(light music) - [Announcer] And now, and Arizona PBS Original Production.

- (jazzy music) I'm chef Mark Tarbell.

Welcome to "Check, Please!

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

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

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

Arizona".

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Arizona" is made possible in part by the generous support of Susan and William Ahearn, Deborah and Michael Elliot, Barbara and Terry Fenzl, Nita and Phil Francis, Mary and William Way.

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(jazzy music) (chattering indistinctly) - I'm chef Mark Tarbell.

Welcome to "Check, Please!

Arizona".

In this episode we're hitting restaurants serving up everything from breakfast, to sandwiches, to a legendary salad.

Let's meet our diners.

Ivan Martinez is a professional photographer who is passionate about all things aviation.

And when he's hungry he flies into his favorite spot, a craft sandwich spot in Mesa.

- Emily Davison is getting her MBA at ASU's W.P.

Carey School.

She has a twin sister, and she's determined to run a marathon in all 50 states, so far she's knocked off five.

Her go to spot is known nationwide for a special salad.

We kick it off with Jim Scott.

He works in sales and loves to run.

This dad of four also enjoys exploring caves with his family.

When he finally slows down (light acoustic music) he does it at a spot known for its eclectic vibe and all day menu.

This is Luci's at the Orchard.

- Luci's at the Orchard is all about community.

I think I can say that first 'cause we're inside of a neighborhood, then everything else falls into place.

Our own menu is about breakfast and lunch and dinner.

We do a lot of things that are probably more to your heart than anything.

We serve a really cool Nadine's eggs nest where like it's a smothered egg inside a nest of bread where your mom would probably make it for you, so you kind of feel like your mom or your grandmother's making you a breakfast.

We serve pizzas, we serve appetizers, full menu on hamburgers.

We don't just serve food, we also sell gift items, we sell fine wine, we sell great pastry items, unique local nuts.

Luci's got its name originally from my business partner Ken Schnitzer mother.

She actually decided to call it Luci's after his wife's name which is Lucia, and it was kind of a tribute to her at the time.

She's a breast cancer survivor.

Ken's mom said "I think you should call it Luci's."

When we decided to build Luci's at the Orchard it was a citrus farm originally, built in 1920.

We wanted to have this thing that kinda just matched right with the neighborhood, felt like Central Phoenix.

Adding that water tower was something kinda like a little landmark that we want to say hey we're here and you're home now.

I want my guest experience to be comfort.

That they can come here every time, it's very consistent, and the comfort is wonderful, and the food is great.

I want 'em to come here with an excitement and I want 'em to leave with an excitement.

- So Jim this is your pick.

So what would you tell people to eat if you were sending 'em there?

- So this morning when I went I actually got the morning run burrito.

I had just finished kind of a double race, a 10 K and a five K, so the morning run burrito just sounded perfect after a run.

- So you're kind of an underachiever, is that what you're saying?

- Yeah.

(everyone laughs) So the morning run burrito was great, it hit the spot.

They had a whole wheat tortilla.

Inside there were egg whites, a mix of sauteed kale and red peppers, and then they also had a bean and corn mix that kind of made the base of it.

- So was it light or spicy?

Is it strong-- - Pretty light.

It was pretty light.

- Pretty light flavor.

So it's all kind of a delicate healthy burrito.

- Yeah it really was.

There's a side of salsa that you can get and that'll hit a little bit of spice if you want that, but overall it was a nice light morning burrito.

- What else did you have?

- So I had that.

My wife came with me, she met me there after the race, and she had some gluten free French toast.

She really enjoyed that, really appreciated it, it was a really nice serving.

And for dessert, we sat outside, so I had my cookie, kinda set it to the side let it warm up in the sun.

And after my burrito I reached over and it was perfectly warm (everyone laughs) and you know the morsels had kinda melted it a little bit.

So I took a bite of that and it was perfect.

- Sounds delicious.

Emily, what did you eat?

- [Emily] So I had the funky monkey French toast and-- - I just like saying the name funky monkey.

- It's fun.

- It's fun.

- I had that post hike.

So I was hungry, I needed the carbs, so I had the gluten.

But I loved how the French toast was sort of soft in the middle.

They put a dollop of whipped butter on the inside so it just melted perfectly, and the outside of the French toast was nice and crispy.

- Are you getting hungry right now talking about it?

- I am.

I am.

- I'm getting hungry too.

(everyone laughs) - I am very hungry.

- So what else did you have when you were there, did you have dessert or any drinks when you were there post hike?

- I did, I actually had a vanilla latte with oat milk, it was very good, very strong, much needed after that hike.

(Mark and Emily laugh) - Ivan what did you have?

- I had the chilaquiles.

And.

It's a plate that I tried, and I try many different places.

And what you find is that depending on where you eat it everybody has kind of a different touch to it.

I love the different layers of flavors, they worked out very well.

And then the fact that the tortilla chips were crispy and crunchy it really kind of brings it all together and so I really enjoy it, they did a good job with it.

- Oh good.

So thumbs up, double thumbs on the chilaquiles.

- Yes.

- My wife has had the chilaquiles before.

It's another gluten free option on the menu so she's enjoyed it and really had a great mix there.

- They do a good job with gluten free there, I think they do an excellent job.

If that's what you're interested in.

Ivan what else did you have there?

- [Ivan] We also, I mean there were four of us so we tried the morning run burrito as well.

The avocado toast was the other thing.

And biscuits and gravy.

- Biscuits and gravy I think.

- That's right.

(Mark laughs) And so-- - Ah the biscuits and gravy.

So you're looking for these hearty really traditional things that.

- That's what I kind of found interesting all these places you can go very very healthy or you can go you know very depending on your flavors, what you like and what you.

So there are plenty of options for breakfast I found that to be.

One thing that I will point it's that if you never been there and you just drive by you might feel that there is not enough parking.

Because there is actually there is plenty of parking behind.

And that surprised me, I didn't realize that there was that much space.

- So Jim your place, any last words?

- I would just say (people chattering indistinctly) that for me it's a great place to take friends, you could take family, you could take coworkers, I think I've taken all of that at one time or another.

And it's just a great place to really enjoy and kinda show off the Arizona weather.

And the courtyard is beautiful and it does a great job of really kicking off that weather.

- Yeah and you were mentioning earlier about the shop that you kinda walk through when you go in to order.

- Yeah when you first get there and you walk in the front door you get in line and there's many boards above that you can read through and decide what you want.

But as you're doing that and as you're working your way up through the line, to your right you have a pastry case that's full of great pastries and desserts.

To the left there's kind of a drink case with a whole bunch of drinks.

And then kind of all around you are just these great little like tchotchkes and gifts and that kinda thing, just great stuff to be able to find for your friends and family.

- I bought some socks there.

- Did you?

- I have to admit.

(everyone laughs) If you wanna try Luci's at the Orchard, it's located at twelfth street just off of Glendale in Phoenix.

An average meal will cost 12 dollars and they don't take reservations.

(light jazzy music) Up next is Emily's selection.

In her sales job she has a chance to visit a lot of restaurants (light music) but she keeps going back to this spot for a certain salad.

This is The Gladly.

- The Gladly is a good spirit second restaurant.

The menu is fairly straightforward and simple, it's comfort food that's been elevated a little bit.

We have a small raw bar, couple different sandwiches, a burger, a chicken club, but we also have certified Angus beef, rib eye stake, fish, different salads.

We have a crazy whisky list, there's 350 different labels.

The daytime it's bright, very business oriented.

Night, the lights come down.

There is quite a bit of action especially between happy hour and nine o'clock.

We are known for the original chopped salad, which is really couscous, arugula, pepitas, black currants, Asiago, dried corn, tomatoes, and smoked salmon.

It comes with a little basil buttermilk dressing.

I'm super shocked at how crazy the chopped salad has become.

There is different renditions of it literally all over the country.

People go crazy about it.

It gives our staff a chance to interact with the guests.

It's full of texture and color and different flavors and it's been around for 22 years.

My way of connecting with people is through food.

I wanna make people happy.

I don't wanna make just the guest happy, I want my employees happy.

The employees are happy, the guest are happy.

I want them to feel like they're going to a family members house for a party or a holiday.

- Emily, chef Kantak's salad is legendary.

- Legendary.

- And.

(Mark laughs) It is legendary.

So if you want to just bring us through that right away 'cause that is something, when it's good it's good right?

- Oh it's amazing.

So it's a whole presentation as well.

So obviously they set the salad down.

You've got roasted dried corn, you've got smoked salmon, you've got arugula, pepitas.

- Pepitas, pepitas yes.

- [Emily] And next thing they do is they actualLy mix it up for you right in front of you.

And by this time your mouth is watering, you're getting ready for the salad.

(Emily laughs) But it really is just it's beautifully presented and there's just so many flavors packed into the salad.

I go to The Gladly for that salad every time.

- Right.

It's so good, and that couscous is in there, it's just a great salad.

What else do you suggest?

- So first we started off with the cheese and pretzel.

I mean we started off with a couple drinks which we didn't wanna have on an empty stomach.

- Wait now drinks, it is something there, they have a great mixology program.

- [Emily] Great mixologist there yes.

I had take me to your leader.

- (Mark laughs) What a name, I love that.

- Interesting name, but my favorite drink is actually a mezcal negroni and that was the closest thing to it.

And it's one of those drinks that's so strong that you have it throughout the meal, so you don't have to order three Thai margaritas for example.

(everyone laughs) - Okay.

Jim what did you have?

- So I started with the Brussels sprouts.

And the Brussels sprouts were fantastic.

I have a little bit of a place in my heart for Brussels sprouts, I try 'em in a lot of different places.

And they had a really unique take on Brussels sprouts that I haven't really had anywhere else.

They plated it with a base of sweet corn grits, and on top of that were the Brussels sprouts.

And the Brussels were firm, they had that crisp edge on the outside of them-- - Were they charred on the outside?

- They were charred on the outside.

And just that mixture of the Brussels with the sweet corn grits was just this great amazing taste.

I kinda looked around and almost like picked up my plate to lick it.

(Mark laughs) It was so so good.

- It's totally fine to do that by the way.

(Jim and Emily laugh) And what did you have next?

- So after that I jumped into the commander burger with a side of tots.

I really like their tots.

They had just a really like super flaky edge to them, they were crispy with a really nice center.

And I didn't like how much char was on the brioche bun, but other than that I absolutely loved the burger.

The burger was medium rare, and I thought it was just the right amount of pink in the middle, it tasted great.

I ate about half of it, took the rest home, and it was perfect for a meal after that.

- Good, any desserts?

- Okay so this (Mark laughs) is where I-- - When someone says "okay so" it's gonna (everyone laughs) be really good, like I'm set up for this.

- So this was arguably one of the best desserts I've ever had.

There wasn't a dessert menu.

I asked about dessert options, the waiter gave me three different options.

There was like a group of cookies, there was an ice cream cookie, and then there was this Snicker pie and I'm like all right pie sounds good, let's try that.

And he brought it out and I mean it was beautiful, it looked amazing on the plate, it was like two inches thick of ice cream with Snickers mixed in, there was a chocolate crust on the top.

And this was a really cool detail that I kind of figured out as I was eating it, but on the top they had this really light layer of nougat.

So that's kind of almost like the forgotten element of a Snikers.

And then on the top of that they had this interlacing layer of caramel and chocolate.

- You're making me crazy with this-- (everyone laughs) Making me want one, Emily you go crazy-- - I'm hungry now.

- This is crazy.

Okay Ivan.

What did you have?

- We started with like Jim with the Brussels sprouts.

The sauce and the corn and the way the sprouts obviously were crispy and roasted well and soft into the bite.

Sometimes if you don't do it right Brussels sprouts can be a little chewy.

- Little cabbage-y.

Little crunchy yes.

- Yeah but this was well done.

And we shared that.

- Did you lick your plate?

- Yeah he did yeah-- - No I did not.

(everyone laughs) - Oh come on now.

Come-- - I licked mine.

- [Mark] You did?

- The salad I had to.

I had to.

- Gotta give you that, that's awesome.

- Sorry.

Missed that one.

(everyone laughs) - Next time, there's always a next time.

- I gotta go back for that.

We tried the coffee rub short ribs.

Never thought of using coffee on a meal, but it is really soft, it's there but it's not overpowering the flavor of the sauce that they use.

It was tender, it was just the meat just pulled really easily, it was well well done.

- That's really cool.

Did you have any dessert?

- We did (Mark laughs) and we followed Jim's lead on the Snicker bars pie.

And I agree with everything he said.

One of the things that really stuck with me was the fact that the ice cream wasn't sometimes you get ice cream and it's too frozen, too hard and it's hard to cut.

But this was soft enough that held it together and you were able to really get all the flavors on it so.

- My assumption is in the kitchen they're tempering it, they're pulling it, they see it as coming in as an order so they pull it and let it rest for a little bit and come up.

And that's what brings it so that it's nice and soft and tender.

- Yum.

- Any last words for the atmosphere and whatnot?

It's your place.

- So the atmosphere's definitely a date atmosphere right?

- Okay.

- You walk in and it's likely bright outside, depending on what kinda day you came in.

We went around six PM, perfect for a date night.

And you walk in and it's nice and dimly lit, right they have candles around, nice and intimate, you pass the bar on the right.

There is also an outside patio if you wanna get some of the Arizona weather outside.

But definitely a nice and intimate date night spot.

- Well thank you.

If you wanna try The Gladly it's located the Biltmore area on Camelback and twenty-second street.

An average meal will cost 45 dollars with tax and tip and they do take reservations.

(light jazzy music) Our last restaurant is Ivan's choice.

There's something comforting about a sandwich, and when it's good, man does it hit the spot.

(light music) But this well loved Mesa spot is not your typical sandwich joint.

This is Worth Takeaway.

- Worth Takeaway is in short terms a craft sandwich shop.

And it's just a nice community element here for Downtown Mesa where people can get together and grab a good bite to eat.

We have a really solid stable menu of sandwiches.

We do hot sandwiches and cold sandwiches, we do breakfast on the weekends, and every Monday night we do Monday night supper which is a chef inspired dish.

Honestly what makes our sandwiches good is that we make what we like.

We'll take something that's a classic sandwich or something that maybe someone's heard of before but we find a way to put our own spin on it, or something that we think would be cool.

We recently added a beverage program to Worth and it's been really exciting for us.

We've got just a few beers on draft, we've got a couple of red wines, couple of white wines, and then a nice little cocktail program.

So Worth Takeaway was something that when we were throwing names around we actually had a friend recommend it and throw it out there.

We thought well we want people to walk away having that sense of wow that was really worth it.

You're spending your time and your money with us and so we want that experience to be like wow this was different than what I've experienced in the past.

For us the guest experience is the number one thing.

The different components of that are obviously gonna be our food and our beverage, and making sure that we're executing that to a level that is the best that we can do.

And the connection that we're making with the guests and time you spend chatting up with the guests and having a conversation and learning about their lives too.

(man in green hat laughs) So all of those things factor into making a positive guest experience and making it a place where people wanna come back over and over again hopefully.

- So Ivan how did you find Worth Takeaway, and tell me what is your favorite dish to get there?

- Worth is a place in Downtown Mesa.

I live in Downtown Mesa, so as a native person that lives near I wanna support all the local businesses.

And from the first time I went there it became a place that you really enjoy because the food was just amazing.

- And how many times you think you've been there?

- Oh gosh, (Ivan sighs) probably 15, 20 times, I don't know.

- Oh cool.

That's a good average, that's good.

So Ivan what did you have?

- I typically have the crispy chicken sandwich, but this time I wanna venture and try something else, so I tried the spicy candy BLT.

And it was good.

The bacon itself has obviously it's candied but it's got a kick of sriracha on it, so that's the spicy piece.

It doesn't overwhelm the flavor, it gives you the kick that brings the Sriracha with it, but it doesn't, the flavor of the bacon and the sweetness is there.

So it makes it for a really interesting very fascinating bite.

- So what kinda lettuce, bib lettuce, soft lettuce?

- Soft lettuce, and then obviously tomatoes, and but there is also a layer of it's like a aioli avocado combination of it.

The flavors worked.

- So it's like there's some richness there.

- Yes.

- Is the bread soft or toasted?

- The bread is toasted, and it's kind of like a thick layer of like your sliced bread, but I don't wanna call it sliced bread (Ivan laughs) 'cause that's not giving justice to it.

One of the things that I think makes them very unique is that unlike many places where you order a sandwich they use the same bread for all the sandwiches, they change the bread based on the sandwich that you're eating.

So they use it in a way to pair and bring the flavors to the sandwich.

And I think that's one of the things that really makes them very unique.

- Very intentional.

And they use a local bakery also, they do use a lot of local products.

- A lot of local which is.

- Which is admirable.

So Emily what did you have?

- I had the hot ham and cheese sandwich.

So it was basically a glorified grilled cheese sandwich.

It was perfect, I love ham.

The ham was smoked and it was cheddar cheese, amazing.

And the fries-- - There's a theme there, there's a theme.

You like smoked, so you like mezcal, you like the smoked ham.

- I like smoky things I guess yes (everyone laughs) that's what.

- I'm seeing a theme.

Okay fries.

- [Emily] The fries were amazing, they were thick and they had paprika on them.

Definitely recommend the fries.

- Oh wow.

And paprika can also add a little smoky quality to it, I love it.

(Ivan laughs) Spicy and smoky.

Yeah the fries are amazing there.

Jim what did you have?

- So I started with the mac and cheese.

The mac and cheese was just cheesy, really smooth, it really reminded me of sort of my childhood and mac and cheese from back in the day.

So I really appreciated that and like that.

And then after that I had the chicken bacon ranch sandwich, and it was so good, it really was.

It came on a brioche bun, it had a nice side of dressing on it that really hit with the chicken and then the bacon.

And the bacon was so good, nice real thick slice of that.

So yeah I just had a really really good sandwich there.

- Chicken bacon brioche.

This is I'm getting, what's happening here?

(everyone laughs) This is amazing, I love this.

Did you have anything sweet?

- So I did end the meal with a dessert as always.

And-- - How do you do it Jim?

(Jim laughs) I guess you have to run 45 miles to have a dessert at every meal okay.

- So I had their banana pudding, which it was really sort of simple but like great in the simplicity of it.

There was Nilla wafers in there, slices of banana, and then just this really nice vanilla bean sauce.

And those three things I think were the total of that and it was great.

- You had that too didn't you Ivan?

- I did because it's one of my things that I always try to get when I go there.

But I gotta get my running more (Mark and Jim laugh) to make up for I gotta start running much, I do but not running as much as you do.

But what I like is that it's got the texture of it.

And the wafers are in there but they're not again they're kind of, there is texture to it and the flavor.

So you're going through different layers of the cream, the bananas.

And it's something that they do well.

- They do that well.

And Jim you had something really special on tap I think?

- Yeah so I was there for lunch.

I had just got their on tap root beer, which was the SunUp brand of root beer.

And it was great, I mean it was one of the best root beers I've had.

And it just really went well with everything I had-- - Nice.

- On the plate and as part of my meal.

- And SunUp is a great local brewery as well, so they're making root beer on tap which has to be good.

- It was good, so good.

- Emily did you have anything sweet?

- I did.

So they have sort of a inside outside bar patio that you can sit on and sort of let the sun hit you.

So I thought that was a perfect opportunity to have a chardonnay.

- There you go.

(Mark and Emily laugh) - It was perfectly buttery and refreshing.

It went perfectly with my hot ham and cheese sandwich.

- Awesome.

Well this is your place.

Any other things that you should share about the atmosphere or what to eat when you're there?

- I love the atmosphere 'cause it's a family place, it's local and they embrace the community, and they're very engaged.

So it's a place that you go there and you find somebody that you know.

So it's a wonderful warm environment.

I encourage people to give it a try and explore it because there is a lot of options.

- If you wanna try Worth Takeaway it's in Mesa on main street just east of Robson.

An average meal will cost 15 dollars and they do not take reservations.

(light jazzy music) I wanna thank Emily, Jim, and Ivan for joining me today.

And thank you for joining us on "Check, Please!

Arizona".

If you'd like to share your favorite restaurant, head to our website A-Z, P-B-S dot org slash Check Please and nominate your must eat at spot.

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

Be a part of the foodie conversation in Arizona on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, using the hash tag check please AZ.

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

Arizona".

I'm chef Mark Tarbell.

And have a delicious life.

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- [Announcer] AJ's Fine Foods for gourmet to go meals.

Chef prepared entrees and sides, brick oven pizza, hand crafted sandwiches, and soups or sushi to go.

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