I visited with
Kris Ertz on August 26, 2024. This
eatery is part of the Noble Bakery. I bought a loaf of Sunny Flax bread and it
is delicious. The top of the bread is
very crusty. We both ordered the Chopped
Salad - spicy salame, provolone cheese,
pepperoncini, tomato, oregano vinaigrette.
The salad was huge and delicious.
I took half of it home and enjoyed it once again for dinner.
I have wanted to go to the restaurant for a long time. Mission accomplished.
I am renovating my house. I am in the first phases....painting the entire inside of the house a light gray color. My grandsons come in behind the painter and re-hang all the pictures and items that were hanging on the the walls.
Today was their first day so I took them out to lunch.
Jonah ordered the Philly Steak-- lots of shaved ribeye steak with grilled onions, green peppers placed on a heated, soft Amoroso roll with provolone cheese and then topped with a cheddar cheese sauce. He really liked the real cheddar cheese sauce over the top of the shaved rib eye steak.
Judson’s was delicious especially their homemade horseradish sauce.
I ordered the BLT – bacon, lettuce, tomato and Mayo on White bread…we all had the meals...which included a drink and chips. I chose the Creole Onion chips…and they had a slight sweet taste to them…but I really liked them. This is was first every eating this flavor of a chip.
.It was a fun lunch.
History of this restaurant – They are celebrating their 50th anniversary, marking half a decade of serving mouth-watering meals made with family recipes right in my neighborhood and this is the first time I have ever visited.
My grandson wanted to go to this restaurant because he really loved those fried cheese "things" but no mozzarella sticks." We were off. This was my first visit to the eatery in his neighborhood.
Jonah and I started with Crispy Cheese Curds – hand battered cheese curds, siracha ranch dip. (These were the cheese "things".) They were very good…not a heavy curd…it was like air when one bit into them.
We shared a Sedona Chicken Sandwich – grilled chicken breast, sun dried tomato aioli, bibb lettuce, bacon, avocado, cheddar. The bun was really tasty and beautiful to see. I was full after a few bites of the sandwich so I gave the rest of mine to Jonah and he ate everything. It was served with Beer Battered Fries…
June 3 was my 76th Birthday. My son and daughter-in-law invited me to dinner to celebrate with them and my two grandsons.
It is a funky looking interior but
the menu looked delicious and it was difficult to make a decision. I ordered a
Bloody Mary….and then couldn’t make up my mind for dinner. Joshus ordered appetizers.
Pork Belly – 7-day cured Iberico pork belly – arugula – picked red onion – goat cheese – tare – sour apple gelee - lemon vinaigrette. My first time trying this and it was really good…and I liked the bed of salad type of presenting it.
Whipped Feta Dip – feta-garlic honey drizzle – ciabatta – pita - divine. I was in heaven…it was presented beautifully…and it tasted even more wonderful. My favorite – I am looking for a recipe…stay tuned.
Arancini – Risotto – Mozzerella – Peas – House Made Pomodora and Calabrian Aioli.
Judson ordered Chicken Alfredo – house made tagliatelle pasta – Adobo chicken Alfredo with parsley.
Jonah ordered Penne alla vodka – house made penne pasta with tomato and parmesan. He added a meatball.
Jody and Joshua shared a Mushroom Pasta – house made tagliatelle pasts with Mushroom Crema – shallot – garlic – mushroom – parmesan.
I ordered the Pound of Mussels – Portuguese garlic cream sauce – Calabrian Chili – caper butter – ciabatta. I loved it…the sauce was very spicey… I love just it…It had a very fiery bite to it. Perfect for me…after all I am of Calabrian descent.
At the start of the dining experience Jody told the waiter it was my birthday…and he gave me the choice of a shot…or the Italian doughnut hole dessert…was there a choice? Of course not…I chose the dessert – four huge hot out of the grease doughnut holes…placed in a small bowl with ice cream in the center...with a strawberry topping. Yummy!
The whole dining experience was just wonderful.
Note - I took a big portion of my mussels home. I heated them up in a sauce pan one day for lunch. They were delicious along with the Garlic Crisps which was a birthday present from AJ's - Arcadia District. Delicious!
In the fall of 2023 I was hungry for a good hot dog...so I started looking. I then realized that Chicagoland Hot Dogs and More....was just up the street from me...so I tried a hot dog...Chicago style and loved it. I am sorry to say that I didn't continue on my search. I forgot all about my quest.
So you can imagine my interest in an "Arizona Republic" article written by Bill Goodykoontz. He went on the same quest looking for his 10 favorite hot dogs…but he decided not to rank them…and he has 17…which made me laugh…just call it your 17 favorite hot dogs….
On his list was Portillo's...a local transplant chain from Chicago. I stopped at Barnes and Noble the other day. There is a Portillo's in the shopping area.
I have been there many times but I
have never tried their hot dogs. Of
course they are Chicago dogs. So I
ordered a Jumbo Portillo’s Beef Hot Dog
and it was served on this wonderfully soft…steamy poppy seed bun.. The hot dog was covered with mustard, relish,
celery salt, freshly chopped onions, sliced tomatoes, a kosher pickle, and
sport peppers. $4.99 (the regular sized is $3.99) I do agree with Bill…the tomatoes
slices are just too big.
I rated it #2 on my list behind Chicagoland Hot Dogs because of the tomato slices...and the relish was just tastier in Mesa. Next time I will try Portillo's Polish Sausage.
A little history - How It All Began - The “Dog House” was Dick Portillo’s first hot dog stand in 1963. Years later, what is now known as Portillo’s still sells hot dogs, but the menu has grown to include Italian beef sandwiches, char-grilled burgers, fresh salads, and their world famous chocolate cake.
My friend Rhona and I visited this burger joint after I read an article in the "Arizona Republic".
It looked shabby and grubby on the outside but inside it was just fine…there definitely was a continual crowd.
My traveling buddy, Sylvia and I spent a weekend in Prescott. We found this wonderful restaurant for breakfast.
I ordered the
Lemonberry Ricotta Pancakes – ricotta pancakes, blueberry maple compote, sweet
vanilla cram mascarpone whipped cream.
They were delicious and filling. Hot coffee to drink.
Sylvia ordered the
Salt & Pepper Classic – three eggs over easy, bacon, house potatoes and
wheat toast.
