Midwestern meats - Mesa Arizona

March 8, 2013

We arrived late for lunch so we thought it wouldn’t be too crowded, but when we pulled in there was a parking attendant and the parking lot was full except for one spot I think that we took. Then when we get out of the car people were waiting in front. So we got on the waiting list and went to check out their bakery and their meat market.  By the time we went through both of them they had a table for us. They kept Apologizing for the wait, but it didn't seem like it was that bad of a wait. When we were seated I think they picked one of the biggest tables they could find for just the three of us.  

I read a little bit about this place online and saw they have stuffed cheeseburger and was intrigued.   We waited a little bit until our waitress came; she took our drink orders which were all got Cokes. We also decided to get the onion rings.   

 

Not too long later she brought out a basket of onion rings and asked if we wanted ranch to go with it. We did so she went back and came right back with ranch. These were okay but not really the greatest onion rings just average we did quickly finish the whole basket mostly because we were starving. I decided to get the bacon and cheddar stuffed burger which is what mom got as well. Dad went with the blue cheese bacon burger just the regular version not the stuffed. The burgers also came with French fries and coleslaw.  

Once the burgers came out I knew it was going to make a mess and wasn't sure how to get it in my mouth to begin with.

  

 

So I figured cutting it in half would help out and for a picture. When I took my first bite I thought wow this is one of the best burgers I think I've ever had. The burger was just a really good burger to begin with, which it should be in a meat market then the cheese inside with really good bacon made for an excellent cheeseburger. This was on a very good bun from their bakery I'm not sure that I think it was the right bun for this particular burger, but it was fresh made from their bakery. I thought it tasted kind of more like a dinner roll.  

 There was also lettuce, tomato, pickles and onions topping the Burger. These were okay except for the tomato.  The coleslaw with the burger was just coleslaw which isn't my favorite. The fries I thought were quite good. This burger was really great, but was a little difficult to eat and made a mess but it was sure worth it. 

 

When we were done eating our waitress came back and asked if we wanted any pie, I was stuffed just like my burger was so I didn’t but dad decided to have a slice of chocolate cream pie.  The waitress went into the bakery and walked back through to the kitchen to cut the pie.  This was not that big of a slice, dad thought this was really good as did I from my sample.  By the time we were ready to leave probably around 2 o’clock it was still fairly full.  This was one of the top 2 burgers I’ve ever had (Epic Pizza and Subs in St. Louis is the other)

 

 

4308 E Main St  Mesa, AZ 85205
 

View Larger Map

El Bravo Mexican restaurant - Phoenix Arizona update

March 7, 2013

 

Last year we went to El bravo and thought my meal was good, but when I tried my mom’s green Chile chicken tamale I knew I had to come back for one of my own. This time I wasn't exactly starving when we got there after a spring training game between the Mariners and the Athletics. So I decided to not get a whole combo, I just had a green Chile corn chicken tamale with sauce and a side of rice. Mom had the same tamale in the combo with a sour cream enchilada with Rice and beans.

 

Dad had the shredded beef chimichanga which he says is one of the best he's had. His also came with Rice and beans.

 

 

This tamale was the greatest tamale I think I've ever had and I typically don't like them all that well. But this was no ordinary tamale.  Our waiter said that it was a little spicy and asked if that was okay, I didn’t think it was too spicy though.  The tamale itself was very good, but I really enjoyed the green sauce that came on top. Throughout our meal the service was very good and at the end they brought out three little cinnamon crisp things that were also very good. This was the same as our previous visit. All this we got for $38.47 which we thought was a very good value and it was actually cheaper than breakfast that day at Butterfields.

8338 N 7th St Phoenix, AZ 85020



View Larger Map

Butterfields pancake house - Scottsdale Arizona update

March 7, 2013

We visited this place a year ago and wanted to come back again.

 

This year I got my large orange juice ($5.27) instead of just a small.  I also made sure to get strawberries on my French toast because they were really good on mom's French toast last year. We all three had the French toast ($6.45)

 

 

mom and I both added strawberries for ($1.99). And dad got sausage to go with his $3.45. Everything I ate was just as good as last year the orange juice was fresh squeezed in the French toast is still the best I think I've ever had.

 

 7388 E Shea Blvd, Scottsdale, AZ

 

View Larger Map

Ranch house grille - Phoenix Arizona

March 6, 2013

On this day I woke up thinking that it was a perfect day for breakfast especially since we're planning on going to the Desert Botanical gardens afterwards. But by the time we got there from our hotel that was on the north part of Phoenix, which took a while, I changed my mind about breakfast. This was the perfect place since they have both breakfast and lunch. This was a nice family owned place where many of the customers seemed like regulars. We were on the late side of lunch, so it was not very busy.

When we walked they said to sit wherever we would like and then they quickly brought out menus for us and took our drink orders. Mom and I both got iced tea and dad had a Coke. We then had some time to look over the menu and check out the ads that were all over the table. I cut it down to two choices the club sandwich or the page special which had most of the same things in it, but when it was time to order I decided the page special because of it having the green Chile and it being grilled. Mom decided to get the California chicken sandwich. Dad decided to get the Reuben sandwich. These all came with French fries or you could substitute many of their other items. So we sat a while and just enjoyed our time thinking about the botanical gardens and everything else we wanted to do on the trip.

But pretty quick the food came.

 

My sandwich the page special had roast beef and ham along with a green Chile and Swiss this was all on grilled sourdough. This sandwich was really great and I enjoyed it tremendously the roast beef and ham were both good with Swiss but what I thought made it really good was the green Chile this gave it a little bit of a kick, not real much but some along with just the really good flavor from a roasted Chile. The fries that came with this I thought were average, but there were a ton of them.

Mom thought her California chicken sandwich was really good as well. It was a grilled chicken breast topped with avocado and Swiss. Also the plate had lettuce, tomato and onion to go on top of her sandwich.

 

Dad really enjoyed his Reuben sandwich and said it was very good, which he would know because it's one of his favorite sandwiches. I tested the Thousand Island dressing that came on the side, and you could definitely tell that it was homemade. Our waiter came back to check on us a couple of times. We never did need refills which was mostly because the cups were so big. When we were done he left us our ticket. When we were done we paid at the counter. $39.07 plus tip I thought was a very good value for the amount of food and really good food as well as good service. I was kind of curious about why they called the sandwich, the page special but their cups had a Page, Arizona address and when I looked online I found out that's where their other location is at.

5618 E Thomas Rd Phoenix, AZ 85008

View Larger Map

Manuel's Mexican Food - Phoenix Arizona

March 5, 2013

This was our first dinner in Phoenix on this years trip for spring training.

When we arrived for dinner the parking lot was mostly full but there were a few places out a ways from the restaurant. We went in and there were many people sitting and waiting in the front and I thought we might have to wait a while, but we told them told them there were three of us then they seated us right away. The chairs with the table were on wheels which I haven’t ever seen before in a restaurant. Shortly after we were seated someone came by with salsa and chips and asked if we would like hot sauce we said yes.

 

Both the salsa and the hot sauce were in bowls which was easier for me to eat them as opposed to when they’re in squeeze bottles which hot sauce typically is. This salsa was pretty good and the chips were decent. The hot sauce I don't like as well it had a strong cumin flavor, which I like that flavor, but it was a little too much of it. It was hotter than the salsas though which I guess should be. Someone else also came and took our drink orders which were two Cokes and an iced tea ($2.50). A few minutes later before our drinks were brought out another of the wait staff came and wanted to take our drink orders; we told him that someone already did it. He said he'd be back while to take our order. When he did come back to take our order mom decided to get a build your own combo with a beef taco and cheese enchilada. The waiter said this was their special today for $6.99, this is what I decide to get as well. I did read about this special online but did not see it posted anywhere in the restaurant nor did our waiter mention it before we ordered it.  Dad built his own combo with a beef enchilada and a cheese enchilada for $11.75. After we sat and waited for a while our food arrived the plates were pretty large and hot.

 

I thought the food was pretty average, the taco was alright and I like the fact that was on top of the lettuce and not sitting in the enchilada sauce, so it was not soggy. Also when I bit down the taco shell didn't shatter, which made it easier to eat. The shredded beef was okay, I didn’t think it was anything special. The cheese enchilada was pretty average as well, just your typical cheese enchilada. This also came with Rice and beans which were okay I thought, mom thought it tasted like minute Rice. At first dad thought his beef enchilada was really good but as he ate, he changed his mind. In the end I thought this was a pretty average Mexican restaurant in a place like Phoenix with so many Mexican restaurants that would be a better choice.

 

1111 West Bell Road

Phoenix, AZ 85023

View Larger Map

J. Gumbo's - Ft. Collins CO

February 7, 2013

Recently I’ve began to enjoy Cajun food a little bit, so when I heard that J Gumbos was opening I knew I wanted to try it out.  So Mom and I stopped by J Gumbos for lunch around 1 or so, there were a handful of people there but not many.  The whole place is nice and open.  We headed up to the counter and were asked if we had been here before which we hadn’t.  They told us a little about their food and asked if we wanted to sample anything, I was already planning on just getting the red beans and rice, but figured I might as well try it first.  After the sample of the red beans I didn’t change my mind, mom sampled the gumbo and then decided to get red beans and rice.  We also both ordered sodas as well; we took our cups and a number and found a seat.  All morning I was thinking I need a Dr. Pepper for lunch, but they didn’t have it or Mr. Pibb for that matter.  So I settled for Cherry coke.  By the time we were back at the table with our drinks the food arrived. 

 

 

 

Our two bowls of red beans and rice along with a plate garlic bread.  This had very good beans along with sliced Andouille sausage with green onions on top this I thought was a nice addition, this was on top of a large portion of rice.  This had a nice amount of heat, not a ridiculous amount just nice.  We both really enjoyed the garlic bread as well maybe even more the red beans.  I took the smaller of the two pieces, but wished I would have taken the larger piece.  It was nice and greasy and garlicky.  

 We enjoyed our lunch very much and I will definetly be back maybe to try something new or maybe just more red beans and rice.

 

 

2842 Council Tree Ave.

 Ft. Collins, Colorado

Hacienda Colorado – Westminster CO

January 11, 2013

 

There is nothing like going to a doctor’s appointment on your birthday, but that’s what I had to do.  But I knew I would get a chicken chimichanga after at one of my favorite Mexican places in the Denver area. 

We have been to Hacienda Colorado many times in the past and I was kind of surprised that I had never reviewed it. 

We arrived at around 5 and it wasn’t too busy, we were seated at a table right next to the windows.  Chips and salsa arrived quickly and had our drink orders taken soon after, all three cokes. 

The salsa was very good, as it always is.  It had your normal salsa parts peppers, onions, tomatoes and garlic; it also had a smoky flavor.  It was not really spicy; I thought it had the perfect amount of heat.  The chips were very thin a few of them broke, but tasted really good.  We had some time to look over the menu, but I already knew what I wanted so it didn’t take me long to decide.  In a few minutes when our waitress returned we were ready to order, I got the grilled chicken chimichanga that I’d been thinking about all day, this came with my choice of sauce from a long list, but I chose the spicy pork green chili. This also came with rice and frijoles a la charra.  My dad ordered the steak chimichanga (his favorite) with the jalapeno sauce.  Mom decided to try a new item the green chile chicken tamales, which came with rice and refried beans.  We kept enjoying our chips and salsa (I ate too much, but it was worth it) and waited.


The place started to fill up as we waited.  In not too long our food arrived, my chimichanga looked just as I expected.  It was large and was topped with the spicy pork green chili, their spicy green chili is not very spicy, and I think it would have been better if it had more kick.  It does have good flavor though and I really enjoyed it.  The rice was good, better than most places.  The beans were like a bean soup served in a little cup; they had some kind of pork flavor, probably bacon but didn’t really have to much meat in them just the flavor. Along with some onions and pinto beans, I’m not sure what else but they were delicious. 

But the star was the chimichanga, it was stuffed with grilled chicken and cheese wrapped in a tortilla.  The tortilla was very good and was even better fried.  This was then smothered in the green chili.  The ends were the best part where it was still crispy, the middle under the chili got a little soggy, but not too bad.  Mom said her tamales were good and seemed to enjoy them, but did say it wasn’t as good as El Bravo in Phoenix was.  I tested both and have the same opinion.  These were good though.  Dad also really enjoyed his steak chimichanga.  Our waitress came back a couple times to check on us.  And eventually had to bring me a box, I couldn’t quite finish it.  She also dropped off the check, which we paid and were on our way.  Somewhere along the line Dad said since we always get the same things we should come someday and get something new, but I think he’ll be on his own trying something new and I’ll be sticking with my chimichanga.

Hacienda Colorado has the best chimichanga, I have ever had, and that includes places in Tucson and Phoenix, some of which claim to be the inventor.  One which is El Charro in Tucson was very similar, but I thought Hacienda’s meat and green chili made it a little better.

 

 

 

10422 Town Center Dr., Westminster, CO 80021 

US-36 at 104th and Church Ranch Rd.

(303) 460-0111

View Larger Map