Phoenix Delicioso

Phoenix is usually the first place my husband and I land after our hermit-like winter stay in our motor home on BLM land in the Sonoran Desert, "somewhere between Yuma and Gila Bend." That means we haven’t eaten out once for more than 2 months. Though I love to cook, we’re usually more than ready to do some eating out. In Phoenix, the problem, as in most big cities, is that there’s such an abundance of choice, it makes it difficult to narrow down.

Try as we might not to, we just tend to eat more when we eat out, though we have no compunction about splitting meals, ordering one entrée and one salad or appetizer, or asking for a container for leftovers. Most of the places we’ve been to don’t add on a "plate charge," and those that do usually won’t if you order a second, much cheaper item.

When I say Phoenix, I’m speaking of the greater metropolitan area that spreads L.A.-like (unfortunately, often including smog) around the hub of the central city. The freeway system allows for mostly fast and easy movement around the cities of the Valley of the Sun. This journal reviews restaurants in Phoenix itself, neighboring Scottsdale and Mesa, and suburbs Ahwatukee and Chandler 10 minutes south on the I-10.

How many links makes a chain? I’ve been giving this quite a bit of thought lately. We’re all familiar with fast-food chains; isn’t that how it all started? Since McDonald’s beginnings in California in the 1950s, in the last couple of decades, chain restaurants have made vast inroads into taking over the full-service restaurant business as well. Think of mega-chains Applebee’s, Chili’s, Olive Garden, and Tony Roma’s. Independent restaurants are fighting back, however. Phoenix independents are listed on ArizonaBistro.com and AZ ChainReaction.

Though I’ve avoided reviewing obvious upscale chains, it’s harder than I realized to avoid any restaurants with chain-like characteristics, namely, a set of related restaurants in many different locations either under shared corporate ownership or franchising agreements, built to a standard format and offering a standard menu (Wickipedia). In my reviews, I’ve included the degree of "chain-ness" or "independence" of each restaurant. And in doing so, I’ve come across that seeming anomaly, the "independent chain!" The Good Egg/ Eggery, with 17 restaurants total, and my favorite, Z-Tejas, with less than a dozen, are examples of such.

Quick Tips:

Discount coupons: Go to AZeats.com to find listings of Phoenix and vicinity restaurants, gift certificates, and valuable coupons. These range from 10% to as much as 50% off (buy one entrée, get one free) and have additional rewards, such as a bottle of wine or movie tickets.

TGIF? Avoid eating out on Friday and Saturday nights if you can. Even though there is an abundance of restaurants, the high winter-visitor population added to the year-round regulars guarantee long waits in most establishments without reservation systems. Weeknights are a different story. Plus, then you can take advantage of discounted drink and appetizer happy hours, which tend to be between 4 and 7pm on weeknights.

Smoking: We’ve not come across smoking in restaurants for several years now in Arizona. In Greater Phoenix, Tempe, Guadalupe, and Surprise restaurants are all smoke-free. Maricopa County Tobacco Use Prevention Program lists smoke-free restaurants in Phoenix and surroundings.

Best Way To Get Around:

Getting here: Sky Harbor International Airport is a major hub, with four large terminals. Phoenix is centrally located in the state. The I-10 goes through it east to west, and the I-17 ends here from the north.

Getting around while here: Phoenix seems to have the latest cutting-edge busses in its metro system. Bob drove city bus for a few years in his younger days, and he’s always impressed with the sleek, modern busses we see out and about on Phoenix streets. But Phoenix is mostly a car city. New freeways sprout up and extend themselves yearly, never catching up to the winter-driver pressure (population dwindles as hot summer approaches). During rush hours, radio newscasters can hardly report traffic accidents fast enough before new ones happen. A thriving illegal street-racing subculture also contributes to road hazards. Defensive driving is a must here, especially in a big rig.

Ever since we started traveling to Arizona every Christmas vacation in the late ‘80s, we’ve been eating hearty and delicious breakfasts at The Good Egg/ Eggery restaurants. All our experiences at these restaurants, 10 when we began, now numbering at least 17, have been very good, with the exception of only once, when we came near closing time (2:30pm) and our server’s brain and spirit were already apparently out the door.

The Good Egg hatched its first three restaurants in Phoenix in December 1983. Through efficient management that kept food costs at 30% and labor costs at 30%, they raked in the profits and expanded, opening an out-of-state restaurant in San Diego in April 1985. My most recent menu lists 12 restaurants in greater Phoenix area; three in Tucson; one in Wichita, Kansas; and the one in San Diego, California.

Good Egg decor is French-country style, and many offer outdoor dining. There is an egg-straordinary (in Good-Eggese) variety of breakfast and lunch dishes on their menu. Eggs have been one of my very favorite foods every since I was old enough for solid foods, so I’m in egg heaven at these places. Here are some of my favorites: Florentine Benedict (basic Benedict with sautéed spinach, mushrooms, and onions, with a sprinkle of diced tomato and bacon over the Hollandaise) $7; for $2 more, they’ll add bay shrimp; and Farmer’s Garden Delight omelet (spinach, broccoli, mushrooms, onion, celery, zucchini, corn, and peas inside, topped with Hollandaise, diced tomato, and feta) $7. Bob likes the Works, an omelet containing sausage, bacon, onions, mushrooms, celery, zucchini, and melted cheeses, topped with diced tomatoes, sour cream, and scallions ($8). Plates always arrive steamy and tantalizing, almost too hot to touch.

There are countless other choices, though, including skillet breakfasts, gigantic whole-wheat or buttermilk pancakes, luscious French toasts, fresh giant cinnamon rolls, blintzes, frittatas, and a hybrid called crepeggs. Healthy choices abound: the Doctor’s Choice uses no-cholesterol "eggs," and Nurse’s Bialy’s uses only the egg whites in their veggie-egg scrambles. Yogurt, granola, hot Irish oatmeal or roasted 7-grain wheat cereal, seasonal fruits, and fruit smoothies all tempt. There’s a whole section of Southwestern choices for breakfast and lunches. My favorite of those is the Wildcat Scramble, eggs scrambled with corn-tortilla slices, chorizo, green chilis, and onion, topped with black beans, cheese, salsa, sour cream, and scallions ($8).

If you prefer lunch to breakfast, there’s a great selection of choices as well, including sandwiches, wraps, burgers, lots of big salads, and the soup of the day. Full lunch prices average $7. A full pot of coffee is left at the table for coffee-drinkers. Another perk to dining at the Good Egg is the Best Things in Life card. After five meals, your sixth meal is free.

Having a bite to eat and a couple of drinks while making one full circle high over the city atop the Hyatt Regency has become a tradition for Bob and I when we find ourselves in Phoenix. We usually come between lunchtime and dinner, before sunset. It’s like watching a show as we slowly revolve, gazing out the floor-to-ceiling windows at the buildings below and around us. Being 24 floors above ground level allows for a bird’s-eye view of downtown and beyond. There’s something soothing about the motion of the circular restaurant and visually stimulating reflections in the highly polished and windowed neighboring skyscrapers.

There’s always something new to see. Between 1995 and 1998, we saw Bank One Ballpark (also known as BOB) going up. Last year, a street fair was livening up the Civic Plaza east of the Hyatt. This year, that entire block is in disarray, fenced off with little ant-sized workmen and a giant crane for major expansion and refurbishment.

March 2005: The manager seated us in the lounge at a window-side table. This section has dining areas on either end of it, and others were enjoying their lunches in these. The decor is minimalist black and white. Your eyes are inexorably drawn to the windows and scenes far below. All the tables are near or right at the windows. The central non-rotating core contains the kitchen and entry lobby.

We decided to try scallops with strawberry chutney, aioli, and leeks, accompanied by two Buds ($4 apiece). We sipped our beers and enjoyed the scallops awash in sweet chutney when they arrived about halfway through our rotation. Later, when we were handed the tab, we were surprised to find that the charge for the scallops was listed as $13, when we’d thought it was $10. We then discovered that the corner of the menu-holder covers the price of the top-listed item, making it confusing. Bob is a stickler for that kind of thing, and got the price lowered to $10. Views and the setting eclipse shortcomings, but I’ve got to say that the cocktail forks required a lot of pressure and back-and-forth sawing to cut the scallops (too big to eat in one bite). They should have either had sharper edges or should have included small knives.

No question that Hyatt’s a chain hotelier, but does that make the Compass one? My definitive answer is sort of but not really. No doubt it’s a classy joint, about as classy as we ever get. The appetizers and main course menus constantly change, featuring the creations of chef Norbert Roesch. The cuisine offered is international/American/Southwestern, and the restaurant features an impressive wine list. In 2004, they won awards for most romantic and best brunch. Full meals (not including tax or tip) average $32 for adults and $19 for children.

Hours:
Lunch: Monday-Saturday 11:30am - 2:00pm
Dinner: Monday-Sunday 5:30pm - 10:00pm
Lounge: Monday-Saturday 11:30am - 12:00midnight; Sunday 5:30pm - 12:00midnight
Champagne Brunch: Sunday 10:00am - 2:00pm

Our last day in Phoenix, Bob and I had just run into town to return something when Bob said, "I feel like getting a bite to eat." It was around lunchtime and sounded like a good idea, so we drove around the open malls on East Ray Road in Ahwatukee, and on the corner of one, spied El Paso Bar-B-Que Company. That "B"-word is guaranteed to intensify Bob’s hunger pangs, no matter how long (or recently) it’s been since his last meal. So we parked and walked on over.

An L-shaped patio runs around the front and side of the El Paso, with a big fireplace in the corner. Balmy weather and partial clouding persuaded us to sit outside, where dining is sheltered from the street by a waist-high wall, leafy green trees, and the massive fireplace. Indoors, distinctive Texan-style decor features open ceilings; big, rough-hewn wooden support beams; and comfortable booths and tables for small and large parties. Accents include large potted plants; whimsical painted pigs; and long-legged, Stetson-hatted cowgirl posters by David DeVary.

El Paso is open for lunch and dinner. House specialties include baby back ribs (full rack $20), slow-smoked prime rib (16 oz $22), Porterhouse steak (20 oz $24), barbecued salmon ($17), and a pulled tequila pork sandwich ($8). On this particular day, though, we tried to keep our eating to less-filling choices, so decided to split a barbeque-chili nachos platter ($8), accompanied by schooners of Fat Tire beer ($5.50 each). The red, white, and blue tortilla chips were piled high with mildly spicy chili with chunks of tasty, tender beef, diced tomatoes, green onions, jalapeño pepper slices, shredded jack and cheddar cheeses, and sour cream. Our server brought extra sour cream on request. There weren’t many other customers, and we chatted with her after we’d polished off the nachos and were finishing our Fat Tires.

Ironically, no El Paso locations are found in Texas; they’re only in Arizona, with six in the greater Phoenix area and one in Tucson. Although El Paso Bar-B-Que Company has a CEO, Bill Prather, meeting criteria of corporate ownership and standardized menus, I hesitate to call a group of restaurants with less than 10 locations, none out-of-state, a chain. They also produce sauces and rib rubs, which you can buy when visiting their restaurants or order online. The classy posters are also for sale.

El Paso does full-service catering and deliveries, with per-person rates and combination packages. They offer individually boxed lunch specials as well: sandwich of choice plus one or two sides, pickle, napkin, utensils, and apple or brownie for dessert – for only $8.45 to $9.45 per person. Six desserts are offered on the in-restaurant menu: from old-fashioned cobblers to cowboy chocolate cake to mocha mud pie, with an average price of $4. El Paso’s full bar offers two happy hours daily, Monday through Friday, from 4pm to 7pm and 9pm to closing. There are $1- to $2-off drinks, and all appetizers are half-price.

Bob and I eat here at least once a year, carefully bringing along our giant-sized Señor y Señora painted ceramic margarita mugs (see photo in Overview) that we’ve had for over a decade… Hold out your mug and Macayo’s will "refill" it with excellent margaritas for $3. Where can you beat a deal like that?

The first time we drove by Macayo’s on Central, we knew we had to give this restaurant a try, if for nothing else than its intriguing exterior, dramatic in angularity and color, windowless, and resembling a fortress. When we pulled around back to park and were face-to-face with an elaborate mosaic Quetzal serpent stretched out imbedded into the back wall, we couldn’t wait to see what we’d find inside.

This is a very festive place. From the tiled entryway with painted tropical plants lining the walls to the greeting station backed with BIENVENIDOS in red on the wall to cheerful dining rooms buzzing with people under a passionate magenta-pink ceiling, your senses are assaulted with color and good smells. Even the carpeting is a riot of color and design, and if you look closely, you’ll spot the macaw for which Macayo’s is named in the trapezoids and circles of reds, blues, and greens.

Macayo’s is listed in an Arizona Food & Folklore brochure as a locally owned and operated restaurant with true western character. High-school sweethearts Woody and Victoria Johnson’s story has become a Phoenix legend. Married and with three young children, they opened tiny six-table Woody’s El Nido (the nest) in post-war downtown Phoenix in 1946. Over the years, the restaurants grew, expanded, and multiplied along with their growing family. Now with their seventeenth Macayo’s opened in 2004, the operations remain family-owned and operated. Their Fiesta Farm and Cannery produces their own locally grown chiles, sauces, and margarita mix.

Macayo’s changes with the times, and like a vintage wine, keeps getting better. A recent addition to their menu is a Lite-Minded section, including chicken enchiladas with honey-citrus grilled veggies and black beans, grilled salmon tacos, and delicious-sounding low-calorie salads. Detailed nutritional information is available for the many sauce and dressing choices.

Our dinner choice this time was one of our favorites, Fajitas de Macayo, with combined beef and chicken ($13). With bottomless bowls of crispy chips and salsa, along with our margaritas before, and refried beans, guacamole, pico de gallo, sour cream, flour tortillas, and sizzling hot fajitas, the generous portions were enough to fill us up and then some. We took home enough for another dinner later that week.

Macayo’s extensive menu of Sonoran-style specialties makes selection challenging. It’s said that Woody Johnson invented the chimichanga; there are various kinds on the menu. You’ll also find traditional and unique versions of enchiladas, tacos, burros, quesadillas, and carnitas, and many combinaciones. The most decadent dessert is cheesecake-stuffed sopapilla (you can stop counting calories here); the puffy cheesecake-filled sopapilla is drizzled with chocolate sauce and Mexican caramel. My favorite, though, is their flan.

Established in 1928, this landmark restaurant is one of Scottsdale’s oldest and one of our favorites. Los Olivos’ striking building sits tucked away in a rather obscure corner of Old Town Scottsdale. We stumbled upon it years ago on a walk and have been returning ever since. The main cave-like entrance is on the east side of the building, shaded by palms, trees, vines, and an elaborate archway.

Last time we were there (February 2004), a life-sized smiling gray plaster donkey on wheels stood in front of the double glass doors. He blended in well with the unlikely gotta see-it-to-believe it architectural style of this building. Before going inside, walk the circumference of Los Olivos. Above the wooden back door looms a giant Cuauhtemoc head in Aztec headdress, further decorated by Christmas lights. On either side of the door, the faces of suns in stained-glass windows look out at you. Blooming bougainvillea cover entire portions of this building, adding to its organic feel.

Indoors is no less full of the unusual. Past carved wooden benches and colored glass skylights, there are several dining rooms. Last time, we ate in the one with the stage, with a retractable roof that can let in the starry sky when the weather is good, which is almost all the time in the Valley of the Sun. Completely dominating the stage is another big-headed figure, stern visage, small body, arms folded, and with what could possibly be large wings spread out on either side of him. He’s a very regal figure, and I wish I would have asked about his significance.

Tomás and Cecilia Corral arrived in Scottsdale from Mexico in 1919. They did not want their children to grow up to work in the mines of Mexico, so they took a chance on the land of opportunity. Tomás opened an adobe brickyard and built the adobe building that would serve as bakery, tavern, pool hall, chapel, and eventually, small restaurant over the years. During the Depression, Cecilia sold tamales door to door. At some point in time, Los Olivos Restaurant was named for the olive trees that used to grow on Second Street. And Corral family and kin helped the building to evolve and grow to its present state of grace.

Bob always zeros in on the Beefeater Favorites section of the menu, featuring steaks and carne asada. Notable is the steak picado ($10.50), lightly sautéed in a vegetable sauce. I favor the chicken and seafood section. The camarones (shrimp) a la veracruzana ($13.50) with an accompanying guacamole salad is delicious. For something lighter, try the whitefish or chicken tacos ($9-$11), full of nutrition with cabbage, beans, and rice.

Los Olivos’ menu is rounded out with appetizers, salads, soups, sides, specialties, and combinaciones. There’s also a children’s menu with selections under $4 and even American burgers, sandwiches, and fries. Los Olivos Norte, a second Corral family restaurant, is located at 15544 North Pima Road in Scottsdale. The Corrals say: Esta es su casa y vuelvan pronto.