TOMASO'S ON CAMELBACK

3225 E Camelback Rd.
Phoenix, AZ 85018

My companions and I arrived promptly at 6:00 and were seated immediately. The decor reminded me of many Italian restaurants in New York right down to the dress and demeanor of the waiters. 

We were offered drinks and I opted for a glass of the house Barolo which was mellow and gentle. Others decided on Stella Artois and coffee.

Our orders were taken and in reasonable time appetizers came out for those who ordered them. I had the Fritto Misto which was very young calamari, tender and nicely done. It came with shrimp and zucchini which was also breaded and fried. The shrimp was a nice size, but had a bit of a fishy flavor that I did not enjoy. It was accompanied by the house marinara sauce. Companions had Zucchini Blossoms which were stuffed with mozzarella and ricotta cheese and then deep fried. They found them to be nice.

Main courses came next. For mine I ordered the Pappardelle with short rib ragu. The ragu was excellent but the pasta was nothing like I was expecting it to be. Pappardelle mean rags, and should be hand torn or cut wide noodles in varying widths. This was uniform cut noodles with an unusual consistency and much thicker than it should have been.  Both I and another companion left the pasta on the plate but ate the ragu.

Another companion ordered the 10 layer Lasagna. While it was a large portion of pasta, the companion said  it was boring because the layers alternated between meat and cheese with no difference or counterpoint to be found in the entire portion.

Yet another companion ordered the Mixed Grill Siciliano which comes with sausage, ribeye, and a chicken breast. Companion said it was good except that they felt the sausage had too much salt in it. Tasting it myself, I found that it did have a bit of salt to it but also a lot of fennel.

Next was dessert time. One companion ordered the cannoli because on the internet it said it came with candied fruit, yet when it came, there was no candied fruit to be found. When our waiter was asked about it we were told that they never got around to changing the menu on line.

Another companion ordered the Tiramisu and enjoyed it and another ordered the Lemon Cello cake. For myself I had the Pistachio Gelato which was nice and creamy but a very large portion.

Inspection of the restrooms showed them to be immaculate and with nothing showing up under ultra violet light. 

The bill for 4 people came to $277 which with tip came to a grand total of $333.

3 stars for cleanliness and attentive wait staff. Perhaps my next review will be a bit better.

Native Grill and Wings

 7273 North 95th Avenue
Glendale, AZ 85305
(623) 877-4500

Companion and I arrived at 5:00 to meet up with a group of friends. Since we were early we decided to have a bite to eat. While this is not exactly a gourmet restaurant, being a sports bar we none the less expected normal service and reasonable food. Big mistakes on our part.

After waiting an interminable time at thew hostess station, we decided that we probably should seat ourselves. Selecting a table we seated ourselves and eventually a waitress came over for drink orders.

The menu is virtually all fast food and specializes in wings as well as pizza and sandwiches. We found a single entry for fish and chips and decided that it would be hard to mess that up. Wrong!

Our plates came out with burnt fish that was so hard that a fork could not penetrate it and fries that were flaccid. The only hope of eating the fish was to pick it up, grease and all and gnaw our way through it.

I have had fish and chips many times and this was the first time in my life that it was virtually impossible to cut it. Had our waitress stayed around we would have asked to have it recooked, but she disappeared and only reappeared after we finished the plates whereupon she asked how was the meal. We told her and she made the motions to reorder the food, but we were afraid to have another helping.

At this point I felt a need to visit the restroom. Filthy and disgusting are two words I would use to describe it. Picture attached. Paper towels all over and not cleaned. Urine on the floor and seat of the toilet, and a host of other unsavory things which I don't think should be published in this forum. 

1 star because I cannot give less that that. This restaurant needs to be visited by the health department.

Aloha Kitchen

2950 S Alma School Rd Ste 12 
Mesa, AZ 85210

Companion and I decided to drop in for a Hawaiian dinner. This is a small place that has been in the same place for many years. It has changed little over the years.

The menu is somewhat extensive and varied and has a fair amount of foods that you might get in a typical Hawaiian place on the big island.

Companion ordered the tempura shrimp and teriyaki chicken plate.

I ordered the fried shrimp and teriyaki chicken plate. As in the islands, plates come with 2 scoops of rice and a scoop of macaroni salad. 

Companion's tempura shrimp were very large and came with a dipping sauce while the chicken was all dark meat and had a small amount of teriyaki sauce on it.

My plate came with 5 decent sized fried shrimp (not all breading) and a dipping sauce for it also. As we both prefer dark meat chicken, that was a plus for us as it was nicely cooked and quite juicy.

Drinks were typical soft drinks though one could also choose from an assortment of island sodas and juices.

All orders are served on foam plates with plastic dinnerware.

Unfortunately, sanitation is not their forté. Not only does the health department not like their food handing, but to be honest, neither do I. The girls at the counter who also handle plates of food need training on how to handle food and sanitation. While we were there the girl with the black hair was observed to place her bare hands inside her pants and onto her butt cheeks. She then proceeded to remove them and serve food to another customer. This is a major violation of health code.

4 stars for decent food and nice portions, but deducting 1 star for poor sanitation.

Cholla Prime Steakhouse eval #2

We had reservations for 5:30 and were seated immediately. We were brought a basket of house baked bread and an amuse of a piece of steak.

Our meal began with an appetizer of slow smoked pork belly with a maple, honey and brown sugar glaze. As with the last time, it was excellent.

Between courses we were brought small glasses with a ball of raspberry sherbert as a palate cleanser.

Companion ordered the New York Strip Steak medium with sauteed mushrooms and garlic mashed potatoes. It was pronounced delicious. 

For myself, I ordered the rib steak (which was perfectly cooked), sauteed spinach w/garlic, and to share at the table a fresh off the cob corn casserole in a fennel cream and onion sauce which is to die for.

Topping off the meal was a chocolate cake with caramel sauce for companion and a creme brulee for myself along with a glass of  Grahams Port to wash it all down.

What an excellent dinner this was. If anything, the food has gotten even better since  my last review.

5 stars for excellent food, good service, good cleanliness.

Cocina Madrigal

Cocina Madrigal
4044 S 16th St 
Phoenix, AZ 85040

Companion and I had an early dinner here. We made reservations for 4:00 and when we arrived we managed to get the only parking space still free. Our reservation time was honored and we were seated immediately.

We were brought chips and dips right away and the salsa was so good i took a pint of it home with me. We also tried the habanero salsa which was well made and almost fruity in flavor but not in heat. This was the start of a really good meal.

Because we were driving, companion ordered a virgin margarita. This was the first one and was followed by another.

We ordered our main courses. Companion ordered the Al Pastor Tacos. While they are really good, next time companion will order them as lettuce cups to keep down the carbs.

For myself, I ordered the Al Pastor Burrito. I have seen babies that were smaller than my burrito! It was absolutely delicious but I could not finish it and took half of it home. While the rice was nothing exceptional the beans were first rate - toothy and with nice flavor and a sprinkle of cotija cheese on top.

Service was first rate. As a person who has reviewed restaurants around the world, I am used to good service, but this was truly exceptional. Servers literally ran from table to table taking care of customers. Our server Gabriella was fantastic. She was right there with anything we needed. I should mention that our food came out from the kitchen beautifully hot. It was obvious that it had just been made and was not sitting under heat lamps.

5 stars for outstanding food and service. Highly recommended.

Harlows Cafe

1021 W University

Tempe, 85281

Companion and I went for breakfast at Harlows Cafe early one morning and were surprised to find that it was packed. I've been in many other places for breakfast and they don't usually get so full at opening time, but this was an exception.

After perusing the menu, our wait person took our order. 

We started with cups of steaming hot delicious coffee. Everyone serves coffee, and a lot of it is bitter and poor, but this was really good. In addition, without having to ask for it we also were brought glasses of ice water.

Companion ordered a "short stack" of blueberry pancakes. I place it in quotes because their short stack was bigger than many regular stacks that have been served to me. It came with a cruette of maple syrup.

To say that these were terrific is an understatement. Loads of  big blueberries in a nice matrix of pancake.

Companion was not able to finish the plate!

I ordered Creamed Chipped Beef on Toast, alias SOS. It has been many years since I last had it and to be honest, this brought back memories of when I was a lot younger. Slightly salty in a nice cream sauce served over slices of toast with hash browns I almost had tears in my eyes.

The decoration of the place is very old fashioned with wood paneling on the walls and old time pictures hanging. Looking around at the others eating, revealed lots of people over 40 scarfing down big breakfasts. As soon as someone got up from their table, it was bussed, reset and another person sat down to enjoy a great breakfast.

Companion and I will be back again to try other items on the menu. This could easily become one of my favorite places to eat at.

Cleanliness was apparent and service was very good.

5 stars for excellent food, good service, and cleanliness.

 The Henry
4455 E Camelback
Phoenix, AZ  85018

Companion and I had reservations for 5:30. We were seated promptly in an area were I could watch the expeditor as well as most of the cooking and prep. 

Our wait person arrived fairly quickly and brought menus. Instead of bringing both a regular menu and a Restaurant Week menu she had to be asked for a Restaurant Week menu. 

Except for main dishes companion and I both ordered the same food. We started out with the Caesar Salad. Probably one of the worst interpretations of a Caesar Salad I have ever forced myself to eat. Barely dressed, the salad was dry and covered with a mountain of grated parmesan cheese that reminded me of Kraft! It would have been a whole lot nicer if it had some shaved parm on top and some actual dressing on the salad. The croutons were the best part of the salad.

For main courses, companion had the Bolognese, which was quite adequate. Personally I'd have liked a bit of tomato in it, but that is personal preference. The penne pasta was properly al dente. Companion could not finish the entire bowl that was served.

I had the Korean Skirt Steak. I had asked for it to be blue, but our waitress had no idea what I was asking for and I had to teach her. Not my job, but someone had to do it! The steak was cooked perfectly and had good flavor. It was served of a delicious fried rice medley.  I was barely able to finish the portion.

Next was dessert. We both ordered the bread pudding made with Warm Croissant bread, caramel ice cream and whiskey raisin sauce. I'd return if for no other reason than to have the dessert again. 

Sanitation was apparent. Silverware and dishes were spotless with a person inspecting each piece and wiping it by hand. Very nice.

Dings: This is yet another restaurant that serves serrated knives with steak. All they do is tear the fibers of the steak instead of cleanly cutting it.

The open kitchen concept as well as the brigade was interesting, but  I certainly did not enjoy seeing into their spice pantry which had a curtain to block it off but someone was too lazy to pull it. Restaurateurs need to be aware of things like this and have them taken care of. Patrons really don't want to see the back of house. 

I find myself on the edge between 3 and 4 stars. When that happens I will always give the higher star rating in the hopes that when I return for a second eval, which I will, that they will show that they deserve the higher rating.

4 stars