Beaver Choice

Beaver Choice

745 W Baseline Rd

Mesa, AZ 85210

Five of us along with a three year old visited the restaurant on a Thursday night to take advantage of the all you can eat pierogi offer. Having written reviews for many years, this restaurant presented me with a number of dilemmas in evaluating it.

The food represents a number of disparate countries including Germany, Sweden, Poland and Canada. While the food was tasty, the choices on the menu often led to confusion in ordering, with customers wanting to change around a lot of dishes to suit their tastes. Fortunately, we had an excellent waitress who did her best to keep everyone happy.

I ordered the all you can eat Pierogis, which comes with soup and salad. The salad is in a bowl on a table at the end of the room, and is quite ordinary. The dressing is in two squirt bottles that sit in a bowl of ice. The dressing is quite tasty, but the seasonings in it blocked the spout, and then suddenly shot out of the bottle drenching the salad.

Next, was the soup. It was kept in an electric kettle with a broken lid. The soup was a traditional European style borscht which had a chicken broth base, cabbage and thick sliced beets. It was an excellent soup, though I would have preferred that the beets were cut up a lot smaller and thinner.

What should have been the high point of my dinner was a bunch of gummy, thick dough pierogi’s in a selection of only 4 types. When I inquired about the selection since they advertise all you can eat, I was told that they only put out 4 types because they can’t keep up with the demand. In the hour and a half that I was there, I never once observed the pans of pierogi’s get low enough that they had to be refilled.

Companion had the Skomakarlada (Swedish Shoebox) which had a nice gravy and several nice medallions but which was buried under a huge mass of mashed potatoes. Companion had asked them to put some extra mushrooms on the plate, and was charged $1.75 for the mushrooms that none of us could find.

Another companion had the Hunter Schnitzel, which was a nice sized portion and came with two salads and a huge portion of mashed potatoes with gravy. A heavy plate to say the least.

One of our companions was a vegetarian and wanted the pierogi special, but was unable to eat the soup portion owing to its base of chicken broth.

The high point of the meal was the desserts. I had the Lingonberry Ice Cream which was excellent and the best part of my meal. A number of others in our party ordered the same thing after they saw mine. Companion had the Lemon Fluff, which was a beautifully done and excellent tasting meringue.

The bill was presented and I gave my Amex card. Their web site says that they accept it. I was asked by our waitress to use a different card because Amex charges them 1% more than the other cards. When I refused, they told me they would charge me 5% more on the bill to cover my using Amex. This is the height of being cheap! Never in all my days reviewing restaurants have I ever been subjected to something like this. I have had places say that they don’t accept Amex, and that is their privilege, but to add on a charge that isn’t even close to what they get charged smacks of a place that is worried about every little dime and is worried about possibly closing.

I cannot in all honesty give this restaurant the rating that it should deserve. The food was very good, and the service was adequate, but the place was more than half empty, poorly decorated, and did not want to take a credit card that they clearly accept.

2 stars for quality of food and service.

First Watch

First Watch

1665 S. Dobson Road

Mesa, AZ

I had just returned from a trip to Orlando, Florida where I was introduced to First Watch. Coming back to the Phoenix area I wanted to see if the quality of the food was the same or if it varied with each location.

Companion and I arrived at 8:00 a.m. for breakfast. First Watch serves breakfast and lunch at all times that it is open.

Our waiter arrived with a bottomless pot of good coffee to start the meal. We were handed menus and were not rushed to make our selections. I ordered eggs benedict florentine and companion ordered the bacado omelet with avocado. We both ordered a muffin on the side.

My eggs were perfectly poached sitting on a bed of spinach, tomato and avocado. Cutting into the egg provided a small waterfall of yolk pouring over the other items.

Companion had bacon, avocado, and Monterey Jack on homemade whole grain bread topped with sour cream and pico de gallo. Portions were so large that companion was not able to finish the plate, and I barely was able to finish mine.

For me, picking a perfect avocado is an exercise in futility, and mine usually have a few spots that are less than perfect. I don’t know what their secret is, but they go through tons of avocados and everyone is perfect!

Each location makes all of its food from scratch, which includes baked goods. Their muffins are most likely made somewhere in heaven and should not be missed. Cut in half and slathered with real butter it is a real treat.

Service could be better, but cleanliness is spot on and food prep cannot be beat.

3 stars for now with the possibility of a 4^th on the next review.

Koreatown

Koreatown

1832 W Broadway Rd.

Mesa, AZ 85202

This is the “new kid on the block” and I wanted to see if it lived up to all the hype I had heard about it. Companion and I went for lunch, as we both are very fond of Korean food. On entering, we noticed quite a few people eating their lunch there – hopefully a good sign of food to come.

We were seated quickly, and given menus. Our server explained that they had only been open for several weeks and that many of the recipes were from the owner’s family.

After ordering soft drinks, we placed an order for dac bulgagi, which is a variant on the regular bulgagi in that it is made with chicken instead of beef. While we were waiting we were brought about ten banchan or appetizers that we could either snack on then or eat with the meal. We did a bit of snacking and saved the rest for the meal.

The banchan was excellent, and particular kudos for the kimchi, which is made in house. I could have easily finished several portions of it.

In due time, the main course arrived – a large platter heaping with steaming hot dac bulgagi. I’ve eaten this dish in many places and this was some of the best I have had the pleasure of eating. The sauce was obviously homemade.

It was hard to finish the pile of chicken, but we made a valiant effort and in the end took a small box with us.

The owner visited our table to check on us and to let us know that these were his family’s recipes. While we did not have room to eat another bite, the flavor and quality of the food will encourage me to visit again and try some other dishes.

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

Christopher's and Crush Lounge - CLOSED

Christopher’s and Crush Lounge

2502 E Camelback Rd. Suite #102

Phoenix, AZ 85016

As part of Phoenix Restaurant Week 2016, this restaurant was one of several chosen to be reviewed. Companion and I arrived at 5:30 with reservations and were immediately seated. During this week, participating restaurants serve a prix fixe menu, and those who don’t get to eat in some of the more pricey venues get to enjoy them at lower prices.

Our waiter was immediately at our table and introduced himself. I explained that we were there to try the special menu and we were handed both the special menu as well as the regular menu and the rather large spirit list.

We started with cocktails – myself with a Beefeater extra dry martini with a double olive and companion with a pink squirrel. We were a bit surprised at being told that the bar did not have all the ingredients for the pink squirrel, and that it also did not have a blender. Yet, by doing some judicious substituting and some excellent shaking, they were able to come up with a very close substitute for the pink squirrel.

Next, we ordered appetizers. Companion had a large diver scallop, properly seared and perfectly cooked and served with tiny ravioli’s in an excellent sauce. I ordered the cassolette of mushrooms with port sauce. This was a mélange of wild mushrooms including a very young king mushroom in an almost sweet port sauce that was anything but overwhelming and allowed the essence of the mushrooms to come through. I appreciated that the mushrooms were not overcooked and still had good texture.

For the main courses, companion had a very tender petite fillet served over gratin potatoes that had just enough cheese to give flavor without overwhelming the potato. It was interesting that the potatoes were sliced paper thin, were properly cooked, yet still had texture. My main course was the breast of duck with sherry sauce. Duck should be cooked rare or medium rare, and I was not disappointed. The sauce was excellent as was the bed of baby asparagus the duck was served on. A nugget of roasted garlic provided a perfect counterpoint to some of the flavors.

Christopher’s is noted for some of its desserts, and we were not disappointed. Companion had a lemon tarte with berry sauce. The plate also had the base of a tuile covered in a lemon/lime foam that was outstanding and easily cleaned the palate. For myself, I had the gateau marjolaine which had some of the most decadent fudge on it that I have ever eaten, along with a deep chocolate glace sitting on the same tuile unfolded with I believe walnuts underneath it. A sprinkling of fresh berries finished the plate.

An excellent pot of French Press coffee finished off the meal.

As is expected in a restaurant of this caliber, service is polished and cleanliness is on point. Companion only had one complaint and that was with the continuous water to wash hands in the restroom. Companion felt that it was impossible to open a door without it having been touched before by someone who use the restroom first and had not yet washed their hands.

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

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

Republica Empanada

Republica Empanada
204 E. 1st Avenue
Mesa 85210

We arrived at the restaurant at 6:00 and were seated in a few minutes. We were asked if we had a reservation, which we did not. By 6:15 we understood why a reservation is a good thing since the place was packed.

Companions 1 & 2 and myself started off with an order of Maduros (Sweet Plantains), and companion 3 started with Tostones (Unripe Plantains that are deep fried and salted). The Maduros were beautifully cooked and came with some crema. Delightfully sweet and slightly chewy they were a real hit. Companion 3’s Tostones were cooked properly, but companion felt they were a little dry. A loan of some of our crema solved the situation nicely.

Since they had so many varieties of Empanadas on the menu, we ordered a large assortment. The Pernil (pork shoulder) was perfectly cooked with wonderful flavor, and the Mushroom Chicken was so good that extra was ordered to take home. The Boricua was very tasty having been cooked in a Sofrito sauce along with a ham hock. The Ham and Mozzarella cheese was tasty if not a bit unusual. One of our party was a vegetarian and was pleased that the menu had a nice amount of dishes that were compatible with that life style.

Next, on to the dessert empanadas.  Once again, we ordered an assortment to try. The Fig with Mozzarella and Dulce de Leche was outstanding, as was the Plantain and Crème Cheese. The Guava preserve and Mozzarella had a wonderful strawberry flavor that was quite intense, especially since it was ordered with Ice Cream and Whipped Cream. We also ordered the Banana Crème Empanada as well as the Baked Apple and Caramel Empanada.

We couldn’t leave without ordering some extra to take home. We left with several bags with more Maduros, Mushroom Chicken, and Plantain and Crème Cheese. Other companions also took home doggy bags which will not be touched by any dog if it knows what is good for itself.

The place is kept spotless, and fortunately only had one television on the wall which was showing the soccer game.

Service was reasonably quick considering how many people were there, and was always with a smile!

Prices are what can only be described as cheap, with most items in the area of $3.75. My suggestion would be to make a reservation, then run, don’t walk to get there and prepare to stuff yourself. It is rare for me to give 5 stars to a little restaurant that doesn't have a fancy interior, but this is an exception I gladly make.

5 stars for outstanding food, great prices, good sanitation, and the wonderful smiles.