- [Announcer] 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 three 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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(upbeat instrumental music) - I'm Chef Mark Tarbell, welcome to Check, Please!

In this episode, we asked three ASU students to share their favorite places to eat.

Sedona Meadows is studying to be a reporter and is a vegetarian who loves to visit a Tempe restaurant with a very diverse menu.

Garrie Ester dreams of working as a sports writer, and his pick is a Southern staple in downtown Phoenix.

But up first is sophomore Daisy Tanner, she loves TV production and pasta.

Her pick is Humble Pie in Scottsdale.

(upbeat instrumental music) - Humble Pie is almost like a European bistro style, but with what I call the new American cuisine, that is a melting pot of all cultures.

When Humble Pie opened it was a fantastic restaurant, over 10 years ago, so we took over because we saw a possibility to revamp this project and to give a life to the place, better environment, better wine, but also the food, and bringing real chefs.

We're trying to give people an amazing product without completely have to break your bank.

I love the science behind food, and there's no science bigger than the pizza.

Everybody loves pizza.

It's one of those international adored foods.

We use a sourdough starter that gives that very beautiful flavor, almost like a baguette.

I'm using high gluten content flour.

One from Avondale here in Arizona, the other one from East Coast, and it takes three days to mature in the walk-in before we actually cook it.

The reason why is we wanted the flavor to the develop and we want the structure of the gluten to complete the constructs.

So whenever it's served to you with action and the fire, the wood fire oven, just makes big bubbles, big air, and it has a good chew, but also is not really heavy.

I want you to have pizza without feeling guilty.

You have a classic pizza, like a margarita, or a pepperoni pizza, but we also have a carnitas pizza, with tomatillos, cilantro, jalapeno parama.

We have a Korean chicken pizza with furikake, with ponzu sauce, with Korean Gochujang paste.

We have an amazing, we call it Humble Dip, it's almost like a French Dip, but we use carnitas that we braze overnight in the wood fire oven.

Our most popular salad is a Humble Caesar.

Our dressing is really flavorful and it's got jalapeno, anchovies flavor profile.

And then we put Pecorino Romano, and then we put crispy brussels that act with those like warm and cold, but also an extra layer of crispiness.

And then we finished with, Parmigiano Reggiano.

When you come into Humble Pie, I want you to be exceptionally, have a great experience.

So whenever you go home it's worth it that you went out, and it's worth the time that you gave me, and I want you to be happy.

(upbeat instrumental music) - Daisy, Humble Pie has to be the best name for a pizza place ever.

How did you find this place?

- So actually my grandpa found it, and he was like, he came over one day, he was like, you guys have to try this, it's so good, and it's not like a normal pizza place, right, it's not like one of the big chains, and they've got like the specialties, and the crust is different, and so we went and we're like, oh my God, this is amazing, and that was like five years ago.

- What's your favorite thing to eat there, what did you eat there when you went?

- So my favorite thing is also what I got last time, which is the little Figgy, and it's really good, it's kind of like a sweet pizza, but it's not like a dessert, right, it's still got the tomato sauce, and the cheese, but it's got like a glaze on it that's really good.

Oh, it's so good.

- [Chef Mark] So figs, fresh figs.

- [Daisy] Yes.

- That's great.

- Yeah, I know!

- Garrie, what did you have when you went there?

- For me, I had the Trifecta Roni, it's basically, it's like a pepperoni pizza, it's got, I believe three layers of pepperoni, it was very good.

- [Chef Mark] And I love the name, Trifecta Roni.

- [Garrie] Yeah, that definitely caught my eye too, it was very interesting, also like she said the crust was definitely a little different.

- [Chef Mark] Is it thin crust or thick?

- It's uh.

- Kind of in between?

- Yeah, kind of in between.

- [Chef Mark] Yeah.

- It was, yeah, it was definitely interesting, I was like oh, that's got a nice little taste to it.

The way the waiter was talking to me about the pizza, I thought it wasn't going to be as big as it was, and it just surprised me, I was like, oh okay, that's kind of big, 'cause I also had the Humble Wings as a appetizer.

It was really my appetizer because I literally had had the wings and the pizza like simultaneously, but a little bit after the other, with the Humble Wings, I've got to give a special shout out to the chili honey sauce, that was really good.

It definitely surprised me, I had no idea, so like the waiter told me about it, I was like, oh, I was blown away, it just has a little spice to it, and also is a little sweet at the same time.

I wish I could have took some home, I needed too.

- Next time.

- Yeah, I need to, definitely next time I go there, that was not my last time.

- And tell me, how was the atmosphere, what's it like?

- It was definitely not what I was expecting, being like a Chandler resident, I never really go to Scottsdale that often so just walk in and I'm like oh, this is definitely different, I seen like they had a little booth, I tried the booth, they have the little pillows there, it's a little nice place, it was more fancy.

- [Chef Mark] An update a little for a pizza place, right?

- [Garrie] Yeah.

- [Chef Mark] And service, good?

- [Garrie] Yes, services was great, waiters was great.

- Good, good.

Sedona, what did you have when you went?

- So I had The Classy Girl Margarita, and a glass of wine, so it was a very classy time, I loved it, very yummy.

The food was, I mean, I think the crust is more, it seems like oven fired, so you know, the crust is more puffy, and it was fresh basil, you know, fresh tomatoes, really great mozzarella, really yummy, and I loved my wine too.

- [Chef Mark] Yeah.

- It was a really great combo, and I did go at a random time, I actually eat by myself and drink wine by myself, which was my first ever experience eating alone.

And I think that actually was one of those great places that you can do that.

- Interesting you say that, 'cause that can be uncomfortable for anyone when they're traveling and whatnot, they tend to say oh, I'm staying in the hotel and eating, so it was good.

What's the favorite thing you had to eat there?

- I think it was the pizza, I mean, I actually brought one back to my roommate because I loved it so much, I was like, hey, you really have to try this pizza, I'm gonna bring you back one.

- Cool.

And Daisy, this was your pick, so tell me what should we expect when we go there?

- So every time I go there, I have to get the Humble Fries, they're kind of like a loaded fry, but they're so good, and they come with three different sauces to dip them in, and I get those every time, and then when my family goes, we each get our own pizza, 'cause like I said, then it's like a meal the next day.

- Yeah, what are the sauces, I need to know, on the Humble Fries.

- Okay, so there's one that's like a Sriracha-type sauce, and then there's one that's like my favorite and it's kind of like, I want to say like mustard, but it's spicy, and it's really good, and then there's one that's like just like a ranch almost.

- [Chef Mark] Okay, and they come with it and it's just a dipping sauce right?

- Yeah, just a dipping sauce on the side, and I like that it's on the side 'cause then you can choose like, you're like, oh I don't really like this one, but this one's really good.

- Did you ever mix two together?

- [Daisy] Oh no I haven't.

- Oh try the Sriracha with the ranch thing, I'm just guessing it'd be kind of good, I'm not sure.

- Yeah, I've had the wings before too, and those are pretty good, but I like, since we discovered the place, like my family and I, it's the fries are like a must.

- [Chef Mark] Cool, I love a pizza place with great fries.

- Yeah.

(laughing) - I know, and I love potatoes and I didn't even think to get the fries, so next time I go back I'm going to get those.

- Yeah.

- [Chef Mark] If you want to try Humble Pie, it's located just south of Scottsdale Road and McDonald Drive.

An average meal will cost $25 and they do take reservations.

(upbeat instrumental music) - Up next is Garrie's pick, a legendary taste of the south right here in Phoenix, this is Lo-Lo's's Chicken and Waffles.

(upbeat instrumental music) - The type of food we serve here at Lo-Lo's's Chicken and Waffles is like grandma's house, it's comfort food.

It's food that makes you happy.

It hugs you.

It makes you all warm inside, it's delicious Southern home cooking.

(upbeat instrumental music) The ambience is real cool, we got the cool brick walls.

We even got the wood open roof trusses in the ceiling.

Little knick-knacks, got some cupboards with some cool jazz artwork, and Black art.

(upbeat instrumental music) The recipes that we use here at Lo-Lo's's Chicken and Waffles has been passed down from generation to generation.

So my grandmother's mother was an awesome cook, we call her Big Mama, and then she gave recipes to her daughters, one of them happened to be my grandmother, Mrs. Elizabeth White.

She is the owner and founder of Mrs. White's Golden Rule Cafe.

My grandmother told me that the secrets of a restaurants' success is consistency, being consistent.

My father taught me rain, sleet, or snow the show must go on.

The secret to our fried chicken is love.

Look at me, I just turned 50.

Look at my grandmother, she's 98, we eat fried chicken every day.

There's not a single day that goes by where I don't eat fried chicken.

You want to live long, eat some Lo-Lo's's fried chicken.

Why the waffles go so well with fried chicken?

Well, the chicken represent savory, spicy, salty, and the waffle represents sweet.

And you put those two combinations together, you can't go wrong.

You know when I walk out of the kitchen, I look around and I see every table full, we got an hour wait outside the door, and it's such a wonderful feeling to know that we are a part of people's days.

It's a very humbling and grateful feeling, knowing that Lo-Lo's's Chicken and Waffles is in that conversation.

(upbeat instrumental music) - Garrie, so many people love Lo-Lo's's, how did you discover it?

- I discovered it I'm originally from my grandma.

She, one day she just mentioned Lo-Lo's's, and you know, we just, we had to go there, me and my family we usually go there all the time, but this last time I went, I just went by myself, because it was just it's like the atmosphere is, it's crazy, you walk in there it's, I feel like it's always people in the restaurant, it's incredible.

- [Chef Mark] Busy?

- [Garrie] Yeah, it's always busy.

- [Chef Mark] Loud, but welcoming I've found, real nice, incredible.

- Yeah, so you love it, you're you're an expert at it, what do you love to eat, what do we need to go eat there?

- Well, I usually get, I get the original Lo-Lo's's combo, it's three pieces of chicken, you can get all wings, that's what some of my family does, I get the mix and match, so they kind of mix it up, and then you get two pieces of waffles, and it has a little bit butter on it, and then you get the syrup, and then for the drink, the Kool-Aid is super, the Kool-Aid is super sweet, if you're big into sugar, yeah, definitely try the Kool-Aid.

- [Chef Mark] Main line that one huh?

- [Garrie] Definitely, they have a couple of different flavors, I had the grape, they used to have the fruit punch, but the last time I went, they didn't have it, so.

- [Chef Mark] Oh disappointing.

(laughing) Is there anything else that we should have, appetizers or just go right for the main?

- I would say, I say go, just go right for the main.

- [Chef Mark] Okay.

- [Garrie] Because usually like it is a longer wait, but I feel like it's definitely worth it.

- [Chef Mark] Okay.

- [Garrie] The chicken is just very seasoned, seasoned really well, and the waffles definitely fills you up, especially with the syrup, syrup just definitely helps out the taste, you know, just get that savory taste.

- Oh yeah, balance it out, sweet and salty.

So Sedona, you're a vegetarian, you went there, what did you eat?

- You know, I was a little worried at first, I was like, what the heck am I gonna eat at a chicken place, you know, and that's always the thing with being a vegetarian, like you want to find options, but what's really cool about Lo-Lo's's Chicken and Waffles, is that there actually was an option for me.

I had their Waffle Breakfast Samich, and it's called Samich, I love the title, so funny, but I had that and there's an option to put meat on there, but I didn't put the meat on there, I just had waffle, egg, and then I decided to have avocado added onto it too, kind of strange combo, but I love it.

- You might have just invented something.

- I might have just yeah.

- Imagine two waffles, an avocado, and egg together?

Oh, my.

(laughing) - I really liked it and the waffle itself was really like crispy and almost, it had like a cinnamon flavor, I don't know if anybody else got that, but I really liked it, I've never had a waffle like that before.

- Good, yeah they're perfect.

- Yeah, but I also did bring my roommate with me because I wanted somebody to try chicken and waffles together, just, you know, to give me a little feel for what it tastes like, and she really enjoyed it, she thought the same thing, the waffle was cinnamony, and the chicken was really crisp and just really yummy.

- Cool, thanks Sedona.

Daisy, what did you eat?

- So I had two waffles and two pieces of chicken, or actually it was one waffle, two pieces of chicken, but it was really good, I agree that the waffles, you can kind of taste like a little bit of cinnamon in there, it's not like overpowering by any means though it's really good.

And it's good because the chicken is like the dinner, and the waffles like the dessert, but it's like the best of both at the same time, I really enjoyed it.

- Well it's that perfect balance of crispy, savory, and sweet.

- The menu is also, it's very interesting, you know, like the Samich, and then I remember the first time I went there what caught me was Drank, like it's just Drank.

So it's definitely got like a Southern feel to it, it definitely made me feel at home, also the waiters were, it felt like just a regular conversation, I had my waiter, it just felt like I was just on the street, just talking to him, you know.

- [Chef Mark] It felt family.

- Yeah, it felt like just part of the family, music, like I'm a more of a R&B type of like hip-hop guy, definitely had some tunes that definitely I was singing along to.

(laughing) - That's good.

And one of the things, a pro tip that someone gave me, is I actually ordered big meals, and I took a lot of it home, and the next morning I had it cold and it was, I don't, I'm almost gonna say it was better, it was so good, that cold fried chicken, and I had it for breakfast, I know that's crazy, but I did, it was so good, everyone, you ever done that?

- Yeah, I've done it before, you know, we used to have pizza for breakfast too, so yeah, it happens, it happens.

- Humble Pie.

- Yeah, Humble Pie.

(laughing) Did you try any desserts Daisy.

- I didn't, I was really tempted to try the Red Velvet Cake, but I was like, I kind of had a cake with the waffle, and I had Kool-Aid too, so I had like that sweet Drank, and so I was like, you know, I didn't need a dessert, and the portions were so big that I was full after, I didn't have any like leftovers to take home, and so I was like, man I do not need a dessert like am all good.

- [Chef Mark] And the atmosphere is really welcoming and I just love the picture of the, 'cause it's a generational business, you know, and that, there was a beautiful picture of the family right in the entrance, right there when you wait to get in, it was just, there was a warmth about it and everyone was super friendly it was awesome.

- [Daisy] You can tell there's so much history there.

- Yeah, yeah.

- And another thing that caught me, when you walk in, there's a Kobe Bryant mural outside, it definitely, definitely caught my attention, it was very cool, it was like him dunking, and had like the little mamba on the side.

- Yeah that's beautiful.

If you want to try Lo-Lo's Chicken and Waffles, it's located on Central Avenue, south of Buckeye.

They also have a Scottsdale location.

An average meal is $25 and they don't take reservations.

(upbeat instrumental music) Our last restaurant is Sedonas' selection, a Tempe restaurant serving up salads, quinoa bowls, and wraps, this is Perfect Pear Bistro.

(upbeat instrumental music) - Perfect Pear Bistro is a modern twist on comfort food.

We have a little bit of something for everybody, vegetarian vegan options, gluten-free options.

So a little mix of everything, some tacos, Asian-type cuisine, American, it's a really, just a big fusion.

Originally we were gonna call it a different name, but Perfect Pear, my wife came up with it, and we just thought it was kind of a good play on words, you know perfect pair being like her and I, my wife and I developed all these recipes.

Some of my favorites the Chicken Club, I think is a delicious sandwich.

Mushroom Marsala pasta, I think is probably one of our most dynamic pastas.

And then our salads.

We just use a lot of really good solid ingredients, really unique, and interesting things that you don't see on everybody's menu.

I would say we have a pretty relaxed environment.

I'm from Tempe myself, grew up here.

I really just liked the energy and the vibe of this community up here.

I'm just thinking it has this really kind of quaint neighborhood feel.

Building was a, I know at one time a home constructed in the forties or fifties, but it has really cool architectural detail with some of the arched windows, and even the amazing patio with the courtyard feel.

The patio during the day, you get a lot of that energy with the fresh greens, the light, and at night it's dim lit, it's a nice romantic patio with the fireplace.

The experience we try to give is just, just great quality service, very casual environment.

We have a lot of regulars, so we see a lot of the guests on a very frequent basis.

People are choosing us and coming back because I think we obviously are doing something that they appreciate.

(upbeat instrumental music) - Sedona, you go to Perfect Pear Bistro all the time.

How did you find it, what's the story behind it?

- Yeah so I grew up in Ahwatukee, Arizona, and it was always a big thing for my mom and I.

There was a location of Perfect Pear in Ahwatukee at the time, and we would just go all all the time, and just have a really, have really good conversations, you know, it was a place that I just remember going with my friends, going with my family, just having these great conversations in this really warm, comfortable atmosphere, and the food there itself has so many options, and I think that's what really drew us there is just how great the food is, how great the atmosphere is, and it's just, it's a wonderful place.

- It's a family tradition.

- It is, yeah.

- And you talked about conversation, I mean, that's what eating is all about right, is having a conversation with friends and family.

- [Sedona] Right.

- [Chef Mark] To someone who hasn't been there, what do you have to say about the food and where to go with that?

- Oh my gosh, well like I said before, there's so many options and it's a wonderful place for vegetarians, vegans, gluten-free, anybody, meat lovers, and one of the biggest things that I love to get there is, they have this really awesome, special where it's, you get half salad, half pasta, or half salad, half soup, and you get both portions, you get like a little bit of both, you get to pick from the long, like fresh salad list, and long list of pasta, and so the last time that I was there, and one of the regular things that I usually get is the Baha Lime Salad, which is so good, it has black beans, and it gets you protein, avocado, onions, just it's so awesome, and then I also get their Mac and Cheese without bacon, so it's called their G-mas Mac, and I love it, it's so good.

- G-mas, all right.

Well, and that kind of option makes it more playful, and actually more interesting, 'cause you can like have a little of both.

And for me who gets distracted very easily, I'm like, oh salad, oh pasta great.

(laughing) Daisy, what did you have when you went there?

- So I had a sandwich called the French Pantry and I also had a set of sweet potato fries, and the French Pantry sandwich is like, I think it's like a French baguette, like bread, and then it's got chicken, and onions, and pears, and also like a little bit of mustard in there, but I was like, hmm pears, like that sounds interesting, and it's Perfect Pear Bistro, like I have to try this.

It was pretty good, I liked, the pears were cooked, but like the pear with the chicken and the mustard, it was like surprisingly good.

It was that little bit of like tang from the mustard, but the sweetness with the pear, it was really good.

- It kind of goes back to that balance, you know, like Lo-Lo's's, it's a balance between the sugar and a little bit of the tanginess, the sweet potato fries I thought were really interesting, they're very thin and crispy.

- Yeah, so the sweet potato fries that I've had in the past have been a little bit more puffy, but when they're puffy, they can get kind of like soggy, and so I liked that these ones were more thin because it like, it wasn't like soggy, and it wasn't like, like mush in your mouth, so I liked the sweet potato fries, they were good.

- Cool.

Garrie, what did you have?

- I had the BLTA sandwich, it was great.

It was like, it was kinda like a last minute thing when I looked down the menu, I was gonna get something else, and then I just looked the last minute and I said, wait hold on one minute, like BLTA I was like, that's interesting, it's bacon, lettuce, tomato, and avocado, along with a Chipotle sauce, the chipotle sauce was very interesting, it was, it had a little spice to it, and then it kind of blended really well with the avocado as well, 'cause I'm not usually the biggest avocado person, I don't eat it that much, but now I might be a fan now.

- In that combination because there's bacon in it, right, I mean, if you're not a vegetarian, bacon is like the fairy dust of food right, I think we can, two of us can agree.

(laughing) So by bacon and avocado with magic balancing a combination of flavors together, really good.

- Yep, and then the fries were like, they said, I got the regular fries, not the sweet potato, but it was, yeah it was a little different than I expect, it was a little more thin, a little more crispy, and I actually kind of liked it though, because it just, it was a little different, you know, like sometimes new things are good and I feel like this was one of those cases at Perfect Pear.

- Cool, and Daisy, you had the spinach dip, right?

- Oh yeah.

It was so good, it came out and it had like tortilla chips, and like hard pieces of bread on the side.

And I preferred it with the tortilla chips, I tried it with both, 'cause I was like, oh I got to see, but the tortilla chips with the dip were really good.

And we like, 'cause I went with my mom, and so my mom and I like finished it, we were like this is so good, it was like kind of cheesy and creamy with the spinach, it was yeah.

- And portion size, Garrie.

- I liked the portion size, I thought it was very reasonable, I mean it was the two pieces of sandwich, and then a little bit of fries on the side, so I feel like it was, it was good enough, I feel like I was definitely satisfied, and I also got the spinach dip as well.

I went all by myself, so I didn't have enough to take home.

It was, it was pretty good.

- That is great, and Sedona, I really want to know how the service was.

I mean, service and atmosphere, 'cause I really want to get a picture from you, 'cause you love this place.

- Yeah so it was actually different for me because I went to a different Perfect Pear location this time, so I got a different feel, but the atmosphere is just really great, and we sat outside, and there was lights, and the service was really great, they were very attentive, they even gave us a tea to go, I got, I believe it was Jasmine Peach Tea, and she was like, oh do you want it to go, and we were like, yeah, that'd be great, so that was really awesome, but yeah, just that atmosphere, and just the servers are really good about kind of leading you to your conversation I would say, like they come in at the right moments.

- And that atmosphere of the walk-in, you walk in through the patio, and it seems like this area, 'cause they have the, you know, the shades are just kind of billowing and really it had sort of a outdoor, airy, Mediterranean sort of feel to me, it was a nice, welcoming way to come in with a lighting and stuff like that it was good.

If you want to sample Perfect Pear Bistro, it's on the Southwest corner of University and Roosevelt, an average meal cost $15 and reservations are accepted.

Thank you for joining us for this episode of Check, Please!

If you'd like to share your favorite restaurant, head to our website, AZPBS.ORG/CHECKPLEASE, and nominate your must-eat at spot, who knows you could be joining me at this table.

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.

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