skipping our table. And it wasn't like she was only visiting regulars. We could hear her asking how other tables had heard about the place. Not the way to make us feel welcome.
Thai Hut, 1st Street and McDowell - Worst service we've had. Several times the wrong order was brought to our table, our apps being brought to the wrong table, and the capper. Our entrees dropped-off at another table, where the people told them they hadn't ordered them. Leaving the dishes there, the waitress left for several minutes, checked the orders, took the plates back, and tried to give them to us. We sent them back, after arguing with the waitress, asking for new ones. When our "new" ones arrived, they were lukewarm and obviously the same dishes just brought back after a few minutes. Never again.
And to end on a positive note, the best service we've had:
Capital Grille, Scottsdale Rd and Frank Lloyd Wright - Outstanding service. Gracious, knowledgable, and any mis-step they thought they did, they would make up for it. My lobster bisque wasn't served at the same time as Tara's salad, so they comped it when they realized it. We waited for our table and to make up for that wait, they gave us a free appetizer. Drinks were filled up exactly when needed. Dishes removed and new ones were brought. They visibly synchronized it so that our main courses were put in front of us at the exact same instant. Amazing. And the food was great, too.
Chili's, last week, Bell and 7th Street - We were seated and no one ever came the table. at least ten servers walked by our table of the course of ten minutes. The final straw came when a table seated right next to us, ten minutes after we sat down, was immediately greeted by a waiter. We got up and left.
My Big Fat Greek Restaurant, Tatum and Shea - We were seated and for fifteen minutes watched the staff meander through the nearly deserted restaurant, often glancing at our table and even making eye contact, but never coming over. As we got up and left, several waitresses and the hostess watched us leave without a word.
Benihana, Tuscon - We were seated at one of the grill tables with a couple parties already there and drunk. We waited for nearly 1/2 hour before a waiter noticed the table seemed to be without a server. He offered to get us drinks and we ordered. He brought them and told us our server would be there soon. After another fifteen, Tara and I walked to the hostess stand and asked to speak to a manager. He wasn't happy to hear what happened and the waiter who had brought us drinks saw we were leaving so he had come over. He explained to the manager that the new guy was assigned to our table, but was swamped. The manager asked that guy if he could take our table and to get us to stay, offered to comp our whole meal. Good customer service this time to keep customers somewhat happy.
Chanpen, 51st Ave and Thunderbird - Not all the time, but on occasion the older staff can be downright surly if you aren't a regular. Both by myself and with Tara, we've had incredibly unfriendly service, but at the same time, watched them be totally fawning with other tables who obviously go there a lot. It's mostly because of this that we don't go here regularly. Tara loves their garlic dish (with it's pile of crushed roasted garlic chips) and satay, but the hit-or-miss attitude of the service doesn't make up for it.
Corbin's Bar & Grill, N. Central just south of Dunlap - Ranging from distracted during a very slow Saturday afternoon to all but ignoring us in favor of larger groups at dinner, it certainly wasn't the attitude and service we expected from a supposedly friendly neighborhood restaurant. From no one wanting to wait on our table or even knowing who should, it just went south from there.
Oregano's, Camelback and 10th Street location - Normally we have great service at any of the Oregano's we visit, but one time Tara and I went and were seated. Again, servers would just blithely walk by for long periods of time. Finally, we overheard one waitress ask another waiter if he was serving us, and he said we weren't in his section. She finally TOLD him to help us and for the rest of the night suffered through a sulky service experience. Rule number one, you don't argue within earshot of the customers.
China Max, San Diego - We went for dim sum and ended up in the Phantom Zone. Servers wouldn't come to our table. The would approach and then veer away like we were like-charged magnets. This happened for ages. Finally someone pointed at our table and a waiter came over to reluctantly take our order.
Pinky's Cafe, 7th Street and Thunderbird - Brain-dead hostess, waitresses who think making fun of how long our food took to arrive will help cut the tension with obviously pissed customers, and watching the staff take shots of maple syrup. Never again.
Yupha's Thai Kitchen, Tempe - Waitstaff gabbing at the soda fountain, completly ignoring that we are waiting to give our order. Same thing happened during the entire meal. Finally we were the last table and STILL our waiter didn't come by to give us the check. Instead, he started cleaning the bar. Eventually he sent the bus boy over to give us our check and the bus girl had to take it, because the waiter couldn't be bothered. Another thing is that all three times we visited, Yupha herself has visited nearly every table in the place and asking how the food was, but never once stopped by our table. She once went from the booth in front of us to the booth behind us, skipping our table. And it wasn't like she was only visiting regulars. We could hear her asking how other tables had heard about the place. Not the way to make us feel welcome.
Thai Hut, 1st Street and McDowell - Worst service we've had. Several times the wrong order was brought to our table, our apps being brought to the wrong table, and the capper. Our entrees dropped-off at another table, where the people told them they hadn't ordered them. Leaving the dishes there, the waitress left for several minutes, checked the orders, took the plates back, and tried to give them to us. We sent them back, after arguing with the waitress, asking for new ones. When our "new" ones arrived, they were lukewarm and obviously the same dishes just brought back after a few minutes. Never again.
And to end on a positive note, the best service we've had:
Capital Grille, Scottsdale Rd and Frank Lloyd Wright - Outstanding service. Gracious, knowledgable, and any mis-step they thought they did, they would make up for it. My lobster bisque wasn't served at the same time as Tara's salad, so they comped it when they realized it. We waited for our table and to make up for that wait, they gave us a free appetizer. Drinks were filled up exactly when needed. Dishes removed and new ones were brought. They visibly synchronized it so that our main courses were put in front of us at the exact same instant. Amazing. And the food was great, too.
Saturday, March 29, 2008
Serendipity
Surprises are always nice.
The past few months, money has been extremely tight. Tara's new pay structure at work hasn't kicked in, my numerous student loans, and the usual stuff have wrung the coffers dry. Due to an error caused by the new software used by the people we pay our rent to, we owed them extra for next month because they undercharged us last month. This is also the paycheck where they take out Tara's health insurance, so we were already planning on a lean week. With the extra rent, we were basically down to fumes. Barely enough to get gas for her to get to work this week and the bare, bare necessities so we could actually eat this week. No travel this weekend. Basically hibernate.
A few minutes ago, I took the trash out to the garage. On my way back, I peeked out the garage door window for no particular reason. Glancing at our front door, I saw an envelope stuffed in it with the Camelback VW logo visible. I figure somehow our postman put it into wrong mailbox and one of our never-seen neighbors put it on our door. I threw a shirt on (yeah, we're very formal on our lazy weekends) and grabbed it.
Inside was a sight that literally brought tears to Tara's eyes. It was a check for the refund on my registration and other taxes I paid when I traded in my A3 for the Passat. Not a fortune, but enough that we can actually get name brands at the store, put gas in BOTH cars, and even have a nice dinner at Osha tonight. Far better than what we would have bodged together from the items in our pantry.
The past few months, money has been extremely tight. Tara's new pay structure at work hasn't kicked in, my numerous student loans, and the usual stuff have wrung the coffers dry. Due to an error caused by the new software used by the people we pay our rent to, we owed them extra for next month because they undercharged us last month. This is also the paycheck where they take out Tara's health insurance, so we were already planning on a lean week. With the extra rent, we were basically down to fumes. Barely enough to get gas for her to get to work this week and the bare, bare necessities so we could actually eat this week. No travel this weekend. Basically hibernate.
A few minutes ago, I took the trash out to the garage. On my way back, I peeked out the garage door window for no particular reason. Glancing at our front door, I saw an envelope stuffed in it with the Camelback VW logo visible. I figure somehow our postman put it into wrong mailbox and one of our never-seen neighbors put it on our door. I threw a shirt on (yeah, we're very formal on our lazy weekends) and grabbed it.
Inside was a sight that literally brought tears to Tara's eyes. It was a check for the refund on my registration and other taxes I paid when I traded in my A3 for the Passat. Not a fortune, but enough that we can actually get name brands at the store, put gas in BOTH cars, and even have a nice dinner at Osha tonight. Far better than what we would have bodged together from the items in our pantry.
Friday, March 28, 2008
Huh?
When Tara got home today, she handed me a cardboard cylinder about a food long and three inches in diameter. She said it was sitting by our front door. No one rang the bell today, but someone rang it once yesterday. I was unavailable to get the door at the time and when I looked out I didn't see anything.
Puzzled, I checked the mailing label and it was from VW. This didn't shed any light on it, so I opened it. Inside was an ultracompact umbrella with VW logos and slogans on it.
No notes or anything else explaining why it was here. Given the fact that I live in Arizona, a folding sunscreen for my windshield or something would seem more appropriate. I'm sure it'll come in very handy should I be attacked by a rogue sprinkler in the park.
I did some extensive research online (OK, 5 minutes with Google), and found that the Passat has a slot in the driver's door to hold the umbrella. Apparently it's a standard feature. Not sure why the umbrella didn't actually come with the car when I bought it.
Puzzled, I checked the mailing label and it was from VW. This didn't shed any light on it, so I opened it. Inside was an ultracompact umbrella with VW logos and slogans on it.
No notes or anything else explaining why it was here. Given the fact that I live in Arizona, a folding sunscreen for my windshield or something would seem more appropriate. I'm sure it'll come in very handy should I be attacked by a rogue sprinkler in the park.
I did some extensive research online (OK, 5 minutes with Google), and found that the Passat has a slot in the driver's door to hold the umbrella. Apparently it's a standard feature. Not sure why the umbrella didn't actually come with the car when I bought it.
Thursday, March 27, 2008
BMW Susan G Komen Ultimate Drive For The Cure 2008
This year's drive will be in the Phoenix area May 14 (BMW N Scottsdale), 15 (Chapman BMW on Camelback), and 16 (Chapman BMW in S Scottsdale). Sign-up starts on April 4, but you can just drop in on the day of the event and they will put you in whatever is free. Signing up ahead of time allows you to reserve a particular vehicle. I can't wait to try the new 135i. I'll be signing up for the S. Scottsdale event. It's on a Friday and they always have an awesome spread of food. It's something I look forward to every year.
My blog entries for last year's are here and here.
For more info, visit them here.
Flancer's - Gilbert, AZ
This past Easter Sunday, Tara and I were debating on where to go to eat. She didn't realize that being Easter, lots of places would probably be closed. First she suggested Mr. Greek, as she really wanted some of their hummus. I mentioned that I had a craving for Joe's Real BBQ, and after a brief thought, she agreed that that sounded REALLY good. So we headed down to Gilbert.
Of course, when we got there, they were closed. Given the family-friendliness of Joe's, I figured it would be a good place for an Easter meal and would be opened. Guess again. We had noticed that Flancer's just up the road was open when we drove by, so we decided to give them a try.
Flancer's has been on our radar for quite a while. I am Jack's Brain has mentioned them quite a few times and we've always wanted to give them a try. However, they are so close to Joe's and The Farmhouse, we are usually in the area specifically for one of them. With both of them closed, the time was right.
We got there around 3pm and were seated immediately. There were a couple other parties there and more came in while we were eating. The menu had a lot of very interesting options. The names are somewhat cutesy. Tara settled on the "it's about thyme" sandwich - balsamic-thyme marinated chicken breast with sauteed mushrooms, melted provolone, lettuce, tomato, and basil mayonnaise. I got the "hoagie & bacall" sandwich - a variety of italian meats with banana peppers, provolone cheese, onions, romaine, tomato, and vinaigrette. We both opted to get the combos which add soda, pickle & choice of fries, potato salad, cole slaw or chips. We selected fries and Cokes. We also got ours without tomato.
After a short wait, the food arrived. Both plates held sandwiches cut in half with a nice mound for fries and pickle. Flancer's makes their own bread and it's excellent. My sandwich had great flavor, with the vinaigrette and banana peppers working well together. I loved the tang they added and was thoroughly happy with my meal. The fries were very crispy and seasoned. No complaints.
Tara also enjoyed her sandwich, once she got over the fact that it wasn't BBQ pit beans from Joe's. The chicken had really good flavor and the thyme came through nicely. She also really liked the house-made bread.
Service was very good. Our drinks were refreshed and any questions we had were answered. There are still quite a few sandwiches on their menu that I really want to try. We're not sure we'll make a special trip to go to Flancer's, but we quite often go to Vonhanson's for bacon and meat, and they are only a few miles away.
All in all it was very much a success, even if Tara was left craving the beans from Joe's.
Of course, when we got there, they were closed. Given the family-friendliness of Joe's, I figured it would be a good place for an Easter meal and would be opened. Guess again. We had noticed that Flancer's just up the road was open when we drove by, so we decided to give them a try.
Flancer's has been on our radar for quite a while. I am Jack's Brain has mentioned them quite a few times and we've always wanted to give them a try. However, they are so close to Joe's and The Farmhouse, we are usually in the area specifically for one of them. With both of them closed, the time was right.
We got there around 3pm and were seated immediately. There were a couple other parties there and more came in while we were eating. The menu had a lot of very interesting options. The names are somewhat cutesy. Tara settled on the "it's about thyme" sandwich - balsamic-thyme marinated chicken breast with sauteed mushrooms, melted provolone, lettuce, tomato, and basil mayonnaise. I got the "hoagie & bacall" sandwich - a variety of italian meats with banana peppers, provolone cheese, onions, romaine, tomato, and vinaigrette. We both opted to get the combos which add soda, pickle & choice of fries, potato salad, cole slaw or chips. We selected fries and Cokes. We also got ours without tomato.
After a short wait, the food arrived. Both plates held sandwiches cut in half with a nice mound for fries and pickle. Flancer's makes their own bread and it's excellent. My sandwich had great flavor, with the vinaigrette and banana peppers working well together. I loved the tang they added and was thoroughly happy with my meal. The fries were very crispy and seasoned. No complaints.
Tara also enjoyed her sandwich, once she got over the fact that it wasn't BBQ pit beans from Joe's. The chicken had really good flavor and the thyme came through nicely. She also really liked the house-made bread.
Service was very good. Our drinks were refreshed and any questions we had were answered. There are still quite a few sandwiches on their menu that I really want to try. We're not sure we'll make a special trip to go to Flancer's, but we quite often go to Vonhanson's for bacon and meat, and they are only a few miles away.
All in all it was very much a success, even if Tara was left craving the beans from Joe's.
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