- [Narrator] And now, an Arizona PBS original production.

- I'm Chef Mark Tarbell.

Welcome to "Check, Please!

Arizona," the show where Valley residents recommend their favorite restaurants.

Coming up, we have guests who are passionate about their picks.

They've dined at all three and are ready to share their reviews with each other and with you right here on "Check, Please!

Arizona."

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(happy music) - I'm Chef Mark Tarbell.

Welcome to the 10th season of "Check, Please!"

In this episode, our Arizona PBS staff is sharing their top spots.

Let's meet our diners.

Allison Otu is the head of marketing for Arizona PBS.

She's a mom of three who once was a cheerleader for the Indianapolis Colts.

Her go-to restaurant is all about a Midwest favorite.

Tiffany Khan leads the revenue department.

Even though she works with money, her major in college was creative writing.

And she puts that skill to use with her many pen pals around the world.

Her pick is a taco joint in the East Valley.

But first, we start with Arizona PBS's general manager, Adrienne Fairwell.

Adrienne's a mom of two from South Carolina and was a fifth grade spelling bee champ.

Her Chicken Parmesan dinner was also a winner winner chicken dinner, I'm told.

When she's not cooking, she and her family visit their favorite spot.

This is Oak on Camelback.

(upbeat music) - Oak is an upscale casual restaurant.

For the community, we're just serving great food and great service and really just want people to enjoy themselves.

Oak is the wood that we use in the oven.

And we also have a lot of our liquors and wines and stuff are Asian oak barrels, so it just seemed like a good fit.

Our oven is actually a plan from a 19th century oven.

And the great thing about it is we've been able to do pizzas out of the oven.

We do breads out of the oven.

We do a lot of our signature dishes in cast irons, which are kind of campfire inspired.

My philosophy though is really just to have fun and incorporate ingredients that are, you know, flavorful and maybe in some respects unknown, but also familiar, if that makes sense.

Meaning like the fried chicken is a very familiar dish, but serving it with a green curry and fried rice is a little bit different than what most people might do.

Growing up, my grandfather was definitely the main like culinary inspiration that I had growing up.

We would go camping, we would do biscuits outside in a Dutch oven.

We would do chicken dishes.

We'd do all sorts of things that you normally even wouldn't even think of doing outside with a campfire.

My favorite part of the restaurant is just being able to have a great place for the community and also a great place where the staff can work.

And we just are trying to do the best food that we possibly can.

- So Adrienne, you moved here about a year ago.

How did you find Oak?

- Actually, I found Oak on happenstance.

I have a lot of dinners, a lot of receptions.

Conversations over cocktails.

And so I was recommended to go to Oak for a nice evening out with my husband.

And so we found Oak that way.

- Tell us what you love there.

- [Adrienne] The Moroccan meatballs, which is what I had as an appetizer and they are absolutely juicy enough to melt in your mouth with one bite.

- [Mark] And what are the flavors like?

- [Adrienne] Less spicy, more bold.

Tangy, I would almost say.

The tomato sauce really gives it good flavor.

When you bite into 'em, you can taste the seasoning and taste the flavor difference.

- And that's a gift.

For meatballs, you know, I love meatballs, but they can be a little chewy and tough sometimes, right?

So they do it right there.

- As an entree, I had the forbidden fried chicken.

I'm a southern girl, I'm a southern girl, so of course I had the fried chicken.

And it was absolutely delicious.

It was fried just right.

It was juicy, it was tender, it was seasoned to perfection.

I could not say enough.

I had the Broccolini, and so it was also very, very good and not, you know, sometimes you can get broccoli and it's tough, but this was, this was delicious.

- What did you have, Allison?

- We ordered the Thai peanut salad as our appetizer to share and our 11 year old said, "This is the best salad I've ever eaten."

- Wow.

- Wow.

- So I just wanted to say, kid approved.

And she was going back in for second helpings of the salad.

It was the dressing.

I mean, it was just full of flavor.

And then the crunch of the peanuts just made it.

It didn't even feel like a salad, but you know.

Everything that they served there was really fresh and I loved the pops of flavor in my mouth, so.

I had the forbidden rice.

And the nice thing was, you can, of course, select a protein to go with it.

And I selected the scallops, which was a really nice option for me to be able to try something different.

I loved the forbidden rice.

I felt like it was the perfect amount of probably butter and oil.

The veggies were fresh and crispy and the scallops were perfectly prepared.

- So, I know I had the scallops there too, and I have to say I'm a stickler for it.

And they were tender and juicy and sweet and really nice.

And with a nice, you know, really perfectly crisp on the outside.

Tiffany, what did you have?

- I also started with the Moroccan meatballs, which Adrienne took the words out of my mouth.

They were so tender.

Loved the generous portion of naan with it, could have eaten that all night.

And we did a number of appetizers.

My friend Brian and I went.

And so we also had the baked goat cheese, which was amazing.

I don't know how to describe it, like a tangy sauce almost?

It was delicious.

- Did you have dessert?

- I had a liquid dessert.

- Okay.

(group laughs) - Which was the bees knees.

Our server was amazing.

Her name was Chantal and she suggested that as their most favorite drink.

It's lavender and gin and I was just like, yes.

- That bees knees was the bees knees.

- Yes!

(group laughs) - The lavender and the honey really added a different take on it, I feel like, than most places you go.

- It was fantastic.

And so that was my first dessert.

And then we also ordered the popcorn creme brulee.

- Ooh.

- Oh.

- Which I highly recommend.

It was a favorite among our whole family.

And it's a traditional creme brulee that, you know, top shell is very crusty, crispy, and sweet.

But then there's a strip of caramel and they have the popcorn kind of dripped in the caramel.

So you're having a bite, eating the popcorn, and then you look up and it's completely gone.

But it was delicious.

- And I was going there for the popcorn creme brulee and they changed it that night to pumpkin spice.

- Oh.

- Ooh.

- But I will say the base of it was so velvety and delicious and you talk about that top.

With creme brulee, it has to be, like, almost like an ice skating rink.

But you have to tap it and it has to make a noise.

Like a little teeny tap, tap, and then crack.

And they do it and they do it perfectly.

So Tiffany, did you get a chance to taste your guest's Bananas Foster?

- Yes, I did.

And it was so chock-full of bananas.

There had to be at least two bananas in there.

It fit lots of caramel and really warm.

I love the way ice cream melts on a Bananas Foster and they hit that out of the park.

The sauce was maybe a little more watery than other Bananas Foster I've had, but the flavor was completely on point.

- Cool, so any takeaways?

This is your place, Adrienne.

- Several takeaways.

Kid friendly if you need it to be, but it's also date night.

It's also friends, it's also new in town.

Great environment.

The food is always fresh.

For me, it's a 10 out of 10 - Takeaways, Tiffany?

- I look forward to going back for a date night with my husband.

I definitely wanna try an entree.

They had a couple of steaks that looked really good.

I look forward to going back.

- [Mark] Allison?

- I don't eat meat and I only bring that up because sometimes some menus are limited in terms of what you can order.

But there were so many different options that you could try that didn't have meat.

Lots of fish or different protein options that were meat-free.

And so, I thought it was full of flavor.

Wonderful atmosphere.

We will definitely be back.

And thank you for making that recommendation.

- You're welcome.

- Thank you, Adrienne.

And if you want to try Oak on Camelback, it's located on Camelback Road just west of 7th Street.

An average meal will cost $50 and they do take reservations.

(happy music) Our next restaurant is Tiffany's.

She and her husband are passionate about eating local.

And when she's craving a taco done right, she heads to the East Valley for a family-owned taco shop.

This is Backyard Tacos.

(upbeat mariachi music) - Backyard Taco is a Mexican restaurant that brings an authentic experience to those who come.

We started in 2012 in Mesa.

From there, we've grown to now five locations that are open.

Backyard Taco's name and origin comes from the Alvarez family, Ruben and Marisela Alvarez.

And in 2005, Marisela started making tacos.

And she'd sell 'em in her backyard.

And on a Friday and Saturday night, it wasn't uncommon for five or 600 people to show up to her backyard in Mesa.

And I thought, wow, I've got commercial real estate.

Why don't I approach 'em and ask 'em if they'd like to open a restaurant?

And so they eventually agreed that they'd like to do that and we formed a partnership.

So our menu is very simple.

And we think simplicity is important in this business.

The first thing we try to focus on is the quality of our food.

And so everything we do here is fresh.

And the salsa bar is wonderful because it gives our customers a variety of salsas from mild to very spicy.

We have radishes, cucumbers, limes to add a little bit of zest to the tacos.

It's amazing how many people love the crazy potato.

And people think, potatoes from Mexico?

And so it's something that they do typical down there.

We have it in a tinfoil bag.

And when it's opened up, it's just, it has these, these just flavors coming out of it.

It's an amazing experience.

As you enter the doors of Backyard Taco, you'll see the phrase, "Mexcellence."

And everything we do here is driven around excellence.

(upbeat mariachi music) - So Tiffany, what makes them crush the taco down at Backyard?

- That's a great question.

The birria for me is where it starts and where it ends.

- What is birria?

- I would say it's like Mexican pot roast almost.

It's really tender beef shredded that feels like it's been cooked and marinated forever.

I am no chef, so I will not describe how it is cooked.

But the magic... - You just described it.

It's perfect.

- Yeah, the magic that they do in that kitchen.

It's always tender and it manages to be very consistent across their locations and delicious.

- Yes, I had that.

That was amazing.

It is like, you know, Mexican pot roast, but so moist and delicious and tasty.

- Yeah, I can speak to all of their tacos.

- Well, tell us a bit more.

(group laughs) I wanna hear it.

- I'm proud to say.

- Yeah, please.

- The al pastor is really good.

I was surprised the first time I bit into it.

It was actually the first place I had an al pastor taco and I didn't expect the pineapple.

So the sweetness was really nice.

It has a very almost kind of like barbecue flavor to it a bit.

And it was, that was delicious.

I am a flour tortilla person.

I love that they have the options.

They're perfectly sized, and.

- Yeah, and they do corn for people that are gluten-free.

Which I had, I'm not gluten-free, but I love corn tacos.

Adrienne, what'd you have?

- I had the chicken burrito, which was, I'd never heard of Backyard Taco.

Again, I've only been here about a year and a half.

So, we went and it was absolutely delicious.

Especially when you're used to a lower grade taco company and I'll leave that there.

But it was the seasoning.

I mean, everything about the burrito was fresh.

The fresh veggies that went in there.

The chicken was tender and I could taste just a twinge of spicy, but not really.

I'm not a person that really likes spice, and so the chicken burrito was seasoned just right for me because it wasn't too spicy, but it also had a flavor to it still.

You know, sometimes you get things and it's bland.

- [Mark] Yeah.

- And you can taste the salt, but nothing else.

But this was seasoned just right.

- Yeah, it has a depth of flavor to it and, right, not spicy.

And they have this amazing, I'm talking about the salsa bar.

It really is amazing.

They have, if you wanna go big and go hot, it's there.

- I'm glad you brought up the salsa bar 'cause I was that person that went up to the salsa bar four times at least.

And they don't mind.

All of the different salsas were fantastic and I wanted to try them all.

So, I am the person that got the Papa Loco.

I'm the person that goes to the taco place and saw the crazy potato and thought, well, let me try that.

It sounded different and unique.

It's essentially a freshly smashed baked potato and they smother it in sour cream and tons of cheese.

And then I went to the salsa bar and I put on the pico de gallo and that kind of thin, almost guacamole looking salsa.

And, you know, I'm coming out with this huge thing and it was just heavenly.

All the flavors that you can think of on a potato.

And so it's just something different and unique.

I also got the bean and cheese dip, which was delicious.

And so again, I have the chips, the salsa, the beans, the cheese, and the potatoes.

So it was just, I didn't eat for many hours, but it was a great afternoon.

And, you know, tacos in Phoenix, I was a little bit sus.

Like, I don't know, Tiffany.

- I get that, I get that.

- You know?

Yeah, we're very protective of our taco joints, you know?

But this is definitely worth the drive out to the East Valley, for sure.

- And something I love about this place is that they have a drive through.

So, I learned about Backyard Taco when we were foster parents.

And when you're a parent, the ability to drive through and get food that is fresh, that tastes delicious, that's consistent, that your kiddos can count on, is really helpful.

- [Adrienne] The restaurant itself was just so clean.

Like, usually when you're in a a fast food type restaurant, it's hard to keep the tables clean and hard.

And it was just...

I was amazed at how clean the facility itself was.

So I thought that was also a plus.

- [Tiffany] And the atmosphere is really laid back, but like you said, very kept up and really lovely to be in.

- [Mark] And bright.

Really bright light.

- Very formal.

- They have one of the best quotes on one of their awnings and it's, "Are you ready for Mexcellence?"

- Yeah.

- Mexcellence, yeah.

- That is cool.

So Allison, you had something to drink.

They don't have alcoholic beverages, but you had?

(Allison laughs) - Well Mark, I was able to squeak by with the horchata even though it wasn't any alcohol.

The horchata was fantastic.

All the flavors that you expect, the cinnamon, the creaminess, it was fantastic.

- [Mark] You had a Mexican Coke, and the difference there is that it's made with real sugar.

I think it's better for you, I don't know.

When it comes in the cool bottles... - [Tiffany] Yeah, I don't know if it's better for you, but it is delicious.

- Tastes delicious, right?

- [Tiffany] Yeah, And it's kind of a unique thing to grab when you're at Backyard Taco.

They have a lot of bottled sodas.

- So what's your quick take away?

It's your place.

- Backyard Taco is absolutely worth a drive wherever you are in the Valley, near or far.

Get the birria, obviously, but stay for the service.

I love that everyone can speak in English and Spanish, so I think it's welcoming to the whole Valley and would highly recommend you go.

- Adrienne?

- I think that, again, I go back to a clean restaurant.

Very fresh food.

But also inexpensive, so you can feed the family because it's inexpensive.

- [Mark] That's cool.

- I would also say this is one of those places where you want to bring lots of members of the family so you can try a lot of different things.

The family pack is certainly appealing, but I would say that this is a great hidden joint for me because I hadn't heard about Backyard Tacos before.

Definitely worth the drive.

- If you want to try "Mexcellence," try Backyard Tacos.

They're located in Chandler, just off of Gilbert Road.

An average meal will cost $13 and they don't take reservations.

(happy music) When you think of food synonymous with the Midwest, hotdish comes to mind.

But so does something called pasty.

Our last restaurant is Allison's pick, located in downtown Phoenix.

It's perfected this beloved hand pie.

This is Cornish Pasty Company.

(upbeat music) - I'm Dean Thomas.

I'm the owner of Cornish Pasty Company.

Pasty is basically, it's like a handheld pot pie.

We have 45 different types of fill-ins that we put inside of them, all made from scratch.

The pasty originated in Cornwall, England, which is where I come from.

And it dates back to like the 1800s.

The miners that lived in Cornwall, they wanted the pasty to take down into the mines and it was easy to kind of carry and keep warm.

On the side crimp is a traditional way of crimping 'em.

And the miner would hold onto the crust and then discard it and leave it for the knockers, which were the ghosts that inhabited the mines.

(upbeat music) If you're not feeling like a pasty, then there are other things that you can kind of indulge in.

We have four different soups.

We have a lot of different salads.

So we try to do something for everyone.

We have a really good beer list.

Obviously, we'd like to try and keep it as local as we can with a lot of it.

Our bartenders do a really good job with the cocktail program.

The vibe that we go for is kind of a traditional kind of English pub, dim lighting.

So a lot of, you know, wooden tables, wooden bar faces.

I believe what makes the pasty a perfect meal is it's substantial.

It's warm and comforting even in the desert heat.

- So Allison, I had never had a pasty.

How did you find this restaurant?

- You and me both.

And in fact, I had never even heard of it.

And I feel bad because I grew up in the Midwest, in Indianapolis, and now I feel like I might have missed out.

But actually, one of my former coworkers is.

Kind of a tradition of mine.

I always like to take a new team member out to lunch and I said, "Well, where's your favorite place to go eat?"

And she said, "Cornish Pasty."

And I said, "What is that?"

And so that's how I got introduced to it.

And I asked her to describe what is a pasty and she said it's kind of like a gourmet hot pocket.

So that was my introduction.

And I thought that was a fantastic description because it's just such great comfort food.

And so Cornish Pasty is just one of my favorite downtown spots that I love to go to.

I got the beet salad, which has the cheese on top.

And something about that combination between the cheese and the beets is just, you know.

(lips smack) As you know.

And kind of unassuming, you know, when you're in a bar atmosphere.

And then I ordered the Greek pasty.

And these big hunks of olives and artichokes and cheese, it's just fantastic.

And then I got the meatball pasty for our kiddos.

They loved it.

And then my husband had the tandoori chicken wings and he said that he's never had wings like that before, so.

- We have had those before.

- Have you?

- Yes, they are delicious.

So this time we actually tried the parliament wings just to change it up a bit.

Really tangy, kind of an HP Sauce type of thing.

It was really good.

- So those are more vinegar based, the parliament wings?

What did you have, Adrienne?

- I had the chicken pot pie and it was delicious, delicious.

The chicken was very, very tender.

It was juicy.

The gravy within the chicken pot pie was seasoned well.

The vegetables, you can can tell were very fresh.

The serving size was huge.

So it was actually enough for me to, again, to share, but it was delicious.

And then the person that I went with had the pesto chicken, who also said that it was a delicious dish.

- That flaky pastry, that's what caught me off guard.

It was really tender and flaky, so I was expecting more something dense.

Tiffany, what'd you have?

- I started with a spicy red pepper soup that had rice and black beans.

Creamier than I was expecting, but absolutely delicious.

Came with really nice focaccia style bread.

Really enjoyed it.

The chicken pot pipe pasty I had like Adrienne, it is my go-to favorite so I'm always grateful when it's in stock and ready to go.

Those chunks of chicken are really amazing.

Super tender even though I imagine they're cooked and then baked again, it's still, you wouldn't know it.

They're really juicy.

Gravy is good.

Green beans, carrots, some onion.

Just kind everything you want from a chicken pot pie.

I love the Italian meatball also as a backup.

And I think it is good to have a backup because they make the pasties, I believe beforehand, and you prepare them to order when you come.

- [Mark] They do have, I must say, I think 50 different pasties.

So it's not surprising that sometimes they may run out.

They try to make 'em fresh every day, so.

- [Tiffany] Absolutely.

- Did you have dessert?

- I did not have dessert.

I was sufficiently stuffed.

- Pretty full.

- But I haven't actually tried the dessert, so I need to be inspired and then I have another reason to go back for some dessert options.

- Tiffany?

- Let me inspire you.

- Okay, go for it.

- Because the apple caramel pasty is... We ordered quite a bit.

Appetizer and the giant pasty.

But we made room and everyone should because the apple is perfect.

It's tender, right amount of cinnamon, I thought at least.

And then the caramel just, just oozes out.

It is a thing of beauty.

(group laughs) And just as lovely to taste as to look at, so.

- Yeah, I have to, I had it too.

And I'm not a big dessert person, but it was warm and delicious.

Little bit about the atmosphere.

You went to lunch, right?

- I went during lunch and so it's very laid back, casual.

So if you're going at lunch and you're not in a hurry, this is absolutely the place.

- [Mark] Sort of a rustic sort of bar atmosphere, right Tiffany?

- [Tiffany] Yeah, got kind of a hipster vibe to it, I think.

And old school kind of chandelier above your, like, beat up wood table, you know, next to a carved wood bar.

I think that's really common regardless of the location you've come to.

- [Allison] There's so many layers to the downtown location.

There's an upstairs, there's actually a downstairs, there's an outside.

So you can, you know, find a table and just kind of sit there for, you know, an hour or two if you need to.

And yes, peruse the people, definitely.

- Tuck away.

- But don't skip out on the food.

I've been missing out on the dessert.

I am actually feeling quite sad about that.

So now I know.

- Caramel apple pasty.

- We'll just do a long lunch if that's okay with Adrienne.

- Absolutely.

- Make sure we get the dessert.

- Done, I'm bombing in on it.

- Great, you're always invited, Mark.

- Thank you very much.

- Always invited.

- [Mark] Tiffany, last thoughts?

- Like I said, absolutely have a plan B just in case your favorite isn't available.

Give yourself time there to enjoy a really extensive menu.

- I'd say that it's a perfect location.

The downtown location specifically, so it's easy to get to.

You can certainly walk from just about anywhere downtown and know that there is a large menu to choose from.

So it should be something for everybody.

- So if you have friends in town visiting, this is something unique, something different.

And then they get to learn what a pasty is, which is what we got to learn as well, so.

- We did today.

- Yes.

(group laughs) - Absolutely.

- If you want to try Cornish Pasty Company, it's located on Central Avenue in Monroe.

An average meal will cost $20 and they do take reservations.

They also have several other locations around town.

I want to thank Adrienne, Tiffany, and Allison for joining me at the table today.

And thank you for joining "Check, Please!

Arizona."

If you would like to share your favorite restaurant, head to our website, azpbs.org/checkplease, and nominate your favorite must eat out spot.

Who knows, you can be joining me at the table.

And be a part of the foodie conversation in Arizona on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Using the #checkpleaseaz.

Join us next time when three new guests make their recommendations right here on "Check, Please!

Arizona."

I'm Chef Mark Tarbell.

Have a delicious life.

- [Narrator] Tomorrow's technology today and much more is used to treat cancer at Ironwood Cancer and Research Centers.

Always looking to find more.

More time, more life.

Ironwood Cancer and Research Centers, outsmarting cancer one patient at a time.

- [Narrator] Albertsons Safeway pharmacies, and Valley nonprofit Mission of Mercy are proud to support cancer awareness.

They encourage you to talk to your doctor, get recommended screenings and don't forget your flu vaccine.

More information at albertsonsorsafeway.com.

(happy music)