- [Narrator] And now an Arizona PBS Original Production.

- I'm chef Mark Tarbell.

Welcome to "Check, Please!

Arizona", the show where people like you recommend their favorite restaurants.

Coming up, we have three guests that are passionate about their picks, and they're ready to share their reviews with each other and with you right here "Check, Please!

Arizona".

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Arizona" is made possible by the Friends of Arizona PBS, members of Arizona PBS who give additional gifts to support original programs, thank you.

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(jazz music) - This week on "Check, Please!

Arizona", our guests have dined all over the valley, Mesa, Goodyear and Scottsdale.

And they joined us at the table today.

Ryan Weiss is a server, so he knows a bit about the business.

His choice is an Italian restaurant in Scottsdale that takes care of the late night crowd.

Amanda Kidjian is a stay at home mom from Australia.

She's found a place in Goodyear where the staff is friendly and the fish is fresh.

But first teacher, Angela Pantilione is particular about her Belgian brews and that's why she's a regular at The Beer Research Institute in Mesa.

(upbeat music) - Beer Research Institute started about 13 years ago.

My partner and I were home brewers, and this all started in my garage.

I bought myself a home brew kit and I started brewing.

And at first we made horrible beer, but there was a spark there and so we started refining that.

we got to a point where we started making better and better beer, and then we started entering home brew competitions and winning medals.

And one day we just said, "Hey, we should probably open a brew pub, don't you think?

(upbeat music) BRI meat candy is sort of an anomaly and a unique thing.

It's got a lot of different flavor concepts and texture concepts in it.

So first of all, we've got some of the highest quality bacon that we can get.

It's thick-cut bacon.

We cook it nice and crispy, and then we take that and we cook that a second time with Sriracha paste and with brown sugar.

So we're caramelizing the sugar.

We're infusing it with the spicy Sriracha base.

And what you get is you get crispy, salty, sweet, and spicy all in the same bite.

It's something like nobody else has.

The only place I know that you can get meet candy is here at BRI and our customers love it.

What's great about the brew pub is that the brew pub is different than a restaurant.

because it's people's third place.

It's not your home, it's not your work.

It's that third place that you go to, friends and family, people to reconnect with.

And I mean, it's where the revolution started.

And what we get to do is we get to facilitate that.

And that's really cool.

(upbeat music) - So Angela, why did you pick BRI?

And why the heck should we care?

- (laughs) You should go because the beer is really good.

They have several on tap.

I think there's 16 right now and most of them are their beers.

- So what beers do you like there?

- I like the Pale Ale Belgian.

But there, they have very floral hops that they use.

They like to play with their hops, they really do.

They have a good time with brewing.

- What did you try?

- The beer, actually, it was called Morning Sex.

- [Angela] All right, quite fair enough.

- It is a dark...

It's a stout.

There's like essence of coffee, vanilla, a little bit of chocolatey notes.

So it can be a little bit heavier.

I don't wanna quite compare it to a Guinness because it has that coffee and that sugar and the vanilla essence to it.

But it was really smooth, really tasty.

- I'm Australian, but apparently I'm very un-Australian because I just don't like beer.

I've tried to like it but it was a pilgrimage to get out there and I'm gonna make that pilgrimage again.

- [Mark] Very good.

- It was amazing.

- For the entree, my husband and I shared the Southwest Poutine, and fries and gravy is just the best thing ever.

And this just went way over the top with the meat on over the top and the cheese.

And I think it had a bit of Pico de gallo, and it was just amazing.

I'm gonna go back there and that's gonna be my main meal.

(Mark laughs) - And I like it cause it's not heavy with gravy, 'cause I'm not big on that.

- Oh, that, I love though.

That Machaca meat was just fresh.

- I love Machaca on anything.

I just like to say Machaca.

- [Ryan] I know.

- Machaca.

- I can't say it so I try not to.

(all laughing) - Well, you know we're just two countries separated by the common language actually.

- Exactly, yeah.

- Us and Australia.

So what else did you have?

- I had the chicken sandwich.

And the chicken sandwich is delicious.

It has an egg on it, but the chicken is so moist and I couldn't eat it all.

And it's on a Hawaiian bun, a sweet Hawaiian roll.

And we'll talk about that later with the dessert, and their bacon I really like.

And it's delicious on that sandwich.

- [Mark] Oh, nice.

- I had some chipotle mayo.

That's light on there, not heavy.

So you really taste the meat and the fresh veggies.

And yeah, it was delicious.

- I had the Silly Cheese Steak.

The description is that it's so good it's silly.

It's, it's kind of an ode to the traditional cheese steak.

It has grilled beef and then you have sauteed onions and mushrooms and then their Southwest twist to it, is they add three different types of peppers, there was a Fresno's piquillo peppers, and I think Anaheim chilies on there as well.

And then some melted provolone.

And it was really good, the beef was extremely tender, but it had little heat to it.

- Mandy, what did you have for an entree?

- For an entree?

- [Mark] Yes.

- I'm sorry, 'cause entree in Australia is appetizer.

- [Mark] Oh yeah, what did you have in main plate, what did you eat out there?

- A main, we call it a main.

- Call it a main, okay.

- I'm sorry.

(Angela laughs) I have to think.

- When did you (indistinct) with the main?

- The main, I felt so at home there with the liveliness in there and everyone talking and the smell of beer, I just felt like- - [Angela] And the music.

- And I just... Yeah, I just thought I was at home in an Aussie pub, so I had to go to the pub burger.

- [Mark] Okay.

- [Amanda] And it had your basic burger ingredients with the egg and bacon.

And I asked for the egg to be over medium.

- [Mark] Oh, nice.

- And, so, as soon as you bit into that burger and the yolk- - [Mark] Boom.

- Just went through it.

- Who needs... (crosstalk) - And their hand do all of their meats.

- [Amanda] Yeah.

- So it's hand ground meat, but with the best class, they're very particular about the food.

- Yeah.

I love the Poutine so much that my burger came with fries on the side, and I said, please load the fries with gravy.

So I had a double helping (all laughing) - [Angela] All right.

- [Amanda] It was really good.

- If they love you, they like.

- Oh yeah.

- You rate beer our style.

- We gotta meet this people.

(women laughing) - That was really good.

- So Angela, you were talking about dessert.

- Their bread pudding is amazing.

- Now stop, you just do that again.

(women laughing) - Their bread pudding is amazing.

It's made with their sweet Hawaiian bread.

They use their vanilla, vanilla porter.

Maybe I had some before I came you know.

(all laughing) and then they use ale to make their caramel sauce to go over it.

- [Mark] Okay.

- And you're delightfully surprised by the whipped cream that has cinnamon in that it lightens it up a bit, it seems like.

(crosstalk) - There is any kind of bitterness or acid, caramel or cinnamon in this case will counterbalance a little sweetness.

- [Amanda] Yeah.

- So I think, that's the trick there.

- [Angela] Nice.

- I had the same.

- [Angela] Did you?

- [Mark] You had the same.

- But, I was so full because the portions were huge.

And I- - Let's just say double gravy again.

- A double gravy, that was just amazing.

- You doubled your portions, on top of their double portion.

- Whose blaming (indistinct).

- But so, but I was...

Bread pudding is one of my favorite things, so I wasn't- - [Angela] Me too.

- Getting to try it, so I'm like, I need that to go.

And by the time I got all the way home on the other side of the city, we're like, you know what, there's room now let's get into it.

And it was just as great as it would have been at the restaurant, it was really good.

- [Mark] Pretty good.

- [Amanda] Yeah.

- I also had the same thing.

I liked that they use the Hawaiian sweet bread, it's a softer bread and it's almost like, I wanna say like almost made with egg or something.

It just very light and fluffy.

- [Amanda] And the chocolate brownie, if you like rich chocolate, that brownie is something else.

In two bites, you're good.

So you can definitely share it- - [Angela] 'Cause it's rich.

- [Amanda] Maybe next time- - With Morning Sex.

- Yeah, I was gonna say it.

Probably got perfect- - [Amanda] Yup, it is absolutely scrumptious.

- So Angela, in three words, BRI, what is it?

Fun, funky and scrumptious.

- Nice.

Ryan?

- Great, pub food.

- [Mark] Awesome.

- Loud, lively and just great fun.

- If you would like to try The Beer Research Institute, it's located at 1641 South Stapley Drive, just south of highway 60 in Mesa.

Reservations are accepted, and the average tab for dinner is $25 without drinks.

(soft upbeat music) Up next, Mandy's choice.

If you're craving Japanese cuisine, she recommends a high sushi and grill in Goodyear.

- I learned the sushi in New York City.

Yeah, about 10 years ago.

(soft music) I would like to show you how to make a scorpion roll.

And this is a tempura shrimp and the cream chief on a scorpion rock.

This is also imitation crab meat, on top.

There, we've gotta put the film also on top.

And also cut off a piece.

And put into plate, ale sauce, spicy mayo, and this is the masako and some green onion.

And this is the scorpion roll.

(soft music) (speaking in foreign language) - Now, how did you find this place, and why did you pick it?

- Living out in Goodyear, we've got some good restaurants around, and I went into this place one lunchtime and I've just kept going back.

- [Mark] Nice.

- [Amanda] It's just a friendly.

- [Ryan] Warm, welcome, nice people.

- Yeah.

They're lovely people.

And you have to feel at home going in there and they're always- - It felt like a family operation- - Yeah.

- So what'd you have for first things, Ryan?

- I had a soft shell crab.

- [Mark] Mh.

- [Ryan] Really tasty, I'm a big soft shell crab fan.

They just a better the whole crab I would assume in tempura.

Deep fry it and then it's served with some sort of ponzu sauce.

- [Mark] So, a good temper really light.

- [Ryan] Really light.

- [Amanda] Yeah.

- [Ryan] Nice.

- [Mark] Yeah.

- [Mark] Good, good tasty.

Yeah, I had the temporary veg, they were, they were light crispy niceness.

- [Angela] Nice.

- Angela.

- We sat at the sushi bar.

- [Amanda] Nice.

- [Angela] We like to sit right there with them and watch.

- [Ryan] Watch (crosstalk).

It's all part of the entertainment.

- [Amanda] Oh, it's fun.

- [Angela] Yeah, we love it.

Every time we walk into one, he goes, "You wanna stay at the sushi bar?"

Yes (laughs).

- So, how was the quality of the fish?

- We had the tuna and albacore and salmon.

Very fresh, very fresh.

- [Mark] Okay.

- Well, I had the green salad.

Dressing on that salad is just amazing, I love it.

I always ask for extra, and I went with my daughter and she was sitting there and she goes, mum, your salad bowl looks like soup.

And I'm like, yes, yes it does.

And drank the rest of the dressing out of the bowl, yeah.

- So which dressing is it?

Is it the warm, sort of- - [Amanda] It's like a ginger- - [Ryan] Ginger based.

Oh, that one.

- [Amanda] Yeah.

- [Angela] Nice.

- It's like similar to the ones, like if you go to a teppanyaki restaurant, they have the mustard and the ginger sauce.

It's that style, it's really good.

- Yeah.

I- - So, it's got a little bump to it.

- Yeah.

- I really don't mind what it is, I just love it.

(Angela laughs) - And you had miso soup after that, right?

- I did, well, I had a miso soup as well because I just...

I put a lot of tofu in there and a lot of seaweeds only.

- [Angela] They're only like a dollar for the sides.

- [Amanda] Exactly.

- It's a value restaurant, I thought.

- Oh, yeah, yeah.

- I mean, I had an avocado salad, and it was like $4, I think it's $4.95.

And I think there might've been a whole avocado.

- Yeah.

- Oh, it's really, really good.

- Goodness.

- Yeah.

- [Ryan] Yeah, definitely.

I can't go to a supermarket and slice it up.

- [Angela] No.

(Amanda laughing) - What did you have for entrees Ryan?

- Entrees, I had the chicken katsu bento box.

- [Mark] Okay.

- Again, the value is really just, is really there.

It's, you know, if you don't know what a bento box is, it's compartmentalized dishes.

It starts with miso soup and the salad.

Then you get the bento box, and it's your chicken cutlet.

Then you have the California roll, there was pork rosa and then rice.

And all of that was like $8.95 for lunch.

- Oh, wow.

That is fantastic.

- It could feed three people.

- Yeah - It was incredible, very tasty.

- With several rolls (laughs).

So my favorite was the Philadelphia, with the smoked salmon.

I like smokey flavored and with the cream cheese that was in there, it was just, oh, it was delicious.

That was very good.

- [Amanda] Yeah.

And then I had the naruto, wrapped with cucumber instead of with rice and the ponzu sauce on that.

- [Ryan] Nice.

- [Angela] That was delicious.

- [Ryan] Yeah.

- Did you have the smelt roe?

- Yes.

Yeah, we always, we liked that.

They were, it was very small.

You know, smelt roe and it popped, a little pop, but my husband's, "Oh, I need more pop."

(Angela and Amanda laughing) - Sort of like baby caviar.

- Yeah, exactly.

It's fun, yeah.

(Angela and Amanda laughing) - Did you have the sedona roe?

- I did not.

No, we didn't have the sedona roe.

- I ordered that on the side with lunch and of course it was too much food.

The sedona roe was really nice because it was like a twist on almost like a rainbow roll.

So you have the fresh fish on top of the sushi.

You have the ahi and the salmon.

But on the inside, it was stuffed with spicy crab and shrimp tempura.

So it created a unique texture, it was a little warm and crispy on the inside.

And then you had the fish on top.

It was really tasty, actually.

- I'm getting hungry.

Mandy, what did you have?

- I don't really do spicy stuff, but I've got a dynamite roll.

- [Angela] Oh, did you?

- [Amanda] And a thunder roll.

(all laughing) I'm like- - Living large.

- Am I crazy?

No, and I really did like them.

One had Philadelphia cheese in it, and I don't think Philadelphia chillis belongs in Japanese food.

But, I thought, now I'm gonna give it a go, and it was okay.

I mean if you like Philly cheese in your roll, you will love it.

- They smoke with the smoked salmon.

- Yeah.

- I saw that out there, and I was like- - You substitute the rice for the bagel, come on.

(all laughing) So you're Australian, so you have to talk about the thunder roll.

- It had a nice crunch to it.

And I just, I don't know, I just love it.

And I usually, I probably don't eat sushi the proper way, 'cause I usually get that pickled ginger and put layers of that on there and- - Well it's there, so- - Exactly.

- It's gotta be that way,.

- But still.

- And my husband's always there.

Use your hands, just use it 'cause- - Yeah, well, that's another thing too.

(Angela laughing) Like they offer me chopsticks, and I'm like, can I have a fork?

And then I ended up using my hands, anyway.

- Ryan, what did you have for dessert?

- I had the banana ice cream tempura.

- [Mark] Okay.

- [Ryan] It was pretty good, it was actually a huge scoop of ice cream and so covered in tempura deep fried.

And there was some slice bananas and then whipped cream on top.

And then I think a little bit of a chocolate drizzle.

- So, Mandy, let's do a...

I just need a couple words, what would you say about this place?

- Homey, friendly, great fresh food.

- [Mark] Great.

- Yes, like Japanese family dining.

- Yeah.

- Japanese family dining, love it.

Ryan.

- Absolutely.

Fresh, quality, attentive staff, really tasty food.

- [Angela] Yes.

- Very good.

If you would like to try a high sushi and grill, it's located at 831 South Cotton Lane, just south of Old Town and Goodyear.

Reservations are accepted and the average tab for dinner is $20 without drinks.

(soft music) Up next, Ryan's recommendation for fine Italian dining.

It's Evo in old town, Scottsdale.

(upbeat music) (food simmering) - I've always had a love for Italian food.

There's just a feeling in the food that goes in when you make something by hand.

Who you are ends up in that plate.

And that's why it's important to me that our food is as much as we can we make by hand and we make ourselves.

Our signature dish for me is our meatballs.

They're the most tender and most flavorful meatballs, I believe in Arizona, the best you're gonna get.

There's a little bit of sweetness in the background from different things that we add in.

Even if you can't pick out what that flavor is, your tongue says, give me more.

And I think that's what makes our meatballs as as good as they are and really what we've become known for.

Our brown butter baby cake, probably the best dessert to have to finish your meal with.

The warm cake, the cool creme anglaise, and you've got that nice brown sugar crust that it bakes in.

It's just amazing, it's the perfect way to end.

Our motto is, Comfy, Cozy, Italian.

So, we want everybody to feel relaxed when they come in here.

We want the food to kind of bring back those memories of, you know, things mom used to make, the things grandma used to make and the food is in so awesome tastes that you can't be comfortable just hanging out in a t-shirt and jeans with some friends.

But it's still nice enough that, if you're coming in dressed to the nines, for an anniversary, dinner, birthday, whatever the case may be, we can accommodate that as well.

I think that's kind of what helps separate us, and create the atmosphere that is Evo.

(upbeat music) - So, Ryan, you're in the biz.

You picked this place, tell us why.

- Well, they're really industry friendly.

They serve food till 1:30, a full menu.

So, as you know, in this biz, the restaurant industry, we don't get off until, you know, 10, 11 sometimes or even midnight.

- Dinner is midnight.

- That's been my go-to spot after work.

So, one dish you start with, what did you go to?

- Usually the focaccia.

It's the focaccia rustica.

And it's just, it's out of this world.

So, you'll have, it's almost like a flat bread, but it'll have brie, marscapone, a little bit of Maldon salt, and then you have a little bit of local honey.

- [Mark] Yeah.

- And the saltiness from the marscapone balances with the honey.

And it comes on a giant cutting board actually, it's really large, but it's just extremely delicate and really, really tasty.

It's one of my favorite starters.

- I had the meatballs, and they were amazeballs.

(all laughing) And when we ordered them, the server is like, I'm gonna tell you a story about the (indistinct).

Okay.

And he told us how the chef made these meatballs and he spent two months perfecting the ingredients and getting them exactly how we wanted them.

And they said, they're his pride and joy.

And they came out and it just melted in your mouth.

They really were his pride and joy for me.

- I think from my perspective, I was blown away and we're kindred spirits because he's better than I, because I took two years to do my meatball.

- [Amanda] Yeah.

- And we're passionate about doing it by hand and that is an important distinction.

Also there's three meats.

There's pork in it, which really gives it that delicacy.

But everything is done by hand.

Because if you put it in a blender, or mixer or something, it makes them, it tightens them up.

It takes the fats and multiplies them, and it makes them really, really hard.

- Yeah, now, it's so tender- - So, it takes him a couple hours a day.

- [Amanda And Angela] Yeah.

- Labor of love, you think the simple things in life, wouldn't be that way.

- [Amanda] Yeah, definitely yeah, that looks definitely great.

- And Pantilione, what did you have at Evo?

- I decided for the appetizer, to have their bruschetta, their daily special bruschetta.

Which had, I think it was black cherry with the marscapone and drizzle of honey, it was done more like a French toast, they said, with the thicker cuts of bread, of course.

And it was so delicious.

The savory- - [Mark] Sounds good, yeah.

- [Amanda] Wow.

- [Angela] Yeah, it was really good.

- Well, I call it bruschetta, unless it's done well.

(all laughing) I don't know if that'll get in and out.

(all laughing) - For my entree, I had the chili shrimp.

Really tasty, it has tagliatelle pasta and they saute the shrimp and they add a little bit of chili oil, fresh mint.

It was really, really nice.

It takes on a little bit of spice at the end, and then you get the freshness of the mint.

Very delicate pasta, not a whole lot going on, but just extremely flavorful.

(all laughing) - My mouth is watery.

- I know, where are we going for lunch?

- It's my job to sell food.

- Yeah, and you do it well Ryan, very nice.

(all laughing) So, what did you have Angela?

- I had the lobster carbonara, and the- - [Amanda] That was one of my choices.

- Oh my goodness.

- [Amanda] Yeah.

- [Angela] Seriously, I've never had gnocchi like that, I honestly haven't.

- [Amanda] Yeah.

- Sorry, mama.

(all laughing) - You had to say that.

(all laughing) (indistinct) time knows that, you had to say it.

- It's delicious, and the lobster was fresh, it was nice light- - [Mark] They serve that, in the tail, right?

- [Angela] Yes.

They serve it in the tail.

It's a large chunk of the tail meat coming out with a light sauce over top.

- [Mark] It's a healthy portion of lobster too.

- [Angela] Yeah, really.

- I had the pork milanese.

I can be fussy, and I said to the server, I said, 'cause it was tomato in the salad, and I said, I'm not a huge fan of tomato, is there something else, the chef might be able to swap it out with?

He said, I don't know, but I'll talk to the chef and we'll see what we can do.

And when my food came out, I think it was the chef that actually brought my dish out.

- [Mark] Wow.

- [Amanda] And he put these little red, yellow, and orange peppers that he char-grilled, that was just amazing.

- [Angela] Wow.

- [Amanda] It had some preserved lemon.

The part chopped was like this thick and it was coated in this crust and the crust was so crunchy, but once she got into it, that meat, it was so tender.

It had slightly pink pokes, it's gotta still have a little bit of pink to it.

So, it's not dry and- - [Mark] Right.

- [Angela] Yeah.

- [Amanda] And it was just...

It was great.

I couldn't eat it all, I took almost half the meal home, because I was stuffed, yeah, so full.

- Sometimes it's hard to get right sometimes- - [Amanda] Yeah, exactly.

- It could be- - And that's just a carry over from history, when they used to be unhealthy, there was a condition in pork that has been eradicated as of the 60's basically.

But you can eat raw pork if you wanted to, not that you would want to, but you can.

(Angela laughing) So, what did you have for dessert?

- For dessert I had the brown butter baby cake.

And this is, you know it reminded me of like a souffle, 'cause you have to order it 25 minutes ahead of time.

But really tasty, exactly what it sounds like.

Just a small little cake, I assume they use a ton of, you know, the brown, the butter and mix it in with the cake.

Very simply done, a little whipped cream and some raspberries and powdered sugar.

And it just- - [Mark] Yeah, it is butter, butter, butter, yummy, yummy.

- [Angela] It is.

- [Ryan] I have to say.

- [Angela] What I like was the crunch to the top.

And then (crosstalk).

Yes.

We had...

I would like to order all the desserts.

- [Mark] So you (indistinct)?

- Yep, sure it is.

- [Mark] You don't like dessert, you just did it for the show.

- Yes, just for the show.

But we also had the flowerless chocolate cake.

- [Mark] Nice.

- Nice and rich and delicious.

But the bitter chocolate, bittersweet chocolate.

- That's another thing, I like that balance of bittersweet.

- [Angela] Yes.

Yes, it's delicious.

- So, Ryan, you're a server at a great Italian restaurant.

Tell me in three words, what you think of this place?

- Sexy, tasty, fun.

- [Mark] Angela?

- It's warm and rich and delicious.

- [Mark] Warm, rich and delicious.

Mandy?

- Magnificent meatballs.

(Angela laughing) - [Mark] Magnificent meatballs, I love it.

If you would like to try Evo, it's at 4175 North Goldwater Boulevard, just north of 3rd Avenue in Old Town, Scottsdale.

Reservations are accepted and the average tab for dinner is $25 without drinks.

Thanks to Angela, Mandy and Ryan for sharing their picks.

And don't forget, you can share yours too.

Go to AZPBS.ORG/CHECKPLEASE and nominate your favorite spot.

Be a part of the foodie conversation on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Hashtag CHECKPLEASEAZ.

Join us next time, when three new guests, will bring us three new restaurants right here, on "Check Please!

Arizona".

I'm chef mark Tarbell, eat well and often.

(light melodic music) - [Announcer] "Check Please!

Arizona" is made possible by the Friends of Arizona PBS, members of Arizona PBS who give additional gifts to support original programs.

Thank you.

(upbeat music)