If you guys really want to chat about food, check out chowhound.com and look for the southwest board. Great recs. They're often looking for something more unique than steak (best Thai in NW Phoenix, for example) but they do have some really good info.
vvv Don't get me wrong, I think this thread is fine. I just wanted to mention a place to get great advice on restaurants. Carry on...
__________________
It is impossible to defeat an ignorant man in argument.
~William G. McAdoo
Last edited by andrewkfromaz; Oct 31, 2007 at 4:03 PM.
Reason: replied to below
If you guys really want to chat about food, check out chowhound.com and look for the southwest board. Great recs. They're often looking for something more unique than steak (best Thai in NW Phoenix, for example) but they do have some really good info.
lighten up....it was a simple thing just to kill time and for a little fun
Vandercook, you're the pot calling the kettle black. I've seen you dish it out plenty of times but it's laughable to read you play the victim.
I know plenty about fine dining and have been to about every good restaurant in this town. But at least half the time I like casual look dining. I'm a native and I still like going to Bill Johnson's for breakfast. I still like going to Avanti for Lobster and love LoLo's for catfish. If you're going to take yourself so seriously then your going to need to handle your drinking problem.
because Cholla, as good as it is, is in a casino. Pinnacle Peak is just a kitchy touristy place with sub-par food.
as for making accusations that I have a drinking problem, what's that all about? I've never talked about drinking and you guys saw one picture of me at a party with a beer in my hand? anyone with a beer in their hand has a drinking problem...?
I think the steak issue is way over played. IMO places like Ruth Chris, Morton’s, Houston’s and the like are just overpriced. If what, you’re looking for is the ambiance that accompanies the dining experience then these restaurant and the prices they charge should be expected. But if the question is quality of steak then it becomes a lot more subjective. What one persons considers a perfect steak may not be what the next person likes, example: my wife likes her steak medium well and uses steak sauce. I take my steak medium and cannot stand the sauces since all they do is mask the taste of the meat. On a visit to Vegas we dined at a place called Fior’s which fancies itself as “fine dining” and let me tell you it was probably one of the most disappointing experiences I have ever had. After a one of the most bland, over cooked, tendon ridden steaks I have eaten the reality that I was still stuck with a bill that charged $15 for two waters and totaled in the area of just under $250 not including tip I realized how foolish I felt and how ridiculous the notion was that price always equates to quality.
Now having said that I must say TexAZ grill by most standard does not serve ‘great’ steaks, again just my opinion but not ‘great’ steaks. I may catch some flak from some of its proponents but chain locations like Outback and Texas Roadhouse serve steak of better quality with comparable pricing. Carver’s also impressed me with their steaks, granted their prices are higher than the previous two but it’s still not as high as the ones listed above.
The point is that I have yet to taste a steak that I enjoyed as much as the ones that I buy from my butcher, cook on my grill, under my supervision, with my heat thermometer, with my seasonings all for less than most restaurants. And the best part is that I can enjoy a couple of Sam Adams while I grill…mmmm heaven.
Hmm... interesting. Do you go to an actual butcher or just AJs? Do you settle for choice or do you splurge for prime, and do you just grill the T-bones or also the tenderloin instead of the broiler?
Vandercook, you seem like you know how to have a good time and therefore can not take your self too seriously.
Well I’m also a native of the Valley and we owned a small farm in Buckeye which we eventually moved to Laveen, so the cuts that I was accustomed to growing up were to put it mildly very, very local. Now that I have to wear my big boy pants I tend to lean more towards an old family friend. However supplies are not always guaranteed so yeah I’ve tried everything from local grocery store to Omaha steaks – over rated as well. My preferred steak is a Porterhouse cut to 1.5 inch thick. I have a gas grill that I use for convenience but when time permits I’ll revert back to good old charcoal. I usually coat the exterior with a light brushing of olive oil before I add the rub – the olive oil just helps char and sear the outside and then let it rest about 3 minutes.
I think I have to go with Durants if the place you are dining in is factored in.
I will probably get shot for this but Ruths Chris makes a damn good steak... buttered and sizzling.... but it is pricey and is a chain.
I love City Hall's steaks and the atmosphere too.
Want to try Monte's!! I am ashamed to say I haven't been.
Who knows- maybe soon I can ride the rollercoaster down from Disneyland when it is built on top!
What is it with "chain" bashing? Is this some part of a secretive urbanists pledge that I don't know about? Companies don't begin as chains. They evolve into them over time due to their success. Customers like the product in the original store and so the company expands because it's PROFITABLE. Is this bad?!?! If the product is undesirable, people stop spending, and the chain goes away.
Are chains unique? No. Does that mean they deserve ridicule? No.
Do morons like to appear "hip" by belittling them? Apparently.
The Keg has the most excellent Blue Cheese Fillet for a chain, and Rokerij on 12th street/Glendale has excellent steaks as well! Too bad they missed the list.
Wow.
Morons huh?
I hope this is not in reference to my post.
Moron applies to anyone that consistently rips into any and all chain restaurants without just cause. If this applies to you, then yes, you are indeed a moron. If not, then you are not a moron.
Start naming these wonderful chains then my "friend". Otherwise keep it up in that gold plated brain of yours.
You're right guy. My bad. I'm sure you've never stepped foot into a Ruth's Chris, Target, Home Depot, Starbucks, Chipotle, Paradise Bakery, In & Out Burger, Chick Fil A, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc. You're way above those evil chains. Probably make every one of your purchases through the local Mom & Pop. Again, my apologies "friend".
I try not to go to Starbucks if I can help it. Paradise Bakery is locally owned and therefore get my patronage, as do Pei Wei, Coffee Plantation and Carolinas. In N' Out and Chick Fil A are unique privately owned chains that have more in common with the above than Chilis, McDonalds or Claim Jumper.
PHX NATIVE, some people prefer to not spend money at chains. Some of them are overzealous, but lighten up. ALL of us drive cars that were manufactured by huge multinationals, and run them on fuel produced by some of the largest companies in the world. The point is that avoiding chains is merely a hobby, and it can be fun. Whether the chain vs. independent factor figures into a discussion of quality, I'll let you decide. For me, I wouldn't call a chain restaurant my favorite, just b/c I like unique experiences of independents.
__________________
It is impossible to defeat an ignorant man in argument.
~William G. McAdoo
A better way to get your point across may be to take out the insults....
I happen to love Chains.
When visiting other cities, perhaps-
I may visit something unique to the City vs. something I can eat at home.
And locally, I try to pay attention to both, as Cibo, fate, Lisa G's, Carly's and Drip seem to be my favorite environments....
Chains are here for a reason. I stated the fact I love Ruths Chris earlier.
Pei Wei Downtown is great- even the Schlotzkies near Durants is an amazing building....
Independants need more local help and support to keep alive so they have their place too.
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Well I’m also a native of the Valley and we owned a small farm in Buckeye which we eventually moved to Laveen, so the cuts that I was accustomed to growing up were to put it mildly very, very local. Now that I have to wear my big boy pants I tend to lean more towards an old family friend. However supplies are not always guaranteed so yeah I’ve tried everything from local grocery store to Omaha steaks – over rated as well. My preferred steak is a Porterhouse cut to 1.5 inch thick. I have a gas grill that I use for convenience but when time permits I’ll revert back to good old charcoal. I usually coat the exterior with a light brushing of olive oil before I add the rub – the olive oil just helps char and sear the outside and then let it rest about 3 minutes.
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