Category: Arizona

As I wrote about in a previous post, Phoenix has so many options when it comes to eating. The bartender at a different restaurant suggested I try The Kettle Black. He said he loves going to this place after work. He also said I could not miss the place because it has a big red door.

When you walk through the door you feel like you are in an English Pub. The bar looks amazing. There is solid wood everywhere. It is a very old school look.

They have a happy hour menu but I missed that timing on this visit. They have a ton of bourbon and whiskeys to choose from. I went for a local Phoenix cider called Six Byrd Cider. It had a nice crisp taste to it.

I was a little hungry while sitting at the bar. I ordered the Philly Cheesesteak Fries. These French fries were covered in shaved ribeye steak, sautéed peppers and onions, and a creamy cheese sauce. This was exactly like a Philly cheesesteak. The ribeye was spectacular. It was so tender and juicy. I could tell it was fresh shaved ribeye and not that frozen kind that tends to be really greasy.

The peppers and onions gave nice flavor. It was the cheese sauce that helped pull it all together. The sauce was extremely creamy and not overly salty. Each element of the dish worked perfectly together. And having French fries verses a roll was a better use of carbs. I highly recommend this dish and its’s perfect for sharing.

The Kettle Black is another great place in Phoenix that you need to check out.

Visit their website at www.thekettleblackpub.com

Enjoy!

T

If you are in the downtown Phoenix area, there are so many food and drink choices. I was looking for a good place to go for happy hour. Biergarten Dog Haus popped up in my search. It is a great place to go for hot dogs, sausages, and burgers.

They did not disappoint when it came to a happy hour menu. There were food, cocktails, and beer specials.

The Boulevard was a beer that was ordered. This was a Bourbon Barrel Quad. When I tried it, I could taste the hint of bourbon. It was a strong beer with a high alcohol content.

I ordered the Wyders Cider. This was a pear cider. It was interesting, it was a little sour and a little sweet to me.

One of the happy hour food items ordered was the That Burger. This was a burger patty with white American cheese, pickles, lettuce, onions, and 1000 Island dressing. This burger was simple but delicious. It was juicy and the cheese made it creamy. The dressing gave it a little kick.

We ordered a side of tater tots. These were classic, fried up till crispy. Just a little salt and ketchup and you can eat these like a kid.

We also ordered a Polish Kielbasa and a Spicy Italian Sausage. It was a little hard to tell them apart. But they both tasted great. They had a great crispy outside based on how they were grilled up.

We were able to get two sauces on the side for dipping. We tried the chipotle aioli and the spicy basil aioli. They both had a nice, subtle heat. While it tasted great with the sausage, but they were even better to dip the tater tots in.

Our bartender was fantastic. He was extremely friendly. He also gave us some great suggestions on other bars and restaurants we needed to check out while we were in town.

Check out their website at www.DogHaus.com

Enjoy!

T

Phoenix has a ton of craft breweries. We were in downtown Phoenix and checked out Huss Brewing.

They have a many beers on tap. I started off with Papago Cherry Blossom. This was a fruit beer. It used 100% real cherries in the brewing process. It was a combination of tart and sweet.

To help enjoy the beer, I ordered something to snack on. I thought the Classic Chips and Dip would be perfect. These were nice, salty kettle chips served with a homemade French onion-chive dip. There was a great balance between the flavor of the onions and chives. It was extremely creamy which was great.

I ordered another beer to enjoy with my chips. This time I ordered the Papago Orange Blossom. It was another fruit beer. I really enjoyed the first one so I figured I should try one of this brands other flavors. This wheat beer was flavored with mandarin oranges and a touch of vanilla. It was almost like a creamsicle.

Huss Brewing was a great place to grab a beer and a quick bite to eat. It would be a great place to watch a football or baseball game

Check them out at www.hussbrewing.com

Enjoy!

T

It’s National Pancake Day. It is a great way to start the morning. Lucky for me, the executive lounge inside the Renaissance Downtown Phoenix hotel had a pancake machine.

This is a really cool, automated machine. Simply wave your hand in front of the sensor and the pancake making process starts.

The batter is dispensed onto a little conveyer belt.

Then the pancake moves down the belt, getting cooked on both sides.

It comes out at the end, crispy on both sides.

I put some butter on it right away so it would melt on top. The batter was sweet and hit the spot. It was impossible not to make and eat just one.

www.marriott.com

Enjoy!

T

Phoenix is a fun city to visit. If you are into golfing – it’s a must visit. They also have an extensive food scene. While Mexican food would be what you might gravitate to on a visit – I was hungry for Italian. That’s why I was excited to find Giuseppe’s, a small little place in a shopping center.

I was thrilled to see that they had rice balls on their menu. They can be hard to find. They called them “Suppli di Riso” so I almost missed them if I hadn’t read the description. Their rice balls were stuffed with smoked mozzarella cheese, which gave them a unique flavor. It matched up well with their homemade tomato sauce.

When I was deciding on what to get for lunch my eyes fell upon the gnocchi. Gnocchi is my favorite Italian dish thanks to my grandmother. That was always her favorite. They serve their gnocchi in a “cardinal sauce” which is a blend of cream and tomato. I thought it was a very rich sauce; it was tasty, but it filled me up much faster than I expected. Yet that’s ok – having leftovers is a perfect way to take the dining experience home with you.

The wait-staff was very friendly and engaging; they offered wonderful suggestions about what to see when in the area. It was nice to also see all the regulars coming in for lunch. That’s a positive indication for me that a place will be good.

See their full menu at www.giuseppeson28th.com

Enjoy!

T