Zinburger

Zinburger
344 N Gilbert Rd
Gilbert, AZ 85234

We had 6:00 reservations, and on our arrival noted that the place was packed and people were waiting in line. Our reservation time was honored and we were seated within a few minutes.

Zinburger is a chain of over 200 sports bars across the nation. While a bit noisy, as many sports bars are, service was excellent and the food was quite good. It has the appearance of an old garage complete with roll up doors (which were open on this night), and has seating both inside and on t he patio. This is a very "hip" joint!

Companion #1 had a birthday, and ordered the Wagyu burger, which was cooked exactly as ordered.
Companion #2 and #3 chose from the Arizona Restaurant Week menu. Companion #2 ordered the Zinburger cooked medium well, and instead of being like cardboard, it came out perfectly cooked and with juices running down their arm.
Companion #3 wanted the burger rare, and that is exactly how it came out. The burger was so juicy that it had to be eaten in a napkin to catch all the juice from it along with a second napkin to keep the fingers clean!
I ordered the Caesar Salad, which was quite tasty and nicely made.

It should be noted that all portions served are large. Among the sides ordered were onion rings and breaded and fried zucchini. Neither of them was finished because of the quantity. Onion rings were served with ketchup and barbeque sauce, which was a bit unique.

While most drinks ordered were soft drinks, one Yuzu/Lime Margarita was ordered and shared around the table for tasting. We all agreed that the cocktail was very good, but even better without the salt on the rim of the glass. Drinks were replaced with fresh ones as soon as they got half empty.

Noteworthy was that our server kept checking back with us to see if we needed anything and to make sure we were happy with our meals.

Also noted was that management hired employees that were not afraid to express their lifestyle with their dress and/or looks, and I give kudos to them for that. In this day and age, employees should not have to be afraid that their lifestyle won't allow them to make a living. 

While I normally reserve 5 stars for very upscale restaurants, I give 5 stars to this one for service, excellent food, and fantastic human relations.

Highly recommended

Flemings Chandler

Fleming's Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar
Chandler, AZ  85226

Companion and I arrived at 5:30 and were seated immediately. Our waiter Byron introduced himself and took our drink order. An Iced Tea and a Shirley Temple. Bread was brought out along with two small cruets, one with salt butter and the other with a house made cream cheese spread with caramelized onions and possibly a touch of Balsamic in it. Delicious!

Even though there was a menu provided for Arizona Restaurant Week, we decided to order off the menu. Companion started with a bowl of Lobster Bisque and I started with the Caesar Salad. Companion had pieces of shell in the bisque, which if nothing else proved it was from a real lobster.
Some dishes should never be tampered with, and my Caesar Salad was one. In all my years reviewing restaurants this was the first and only time I declared a salad inedible and sent it back. It had a very strange flavor and was in no way reminiscent of a Caesar Salad. It was replaced by a bowl of the same Lobster Bisque. It was quite adequate, but could have done with the addition of a bit of sherry or cognac at the table. Companion and I differed on the lobster pieces with myself preferring an actual piece of lobster and companion enjoying the shredded lobster on top. C'est la guerre!

We decided to share an order of Sweet Chili Calamari, which was one of the highlights of the meal. The sweetness was offset by pickled onions and slices of red sweet pepper. A truly great tasting dish. The calamari was nicely tender, but unfortunately, we were brought the calamari and no dishes to eat it off of.

For main courses, companion ordered the Ribeye Steak, done very rare, and I ordered the Pork Tomahawk which is a fat pork chop with a long frenched bone.  Sides were Creamed Spinach, Grilled Asparagus, and Mac and Cheese.

Companion did not enjoy the Ribeye because of sinew running through it, though the meat itself was cooked perfectly as ordered.

My Pork Tomahawk was cooked beautifully and was nicely seasoned. It was served according to the newest guidelines that say pork can now be served pink. No more cardboard pork chops! I often order pork chops as a test of the chef's ability to cook to order, as many chefs overcook it until it turns to shoeleather. This chef knows his stuff.

Sides were adequate, though the asparagus could have done with a bit of hollandaise of some fleur de sel on it. I carry my own tin of Maldon Sea Salt for these occasions. Creamed Spinach was topped with shaved parmesan cheese and was acceptable, but no competition at all for Lawry's creamed spinach which is the gold standard. Companion enjoyed the Mac & Cheese stating that this did not come out of a box but was made in house.

As it should be, everything was perfectly clean.

Dings - My pet peeve, that steakhouses should not serve serrated knives because they tear the fibers of the meat. For what this meal cost, steak should be perfectly tender and easily cut with a sharp knife.

Portions were good sized and doggy bags were asked for,.

3 stars for excellent service and decent though not great food

Lisa's Rum Cake

Lisa's Rum Cake
219 S Dillard Drive
Gilbert, AZ  85233


My spouse and I decided to get married and I only gave Lisa 1 weeks notice that I would need a two tier wedding cake. Instead of saying no, as most places will on such short notice, they said yes and we sat down with a book of gorgeous cakes that they have made for others. After going through page after page of pictures we finally settled on a pretty white cake with some touches of purple on it. It wasn't hard to select the type of cake, as Lisa is the daughter of Cathy, the inventor of the original Cathy's Rum Cake. Ours also included a layer of fresh strawberries in it. Having purchased a number of cakes from Cathy's, we were sure that this would be a wonderful cake and we were not disappointed. Lisa's even arranged to have the cake delivered at the appointed time, and once again there was no disappointment. Before leaving we took home a number of "cuts" which are pieces of different cakes. One of them didn't even make it home it was so good.

Everyone at the wedding raved about the cake, and even though it was a small wedding, almost no cake was left, and leftovers were gone in a day.

If you need a terrific cake, even something not a wedding cake, I suggest you run - not walk, to Lisa's. You will never be disappointed.

5 stars for incredible cake and service

Boulders on Southern

A group that I belong to has been meeting regularly at this location. I have eaten there several times now, and I must say the food is excellent.

Today, I had two fish tacos, which were excellent and came with a small salad also. That along with a bottomless iced tea plus tax, tip, and license plate came to $17, which was quite reasonable.
I am also very fond of their fried artichokes as well as their shishito peppers with Canadian bacon and goat cheese.

They have no problem splitting dishes between two people, including cutting one of their enormous burgers in half and splitting it along with the fries between two people.
I have not tried the pizza yet, but from what everyone says, it is delicious.

For smokers, they have a smoking area out on the patio complete with ashtrays. Its a bit warm in the summer, but delightful the rest of the year.

Their beer list reads like a who's who in the world of brewing, and while I have not counted, it looks like they have over 40 beers available.

The place is clean and amiable.

I suggest you run, don't walk to this great place. It's informal and the food is great.

4 stars for atmosphere, cleanliness and quality food

The Capital Grill

The Capital Grill

2502 E Camelback Rd

Phoenix, AZ 85016

Companion and I arrived for a dinner reservation at 5:30 and were seated immediately. We were
immediately brought warm bread and lavosh along with butter lightly salted on top. Drinks were ordered.
Companion ordered a Pink Squirrel, which we were surprised that the bartender knew how to make. I ordered a Beefeater martini very dry with a double olive. Both libations were well made.

Companion ordered Lobster Bisque, which came out like a deep pink pool of elegance sporting nice
pieces of lobster in it. Dry Sherry was nicely poured over the top as a finishing touch. I ordered a crab
meat cocktail, which was adequate but nothing to brag about.

Next came main courses. Companion ordered the Porcini rubbed Bone In Ribeye, cooked rare. It
arrived perfectly cooked rare, but not blue. For myself, I ordered the Broiled Lobster, which also came
out cooked to perfection. It is easy to ruin a lobster by undercooking or overcooking it, but this was
carefully watched. It was served with lots of melted sweet butter, which apparently all restaurants are
now doing. I added my own salt to it which brought out that buttery flavor that I sought.

Side dishes were Wild Mushrooms and Creamed Spinach. The shrooms were nicely cooked, and while
not necessarily wild (the same are available in most markets) nonetheless had good flavor. The
creamed spinach was adequate. It lacked finishing flavor and the requisite creaminess. Perhaps they
could get the recipe from Lawry’s Prime Rib for there's, which is the standard yardstick for comparison.

On to dessert. This was the one area that the meal failed totally in expectation. Companion ordered
Creme Brulee, which is not a difficult dessert to create. The first thing noticed was that the dish was
warm. The creme was eggy and lacked vanilla. Worse, it had never properly set, and was watery.
Probably as a result, the crystalized sugar top was very thin, and had no snap or crunch, which is a
signature of this dish. If this is the best the pastry chef can do, perhaps its time to look for another one.
For myself, I ordered vanilla ice cream with strawberries and aged balsamic vinegar on top. The
“homemade” ice cream had an odd flavor and while I know that an aged balsamic is costly, I had to
wonder if they could spare it.

Overall service was excellent and attentive. The premises were spotless and the restrooms were
properly maintained with good sanitation.

With the exception of the dessert, the meal was excellent and had the dessert been up to snuff,
would have been given 5 stars.

4 Stars for excellent meal except dessert, excellent service and excellent cleanliness.

Happy Bao

66 S Dobson Rd
Ste 112
Mesa, AZ 85202

3 of us stopped in for a quick lunch. They have an assortment of bao's including soup bao's from Shanghai. 

We were seated as soon as we walked in. An assortment of soft drinks was ordered, though I opted for water.

The Xai Long Bao was nicely made, but I found that they stuck to the plastic sheet placed in the steamer pot, and as a result, a lot of the liquid filling did not make it to my mouth. Perhaps they will abandon the plastic for the traditional leaves that are usually used and which the dumplings don't seem to stick too very much.

One of our party ordered the fried rice and pronounced it well made and satisfying.
I ordered the pork belly, and noticed the flavor of 5 spice was fairly obvious, but the taste was really up to snuff.  Both myself and another in our party ordered the Xai Long Bao. While the flavor was spot on, the lack of soup was noticeable and was truly missed. 

The place was small, but reminded me of numerous shops both in Hong Kong as well as in Shanghai, where there are huge dumpling houses.

This is a nice addition to the mall, and I wish them success in their venture. I will return and re-rate this business.

3 stars for nice service, cleanliness, and tasty food

Mora Italian 3rd review

This is my third review of Mora Italian.

Is Mora starting to slip? I find myself wondering, as I have taken away one star this time.

We ordered a melange of items with the idea of trying some old favorites as well as seeing what is new on the menu.

First up was the bread board and the salumi with cheese. The bread board was nothing like it used to be, and the salumi was sparse to say the least. Not a good start to our meal. Fortunately, the Sangria Mora has not changed and is still excellent.

Next was the Lobster Gnudi, the Fritto Misto, and the Pomodoro. In my previous review I described the Gnudi as ethereal and what I would love for my last meal. Unfortunately, these were heavy and gluey. The Fritto Misto was totally different. The octopus was vile and our waiter informed us that they were going back to the original recipe because they had complaints about this interpretation. I gladly added my complaint to the list. The pomodoro too had changed, as the seasoning in the sauce was not the same. Instead, it seemed like an ordinary pomodoro and not the super sauce that was originally with it.

Eggplant Parmigiana was adequate as was the Torchio. The cauliflower was nice, and the potatoes were perfect.

Desserts were Apple Cheesecake (ordinary), Budino (excellent) and Gelato.

Scott was nowhere to be found. I am hoping that this is not going to be a case of absentee ownership, as a meal that cost $226 plus tip should live up to its reputation. The food has definitely changed and not for the better. Portion sizes seem smaller and the attention to detail that was there when Scott was in the restaurant seems to have vanished. I'll check in again in the future to see what is happening in this restaurant.

4 stars