The Tilted Kilt

The Tilted Kilt
2 E. Jefferson
Phoenix, AZ
Assorted Locations in the Phoenix area and other states

The Tilted Kilt is one of those gregarious sports bars that tries to emulate a pub in some ways and yet be a sports bar in other ways. Somehow, they are successful. The décor is that of a typical sports bar with televisions hung all over the place, and, at least at the beginning of the lunch shift had music blasting so loud that one could not hear one’s self much less even hear a cell phone ring.

This location is upstairs, and the elevator (important for those who are handicapped) hasn’t worked since opening day.

Upon entering, I was greeted and seated promptly at the table of my choosing. Companion had not arrived yet, and I ordered Irish Nacho’s ($6.99) to help pass the time. This was unique! Instead of typical tortilla chips, this was served on thick, slices of potato, fried to a golden brown and beautiful crunch. The spice and mild heat, instead of typically being in the cheese, was instead in the meat making for a nice surprise, and the dish was garnished with fresh tomato concassé. Perhaps the only problem with this dish is that like the famous potato chip in a bag, you can’t eat just one! You will eat until there is nothing but an empty basket left! Other appetizers available include classic nachos ($8.99), spinach and artichoke dip ($6.99) and Mozzarella Sticks ($7.99)

The last time I was at the Tilted Kilt I ordered the Shepherds’ pie ($9.99) and found it to very good. Companion had the Gaelic Chicken ($11.99) and sent back a plate so clean that it could have been put back into stock accidentally. This time, I ordered the Irish Stew (a bargain @ $6.99). It arrived nice and hot as a moat around a pile of colcannon potatoes with cheese sprinkled on top. The meat was almost falling apart, and the taste was wonderfully savory. Many places like this will put lots of salt into the dish, but thankfully, the chef did not do that here, allowing the customer to salt and pepper the food to taste – a nice touch. The dish arrived with some nicely toasted garlic bread as an accompaniment.

Companion had the Pulled Pork sandwich, and was a bit disappointed. The meat was nicely done, and the brioche roll was an excellent choice to serve it on as it kept the contents in the sandwich instead of running down your hand, but the sauce was woefully short of promise. The sauce, which could have really made the sandwich special was nothing but an ordinary barbeque sauce that tasted like something off the grocery shelf. It lent no character to the dish, and in some ways took away from what would otherwise have been a nice sandwich. The pulled pork was crying for some smoky sauce perhaps with a touch of spice in it to bring the meal up to it’s full potential. The sandwich was served with fries which were nicely done and not overly seasoned.

Other items available are Bleu cheese steak salad ($12.99), Huge burgers (10 oz. cooked to order (starting at $8.99), Fish and Chips ($10.99) and Fat Bastards Meatloaf Sandwich with Guiness sauce ($9.99).

For dessert, we shared a slice of cheesecake ($5.99). As with many places, the cheesecake tasted like it was brought in from an outside bakery, though in flavor it was quite nice. The disappointment was the whipped cream, or what some might think would pass for whipped cream. I was sure it was nothing more than the metal can with the squirt top that one buys in the local supermarket – light cream foamed up to make you think It’s whipped cream. It had none of the denseness nor mouth feel of real whipped cream. Dessert would have been much better had they left it off the plate so as to not detract from the Cheesecake.

Over all, the service was attentive without being intrusive. Our waitress checked on our satisfaction several times, refilled drinks without being asked, and in general was quite helpful and nice. Our table was bussed promptly.

Sanitation was excellent with bathrooms almost having a homey feel to them and being well stocked and immaculately clean.

I rate this restaurant 4 stars based on quality of food, portion size to cost, and excellent sanitation.