Spring Break 2010: food in Phoenix

We rolled home last night a few pounds heavier than when we left. Am I ready to eat at home for awhile now, maybe. Do I need to get to the gym? For sure. Was it worth it? Oh yea.
When we let Ryan and Jodi know we would be headed their way for Spring Break, we told Ryan we wanted a serious food emphasis on our itinerary. Chad and I are novice Food Network fans and one of our favorite shows often features Phoenix area restaurants. We've been looking forward to sinking our teeth into some of these menus. I'm not sure what it is, but there seems to be an abundance of good restaurants in Phoenix. We ate out almost every meal and didn't even scratch the surface. I will admit, by the last day, we were feeling a little sluggish and ready for some water and a workout. We did manage to get in some physical and mental activities, but food was definitely at the top of our list this trip. Here is a run-down of where and what we ate:

Joe's Farm Grill: This was a total trip. An old family home and farm turned organic, fifties-ish burger stand, farmer's market and coffee stand (Agritopia as they call it). Urban and old school combined. Known for it's burgers, pizza and salad, this was a fun place especially for families.I had a delicious burger with pesto. After dinner, you can enjoy the gardens.

Over Easy: Next was eating at Over Easy. Our first choice was Matt's, but the wait was too long and the place was way too small (not enough room w/ kids), so we happily headed over to another well known spot. This breakfast spot was featured on Diners, Drive-ins and Dives and we couldn't wait to try it out. I had the banana caramel pecan french toast, it was very good. Chad had the chicken fried steak...the gravy was fabulous. We really wanted to go back and get the jalapeno biscuits and gravy. We really liked the gravy. Maybe next trip.

Next, we had a "taco challenge." Yes, a head to head comparison of two different taco stops...two lunches in one day:

La Condesa:This new addition to the authentic Mexican taco scene in the area was just discovered by Ryan. They had a very cool selection of salsas...loved the creamed cilantro (kind of like the Cafe Rio dressing). We had a delicious dogfish shark taco and an incredible conchinita pibil taco (with just enough sweetness). Loved how this place was decorated; lots of Day of the Dead, Frida and lucha libre art (check out picture of Josh by the bathroom).

America's Taco: It was hard to compare these two places...both are very good. This one might win because the menu is broader and they carry Coke products (for me, that is crucial). They tout themselves as having the best carne asada in Phoenix and mmm....it was really, really good, it had just the right amount of char on the meat. The day we were there, they happened to have fresh civche as a special...very, very good. The kids loved having there own bottles of soda and I was pleased they had Coke products.

Humble Pie: Pizzaria Bianco in downtown seems to be the place to be (thanks in part to Oprah), but with a 1-2 hour wait and dinner only hours, we wanted a close 2nd. Since I haven't frequented many pizza joints in the area, I had to trust my brother on this. I love pizza from Costco to Estee;  NY style, thin crust or deep dish, I pretty much love it all. This was good stuff....really, really good stuff. It had a nice thin crust with little burnt edges from the brick fire oven. I went with a traditional Margherita, nice and simple. Loved it. Chad had the SOP (sausage, onions and peppers...w/ ricotta). This was seriously amazing. The sausage was the standout and it is locally made. My brother got one w/ a fried egg on it, very good, too.  Did I mention we really, really liked this pizza?

Matt's Big Breakfast: This is another breakfast joint featured on Food Network. We had tried unsuccessfully the day before to eat here and to make sure we didn't miss out, we woke up at 6:30am to beat the morning rush (and we left the kids behind). I love how you simply write your name on a note pad as you arrive. After a small wait, we were seated at our tiny two-top in the front window. This place was charming to the max. Very small and intimate and very diner-esque but, in a cool, non-cheesy way. We were told to get the Chick and chop (pesto crusted pork chop with eggs), the waffles and the orange juice. Simple, yet amazing. I don't know how they did it. A waffle is just a waffle, right? Holy cow, somehow, this really was the best waffle I've ever had. There was nothing fancy about it either. Also, the pepper crusted bacon that came with it....I think it was the best bacon I've ever had. The orange juice? I've had good freshly squeezed OJ, but once again, somehow, this was a step above. The pork chop was really good but, to be honest a bit dry. What I loved about this place is that you can tell it is as equally loved and frequented by the locals as it is by tourists. The people were so friendly even though they could easily be overwhelmed by the crowd.


Queen Creek Olive Mill: Ryan claimed this place had olive oil cupcakes better than Sprinkles so naturally, we had to try it out. They make their own olive oils and in a huge range of flavors, too.You can take a tour (we didn't) and eat (which we did). They mostly do breakfast, sandwiches, salads and gelato. I got the Manzi panini...it was delicious, but I felt a little small. The cupcakes were super moist and good, but I still put Sprinkles on top (the frosting was definitely lacking). I thought this place was very good, but was disappointed by how pricey it was; $46 for lunch w/ the family seemed a bit steep especially considering this is a casual order and sit down place.


Culinary Dropout: Just by the name alone you have to be intrigued. This trendy restaurant is in the center of the posh Scottsdale shopping area. Yes, Chad and I proudly had our van valet parked. Walking into the restaurant felt like walking into a very hip and funky design magazine. We were a little freaked out by the staff. They all appeared to be acting and modeling drop outs; all with a very strict age limit of twenty-something and dress code of whatever is most designer(no consistent dress code what so ever). We joked that they must be filming their own reality show while working there. Loved funky mix of wing chairs, leather sofas, side chairs and dining tables. The place was very dimly lit by super cook green crystal chandeliers. I think it's obvious by now, that at this place, the style upstaged the food. And the food was quite good, too.


Roaring Fork: Another trendy Scottsdale spot. We went to take advantage of  happy hour pricing (I don't think servers love us non-drinkers, but oh well). My fish tacos were quite good and we all loved the kettle of green chili pork.


Sprinkles Cupcakes: What can I say? I don't know if I can think of many cupcakes that are as good these. By far, Red Velvet is the best. Love the lemon and carrot, too. Vanilla and chocolate leave much to be desired in my opinion...maybe because they lack cream cheese frosting? These babies are pricey, but worth it. I think I ate 6 over the course of the weekend.

The Soda Pop Shop: Fun for the kids....endless choices of soda flavors from blueberry, apple, strawberry to Mexican Coke and apple beer. They claim to sodas from around the world. Just be sure to brush your teeth when you are done...they sugar content is over the top. We were also hoping to make it to the The Sugar Bowl with the kids for ice cream...maybe next time. 

A word about restaurant bathrooms. It's long been known that you can tell a good restaurant by how clean it's bathrooms are. But, what about by how cool? Several of these restaurants had uber cool bathrooms. Joe's Farm Grill is partially outside and so are the bathrooms. They have frosted glass walls (lots of natural light), are unisex (I was a little freaked out by the urinal) and cool Barbie and Ken dolls cased in glass in the walls. At Culinary Dropout, the funkiness of the restaurant carried into the bathrooms with dark wood paneling (hello 70's), antique warehouse light fixtures and a troff sink so cool that I had to take a picture of it. La Condessa featured a life size lucha libre wrestler on the door.  I love that they didn't stop their vibe in the dining rooms...talk about a complete dining experience.