Mika's Greek

Mika’s Greek Restaurant

780 W. Elliot Road

Tempe 85284

A group of us descended on Mika’s for dinner. The restaurant is small, sparsely decorated, but immaculately clean. Orders are taken at a main counter, then is brought to your table for you.

Our group ordered an assortment of items so that we could all try them.

First was falafel. Nicely cooked and properly seasoned, one could tell they were fresh because they were green instead of brown inside.

The Mika’s fries were a real treat and reminded me of nacho’s in that they were topped with gyro meat, feta cheese, a house dressing and tzatiziki sauce. This was a mouth full of flavor. Chicken souvlaki was tender and moist and the dolma’s were perfection.

The grilled Greek chicken served on a platter was marinated in olive oil and garlic and was cooked just right. I got mine with rice and salad as well as fresh warm pitas.

A member of our party was a vegetarian, and was not disappointed in all the selection on the menu.

The restaurant only serves soft drinks, but that was not a drawback. Desserts were on the menu, but no one had any room left to try them.

Prices range from $7.95 to $12.95 and portions were of a good size for most anyone. Service was nice and friendly, and the cleanliness was a true standout.

I give the restaurant 4 stars

Little Miss Barbecue

Now this is real barbecue!! Companion and I arrived at 10:30 and got into the line that had already formed. At 11:30 we made our way to the counter. It was well worth the wait.

While in line we got to smell the wonderful smell of real Texas style barbecue, and the rumbling of our stomachs told us in advance that it was going to be good. Two huge smokers were busy smoking our lunch meats.

You can order a sandwich or you can order by the fraction of a pound. We chose to order by the fraction of a pound, and the cutter brought out a tray with a piece of butcher paper on it. This is the same way you will get your cue in Texas. First up was some fatty brisket. It looked wonderful. Because this was a Thursday, they also had Pastrami available. Some sausage and some turkey as well as 2 ribs also found its way onto my tray. For sides I had the cole slaw and the beans. Each item is weighed as it is put onto your tray and you pay the per pound price for each cut. White bread is available as are assorted condiments and pickles.

We found a free table and proceeded to feast. The brisket was beautifully tender with a nice smoke ring and good flavor from the rub. I probably should have stopped there, but next up was the pastrami. I should mention that I love pastrami and haven't had really good stuff since my last visit to New York. My craving has now been satisfied. Wonderfully tender and flavorful pastrami. Next was some turkey. I don't know how they accomplished it, but the breast meat was juicy and tender as well as full flavored. Next came the sausage. It was a bit spicy, but had lots of juice coming out of it. Last of the meats was the ribs. This for me was my only disappointment because the meat was about falling off the bones. I prefer my ribs to have a bit of tooth to them so that there is something to chew one. The cole slaw was about average, but the beans were dynamite! Probably the very best beans I have ever eaten in my life. They were flavored with big hunks of yesterdays brisket. Companions only complaint was that I never shared any of the beans  or even came up for air.

While they serve all types of drinks, I opted for a bottle of ice cold water which went perfectly with the food. 

For those who are not purists, home made sauces were available on the table, but I must confess that I didn't even bother to taste them because the cue was so good.

Good cue is made from fine meat, and is not cheap. You should expect to pay at least $15 per person for your food, and for a big tray like I had expect to pay around $35, but it is well worth it and can be shared between 2 people.

Perhaps the only drawback is that the place is so small, but I understand they will be looking for a second location soon. Parking can be a little rough, but with a member of the family directing traffic I was amazed how many cars they managed to park. 

It doesn't get any better than this. 5 stars

Rudy's Country Store and Barbeque

Rudy's Country Store and Barbeque
7300 W Chandler Blvd
Chandler, AZ 85226

I took a group of 10 to Rudy's at 6:00 on Saturday night. While it was a bit crowded, they were easily able to accommodate our party and allowed us to be seated in the private room. The atmosphere was essentially a knock off of some places I have been in Texas, as was the food.

On entering the line passes by 2 big tubs filled with ice and beer and pop. The assortment of beers that are mostly from Texas was very interesting to find. The cold salads are in a fridge to your left, but with no signage telling you that you have to pick one up there if you wish to eat on the premises.

Next was the main counter. For those who have never eaten Texas style BBQ, you order by the partial or full pound and it is placed on butcher paper on your tray (or in this case crate). I ordered an assortment of meats including the moist brisket, sausage, ribs, and prime rib. I also got the cole slaw, creamed corn, and for dessert, peach cobbler. I opted to skip the bottled drinks and buy a cup to fill at the soda dispenser which is a lot cheaper.

Upon finding my seat, I found there were two sauces for those who prefer their meat that way, along with some hot sauce. There is also a condiment bar where you can get your silverware(plastic) as well as jalapeno's and packets of everything from mustard to horseradish sauce.

The brisket was extremely moist and easily cut with plastic implements. I felt is could have used a bit more seasoning as it usually is in Texas. Next I sampled the sausage. I felt it could have used more spice in it, and ended up having to put mustard on it to be able to eat it comfortably. Unfortunately, the ribs were very tough, and after a number of tries to bite through them I finally abandoned them to the trash can. Last of the meats was the prime rib. A very nice piece of almost medium rare beef, lightly smoked. While the beef was very nice, once again the lack of seasoning caused me to downgrade the experience.

The coleslaw was nothing special, as it was chopped in a buffalo chopper, but my money is on the creamed corn. What a winner! The brisket with the creamed corn could have easily been my entire meal. In retrospect, I wish I had purchased a quart of the creamed corn to bring home it was that good.

Last was the peach cobbler. The cup I was given was almost all pastry, with just a little peach sauce on it. Nowhere did I ever get a bite of a peach. This was a total waste of money.

Other members of our group ordered the potato filled with pulled pork. The portion was very large, but once again, the meat was lacking in flavor.

On the negative side, about 7:30 the place filled with smoke so bad that our eyes were watering. Apparently, they put out the fire pits at that time, and the lack of ventilation makes it a real problem.

BBQ is not a cheap meal. While what I ordered was larger than the average person might order, it still was over $45. Quite a high amount for the quality of food that was received.

It should also be noted that they serve breakfast tacos which are said to be quite good. In my next review of them.

2 Stars for uniqueness and cleanliness.

Umami - CLOSED

Umami

21 E 6th St

Tempe

Having heard people talk about how they liked this place and how inexpensive it was for the college crowd to eat there, I had to try it myself.  This place is known for its bowls of ramen soup that is supposed to be similar to what one would get in Japan.

Having lived in Japan for a while, I found little similarity to what one would get there other than the bowl and chopsticks.

To be fair, you decide on the type of broth and ingredients that are put into it, unlike Japan where the combinations are mostly figured out for you and you order from a picture description.

I ordered the paitan broth, which is supposed to be their signature broth made from a meat stock. It was o.k. but nothing to brag about. A somewhat thin, watery stock lacking in any punch of flavor. The chasu (pork belly) on the other hand was nicely done and had very good flavor. I also ordered the soft boiled egg in my soup along with the garlic. The egg was close to being properly cooked and the garlic was just a smear on the edge of the bowl.

Perhaps the biggest problem for me was the noodles. In Japan, the noodles are a basic part of the soup and cooking them properly is a requirement for any noodle shop to survive. These noodles were not even of the right type for a ramen soup, and were undercooked. Very disappointing to say the least.

I also ordered their 6 item plate to try. It had an excellent seaweed salad, a very good squid salad, and four other items that I will try to describe properly.

First was a hand roll. Having eaten literally more than a hundred hand rolls, this left a lot to be desired. It was  like no other hand roll I have ever been served. Next was the garlic edamame. Nothing special here, with little garlic flavor and your typical beans. Next was the kimchi. Even though kimchi is Korean and not Japanese, it had the potential to be a nice if somewhat unusual addition to the menu. Unfortunately, the kimchi was too young and had not had enough time to ferment properly and develop its flavor. It was very harsh on the palate. Last on the plate was tofu. There isn’t much to say here either as the tofu was not served with any special sauce or flavoring at all.

I drank a green tea with my meal ($2.50) which was adequate.

Parking was underneath in the public garage, and the cashier stamped my ticket so that parking was free. Cleanliness was apparent throughout, and the waitress I had was cheery and nice.

I’m not sure what the budget of college students is today, but my meal came to $25.94. That doesn’t seem to be on most college students budgets that I know of, but perhaps times have changed and students have a lot more money to spend.

Overall, I was fairly disappointed by my visit.

2 stars for cleanliness and service.

Curry Corner

Curry Corner

1212 Apache Blvd

Tempe, AZ 85281

I heard about Curry Corner from a friend who said that they heard about it on Food Network and that it was supposed to be fabulous.

I arrived there at 11:00, only to be told that they don’t open till 11:30. No problem to wait and observe that they are currently under construction as they expand to two more stores next door.

Promptly at 11:30 the door opened and I was invited in. The current location is on the smaller side and being under construction is not what I would exactly consider to be highly inviting, however, taking this into consideration, I evaluated only on the food and service.

First on my order list was garlic naan. It came to the table still hot, bubbly and flakey on the edges and chewy in the middle. It was fragrant with the aroma of garlic.

Next, came a bowl of karahi. A dish composed of goat, slow cooked in ginger and spices, onions, yogurt and tomatoes. I love spicy food, and asked for it to be made that way, and the cook happily complied.

The dish was excellent and filled with lots of meat that was beautifully tender. I was given a choice of it being served with rice or with naan, and as I had already ordered naan I opted for the rice which was perfectly cooked.

Service was reasonable and the tables were clean.

I am looking forward to coming back after the construction is finished and trying a much larger selection of dishes.

For the time being, I will give them 4 stars for the excellent food.

Angry Crab Shack - re-review

The original review was written a relatively short time after they opened. Since that time they have changed a lot. The restaurant is moving more towards a sports bar, emphasizing broadcast games and beer. 

The food is still quite good, but the atmosphere is now gone unfortunately.

I arrived with a group of 12, and we waited about 45 minutes to be seated because they will not take reservations. The best description of the service would be chaos. Orders were sent out incorrect or incomplete. The crabs were not from their usual source, and were unanimously pronounced inedible. Fried clams arrived almost in a burnt state, and wait staff had to be constantly reminded of missing items. Calamari was good, but all were wondering how it arrived in the shape that it was served in. Was it chopped and formed?

My personal food arrived with two different levels of seasoning - one with level 2, and one with level 3. The mussels were nice, but a number of them were unopened. Usually, that is a sign of dead shellfish, but in this case, it was a sign of undercooked shellfish that did not wish to be opened and eaten.

They were supposed to take American Express by the end of September, but they are not. One of our party was charged $290.00 on a credit card which then had to be voided. Unfortunately, that charge tied up that amount of money for the entire weekend on that credit card.

Unfortunately, what promised to be a really wonderful venue to eat at, has turned into an attraction for the college crowd with poorly trained wait staff. Most of our party was very disappointed and has stated that they will not be returning again.

Removing one star

Binks Scottsdale - Pig Roast - CLOSED

Binks – Scottsdale

6107 N Scottsdale Rd

Scottsdale, AZ 85250

                                                                                        

Binks is one of a small chain of restaurants created by Chef Kevin Binkley, who has been nominated for James Beard award a number of times. While the chef has a regular menu at Binks, companion and I were there for a special lunch – a buffet featuring pig’s head. There are those who will turn up their noses at even having a pig’s head served to them, but truth be known, some of the best and most succulent meat on the beast is on the head.

Companion and I queued up with our plates at the buffet. We started with phenomenal veggie paella, which consisted of rice, peas, onions, thyme and bay leaves. I could not identify all the ingredients, but it was a true hit with both myself and companion. Next was a coleslaw of finely shredded cabbage with mustard seeds and sprouts marinated in what I think was a Japanese rice wine vinegar. I never eat coleslaw that does not have a creamy dressing, but I made a big exception in this case and went back for seconds.

Continuing down the line were a cucumber salad, and a potato salad made with red bliss potatoes. The potato salad was tasty, but the potatoes were cut into much too large pieces – my only complaint.

Also on the line was a large chafing dish of BBQ beans that were very flavorful.

Next came a large chafing dish of pulled pork. The pork had a nice flavor to it along with a bit of smoke. The moisture content was just right and it was cooked to perfection.

Finally, we came to the pig’s head. Binks got their pig’s heads from The Meat Shop, which slaughters their own heritage pigs and supplies many of the best restaurants in the Phoenix area. The meat really does make a difference.

The head was served by a chef and you could ask for any parts that you wanted to have. The event started at 2:00, and by 3:30 they had used up 9 heads. And you didn’t think this would be popular??

I had an ear, some brains, a cheek, some snout, some tongue, and lots of crispy, crunchy skin. Companion had the same as I did. First up was the brains. Creamy with a good flavor from the seasoning.

Next was the cheek – which when heavily smoked and properly seasoned is the Italian delicacy Guanciale. As I ate it I thought I had died and gone to heaven.

I only got a little of the tongue, as companion had asked for the entire thing and quickly scarfed it down. Companion loved the food. The snout had a lovely, gelatinous texture and was a real treat to eat. Finally, came the ear – beautifully crunchy and at the same time the texture of a little cartilage. The skin was wonderfully crunchy and had a nice mahogany glaze that tasted of maple syrup. This was fine swine!

I was too full for any dessert, but companion managed to down a piece of Sweet Tea Cake which had a light sweet bacon icing drizzled over it. Is there anything better than a porcine meal topped with a dessert that has bacon lardons in it?

Over all, it was a wonderful experience, and I will definitely be returning to experience the regular menu. The amount of food was almost overwhelming as this was an all you can eat experience. Service was excellent and everything was spotless.   5 stars