Chambers Meat Company

Delivery only at this time - Opening a shop in downtown Phoenix shortly

This isn't a restaurant, so why am I reviewing it you may ask. This is one of the only sources of Mutton available off the reservations, and one of the only sources in the entire U.S.

I ordered a Leg of Mutton and a Slab of Ribs. Due to a small mix up, the order was delivered the next day instead of on a Friday, but with a new business, some small problems are bound to crop up. They take most credit cards including Amex.

The Leg weighed at least 5 pounds, and looked very nice. It came wrapped in white butcher paper, which was another minor problem. Since the Mutton arrived in the evening, it was placed in the refrigerator till the next morning. Unfortunately, the paper had bled through and then stuck to the meat. A bit of washing removed all the paper, but I have suggested that they look into a different type of wrapping which will not leak.

After the leg was washed up, I vacuum packed it and placed it in the freezer for a later time when I have enough people to eat it. We were only 5, and it could easily have fed 8.

Next were the ribs. Another small mistake here because only 1/2 slab was delivered instead of the full slab. Contacting the owner resulted in an email apologizing and letting me know it would be made up on the next order.

The ribs were of a nice size, and had the chine bone removed as I had asked for. This results in an easy to cut rack. It was seasoned the night before cooking with onion powder and garlic powder only. I have a weakness for lamb with garlic.

I cooked the ribs in my smoker without smoke at 275 degrees for an hour and a half. Taking the ribs off the smoker, I was greeted by a wonderful aroma. Cutting the ribs apart in the kitchen was a breeze, and I could not resist having a taste. I should point out that other than in the U.K., I have never been able to obtain or eat Mutton, so this was going to be an experience.

The ribs were flavorful and tender, having been cooked to medium rare. The meat is slightly more to the tooth than lamb ribs, but not by a whole lot more. We all agreed that the flavor was excellent and the only thing left was a nice sized pile of bones.

One of my companions renamed the ribs as lambsicles, as they have a long bone with meat on it when ends up in a small chop. These would be great to informally nibble on while watching a game or even playing one. Served with a bit of Patak chutney and some hot mustard and this is a real winner.

4 stars until they get a storefront at which time I will re-review them.

San Diego Bay Restaurant

San Diego Bay Restaurant
9201 S Avenida Del Yaqui

Guadalupe, AZ 85283

Five of us arrived at 6:00 for dinner. As all of us were driving, we all stayed with soft drinks or iced tea. The restaurant is a little hard to find, as it is in a courtyard, but once inside, we were made welcome and comfortable. We started out with the Molcajete de Camarones, lots of shrimp in a hot molcajete (mortar like container) with loads of flavorful sauce. Two of us shared one portion, though in reality three or four could have shared it. Of note was the freshness of the shrimp. We also ordered Guacamole, which was perfectly made. Other orders were for Calamari, which was cooked to perfection and served with a nice sauce on the side.

Main courses ordered were Chile Rellenos con Queso, Green Shrimp (shrimp in green chile), and drowned shrimp and San Diego spiced shrimp. As you will note, shrimp figured heavily in our ordering because it was so fresh and so good. 

All the main courses came with beans and rice as well as the choice of flour or corn tortillas (freshly made of course).

Dessert was an excellent flan that was cooling for some of the spice we ate.

The restaurant was clean and service was relatively quick.

4 Stars