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.