Tom's BBQ - Country Club

1140 S Country Club Dr
Mesa, AZ 85210

This review applies only to this location. Two of the Tom's BBQ places are owned by the father, and two are owned by the son. This location is owned by the son.

Companion and I arrived for lunch. Companion ordered the chicken sandwich, jalapeno mac and cheese, a brownie, and a drink.

I ordered a burnt end sandwich, cole slaw, and a drink.

Our first problem was that unlike the fathers locations the sons do not accept Amex. One would expect that in a chain using the same name the same rules would apply. We found a table and in due course our food arrived.

Companion's chicken was overcooked and dry. Some of it was left behind as being unpalatable. Next was the mac and cheese. Unfortunately, it too was way overcooked with the noodles being just mush. It was taken home in the hopes that refrigerating it might firm it up and at least allow it to be deep fried. The brownie was the highlight of the meal, being a nice portion of cake with an excellent chocolate flavor and texture.

My burnt ends lived up to their name and were truly burnt. Having eaten burnt ends in many places before, I was familiar with what they were supposed to be, and the burnt refers to being seasoned and cooked twice. They are not usually dry and/or actually burnt. I ended up covering them in BBQ sauce so that I could get them down. The cole slaw was excellent and seemed to be the same recipe used in the other stores.

The restaurant was reasonably clean and the restrooms (which are quite unusual) were properly stocked and reasonably clean.

I was fairly disappointed on this occasion as I have eaten at other Tom's and never  had food like this.

Two stars for a reasonably clean experience and a great brownie.

Tom's BBQ - Baseline Road

115 E Baseline Rd
Tempe, AZ 85283

This review applies only to this location. Two of the Tom's BBQ places are owned by the father, and two are owned by the son. This location is owned by the father.

Companion and I have dined at this location a number of times, and we usually order the same thing each time.

Companion orders the chicken sandwich, jalapeno mac and cheese, a brownie and a drink.

I usually order rib tips, cole slaw, and a drink. We have never been disappointed.

Companion's chicken was moist, and filled the entire bun. The Mac and Cheese had perfectly cooked al dente noodles with loads of cheese on them. The brownie was moist and perfectly chewy and chocolatey.

I order my rib tips without sauce as I prefer to taste the meat with just a little sauce in the background, and they always perfectly oblige my wishes. Their cole slaw is hard to beat; creamy and crunchy with excellent flavor.

Staff is always friendly and most helpful. They take all credit cards including Amex.

At the risk of sounding prejudiced, this is my go to place for BBQ, and I do eat there fairly regularly. It is clean and relatively quiet. At holiday time you can have them smoke your turkey for you at a very reasonable price. 

My only wish is that they would have smoked lamb. I once had a sandwich of it and thought I went to heaven, but that was some time ago.

4 stars for cleanliness, good food, nice sized portions, and wonderful customer service.

Tampopo Ramen

3223 S. McClintock Drive

Tempe

Companion and I had lunch at this new restaurant. Having lived in Tokyo for a while, I am more than slightly familiar with ramen shops. Good tasting, filling, steaming hot bowls of wonderful noodles with all sorts of accompaniments, being loudly slurped down by satisfied customers.

Tampopo has one of 10 imported noodle machines in the U.S. and one can immediately tell the difference between their noodles and everyone else’s. The noodles have a definite toothy character to them and a distinct flavor that is exactly like one is back in Tokyo. This was the start of a wonderful bowl.

We started off with two appetizers. First was Takoyaki – small batter balls with a bit of octopus in the center, covered in what appeared to be unagi sauce along with bonito flakes on top. The only thing missing was a bit of Japanese mayonnaise which is usually found on Takoyaki served in Japan. Second was a Hirata Bun which is a steamed bun filled with pork, a few veggies, and mayo. Unfortunately the mayo had been mixed with what I think was a large amount of Togarashi spice and was all but inedible for both of us. This was very un-Japanese.

Next was the ramen bowls. Companion ordered the standard Tonkatsu ramen which comes with a slice of roast pork, a medium soft boiled egg, black wood fungus, bean sprouts, scallions, and sesame seeds.

Companion loved the ramen, and found the egg to be perfectly cooked to a soft but not runny stage. There was so much food in the bowl that companion could not finish it.

For myself, I ordered the same dish but made with the rich broth which is more concentrated than the regular. I also ordered Kakuni (braised pork belly) which is served on a separate plate as well as Kae-Dama which is an extra portion of noodles. The idea is that you finish the items in your bowl but save most of the broth. Then you add the Kae-Dama portion of noodles to it and you have a second bowl of ramen though minus the extra ingredients.

In honesty, I could have done without the Kae-Dama as my eyes were bigger than my stomach and I ended up not finishing my bowl. About the only thing missing from the establishment that you get in Japan is the loud slurping of the soup.

We also tried the Japanese cream melon soda. It was delicious and should not be missed.

The restaurant was spotlessly clean. For those who might think that this is just a fad, it is worth noting that most of the customers were of oriental origin and really seemed to enjoy the food.

Service was quick and excellent with our waiter providing commentary when needed.

This is one restaurant that will be getting a lot more of my personal business as it brought back memories and flavors from living in Japan. Highly recommended

4 stars for cleanliness, service, and quality and quantity of food

Los Reyes De La Torta

Los Reyes De La Torta
1528 E. Southern Avenue
Tempe, 85282

I arrived at the restaurant at 11:30, and was seated immediately. The girl seating me noted that the sun was coming in through the windows at the front of the place, and she opted to seat me at a table that would not be in the direct sun light. This was to be the beginning of a nice lunch!

Within a few minutes of my sitting down, I was greeted by my waiter, provided with what I think were homemade chips and two different salsas, as well as 3 different menus. The first menu was the lunch special menu, the second menu was an assortment of drinks on one side and desserts on the other side, and the third menu was their regular menu.

The waiter was prepared for me to take my time ordering, but I opted to order immediately, asking for an item that was not on the menu. I ordered a Lengua Burrito enchilada style with green chili on it. My waiter didn't bat an eye, but did compliment me on my Spanish! LOL. 

I started in on the chips, and found them to be delicious, as were both of the salsas. While both exhibited some heat, one was definitely a bit hotter than the other, though both had excellent flavor and body. None of that thin, watery stuff here.

In short order, my burrito arrived. Large, soft, and swimming in a pool of green chili with a little crema squirted over it. It was so good I emptied my entire plate. I also ordered a Tostada de Ceviche in the appetizer size just to try it. As with the burrito, it too was excellent and a nice size just to try it.

Of interest is that the menu contains proteins that are not usually found in most Mexican/American restaurants, including Lengua (tongue), Buche (pork belly), Cabeza (beef head), and Pierna (pork sirloin). I found that the way the menu was designed, every dish was listed both with a full English description as well as a Spanish description. 

The only think I did not care for was the televisions all tuned to a different Spanish language station. They took away from the atmosphere, which would have been a lot nicer had there been some good mariachi music in the background instead.

The place was spotlessly clean, and service was excellent. I hope they continue to keep up this level of food and service, because this is one of the very best Mexican style restaurants I have eaten in in this state.

4 stars for excellent food, good cleanliness, and good service

Dozo Izakaya

Dozo Izakaya

440 W. Warner Road, Tempe, 85284

Our group arrived at 6:00 and was promptly seated. This is a relatively small restaurant and they had three large groups all at the same time, which made service a tad slow.  Drink orders were taken, and I had a wonderful cup of hot green tea (possibly Genmai Cha) which had a nutty flavor to it. Over the course of the meal I think I drank at least 4 cups of it, it was so good.

For the starter, I ordered the Baked Green Mussels – Very nicely made – not smothered in sauce like some places do. We were off to a good start.

Next I tried some of the sushi. Because it was Eel Day in Japan I ordered Unagi (freshwater eel). It was nicely presented with the proper sauce on top and still nice and warm. Next was Tako (octopus). It was cut nice and thin so that it was not chewy at all and had nice flavor. I ordered Tamago (egg omelet sushi) and Inari (Tofu pouches filled with sweet rice), but never got to taste them because a number of my companions grabbed them before I could! They loved them.

Because happy hour was not over until 6:30 and we arrived at 6:00, I ordered a California Roll and a Crunch Spicy Tuna Roll at a reduced price. Both rolls were nicely made and of a good size. Special kudo’s for the crunch roll which was extra delicious and had wonderful flavor.

Finally, I got to the Izakaya Menu. In Japan, Izakaya shops are known for small plates usually served with good cold beer. Most often they serve Yakitori which are individual small pieces of chicken on skewers, grilled over special charcoal and coated with a flavorful glaze.

The waitress brought out a large assortment of them for me. The Sunagimo (chicken gizzard) was nicely chewy, and the Hatsu (chicken hearts) melted in my mouth. The Negima (chicken breast with green onion) which is very popular in Japan was excellent and the Tori Momo (chicken thigh) was delicious. The Teba (chicken wings) were nicely cooked and had just a touch of spice to them and the Tori Kawa (chicken skin) was so good it brought tears to my eyes. At every bite I was reminded of eating in Japan because the food was so authentic.

Lastly, I had Tako Yaki (Octopus flour balls), a favorite street food in Japan. They were nicely made with a hardened outer shell, a type of bread filling, and a piece of octopus in the center. It had some Japanese mayonnaise over the top along with some bonito flakes. It was so good.

My ending bite was Saba (seasoned raw mackerel sushi) which was some of the best I have ever had.

Companions (6 of them) had some wonderful super light tempura, as well as a Curry Katsu (pork cutlet curry) and a Katsu Don (Panko breaded pork cutlet over rice with egg and sweet onions).

The restaurant was nice and clean, and while service could have been better, one has to take into account that they were trying to handle 3 large groups at one time.

4 stars for outstanding food, cleanliness, and trying their best to serve three large groups in a small restaurant. I will definitely be coming back to eat here again and again.

Chou’s Kitchen

Chou’s Kitchen
910 N Alma School Rd
Chandler, AZ 85224


Companion and I dropped in for dinner and enjoyed ourselves immensely. Because of health issues, companion was not able to drink any of the drinks on the menu, and the owner kindly allowed a drink to be brought in from the outside that was acceptable.

We had a minor communication problem in that we ordered soup dumplings and received a bowl of broth with dumplings swimming in it. After working out our communication, we were brought the real Shanghai soup dumplings and were told to also keep the regular dumplings at no charge.
It must be said that the regular dumplings were wonderful and the broth they were in was beautifully clear and flavorful. As for the Shanghai soup dumplings, they were just as flavorful and totally delicious. Companion also ordered spring rolls which were nice and crispy, had good flavor, and were accompanied by a nice dipping sauce.

Companion ordered the Honey Shrimp which is a standard dish in many chinese restaurants, but this was a bit different. First of all, the food was cooked perfectly and second of all, if was not the cloyingly sweet item that most places serve. The sweetness was reserved allowing for truly tasting the shrimp and the broccoli

For myself, I ordered Szechuan style Ma Po Tofu, another dish which is available in almost any Chinese restaurant. Normally it is made with tsin tsin peppers, but here was a new twist on an old dish. Heat was supplied by jalapeno peppers, and to my great surprise by real Szechuan pepper corns. For those who have not had the experience of these wonderful pepper corns, they leave your tongue and mouth a bit numb after eating them, which is a true mark of real Szechuan food.
In the U.S. most places making this dish use ground up pork, but here they use actual chunks of meltingly tender meat. This was an altogether satisfying dish.

Portions were all large and prices were quite reasonable.

4 stars for excellent food, good portion size, and being very accommodating to the customers needs.

BP Street Café

BP Street Café                                                                                          UPDATED REVIEW

1845 East Broadway Road, Suite 127
Tempe, AZ 85282

Our party of 17 arrived for dinner promptly at 6:00. As I had called in advance, they had tables ready for us immediately. A few of our guests had some minor problems with their chairs in that they had points on the metal which snagged some of the ladies tops. A quick exchange of most of the chairs solved the problem.

There are apparently 2 sets of menu’s – the one which is on line and the one which was handed to us. The difference is that not all of the dishes are listed on the menu that is handed to you at the table. A number of us with smart phones went to their internet site and ordered from that.

Drinks were ordered around, and the consensus was that they were all very good. I had the Barley drink which is a bit unusual but with a wonderful flavor, and companion ordered the Thai Tea which was excellent.

Next were appetizers. The Roti Canai were flakey and tissue paper thin. They were served with a dipping sauce that had a piece of chicken and a potato in it. It was ever so lightly spicy, hitting the back of the palate a few minutes after eating it. We also ordered the BP Platter which consists of two of each of the appetizers with a chili dipping sauce. It consisted of chicken wraps (wrapped in aluminum foil with seasonings), spring rolls (delightfully crispy with good flavor), skewers of fish balls (unusually light), and two of the best chicken wings I personally have ever eaten. Had the wings been in buffalo sauce I would have thought them the best in the nation!

My first main course was the Sambal Fried Rice. It consisted of fairly ordinary fried rice with lots of egg in it and 4 small shrimp with the tail on. Flavor was a little smoky, but was definitely not on point. I also ordered the Mee Siam which is a chicken cutlet that is fried very crispy, and served with a small mountain of very thin rice noodles, several slices of cucumber, and a hard-boiled egg. This dish too was a big disappointment. The chicken was very overcooked, the noodles were so dry as to be inedible, and one would never get a hard-boiled egg in Malaysia, instead it would be a fried egg on top. No sauce was offered with the dish.

Companion ordered the BP Seafood over Rice. A large portion of white rice swimming in a sea of what looked like egg drop soup with 5 small shrimp in it and some artificial seafood. Companion complained that it was swimming in egg drop soup and it should have been thickened a whole lot. Companion also did not care for the dish itself, stating that the flavor was lacking.

Because of the experience of myself and companion, I polled the others at the table to get an idea of what they thought of the food.

Comments were: Chicken Curry and Rice – would have been good if the tofu had been left out

Seafood Noodle Soup – very good

Chicken Chop Noodle Soup – good

Combo Fried Rice – fair – needed more flavor

Hainan Chicken Rice – very good

BP Ginger Chicken Rice – good

Pork Chop Rice – great (Note: In Malaysia you would never get a pork chop as it is a Muslim country and pork is forbidden)

Nasi Lemak – missing flavor and heat (this dish was evaluated by our person who has lived in Malaysia)

Sweet and Sour Chicken – very dry and over cooked

Summation: There is no décor to speak of, though the place appears clean and well taken care of. One expects a bit of confusion with a party of this size, but this went far beyond what would or could be expected.

While some enjoyed their meal, the consensus was that the food was lacking in traditional Malaysian flavors and heat. I will go back again, to order a pile of the Roti and some more of the Barley drink.

I cannot in my conscience give the kinds of stars that others seem to be giving. Perhaps in the future, but not at this juncture. 3 stars for effort, cleanliness, and good portion size.

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This is a communication I received from the owner and in fairness to the review I felt it needed to be included.-------------------------


Malaysia is a multi-ethnic country; the main three ethnic groups are Malays (Muslim), Chinese (Buddhism/Christian) and Indians (Hinduism). We are serving Malaysian foods from these three ethnic groups. Therefore pork chop is on our menu since Malays is the only group do not eat pork but the other two do.