Yupha"s Thai Kitchen

Yupha’s Thai Kitchen
1806 E. Elliot Road
Tempe, 85284

I have eaten Thai food in many different places both in and outside of Arizona, but this place is either at the top or almost at the top of Thai places to eat. I was joined by two companions for dinner. I started out with the Thai rolls ($4.95). Beautifully crispy spring rolls served with a nice sweet chili sauce. Companions both agreed that these were really good.

Companion #1 ordered Pad Prik Khing, which was chicken sautéed in house curry paste with string beans, bell peppers and lime leaves. Companion was concerned about how spicy the food might be, but the cook made it to companions order and it was pronounced perfect. Companion completely finished the plate. Companion #2 ordered Scallop Gra Prow, which was sautéed scallops with onion, bell pepper, Thai basil and Thai chili pepper. Companion liked the food on the spicy side, and the chef was happy to comply. Companion completely finished the plate.

I ordered Ped Khing Sod – crispy roast duck with ginger, mushroom, onion, celery, bell pepper, ground pork and bean sauce. The duck was fresh and cooked to perfection. I loved the sauce, and the veggies were properly crisp and cut into nice, mouth sized portions. Both companion #1 and I ordered Thai tea, which is almost a necessity for removing the heat if it gets to be too much. I ordered my duck at medium heat, and next time I will order it at the hot level because I didn’t find it to be nearly hot enough for me, but then again, it’s a matter of individual taste.

About the only thing I didn’t really care for was the rice that was served with the dinner. It seemed to be overcooked and not at all like a good rice should be in texture.

We all decided to have dessert. Companion #1 had a concoction of grapefruit with a coconut macaroon, which was pronounced quite good. Companion #2 had flaming fried ice cream, which was a whole world of difference from what is usually served as fried ice cream in other places. The batter was a totally different but excellent texture, and the waitress lit a cruet of rum on fire at the table and them properly poured it over the fried ice cream. Not only was the presentation nice, but the taste and texture were pronounced excellent. For my dessert I ordered Crème Brulèe, which is not usually on the menu but is a special for this month. I’ve eaten this dessert across the states, and it is usually good, but in this case, it was outstanding. The crème was silky smooth and wonderfully thick with a not too thick layer of burnt sugar on top.

The place is nicely clean and the restrooms could be a model for a lot of other places – clean, fresh, and nicely appointed. This is easily the best Thai restaurant in the valley, and matches or bests other places I’ve eaten at across the states. 5 stars for quality of food, cleanliness, service and ambiance.

Black Bear Diner

Black Bear Diner

1809 E. Baseline Road

Gilbert, AZ

In my continuing quest for good food at reasonable prices, I was convinced by two companions to try Black Bear Diner. They are a chain of about 50 restaurants in the western states. We arrived at dinner hour and were promptly greeted and seated. The atmosphere is a bit eclectic and kind of reminds one of a hunting lodge in the mountains.

Our waitress came promptly to the table and asked about drinks. The menu is written on a kind of newsprint, and makes interesting reading. Apparently, each one is tailored to the state it is printed in, and is replete with interesting facts about the state.

Companion 1 ordered the Cobb Salad ($8.99). The portion size was enormous, and two could have easily made a meal of it. Nice smoky bacon, a large portion of blue cheese, and tons of assorted salad on a plate that was more than 12 inches across. Companion 1 was unable to finish half of it and ended up with a doggie box to take for the next day’s lunch. Companion 2 ordered the Bacon Burger ($10.49). I’m not sure, but I’d bet that the patty was a half-pound of meat. By the time it was all stacked up with all the fixings, I couldn’t figure out how anyone could get their mouth around it – but companion 2 managed it along with the cheese on it and a portion of onion rings instead of fries.

For myself, I ordered the Chicken Fried Steak. It came on another huge plate (a necessity for the size of the portion) along with mashed potatoes smothered in gravy and fresh cooked assorted veggies. There was little doubt that the veggies were cooked to order as they were still a little crisp and done to perfection. All this came with a delicious corn muffin to add to the calorie count.

None of us could avoid desert. Other than Washington State and Oregon, I’ve never been served anything with huckleberries – perhaps it’s because the bears like to eat them as much as the humans do, so they are expensive and hard to come by. Nonetheless, they had huckleberry ice cream – the only correct word for it was yum! Companion 1 had it over a deep dish cherry pie, and companion 2 had it as a shake. Neither of my companions could finish their deserts. I had mine as a simple ball of ice cream in a dish, and just managed to finish it.

Service was outstanding, and everything was nice and clean. I give them 4 stars for quality, portion size, and cleanliness.