Food Review - Mike and Ronda's The Place

Food Review – Mike and Ronda’s The Place

4925 W Bell Rd
Glendale, AZ 85308
(602) 896-9929

Don't forget to read the Yelp reviews, too!
http://bit.ly/f6Cn7B

Mike and Ronda’s “The Place” is a charmingly named diner originally based in Flagstaff, Arizona.  I believe that they have only opened two locations.  The “East” location, which is actually the one located in Deer Valley Arizona, off of Bell Road, and the “West” location which is located in northern Flagstaff off of Route 66.  This particular review will be for the location off of Bell Road in Deer Valley (Phoenix) since I have never been at the location in Flagstaff.

Just as a cool piece of trivia information:  It’s popular rumor that Mike and Ronda are part of a friendly motorcycle gang that likes to don leathers and ride through the valley of the sun.  This might explain why a lot of the local crowd there consists of bikers.  Nothing to complain about, but worth noting if anyone has unwarranted concerns against tattoos and leather.

The Menu

The Place has a very large comprehensive menu.  The restaurant is only open for breakfast, lunch, and brunch, so there is no dinner menu (as far as I know) – but trust me when I say that this does not hold them back from including a lot of different items.

The Place Menu

The menu itself is a bit too large to display here, but perhaps I can get a tricky photograph in another review I write for The Place.  It is bordered within a series of interesting advertisements for local businesses with the food items separated into categories containing most of what one could expect from standard diner food.

The Place takes all of the standard diner foods and adds things such as combos (eggs, meat, pancakes, etc) or just al a carte items such as a single order of French toast.  This is essential on occasions…there is such a thing as getting “too much” food and The Place makes it their specialty.

The prices range from $1.99 for some sides up to I believe about $13.99 for the most outrageous breakfast combo platters including an entire T-Bone breakfast steak.

Are there healthy items on The Place menu?  Absolutely.  Oatmeal with granola, egg whites, etc can be found on the menu.

Location

The Place has (as far as I know) two main locations.  The original location located off of Route 66 in Flagstaff and the more centralized location in Deer Valley (Phoenix) off Bell road right near 51^st ave.  The Place sits in the corner of a strip mall next to a discount bread store and shares a parking lot with another good place I will review (Freddy’s Steak Burgers) and a local club.  Nothing special or fancy about the exterior of The Place.

Interior / Ambiance:

Here is where The Place comes to life.  The interior is very standard, nothing special – just a typical diner setup (think Dennys…but cleaner).  Plain wooden tables, booths, a cash register and chairs for folks to wait for seating near a large gumball machine.  There actually used to be a sign hanging from the gumball machine with an amusing typo (we do have a picture of that which I will try to find).  Always busy, always packed, it seems that there is always a wait for a table.  Sometimes 10-25 people are waiting for tables at The Place, though I believe the longest we have ever waited was 15 minutes.  One very neat thing that they do is have open seating at their bar.  This provides two very awesome advantages to anyone choosing to sit at the bar: 

1. The wait for seating is severely reduced.  A 25 minute wait can turn into a 2 minute wait if a spot or two open at the bar. 
2. It's a front row seat to the biggest hustle ever witnessed.  Which brings my original point.  The liveliness.

The Service:

The liveliness of The Place is intense.  Servers are bouncing around, sliding between each other, juggling plates of four, sometimes five or six, several cups of coffee and practically with a sugar bowl on their head.  I would say that I have eaten at The Place several dozen times and have yet to see anyone drop anything or knock anyone over, etc.  There is a certain “finesse” the servers have as they glide through the restaurant.

Each experience that we have at The Place has usually been very pleasant.  The servers aren’t sweet and cuddly – but they are fast and attentive.  They take orders accurately and deliver them quickly and efficiently.

There has been only one occasion that we had terrible, almost downright outrageous service and I feel that I need to share that experience.  Keep in mind, we have eaten here over a dozen times and only once we have had poor service, so we don't think much of it.


We went to The Place with a friend of ours who met us there.  She had already acquired a table, so we arrived at the restaurant and quickly spotted her and took our seats in the booth.  I proceeded to order a coffee and my wife ordered a milk.  Seven, ten, fifteen minutes later, we finally got our drinks.  In fact, we ordered our food before the drinks even came out.  Then I received my coffee…no creamer.  We requested the creamer, never got it.  Finally, our food came out so we made another request for creamer and we got the dreaded eye roll!  Oh no!  She rolled her eyes, sighed, and walked…no…trudged back to the kitchen to get me some creamer.  After that…it just continued downhill.  She must have been having a bad morning.

The Food:

The Place serves some of the biggest portions of breakfast food I have ever seen.  The quality of the food is always average to above average.  It’s nothing amazing – not even consistently excellent quality similar to somewhere like Mimi’s Café.  The portions definitely make up for that.  I usually order the same thing:  Meat and Eggs, which all consists of the following:

• 2 Strips of maple smoked bacon
• 2 eggs prepared to order
• A pile of potatoes
• 2 buttermilk pancakes
• One cup of EPIC coffee

Two "Hubcap Pancakes," Potatoes, Scrambled Eggs, Crispy Bacon

The bacon is very good.  Tasty, sweet with hints of maple and savory thick pieces of delicious bacon.  Very rarely burned, and never undercooked.  The eggs are decent, prepared to order (I like mine scrambled rough) and the potatoes are actually surprisingly tasty, crispy and have a spice to them.  The pancakes are ridiculous.  They are almost the size of hubcaps…sometimes they are too big.  It’s hard to get the butter spread evenly on them because they are so big and thick!  The pancakes are served with two types of syrup:  Maple and Blueberry. 

The problem with such a bountiful feast is that I usually can’t finish all of this so I am forced to start picking and choosing like a selective fat pigeon, and I usually just giving up on everything.

One thing I wanted to take a special moment to mention is the coffee.  Usually I don’t find it necessary to showcase a specific drink (unless it’s exceptional) and believe me when I say, this coffee is…epic.

EPIC The Place Coffee - +50 To All Stats

I one time asked our server what the coffee (brand) is, so that I could procure it for my own sinister intentions but I was told that it is sold only in 5lb bags and is some sort of unusual brand flavor.  I want to say it is called “Royale” by Sara Lee, diner brand or something...but don't quote me on that.  I was appreciative of the server telling me the brand and everything but I started to think to myself:  If I had access to this amazing coffee ALL the time, it would make going to The Place less special.

My wife orders almost exclusively the French Toast with extra powdered sugar and a side of hash browns.  I have had the pleasure of trying both her hash browns and her French toast and I find them both to be very good for the value.  The hash browns are crispy and delicious, served on a plate the size of a brick.   The French Toast comes in a giant pile of 6 pieces (what is that, half a loaf?) and has never been too soggy or undercooked.

French Toast Stack (prior to "the dusting")

French Toast Stack (after "the dusting")

 You may notice that these are two different plate colors.  That's because these finite details usually don't enter our minds when we are photographing our food.  Generally, we're too hungry and we start making mistakes.

The Price:

The prices at The Place are surprisingly reasonable.  The combo I mentioned earlier is only around $6.79 which really isn’t that much for such a feast of food.  As I mentioned earlier, things on the menu range from as cheap as $1.99 for some sides up to around $12.99 for some of the more extravagant combos.  My wife and I have rarely spent more than $20.00 for breakfast, including the drinks and tip.

• Breakfast or Lunch – including drinks (coffee, milk, juice, etc) is around $15-20

The Verdict:
The Place is one of those joints that becomes addicting.  It doesn’t get much better than the  idea of sleeping in and enjoying a large breakfast at The Place after a lazy snooze on the weekend.  There aren’t many times that we go out for breakfast on the weekends but when we do we have the list narrowed down:  Einstein Bagels?  Mmm, sure.  IHOP?  Maybe...it's close to home.  The Place?  Yeah…The Place.  Let's go there.

Seriously though, their coffee is like +500 to awesome.

Top Shelf - Mexican Food & Cantina

Top Shelf - Mexican Food & Cantina

3301 W. Greenway Road
Phoenix, Arizona 85053
(SE corner 35th Ave & Greenway)

Phone: 602-993-5463 

Don't forget to read the Yelp reviews, too!
http://bit.ly/gGGtPb

 Top Shelf in West Phoenix

Top Shelf is a local Mexican food restaurant that shares the same parking lot as another place I’ve reviewed, Amante’s.  Living in Arizona really puts Mexican food into perspective.  If you live on the East Coast and happen to be reading this, well…you’re going to be jealous.  Unless you are Hispanic yourself, if you have never visited Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, or California – well you just don’t know what real Mexican food is.

As with many food genres, there are chain type restaurants (On The Boarder, Abuelos, Chevys, etc) and then there are the local favorites.  The local favorites and valley secrets usually end up being the best of the best.  Their salsa is fresher, their service is sweeter, and most of the time, their prices are even more competitive.

The Menu

Top Shelf used to have a very cool “top down” folding menu, one that you opened similarly to a birthday card turned on its side.  Since our more recent visits, their menu has changed significantly and more resembles an up-to-date version of a standard menu you hope to find in a modern restaurant.

The new "updated" Top Shelf Menu

The menu features typical Mexican favorites from starters (who ever orders an appetizer at a Mexican food place?  Chips and Salsa are the best in the world!), salads, dinners, specials, al a carte items, and even some “lite and healthy” choices as well.

Of the times we have visited Top Shelf, we have been fairly liberal with our requests on making our meals specialized to our own particular picky style.  Each time, they have been more than happy to oblige.  In fact, on one visit I requested that I get my shredded beef served on the side for my taco salad, just to see if they would do it.  They did, at no extra charge.

The "updated" menu opened.

Prices on the menu range from $1.00 for some extra cheese up to $14.95 for some Fajita dinners with Shrimp.  The average meal is going to cost about $12 after you add in the drink.  On typical visits, my wife and I usually end up spending $23-26, based on our order.

Location

Top Shelf is located on Greenway, in between the I-17 and 35^th Ave.  It shares the same parking lot as the K-Mart and another place I have reviewed, Amante’s.  The parking lot is very large and we usually get a spot right in the front.  Even despite the weekends when the restaurant is bustling with activity, we still manage to get a close spot.

Top Shelf and the Three Lonely Parking Spots

The exterior is a typical free standing restaurant, well maintained but showing signs of aging.  The roof and front door could use a face lift, but on the other hand their age actually gives the restaurant a bit of character, adding to that “authentic” Mexican Food feel.

Interior / Ambiance:

It’s funny, but I often joke with my friends that I think all Mexican food places smell the same when you first walk in.  Most people think that this is because most places are all cooking the same or similar types of food, but I think it's for another reason, and it’s still fairly accurate when describing Top Shelf.  I think the actual reason for this is that Top Shelf, like many restaurants in the Phoenix area, used to have a “smoking” and “non-smoking” separation, as well as allowing smoking at the bar.  Once our state passed the law to make smoking indoors illegal, the restaurants did what they could to remove the smell…but after years of smoking, sometimes it just sticks.  The subtle and faint smell of tobacco long gone stains the air and yet the smell of fresh salsa and baking chips helps provide a delicious aroma when walking through the doors.

The first thing you will see is an old, dried up fountain in the center of the foyer.  To the right is an extra long green cushioned booth to sit at while waiting for a table.  I would like to mention that I have never had to wait literally more than 2 minutes for a table at Top Shelf.  Even when the place is insanely packed, the wait time is very minimal.

Near the booths is an old arcade machine, which sits a few feet from the door.  The seating booth extends several feet to the edge of the bar, which pours into another separate part of the building.

Top Shelf actually has a great bar and “lounge” area  -- open seating available to any who want to have a few chips, munch on a burrito, and sip a Corona while watching the football game.  It’s a nice division for people who don’t particularly want to sit in the dining room, or wait for a table.

The dining room is typical; large booths and tables spread out with various historical Mexican artifacts hanging from the walls.  Large paintings of pueblos and old clay huts litter the walls, and bushels and baskets of crushed red peppers accent the old brick decor.  It’s nothing special – aged and out dated, sure, but at least it feels somewhat authentic.

The Service:

The service at Top Shelf is pretty standard.  Nothing amazing, nothing horrible.  It’s standard!  The waiters and waitresses have always greeted us with a smile, often times having the chips and salsa in hand as they greet us.  Let me tell you that this does wonders for the brownie points department, especially if you come to Top Shelf feeling famished.

There was one occasion where our waiter not only put up with our outrageous requests to substitute things in our meals (I wanted no meat on my salad, my wife wanted only cheese and lettuce) he also brought us two drinks without charging us.  We normally figure that they do this on purpose as part of a “lunch combo” and tend to not bring it up when paying our bill, but instead we give an extraordinary tip to reflect our thanks for saving us $5 on drinks.  We hope that this doesn’t get the server in trouble, but whatever happens beyond that point…we leave to them to deal with!

The Food:

Ahh the food.  Top Shelf has some pretty authentic, delicious Mexican food.  I have ordered a number of things there – from an al a carte burrito, to the taco salad, a chimi, the plain chicken sandich, to the mini-chimis.  Everything we’ve ordered has come out to specification and has been quite delicious, but since this is a Mexican food restaurant, I think it’s best to start with the chips and salsa.

The chips and salsa at Top Shelf are pretty darn good.  Not too chunky, not too runny, their corn chips are fried fresh and are usually served very hot.  They also have a pretty tasty hot salsa available at no charge upon request.  The best salsa I usually have consists of mixing the mild with the hot and coming up with my own concoction, but it’s all pretty good – and being free makes it that much sweeter.

 Chips and Salsa:  The Staple to Every Good Mexican Food Restaurant

For this visit, I had the shredded beef (machaca) burrito, al a carte.  This actually sounds like a fairly lonesome order.  A burrito arriving alone on a plate with only a few shreds of lettuce to keep it company…I can see how that might be misleading.

A Giant 2lb Burrito

But let’s get something straight:  This is not some Taco Bell burrito.  This is a real burrito.  This burrito weighs a good 2lbs and is stuffed full of spicy, delicious machaca beef.  It’s hot and juicy and each bite is overflowing with flavor.  I usually jokingly refer to it as a “protein tube” because of all the beef in it.  Top Shelf usually offers to prepare the burro in a number of ways including fundido style, with sour cream, deep fried (chimi style), but I usually just get it plain.  I like it that way.

My wife ordered the “mini chimi” platter.  The MC platter can be ordered with either beef or chicken, but almost everyone I know, including my wife, usually gets the “half and half” style which combines 4 chicken and 4 beef. 

Eight Mini Chimis

The MCs are delicious, but pretty standard.  They are deep fried, smothered with cheese, tomatoes, and green onions, and served with beans and sour cream for dipping.  Each bite is piping hot and goes well with the sauces, plain, or even with the salsa.  I’d like to mention that Top Shelf does not charge extra for the beans and sour cream to dip in.  That’s important to note because another local Mexican food place (Manual’s) actually charged us $1.75 for a side of sour cream to dip our mini chimis in.  This is usually “Ok” but we were never notified that ordering this sour cream came at nearly a $2 cost.

The Price:

My wife got a very nice picture of the menu, so if you are curious about the prices just check that out.  If you don’t feel like looking in greater detail – everything on the menu ranges from about $1 dollar from a side, to up to $14.95 for fajitas.  There are alcoholic beverages and things that obviously range in their own ways, but during happy hour the prices are pretty darn low.

Usually for the two of us we can get out of there for about $23 after tip for a lunch visit, and around $27 for dinner with tip.  That includes the two meals with drinks.  We usually have no room for desert so we have never ordered it with desert.

So just to quickly recap:

• Two people for lunch, with drinks, no desert: $19-23
• Two people for dinner, with drinks, no desert: $22-27

The Verdict:
We used to enjoy going to a local Mexican food place near where used to live (Jalapenos – which I will review someday) and when we moved we started missing it.  We quickly drove around and started to survey the local restaurants and were quite happy to find another restaurant to replace our old love of Jalapenos.  Luckily, we found Top Shelf. 

While it is not a 5 star restaurant, it does the job.  It’s close to our house, it’s not very expensive, there is never a long wait, and the food is delicious and enjoyable.  Overall, it’s a darn good value when we want some good Mexican food and don’t feel like driving far or going to a chain.  Usually, when listing off Mexican food places – Top Shelf is on the top of our list.

Food Review - Amante's Pizza and Pasta

Amante’s Pizza and Pasta

3345 W Greenway Rd,
Phoenix, AZ 85053
(602) 358-8445

Don't forget to read the Yelp reviews, too!
http://bit.ly/94zuem

 

Amante’s (http://amantepizzaandpasta.com/) is a Washington state based Italian food joint offering a pretty comprehensive menu with some outrageously large portions.  I am not sure if they opened a location in Phoenix, Arizona due to proxy to Washington, but I am thankful for their decision…their food is pretty darn good.  According to their website, there is also a location in Maryland.  I guess they have to start somewhere (in regards to the East Coast expansions).

The Menu

Amante’s has a very detailed but fairly common menu for an Italian food restaurant that specializes in carry out and delivery type orders.  

Amante's Take Out Menu

The menu is broken into separate categories ranging from hot oven grinders, pizzas, salads, appetizers, deserts, etc.  The descriptions of the items are fairly basic, but the team at Amante’s has no problems making substitutions or accommodations for specific requests made on their menu items.

 

Amante's Menu, Categories

One of the little features that Amante’s extends to their patrons via the menu is the “Create your own…” form of dining.  In my experience, I have found that no matter how great you might thing your meals are, people tend to like things the way they like them.  Having a custom pizza and custom calzone option makes it very convenient for consumers who are less inclined to select a pre-prepared item.

The prices range from $3.99 up to $15.99 depending on the item and the variety and capacity of what is being ordered.

Finally, Amante’s does have a “Low Carb / Healthy” option on their menu, which is par for the course on modern restaurants but still a welcome addition for the healthier among us that wish to delve into those options.

Location

As I mentioned, Amante’s is a Washington based restaurant, with one location in Arizona and one location in Maryland.  Having only one location limits them slightly, but they do have a great carry out and delivery option…though I cannot give my opinion of the delivery as we have never used it.

Amante’s is located on Greenway, halfway between the I-17 and 35^th Ave.  The restaurant sits nestled in the back of an old strip mall and shares the space next to a Goodwill and a K-Mart.  It’s apparent when pulling up to Amante’s that the strip mall (not necessarily the restaurant) has seen better times.  The economic downfall has taken its toll and the strip mall has obviously seen better days.  Several areas remain vacant and for rent and a few businesses in the parking lot are already out of business and boarded up. 

Right near the Amante’s is a popular Mexican food restaurant (which I will review) called Top Shelf.  Usually, they are commanding a large percentage of the parking spots in the strip mall.

Amante's Exterior

Interior / Ambiance:

Amante’s is…misleading.  From the outside large stone columns and old broken down brick and concrete lead their way up to the beaten down doors of the restaurant, but the interior is…actually quite exquisite. 

Fine linen table cloths made of pearl white soft cloth drape over the large tables.  Bright shining tile floors lead the pathway up to a small staircase.  Against the wall is a bar, which is unusual because I seem to recall Amante’s not serving alcohol.  Still, the bar is well maintained and the large plasma TVs complement the experience. 

I find it hard to paint an accurate comparison picture – but picture the ambiance is actually better than Olive Garden, quiet and calm, yet still exciting enough to get your attention when you sit down and glance at the TVs.

One thing I feel like mentioning is the fact that when we went in Amante’s (and almost EVERY time we got carry out) the restaurant is virtually empty.  There have only ever been two occasions that we have witnessed other people dining at the restaurant.  After a brief conversation with the waitress, I’ve found that this is actually because their carry out and delivery service is SO popular, very few people take advantage of the dining in option.

It’s a shame, really, their interior and waitresses are quite nice.

The Service:

We have only dined inside Amante’s one time (those are the pictures provided) and when we were there, we were treated like kings…that could also be because we were the ONLY people in the restaurant the entire time we were there.  There were literally no other people besides the employees of the restaurant and us.

That being said, our interaction is usually with the waitress when we get carry out, who is always very quick to retrieve our order and prompt in ringing us up.

The Food:

Amante’s serves a very wide variety of food.  I naturally gravitate toward the sandwich genre, and more specifically, the chicken sandwich genre.  I really am trying to expand, but…baby steps. 

I ordered the chicken parmesan hot sub/grinder.  It is served with marinara sauce, onions, parmesan and mozzarella cheese on French bread.  

Chicken Parmesan w/Marinara on Side

The only change I made was to have the marinara sauce served on the side.  I do this because I find that most restaurants that prepare chicken parmesan prepare the sandwich first, and they apply the sauce too soon prior to serving it.  When the sandwich is served the bread becomes soggy which really kills the experience for me.  As a result, I have become accustomed to ordering the sauce on the side.

The sandwich was very, very good.  In fact, I would actually rate Amante’s as having one of the best chicken parmesan sandwiches to be ranked with some of the greats like DeFalcos, Meatballz or Yo Paulies.

The chicken is prepared grilled and then diced and topped with a generous amount of parmesan and surprisingly sweet red onions.  Occasionally the French bread housing is burned or over-cooked, but not to an unacceptable level.  The sandwich really does hold up to the price tag and I usually finish the entire thing, leaving me quite full.

My father ordered the same as myself and it was prepared the same way.

We also ordered a pizza for the table.  We didn’t go bold or try anything special – straight cheese pizza. 

Straight Cheese Pizza (as opposed to a crooked one)

It arrived piping hot and we found the pizza to be standard fare, nothing ultra impressive but still good enough to keep us wanting another few slices.  One thing we noticed was the size.  The photographed pizza is actually a medium, which serves a hefty 6 slices of pizza.

My wife ordered the spaghetti and meat sauce.   

Spaghetti w/Meat Sauce

The spaghetti was pretty standard, nothing fancy – big fat tasty noodles.  The meat sauce was what I would also consider average.  This was the first time we have ever ordered pasta at Amante’s and my wife’s initial reaction to the sauce was that it was too thick.  The taste was alright, but the consistency was very…pasty.  The presentation was great and the fresh parmesan and garlic bread compliment the overpowering sauce.

The Price:

The prices at Amante’s are standard for most Italian food restaurants of their quality.  While they do provide good carry out and delivery service, I would not for a moment suggest that Amante’s is “Fast Food Italian” – there is enough care and thought put into each dish that you really do get what you pay for.  Prices range from the lower $1.99 for sides and can climb to an upwards of the $100s for catering dishes.  I would say that the average is ~$8.99 for most dishes.

• Lunch or Dinner for two people: $19-26 (depending on if you each order your own entre, or share a pizza)

The Verdict:
Amante’s is one of those “fall back” places we rely on when we don’t feel like cooking and don’t particularly want to spend the time to go out.  We’ve had Amante’s probably 10 times since we’ve moved into our new house and we have done the carry out option 9 out of 10 of those times.  It’s fast, convenient, and tasty.  We’ll definitely continue to eat at Amante’s…and there will be a few future reviews for there because there are some things that we have tried which I have not gone over such as:

• Outworldishly large calzones
• Amazing breadsticks
• Some of the best baklava I’ve ever had

Stay tuned for that at another time.

Food Review - Wildflower Bread Company

Wildflower Bread Company

2805 W Agua Fria Fwy
Phoenix, AZ 85027
(623) 879-6819

Don't forget to read the Yelp reviews, too!
http://bit.ly/ayQ4Mt

The Wildflower Bread Company (http://www.wildflowerbread.com/) is an Arizona based bakery/cafe with an assortment of delectable dishes.  I feel like I would be lying or hiding something from the reader if I failed to mention that I make it a point to eat at Wildflower Bread Company at least once a week, or once every-other week.  Yes, it's that good.

For my blog-type reviews, I don't particularly give a star rating (instead, I leave that to Yelp) but I try my best to be fair and I truly think that Wildflower Bread Company deserves a 4.5-5 star rating.

The Menu

The WBC menu is separated into a few main categories:  Breakfast, Lunch/Dinner, and Baked Delights from that you have a wide selection of breakfast foods, hot sandwiches, soups, pasta, cold sandwiches, salads, and much more.  The menu does go into very specifics for catering, cakes, special events, etc.  My only complaint with the menu is that there is no nutritional information yet, although WBC acknowledges this and is working on providing that soon.

Of the selections on the menu, we try to switch it up every few times we head to WBC but sometimes we just come back to the same old favorites.  I will make an effort the next time I am there to branch out into something different to make future WBC reviews more varied.

If you don't have time to visit the website to get an idea of the foods they offer, think Paradise Bakery but more original.  Sandwiches, soups, bread boules, and fresh crisp salads.  They also offer a variety of penne and linguini pasta dishes.

The prices on the menu are varied, ranging from $4.95 to $9.95 price range.  Our typical visit to WBC usually runs ~$22.00 and that sounds steep, but that includes meals for two, a drink, and usually a variety of pastry (a cookie, cinnamon bun, etc).  Usually, this is cheaper for breakfast as we tend to not follow our pancakes and french toast with cookie chasers.

Location

Unfortunately for folks not living in Arizona and reading this, you cannot enjoy the succulent dining of the WBC (as far as I know).  They are an Arizona based food chain and do have several locations throughout the valley.  Refer to their website for the location nearest you. 

For this review, we visited the location near the I-17 or more commonly known as the "Deer Valley AMC Center."  The WBC here is nestled comfortably between a Radio Shack and a Luna's Pizza in the side of a strip mall.  Nearby, you will find a Chick-Fil-A, Target, Macaroni Grill, Claim Jumper, Subway, and of course the grand AMC-30 screen theater.

Interior / Ambiance:

The inside of the WBC is decorated like a modern cafe.  Abstract artwork hangs from the clean walls, the floors are well kept and clean, the atmosphere can be best described as a mix of "commercialized" and "coffee house" and placed cozily in the middle of the restaurant is a set of comfortable high-back chairs with big cushions, a table, and a newspaper.

The Service:

The WBC uses the same type of "You order it, we deliver it" type service that many of the popular places are using these days.  Pei-Wei, Nick's, and even Chick-Fil-A use this same "order and we deliver" method.  That being said, the service is usually very good.  The cashiers are friendly and happy, always eager to greet and say "Hello!" -- occasionally we even get a joke here and there.  Halloween was fun, as most of the staff were dressed as bar maids and cowboys.  Festive!

Once you place your order, wait patiently for approximately 5-10 minutes for your food to be prepared, and it will be delivered to your table using their brilliant-yet-simplistic delivery method.

The Food:

This is what the review is all about, and this is where WBC really shines.  For the remainder of any additional WBC reviews I do, I can skip all of the introductory information and link back to it, because the food is the only thing we mix up.

WBC uses very fresh ingredients.  Obviously any dishes that have a bread component to them is baked fresh in their bakery daily.  Sandwiches come with crisp lettuce, fresh tomatoes, delightful cheeses, etc.  It seems like when the owner or head chef of the WBC was creating the menu they really believed in the old creed that "Fresh ingredients make a fresh taste." 

In the most recent visit, I ordered the Turkey Pastrami Sandwich with the mixed chips and honey mustard on the side.

Turkey Pastrami, Chip Mix w/Honey Mustard on Side

This particular sandwich is a "hot sandwich" the thick layer of Swiss cheese comes melted and layered between succulent pieces of 99% fat-free turkey pastrami.  Served on a piece of caraway rye bread, I found this sandwich to be one of my favorites.  I order the honey mustard on the side, but I feel the need to explain that I do this because I love it so much.  The WBC honey mustard can only be described as the thickest and tastiest combination of flavors you will ever try.  They make real honey mustard (none of this high fructose corn syrup stuff), where you can see the honey in the honey mustard.  I usually get it on the side because I am a dipper (both my chips and my sandwich) and it makes each bite have a rush of flavors.

My wife ordered the Caesar salad (dressing on the side) and their famous Potato Cream Cheese soup.

Caesar Salad, Sourdough Bread, Potato Cream Cheese Soup

The customary procedure for our meals is that I sample some of her food, and she samples some of mine.  In this particular case I have actually ordered this exact meal before, so I can describe it pretty well.  My wife usually finds this to be her favorite soup.  Served just hot enough (not scolding, and not cold) it comes with a piece of bread for dipping and usually in a cup or a bread boule.  The soup has a creamy cheese taste and each bite is overflowing with soft pieces of potato.  

The salad is crisp and delicious and is served with pieces of thinly cut fresh Parmesan cheese, which I promptly steal from my wife and eat for myself.  Muaha!

After our meal there is a 99% chance we've already ordered some sort of pastry to nom on, so BEHOLD:

Two Chocolate Chip Cookies

Alright, let's just everybody relax.  These cookies are gooooooood.  Freshly baked, always soft, bitter-sweet chocolate chips.  I am strong enough to admit that I don't love these as much as Paradise Bakery cookies, but my wife does.  I think it's the semi-sweet chocolate chips they use.  But I can admit, these are damn good cookies.  Good enough that I order one with every meal (except breakfast).

The Price:

As I mentioned earlier in the review, the price at Wildflower varies...I suggest a quick viewing of the menu on their website to get an idea of how much you might spend.  We usually spend approximately $19.00-$24.00 when we go to WBC but we are suckers for pastries.  Here is a quick list of what we feel prices usually run:

• Breakfast for two people: $15-17
• Lunch for two people: $16-19
• Dinner for two people (including pastries/cookies etc): $19-24

The Verdict:
Like I mentioned earlier, we will be going back to WBC for a long time now.  The friendly service, convenient location (SO much to do in that Deer Valley area) and the food is good enough to keep us running back for more.

Food Review - Tasty House Chinese

Tasty House Chinese Food

1512 W Bell Rd
Phoenix, AZ 85023
(602) 548-8108

Don't forget to read the Yelp reviews, too!
http://www.yelp.com/biz/tasty-house-chinese-restaurant-phoenix

I came home from work the other day and I found a pamphlet hanging on my door from a new local restaurant named "The Tasty House"

The Tasty House Menu

Their menu is your impressive standard Chinese food fare.  They have a very large selection printed, separated into appropriate categories which make it easy to read.  "Poultry" "Chow-Mein and Lo-Mein, Seafood, Sides" etc.

The Tasty House Menu, Categories

 As I browsed the menu and looked over at the prices (and pictures!)

Tasty House Menu, Lunch Specials and Pictures

  ...I really was interested...but alas, the Tasty House would have to wait.

Several weeks later and a lot of convincing later -- I finally managed to visit the Tasty House on a warm Saturday afternoon (11/6/2010) for lunch and here are my impressions:

Location:
From where we live, the location is perfect.  Located in the "hole-in-the-wall" area of around 15th Ave. and Bell Rd. it's only about 5 minutes from my house...which of course could turn into a longer drive for others.  Good thing they deliver, too!  The Tasty House really is a small hole in the wall business.  I really enjoy these types of places and my wife and I secretly search for these "gems" and try desperately to discover something we can rave about and enjoy eating for years to come.

Interior / Ambiance:
This leaves a little bit to be desired.  But...understandably.  You don't look at a menu and see an entire pint of egg flower soup for $2.50 and expect the interior to be "top notch" -- and I will agree with everyone when I say it's kind of a dive.  The chairs and tables are very beautiful and brand new, but the walls, ceiling, floor, and ambiance is that of an old beat down used up building with some generic Chinese wall-hangs attempting to give some decor to the otherwise plain walls.

Hopefully they can make some money and they can spice it up -- it could really be a delicious intimate restaurant.

The Service:
Here is where they got knocked an entire star.  Don't get me wrong:  I understand that people could be at work tired, maybe they are not feeling well, or perhaps they are just having a bad day but my wife and I are an up-beat young couple and we walked into the Tasty House with high hopes to get some delicious Chinese food....

We were not greeted.  No one said Hello.  In fact, I will attempt to paint a picture of what we saw:  Nothing.  The entire place looked empty, except for a teenage Chinese boy who had on a pair of headphones and looked like he was actually sleeping in the corner booth on top of a newspaper.  Our guess is that he was the family delivery guy and he had no orders so he was taking a well deserved cap nap.  Sounds fine to us.

After a few minutes the beautiful young girl (note that attractive does not equal happy) came to take our order.  Rather than try and re-create her attitude via text in a written review, I will simply say that she was NOT happy to be there, and she did not seem happy serving us or taking our order.  That's all I will say -- she could have smiled, once, or at least been happy to give us our food or something. I actually felt BAD for her.  I wanted to help her, like maybe she was ringing people up under gunpoint or she was secretly some type of a waitress hostage.  Maybe she just had a fight with her family?  We're not sure!  We didn't really tip, but the Tasty House is not a "sit down and be waited on" type restaurant.

The Food:
The food was amazing.  I ordered the spicy Szechuan chicken with steamed rice and an egg roll.

Spicy Szechuan Chicken, Steamed Rice w/Egg Roll

My wife ordered the sesame chicken with steamed rice and an egg roll.

Sesame Chicken, Steamed Rice w/Egg Roll

We both drank water so it only cost us $10.88 -- seriously.  For lunch.  In Phoenix.  VERY good value.

After a few moments the unhappy girl delivered to our table the most delicious spicy chicken szechuan piled high with delicious crisp vegetables.  I loved every bite.  The egg roll was nuclear hot and went well with the complimentary sweet and sour sauce and duck sauce.

My wife's Sesame chicken was also very delicious -- although she says it had too much sauce on it.  My wife tends to like things bland, so her mood effects the sauce-to-food ratio.  Personally, I enjoyed it.  It had a great mix of savory and sweet delicious flavor and seemed near perfection to me, with the exception of a few questionable pieces of dark chicken bits.

The Price:
$10.88 for two people for lunch is great, especially with the portions and how delicious is was.  Well worth it, and I highly recommend it to people for lunch or even dinner (dinner prices are about 2-6 more, depending on what you order)... so you could get out of there for probably $14.00-18.00 for dinner.

The Verdict:
I will definitely give Tasty House another try.  The food was good enough and delicious and the price was right for me to investigate this as another option for a quick lunch or fast and cheap dinner.  My only change: I am going to do Take Out so I just have to pick it up, pay, and bring it home without any of the hassle.