- [Voice Over] And now an Arizona PBS Original Production.

- I'm chef 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 and are ready to share their reviews with each other and with you right here on Check Please Arizona.

(mellow music) - [Voice Over Two] 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.

(mellow music) - [Voice Over Three] We are CDC Pools.

We've been remodeling pools in Arizona since 1990.

We're proud to introduce eco-finish interior pool surface.

Eco Finish, environmentally friendly and people friendly.

- I'm David Goldstein, owner of Biltmore Loan and Jewelry.

We buy our loan on upscale assets.

We have over 30 years of experience in determining values of automobiles, jewelry, art, collectables and antiques.

For more information and appointments, BiltmoreLoan.com.

(mellow music) - This week on Check Please Arizona, our guests have made their way to North Phoenix and back down and around to Gilbert, tasting a bit of barbecue and breakfast along the way.

Program Manager, Tara Montoya married into a New Mexican family.

She has a growing appreciation for the cuisine of that region and says she's found delicious chilis and chorizo in Gilbert.

Hair stylist, Andrea Luna loves big family dinners, so when she dines out, her second kitchen is a barbecue joint that serves up family sized helpings and a little sugar every time.

And up first, Insurance Adjuster, Steve Prentice.

He's traveled around the world, but even with his sophisticated pallette, he'll never pass up fresh squeezed orange juice and thick French toast from this American diner.

(upbeat music) - [John] I grew up in Southern California.

There's no such thing as having a bad day on the beach, so I brought the beach to Phoenix.

When you first walk in the restaurant, you'll see my surf board collection on the walls.

You'll see the staff either in tie dye shirts or Hawaiian shirts.

In the background you're going to hear 100% beach, 60s, 70s music.

We try to bring the California coastal cuisine here.

Not just the vibe of the restaurant, but we try to bring the fresh ingredients that I grew up on.

Citrus, fresh vegetables, south west Mexican cuisine.

We even bring in a little island flavor with spam and eggs.

Two of our favorite specials we run and they change during the year, but a caprese omelet, which is an open-faced omelet with melted mozzarella, fresh heirloom tomatoes on it, fresh basil and a little olive oil drizzle.

It's just bright, looks good, tastes good.

We serve a Hawaiian pancake too.

It's got fresh pineapple on it, toasted coconut, some slivered almonds.

It's to die for.

(upbeat music) After I operated 12 restaurants in California for about 35 years, I moved here in 2011 and got bored real quick, so I found this location on 32nd street and opened up Original Breakfast House.

This is my beach.

I don't take vacations, I come to work.

- So Steve, why do you love this place?

- The staff is just so friendly.

Even when they're very packed in, there's almost always a line.

Seems like I get a table very quickly just because they're so efficient there.

- Tara, what'd you think?

- I love how different it is, especially how everyone was wearing tie dye.

The owner walks around in his Hawaiian shirt which was nice.

The food was excellent.

- What did you have for appetizers, Tara?

- So, for my appetizer, I had the brioche cinnamon roll and it was covered, I mean smothered in a cream cheese, overflowing.

So, when we divvied up the portions, everyone got a good chunk of their sweetness.

- So, it wasn't just an accent?

It was like let's have some-- - [Tara] Yes.

- -you're going to have some cream cheese dressing here.

I like that.

- You're going to have this side of cinnamon roll with your cream cheese, yes.

(laughing) - [Mark] Not a bad thing.

Steve, what'd you start with?

- I started also with that.

It was awesome.

The inside is gooey without being underdone.

It was freshly baked.

I think they'd just put out like a fresh batch a little bit before I ate it and I asked the waitress for the biggest one because there is a large tray (laughing) So, she gave me one about the size of my head and it was good.

I had no problem eating it all.

- Andrea, what did you have for an entree?

- I had the chicken fried chicken.

- Chicken fried chicken.

- [Andrea] Yes.

- All right.

- And it did come with a side of French toast and it had eggs, I believe it had some potatoes with that also.

It was very filling.

- [Mark] It sounds like it was a light dish.

- [Andrea] Oh, right.

- Delectate.

- Not at all, no.

- [Mark] But tasty.

So, tell me about the chicken fried chicken.

You've had chicken fried steak I'm sure and things like that, how did it stack up and what was the texture like?

- It was very crunchy.

The gravy on top had a distinct taste.

It was with their sausage that they get fresh and it was amazing.

It was a whole different taste.

- [Mark] Tara, do you agree with that?

- Yeah, I actually had the very same thing that you had.

- [Andrea] Nice.

- And what I loved is I actually took the waitress's advice and I poured the syrup all over.

So, I got a bite of the syrup, the French toast, the gravy, the chicken and the egg and it was wonderful.

- That's decadent.

So, yeah, it's sweet and sugary.

- [Tara] Yes.

- No, sweet and salty, sorry.

- [Tara] Yeah.

- It's like salted caramel.

- [Tara] Right.

- Except with chicken.

- [Steve] It sounds good too.

- And I would say the chicken, what was I felt like so unique about it was it was so crispy on the outside, but the middle is just so moist and juicy.

- [Mark] Well, that's important.

- Right, especially with fried chicken.

So, it was excellent.

- What did you have for an entree?

- I had the chicken tinga, the omelet.

It was prepared with marinaded chicken of chipotle and adobo, I believe is what it's called and it was topped with queso fresco cheese and the ingredients were just amazing.

I mean the cheese and the, just the quality of the preparation, the quality of the food, all the ingredients just tasted very fresh.

Came with the hash browns, which were also cooked to perfection.

- Tell me what cooked to perfection is to you, when it comes to hash browns.

- [Steve] Hash browns?

- Yes.

- [Steve] To me, it has a slightly hard crust on the outside but when you cut it open, it's not dry at all, it has the moist inside, it has a strong potato flavor to it.

You can tell that it has like a fresh, moist texture on the inside, but the outside still has that kind of slightly, not charred, not burned either, but like a browner of the outside.

- Crispy on the outside, creamy on the inside.

- Do you like butter on the inside and a little bit-- - [Steve] Of hash browns?

- Hash browns.

- I've never tried that before.

- Oh, sometimes they put a little bit of butter just right in between-- - [Steve] I will start doing that.

- Well, nothing better than butter and potatoes.

- Absolutely.

- [Steve] It's a good point.

- I took a colleague with me.

We went during our lunch break, actually, which was convenient because they had us in and out within 45 minutes.

- [Mark] Nice.

- She actually got a tray of pancakes.

So, of course I had to try those.

- [Andrea] Oh wow.

- [Tara] Yeah, it was a special they had that day, and what was really interesting, it was very cinnamony, but then it like finished with a really nice lemon zing.

So, something unexpected completely, which kind of cut the heaviness, since, you know, cinnamon turon, it's a little heavy.

But it was excellent.

- So, Steve, what would you say about the Original Breakfast House?

- I would call it quality ingredients, a wonderful breakfast.

- Unique and different than your typical diners, with excellent local grown food.

- California casual and local.

- If you would like to try Original Breakfast House, you'll find it at 13623 North 32nd Street, just west of Highway 51 in Phoenix.

Reservations are not accepted in the average tab for breakfast or lunch is $16 without drinks.

(upbeat music) Up next, Andrea's favorite.

It's Bobby-Q in North Phoenix.

(upbeat music) - I like barbecue and I never could find good barbecue and I thought that this was a great store to do barbecue and that's what I set off to do.

Barbecue is actually regional.

You'll find barbecue in Texas, you'll find barbecue in Memphis.

Kansas City is another type.

LA is a whole different ball game.

I created what I thought would be a mass appeal which has been very, very successful.

I take my (indistinct) right out of the smoker.

I cut it to order, I put it back in the holding oven and then I hold it until I'm ready for another order.

So, it's cut to order every time.

(upbeat music) I wanted something special, some sort of a get a bag and fill it with something, and I came up with the little miniature doughnuts.

That's how the doughnut machine came to pass.

They were able to have a little bag full of doughnuts that they can take out, take home, have them for breakfast the next morning and that's pretty much what the doughnut was all about.

- What makes great barbecue for you?

Spicy, tangy, the sweet, the gooey?

- I like the smoky.

- [Mark] Smoky?

- Yes.

- [Mark] Okay.

- The place is bigger on the inside than it appears on the outside.

It's kind of like a magical barbecue place.

But when you go in there, it's like an ode to meat.

It has so many good options and it gives you the...

I think just the selections of briskets and pork and chicken and beef, it's outstanding.

- Yeah, ode to beef, I like that.

Ode to beef.

Tara, what'd you think?

- I loved it.

I kind of felt like it transformed me out of Arizona, right?

I had to remind myself a couple times, like actually you're still in Arizona.

So, I thought the atmosphere was great, decor was great and of course, the food.

- [Mark] So like a mini vacation.

- [Tara] Yeah.

- What did you start with?

- So, I started with the corn bread.

They bring everyone corn bread, which was different, because they were just like little small cakes that everyone got and then I also started with the Cajun shrimp.

So, the Cajun shrimp was covered in butter and also had a really nice Cajun seasoning.

It also came with a side of grilled toast so you could dip the toast in the sauce.

- [Mark] Okay.

- [Tara] Which was wonderful.

- Yeah, that's kind of decadent, isn't it?

- [Tara] It is.

- And tell me a little bit about the corn bread.

Everyone got corn bread, well all did.

What was the texture like?

Tara, I'm sorry, Andrea, tell me what the texture was like of that.

- [Andrea] They gave you a basket and it's just moist and flaky and they're hockey puck size.

And they give you a basket and they don't stop bringing it.

It just keeps coming.

- What did you have for an appetizer?

- I had the spinach queso and that came also-- - [Tara] That sounds good.

- [Andrea] Yes, with the bread and that bread fills you up.

I mean, they start you with bread, they have it in their appetizers, then send you home with some too, the little doughnuts-- - Isn't that something?

We'll talk about that.

That was cool that little send off.

- Yes.

- Steve, what'd you have?

- I started off with the recommendation of the waiter.

He told me to try out the Q rolls, which is their take on spring rolls.

So, they are filled, instead of the vegetables you would get in a spring roll, they are filled with smoked brisket and they were delectable.

It comes with a chipotle dipping sauce with it and it was a great way to start off the meal.

- Let's jump right into the...

The take away quote of the day is ode to meat.

So, what did you have?

- The whole hog heaven.

It is a pound of brisket.

We got the pound of brisket and usually the pound of baby back ribs.

And they are everything.

It just comes on a massive plate.

It's like Fred Flintstone portions.

It's amazing.

- So, you said you chose the baby back.

Have you had the Saint Louis and the-- - Yes.

- [Mark] The beef ribs.

So, I think you like babies.

- I do like the baby back the best.

- That's your choice?

- Yes.

- Tara, what'd you have?

- We tried the prime rib and the cat fish.

The prime rib was really smoky.

So, we were wondering would we miss out on the barbecue flavor if we weren't getting ribs?

But we were really surprised by the smokiness and the prime rib was great.

- And how was your cat fish?

- [Tara] The cat fish was good.

- Were they jumping?

- No.

(laughing) The cat fish was deep fried in the Cajun seasoning again.

So, it was really good.

The owner did tell us that we can have it grilled, so next time we go back, we'll probably try it grilled.

- What'd you have, Steve?

- I had the pulled barbecue chicken.

It's a pulled rotisserie chicken sandwich in barbecue sauce and they have their own house made barbecue sauces you can choose from.

They have everything from sweet to spicy and everything in between.

So, I asked him just to put on what he recommends is his favorite, the waiter, and it was very good.

- The thing that's on every restaurant menu it seems is mac and cheese.

What was it like?

- [Andrea] A staple.

- [Mark] Thick?

- [Andrea] Creamy, right, very creamy.

- [Tara] Amazing.

- [Mark] Amazing.

Thick, creamy, amazing.

I guess done, boom, ti-ping.

(laughing) - [Steve] That's it.

- Any other sides?

- I had the pecan coleslaw.

It was so good.

I mean, I've never had pecans and coleslaw, but it was so refreshing and then with that little bit of nutness at the very end, it was really good.

- So, desserts, what did you have, Andrea?

- I had the apple cobbler.

- [Mark] Apple cobbler.

- [Andrea] Yes.

And it's just perfect little apples on the bottom and a little crust and some ice cream, very simple.

- [Mark] Nice.

Yeah.

- [Tara] That's exactly what I had.

- [Mark] Warm cobbler, ice cream.

Nice melting, yummy.

- I had the mud pie.

- Mud pie, talk about that.

- Well, it wasn't quite what I was expecting.

I was thinking it'd be a bit more decadent, maybe more of like a cake to it.

But it was actually, the majority of it was a piece of ice cream.

It did have a thin layer of peanut butter and then a crust of Oreo, which is good, but the portion was big.

I was very impressed by for dessert, a piece of pie.

It was huge, it was as big as the plate that it came on.

- So, Bobby-Q, the portions are large, you're so full by the end and at the end, they throw a little sweetness at you.

The doughnuts.

- [Steve] Yes.

- They give you a whole little bag of fried goodness that's sugar and cinnamon and they send you home with it.

- [Tara] Right.

I think it's wonderful, it tastes so great.

We actually had to eat ours for breakfast the next day because literally when we had the apple cobbler, after our prime rib and cat fish, we were just so full.

- I had no problem eating mine.

(laughing) They were delicious.

- [Mark] All right, Steve.

- And I did find out that you are able to purchase them, actually by the dozen if you wanted to at the end.

- [Mark] Very cool, good to know.

- [Tara] I absolutely love that they've cooking them right there.

- [Mark] I know, house made doughnuts, is that crazy or what?

- [Tara] Right, yeah.

- [Steve] Very good.

- [Tara] It's fun for kids to watch.

- [Mark] Yeah, very cool.

So, how would you wrap this up?

- Smoky, saucy and simple.

- Meat, meat, meat.

- Most tender meat.

- Most tender meat, I love it.

If you would like to try Bobby-Q, you'll find it at 8501 North 27th Avenue, just west of Black Canyon Highway in Phoenix.

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

(upbeat music) And now Tara takes us to La Ristra New Mexican kitchen in Gilbert.

(upbeat music) - [John] I think one of the biggest surprises about owning a restaurant, specifically a New Mexican restaurant, is how many people absolutely love the New Mexican style cuisine.

We get so much support from customers that are from New Mexico that maybe have visited New Mexico or just love the rich flavors and spice that we offer.

To make it New Mexican, we utilize the chili from New Mexico.

The Hatch Valley area is very popular and well known for the type of chili that they use.

I'm a little bit more on the hotter side personally.

Our green chili tends to be on the spicier side, so we do have that option for people.

But La Ristra's most popular dish is probably the blue corn stacked enchiladas.

These enchiladas are stacked high opposed to being rolled.

We use blue corn in the massa, opposed to yellow.

And we top it with a fried egg.

We always recommend going Christmas style, which is both red enchilada sauce and green enchilada sauce, and some of our most popular sides is the Calabacitas, which is typical New Mexican green chili squash medley, as well as either our black beans, pinto beans or our Spanish rice.

I think one of the best feedback comments that I've ever received from anybody is who knew the best New Mexican food is in Arizona?

Doesn't get any better than that for sure.

- So, Tara, you married into a New Mexican family.

What defines New Mexican cuisine for you?

- Large portion sizes.

Obviously food made with a lot of love, and then of course, green chili, red chili.

And usually when I go back home to see my mother in law, I leave at least an inch heavier around the waist from all of the consumption of the food.

- Chili and cheese.

- It's non-stop.

Chili, cheese.

- Yes.

- Large portions.

- A lot of that's so delicious, it's hard to stop, right?

- It is hard, yes.

- [Mark] That's true.

- You walk in and you feel like you're in Spain.

There's bull fighter decorations and just ornate bull metal sculptures.

It was beautiful.

- What did you start with?

- I had a red chili enchilada with cheese.

A red beef tamales with the red sauce and also a chicken taco.

- So you like the red sauce?

- Yes.

- Tell me a little bit about it because everyone has sort of like marinara or things like that.

I mean, everyone has an idea of what right is.

Talk about this one.

- It is typical New Mexico.

Our family is from Saint John, so that's right on the border of New Mexico and Arizona.

So, for us, it was just authentic.

It was like my grandmother's cooking.

- Really?

- It really was.

I mean, I can't, hats off to you, Tara, thank you for that, that was almost like having my grandma's food again.

- [Mark] Oh, good.

Endorsement, check.

(laughing) You can't argue with grandma.

Grandma's always right.

Best food ever.

So Tara, there's your place, what did you start with?

- So, this time we started with a white queso and chorizo dip.

Came out in a skillet and you could just see the chorizo.

It was a white cheddar, so it was a little less intense than like a Velveeta, and then it had the green chili mixed within it.

So, it was really good.

It came with a warm-- - [Mark] I notice they use a lot of hatch chilies from New Mexico.

- [Tara] Right.

- Which are kind of epic.

- [Tara] Yes.

- They were actually doing a hatch chili festival there that weekend that we were there.

- [Mark] Really?

- So they were selling-- - Were they roasting them outside?

- They were selling them, yes.

- [Mark] In the big barrel?

- Yes, selling all that stuff.

You can pick some up and take some with you.

So, it was nice.

- They do freeze, by the way.

Because if you're going to one of those festivals and you get a big old bag of roasted chilies, you're like, what am I going to do with it?

The other thing I might add, when you put them in the freezer, it's going to make your ice and everything in there smell and taste like hatch chilies.

Just to let you know.

Okay, Steve.

- I started off with the three generations tacos.

It comes out with three separate soft tacos with three different types of meats and you get shredded beef and pork and chicken and it's topped with a poblano sauce.

Very good.

Each meat was just cooked to perfection.

Everything was very tender and the home made sauces that they put on the top are just fantastic.

- And we all had the, of course, chips and salsa.

What'd you think?

How does it rate?

- The little trifecta of salsas that they bring you, they bring you the green hatch, they bring you the red chili and then one that's like a smoked tomato.

It was just give me the sauce, I only want the sauce.

It was really good.

Especially with the chips, nice and hot.

- [Mark] Yeah, pretty good.

- [Tara] And I like that it's all levels of like heat, right?

- Yes, it's like one, two, three, boom, boom, boom.

Not hair on fire, but strong.

- Right and it can please everyone at the table.

- Tara, what was your entree?

- So, I had the Carnitas.

- [Mark] The Carnitas.

- Yes.

And they're different, because they have the bone actually in them.

- [Mark] Oh.

- [Tara] Yeah.

So, they come out on the plate with the bone and then the meat around it and then I actually had mine Christmas style.

So, half's covered in green chili, the other half is covered in red chili which I love.

And then for a side, I got the pinto beans and the calabacitas.

- [Andrea] Those are, yes.

Amazing.

A little medley of the zucchini-- - You all three had those.

Tell me.

- [Steve] The zucchini and corn, warm, very fresh.

- Very good.

- [Mark] Sounds great.

- Steve, what about your entree?

- I had the blue corn stacked enchilada.

It's topped with a fried egg, which was fantastic, I think more entrees should have that on top of it because fried egg makes everything a lot better I think.

- [Andrea] Especially with enchiladas.

- [Steve] For enchiladas, yeah, it was good.

And the egg, even that alone was cooked well.

Spiced very well.

Had some heat to it, but not overpowering.

- So, you said blue corn stacked.

It's sort of like chili (indistinct), right?

It's similar or?

Because I didn't have that.

It was stacked blue corn rounds?

- Yeah, the enchiladas New Mexico style, they stack the tortillas and you can get that option, you can get them rolled or you can get them stacked.

And I've always had them stacked.

So, I liked seeing that on the menu.

- [Steve] It was very good.

It comes with the Sopaipilla beside it, which is like a piece of fried bread.

Perfect for the fried egg.

Also just perfect for the enchilada sauce.

- I had the Sopaipillas also, but I did take them home.

I like my Arizona local honey, so I took them home and enjoyed them with that, yes.

- [Mark] Tara.

- For our dessert, we had the fried ice cream.

I had never had fried ice cream before, so I wanted to try it.

- [Mark] So, what was your impression?

- [Tara] I've heard it's a little less than traditional I guess, because it was covered with frosted flakes and (indistinct) deep fried, right?

It was good.

- I had the churro bowl sundae, which is exactly how it sounds.

So, you had the (indistinct) on the outside, which started to melt the ice cream and chocolate and caramel drizzled on top of it.

- You had a pretty interesting drink I think.

They have a pretty full bar program.

- Yes, it's the tequila, every tequila you can think of.

I had a spicy mango margarita.

- [Mark] Oh, a spicy one.

- [Andrea] Yes.

And it had a little jalapeno slice in it and then it was rimmed with chili and salt.

- [Mark] How crazy.

That's interesting.

- [Andrea] It was really good.

- [Mark] It sounds it.

- Yeah, that's something I'm going to have to try, because I love spicy margaritas.

They're my favorite.

- And this was the perfect mix of sweet and spicy and a little bit of chili on the rim.

And lime, the lime kind of just-- - Balances out that spice.

- [Andrea] Yes.

- Lovely.

- I had the Sangrita which was really good, because it was a margarita frozen, with then the Sangrita also frozen.

So, it was like a nice swirl and there was fresh fruit in there.

It was very effective.

- [Mark] Sounds delicious.

- Yes.

- Yes.

- [Mark] Very effective.

Oh okay.

(laughing) Well, we won't say anymore about that.

(laughing) Yeah, could you define that?

I wasn't going to ask, but now I need to ask, you threw it out there.

- Sure.

I mean, I definitely could only have one.

- Okay.

- [Andrea] Yes.

- You felt it?

- I felt it, yes.

- Good.

So, how would you describe this place?

- I would say it's flavorful.

I would like to say Christmas style.

(laughing) And very family friendly.

- Beautiful dishes served to perfection.

- I give it an A plus in authenticity.

- If you would like to try La Ristra New Mexican Kitchen, go to 638 East Warner Road just west of Lindsay Road in Gilbert.

Reservations are accepted and the average tab for dinner is $15 without drinks.

(upbeat music) Thanks to Tara, Andrea and Steve for sharing their picks and don't forget, you can share yours too.

Go to AZPBS.org/CheckPlease, click on Be a Guest.

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.

- [Voice Over Two] 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)