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Arizona" is made possible by.

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- I'm chef, Mark Tarbell, and welcome to "Check, Please!

Arizona", the show where people dine and then dish.

This is how it works.

We asked three guests to recommend their favorite restaurants.

They go to each one, eat, drink, separately of course, and then join us here to share their dining experiences.

First, Giselle Alexander.

She's a tax attorney who describes herself as pleasantly picky.

Her recommendation meets her high standards for new American cuisine and attentive service.

Up next, Stuart Williams.

He's an educational consultant who loves to dine out with his wife.

When it's date night, their choice is a cozy space that serves New Mexican cuisine and some fine hatch chilies.

And finally, Stephanie Koelmeier.

She's a gymnastics coach and a busy mom of two girls.

She's found the perfect place to get a quick meal that's tasty for all the right reasons.

It's Original Chop Shop Company.

You'll find it on West Boston street, just west of South Arizona Avenue in Chandler.

(Upbeat music) - Our philosophy around food is that it should not only taste good, but it should make you feel good.

And when you feel good, that means you're living a healthier life, and you're gonna be happy.

And if you're happy, we're happy.

We're a fast casual restaurant that is really fueling everything from breakfast to late breakfast, lunch, snack, dinner.

It's really the option for everybody.

When you walk into any of the Chop Shop restaurants, that juicer is gonna be front and center.

And it really tells a story about who we are, the fresh ingredients.

My favorite juice is the Cold Buster.

Carrots is the main ingredient.

Obviously, it carries a lot of carotene, which is good for your skin.

So I can always start my day with a Cold Buster.

Our sandwiches are unique in that we're getting fresh bread every day.

One of the guest favorites is the Moroccan turkey.

And it's turkey, fresh avocado.

And that we make all of our sauces and dressings in house.

And this sandwich has the yogurt dressing, which adds a little bit of tanginess to it, along with the red wine vinegarette.

And you can have Chop Shop any time of the day.

- So, tell me, why the Chop Shop?

- I love the ambience there.

It's very fresh feeling.

You can see right into the kitchen, which I love, especially when they're doing pressed juices and salads.

So you just feel like.

- Brings a lot of action to the meal too.

It's really great.

- Lots of exposed brick, and kind of the way you want your kitchen to feel at home.

- [Marl] It's cozy.

- With the revitalization of Downtown Chandler, it's one of the unique, special places that has kind of come on the scene.

It's got walk-up counter service, and it's got a really nice vibe in there.

I love that they have things to entertain the children with.

They've got a big giant Connect Four and a chalkboard for them to write on, which is always great.

- Oh, perfect for when you bring the kids.

Exactly.

- There is a little gift shop as you wait.

Because it's counter service, if you arrive when it's really busy, they definitely have plenty to keep your interests.

Little unique cards, and books, and little knickknack gifts.

Just nice.

- Little take away things.

So, Giselle, what did you think of the atmosphere?

- I loved it.

It's a converted bank, I think.

The tile as you walk in says "bank", and there's a vault door still.

If you look up at the ceiling, there's old tile.

I thought it was a really interesting place.

I would describe it as healthy hippy.

There was a lot of fresh flowers and things around.

- Very cool.

I think the vault is to keep the kale protected.

That actually, I'm not sure, but.

So Stuart, what do you think?

- It's not my normal place that I would eat at, but it was a nice change.

And I know I'm gonna be healthy after I come out of there.

So I thought that was a nice change of pace.

- Speaking of that, what did you start with?

- I started with, actually, I had the Moroccan turkey.

And also, since they're known for the juices, the green number four, it had kale, romaine, spinach, pineapple, and coconut water.

And I thought that was a real interesting mix.

Can't get any healthier than that.

And then as a side of the sweet potato hash.

It was okay.

I mean, they probably could have done a little bit more with that, but.

- In what way?

Seasoning or?

- Yeah, seasoning.

It was a little bland.

I think maybe could have done a little bit more with that, but I thought the combination was certainly worth the money.

- Yeah.

Coconut's the new health food, apparently.

So Stephanie, what did you start with?

- I went with my daughters and my mom.

Kind of had a girls' lunch.

And I am such a sucker for the beet salad.

The rest of my family does not appreciate beets.

So I like to order them out because I don't cook them often.

And they do golden beets.

And it was just a nice salad with goat cheese, and greens, and chicken.

It was really delicious.

They have a house-made vinegarette that goes on top.

My daughter also ordered a salad.

She ordered the Danish salad.

She said the blue cheese was great on it.

- [Mark] Oh, Danish blue.

- Yeah, it was really good.

And I think there were apples and figs in there.

And my mom got another salad.

She got the barbecue chicken salad.

She was able to make a substitution, and that was really nice.

She subbed out the corn nuts for corn chips, so.

- Even better.

Giselle, what did you start with?

- I had the kale Caesar salad without cheese, and I added chicken.

And I really appreciated that when I said I wanted no cheese, they asked if I wanted a different cheese or something else to add to the salad.

I didn't, but it was thoughtful of them to ask.

- Very good.

And this was the kale from the vault, I assume?

- Kale from the vault, yes.

Extra secure.

- Anything else?

- I had the fresh lemonade and that tasted amazing.

It tasted like they had just squeezed the lemons.

- Well, you can always tell.

They get a little tart.

They get a little more acidic as lemons kind of oxidize.

So you can always tell when lemonade's fresh.

It still has that bright, and there's that edgy fruit character to it.

- And my husband had the Moroccan turkey just like you did.

And he was a little concerned thinking the portion would be too small.

And then he said it was amazing, and he was so full after eating it.

I don't know if it was for you too.

That's exactly what he did.

- All right.

Now, dessert.

What did you have?

Starting with you, Giselle.

- I had the oatmeal toffee cookie.

And it was chewy with toffee pieces in it.

And then you could taste the oatmeal flavor, but there weren't big kernels of oatmeal like you sometimes see in an oatmeal cookie.

It was so good.

I could have had a second one, but I got the last one they had that night.

- Stuart, what did you have for dessert?

- Didn't have dessert.

The juice was my dessert.

- You are healthy.

- I was full and I couldn't think of having a cookie after.

- Well, Stuart said he's trying to eat healthier, which is gonna surprise some of us when we talk about one of the next restaurants.

- We also had a fresh pressed juice.

I forgot to mention that at the beginning of our meal.

And I believe it was the Slim Squeeze.

It was really tasty.

There was pear, strawberry, orange, kiwi, apple, and lemon, and mango.

It was very fresh.

- You should make a list of what they didn't put in.

- Packet with nutrition.

And my girls were fighting over the end of it.

- [Mark] What did you have for dessert?

- We finished with an acai bowl, which is also just full of flavor and lots of great textures.

It's got granola, and coconut, and then the acai, obviously, super fruit, so you feel like you're indulging, but you're also doing your body good.

- Well, super food for dessert.

If you would like to try Original Chop Shop, reservations are not accepted, and the average tab for dinner is $15 without drinks.

Up next, Stewart's choice, Rokerij.

It's on the Southeast corner of East Maryland Avenue and North 16th Street in Phoenix.

(classical music) - Rokerij is a Dutch word for smokehouse.

So started as a traditional steakhouse.

We smoke a lot of meats and for high class steaks.

Over the years, we've kind of evolved and added more of a New Mexican style twist to it.

We're an upscale restaurant, and we still like to keep it casual.

It's hard to find anything else like in the city.

The food at Rokerij has a very unique flavor to it.

Our chefs have all been here forever.

All the grills here at Rokerij are open flame traditional grills.

And for that, we use strictly precon wood for everything.

One of the first items was the Carne Adovada.

And what it is a slow roasted pork.

It smokes in our smoker, has a lot of flavor, and it simmers in a homemade red chili sauce.

The cellar bar was dubbed the Batcave by some people.

It's an all flagstone building, and the front staircase is flagstones all the way down.

Very special, very unique.

I would say this is an excellent place to take someone on a date.

I suggest you come try it out.

- Rokerij has a pretty unique vibe to it.

Please kind of tell us about the atmosphere.

- My wife and I were both attracted to it, myself personally.

It's Dutch, and I'm almost all Dutch and from Holland, at least my grandparents.

And you get this really nice, it's a smokehouse is sort of what they're known for, is smoked meats, but also New Mexican.

You get a real sort of European feel with fantastic New Mexican food.

- I loved how like, just cozy and the fireplaces.

It just creates quite an ambiance.

- A lot of people talk about that warmth and the fireplace.

- It'd be a great first date place, I think.

- And Giselle, what'd you think?

- I loved it.

I thought it was comfortable, yet elegant.

I liked the dark woods.

We sat at the community table.

For some reason, they just put us there, even though we were a little group of two.

Loved looking at the interesting art on the wall, and that it was for sale from local artists.

It was really interesting to look at.

- Well, community tables are great 'cause when you're two, you get to meet other people.

If you choose to, of course.

- There was no one else there.

We were the only two.

- Oh, the good news is you have it all by yourself.

- So it felt like private dining.

- That's awesome.

So what did you have for appetizers, Stephanie?

- We had some New Mexican style Schreiner sausages, which I'm a sucker for those Schreiner sausage.

I think they're local, and it's never disappointing.

So those were really good.

I really liked their plates, the silver.

The metal plates make it just feel really rustic and hearty.

And then they prepare it on a tortilla with the beans and the special sauces.

- I always thought those plates that they have, which are solid metal, are great.

It's like a green thing to do.

It's recycling.

They'll never break.

It lasts for a hundred years.

It's wonderful.

Giselle, what'd you have for appetizers?

- We had the grilled shrimp, larger shrimp on a tortilla.

There were four dipping sauces, rice, and beans.

So it tasted more like that New Mexican style of shrimp.

- It's my wife's favorite, is bacon wrapped shrimp with the four dipping sauces.

And that's probably her favorite, so we started with that.

You can almost make a meal just even almost on that, but it's just a great starter.

- Well, wrap bacon on anything and it'll be good, right?

We all talk about that.

So what did you jump to for entrees, Stuart?

- Well, they're known for the Carne Adovada.

It's fantastic.

You have the smoked pork.

What can't you like about that?

And the red chile.

And that's where the variability comes in.

And sometimes I like it really hot.

And so, if you get a rogue chili, that's fantastic.

And rice and beans with that.

And my wife had a Rokerij steak.

- So you're not happy until you're sweating.

- Absolutely.

There must be tears coming out of somewhere.

- And not because it's warm.

What did you have, Stephanie?

- We also ordered a steak.

It was a special.

It caught my eye 'cause the combination was so different.

It was topped with blue cheese and green chili sauce.

- [Mark] You had sides with that, right?

A couple sides?

- I did.

It looked like they had hand piped some mashed potatoes into the hatch chilies.

I think that's their signature dish.

And it was so unique.

It was really good.

We also had beets and beets again.

- You don't like beets at all, right?

- I try to be healthy.

Our friends had the brussels sprouts.

They were really nicely roasted.

We tasted those.

And it also came with a side salad so it was just more than enough to share.

I mean, such hearty portions.

And again, you can just tell they really put a lot of effort into the sauces, which is great.

- Giselle, can't wait to hear what you had.

- We had steak as well.

I had the Rokerij steak without the hollandaise though.

And my husband had the prime rib.

- [Mark] Oh, boy.

- [Giselle] So lots of steak.

- You were omnivores.

- We were, that night.

- That night you were.

So tell me about the prime rib, 'cause that's something that if done well.

- My husband said it's the best prime rib he's had in months.

He loved it.

He could not eat the whole thing, so we took some home, and then I think he ended up eating it for a midnight snack because it was so good.

He didn't want to wait 'til the next day.

- And your a steak?

My steak was excellent as well.

I ordered it medium rare.

It comes with crap meat on top, which was really good.

The steak was huge.

It could've fed me for days.

But it was so good, I just kept eating.

- [Mark] Nice, nice.

- Our friends ordered the Rokerij steak too, and they really liked the surf and turf right there on one plate.

They said the crab meat was really delicious on top.

It was a good combo.

- Stuart, if I'm not mistaken, but I think the steak is bacon wrapped?

- Yeah, exactly.

You hit right on it.

And my wife, Marilyn, had that.

And, of course, we always share what we have, so I got to taste that too.

It's fantastic.

- We both ordered a baked potato for our side, and the baked potato was huge.

They lost his, though, on the way to bring us the baked potatoes.

They said, "Sorry, we only have one."

So he ended up getting some mixed vegetables that he said were really good.

- Speaking of getting lost, let's get lost in dessert now.

- We didn't have any dessert.

We were so full and we didn't even see it on the menu, so we forgot to order it.

- But only after having shrimp, and a prime rib, you didn't have any room?

Come on.

- And the baked potato.

No room.

- We split, so we had room for dessert.

- That was smart.

I love flourless chocolate cake so whenever it's on the menu, I can't resist.

And it did not disappoint.

It was really good.

Really rich, had a great texture to it.

So there was nothing left on that.

- Crème brûlée.

How can you go wrong with that?

It was fantastic.

And it's my wife's favorite too, so we split that.

- Oh, wonderful.

- If you would like to try Rokerij, reservations are accepted.

And the average tab for dinner is $40 without drinks.

Up next, one of Giselle's favorite spots.

It's The Gladly on East Camelback Road, just east of North 22nd Street in Phoenix.

- The name, The Gladly, actually my partner, Andrew, came up with it.

And when he was writing the menu, before we had a name, but we had menus, concept, everything, we just didn't have a name, he added if you have any allergies, food dislikes, let us know, and we'll gladly accommodate you.

And that's where it came from.

Here's a couple of things that make us really unique.

The raw bar, which we just started.

Sometimes we have a little neck clams, scallops, yellowfin tuna.

It kind of varies from day to day.

What is available to us is what we put out there.

Our whiskey selection, we're up to about 250.

We have the entire collection of WhistlePig, Benromach, also their Boss Hog, which is crazy hard to find.

I would describe our food as comfort food, but it's kind of brought to another level, but not too far outside the box.

It's something your grandmother would make, but maybe after a couple cocktails.

(upbeat music) - So The Gladly, it just makes me happy to say the name, Gladly.

So tell me, how did you find this place, and what's the atmosphere like?

- I found it just driving by on Camelback on the way home from work.

I really liked the black awning, with kind of Gatsby style letters that said The Gladly, and thought I have to try that restaurant sometime.

Tried it, loved it, and now it's a regular favorite.

- So what's the atmosphere like?

What can we expect to see when we go in?

- They have a lot of windows, which is interesting, especially here in Phoenix.

Two sides of the restaurant are just, I think, floor to ceiling windows.

So you can look out, see the traffic, if it's the right time of year, people.

You really feel like you're in a city when you're at The Gladly.

Utilitarian decor, I would say, or minimalist.

There's not a lot of fuss or fancy, but it's a good place.

- We sat on the patio, which I've been dying to sit outside all summer.

It was really nice 'cause even though it's sitting on the street, I felt like it was tucked away enough to feel bustly, but not loud.

- It's set back.

It's kind of screened a little.

- Yeah, it is, definitely.

- Well, I felt it was a cheek kind of place to come.

You felt like there was a lot going on there and a lot of excitement.

- It is.

And what did you have first, Stuart?

You know, I had to have the original chop salad.

I guess they're known for that.

And in fact, I even asked for the recipe to bring home 'cause I thought it was fantastic.

- So you didn't like it, you just wanted to destroy it.

- Again, you can make a meal of it.

It had the smoked salmon, and some currants, and some very unusual things that, Israeli couscous, I think in there.

Very unusual combination.

And I thought that was a great way.

- Well, there's a lot of chuffing going on there.

Stephanie, what did you have?

- We have the smoked fondue.

Oh, man, it was great.

Good combination of sweet and savory, lots of great texture.

It had a fresh kind of crispy bread, and some Asian pear, and then smoked pork shoulder.

And the flavors just went together really well.

- I think they just said let's put everything good on a plate.

- I think so too, yeah.

I don't often buy Asian pair, but it was the perfect texture with the combinations.

- And what did you have, Giselle?

- I had the noble bread with the sea salt and lemon thyme butter, and then also the grilled octopus.

It's my favorite.

- And that's coming back now.

And tell me about it.

Octopus can be a little bit chewy.

How did they do theirs?

- I think it's the perfect texture.

It was soft, but not so chewy you had a hard time biting through your tentacle.

Nice sized pieces, not just a little end or too big.

- They do a really good job.

And noble bread, which is a local bread company.

It's super good, super popular.

And I think they do use a lot of local farmers and craftsmen here to do that.

What did you have for entree?

- I had the burger, believe it or not.

Very tender.

I thought the bread with it was fantastic.

It had some sauteed potatoes with that, which I thought were fantastic too.

And I had to do, since they're known for their whiskeys, and I'm not a whiskey drinker, but I asked, "If you're a non whiskey drinker, what would you drink?"

And it was the Beginner's Luck.

And it was more like a Manhattan.

So I thought that was nice to pair it with that.

- Yeah, they have quite a cocktail program there.

They have quite a group of mixologists there.

They compete a lot and win a lot of accolades for that.

- And we were really impressed with that whiskey menu.

- [Stuart] Oh, it was amazing.

- Really extensive.

So that was kind of cool to see.

We had the scallops.

And we, actually, that fondue was so large that we split the scallops, and they actually split the plate for us, which is always such a nice thing for them to do.

Very classy.

I was really struck by the presentation.

It was on a bed of really well prepared sweet grits.

And I don't know that I've had very many grits.

I'm a Southern girl, but I've not had grits very often.

And they were really delicious.

And then they were, I think, pan sauteed, and then they had, what they call a cola gastrique over the top, and sauteed greens.

And they were really deliciously prepared.

- So gastriques are sort of an infused intense impression of whatever, this would be cola, and in a vinaigrette.

It's tart, usually.

It usually it usually has a tartness to it, and a little sweetness.

So it's a little balance of both.

That's really cool.

Giselle, what'd you have?

- I had the exact same thing, and so did my husband.

- So what did you think?

- Loved it.

- Okay, good.

- I felt like they were really rich without being heavy.

They were still really light.

- And the grits, the sweet corn grits went really well with the scallops and the peas.

- And any cocktails for you?

- I tried the Dapper Daisy, and it was delicious.

It was made with Hendrick's gin, a housemaid blackberry, Swedish liquor, Aquavit, pineapple, and a hint of lime.

- [Mark] Ooh, sounds good.

Now, is it sweet or is it have a little tartness to it?

- [Giselle] It's sweet with a little bit of tart.

So you get both flavors.

They kind of explode on your tongue.

- [Mark] Very nice.

- [Giselle] It was very refreshing.

If it wasn't a Monday night, I probably would have wanted three or four Dapper Daisys.

- Well, if that wasn't your dessert, what did you have for dessert?

- We split the chocolate torte with the mint chocolate chip ice cream.

- [Mark] Chocolate and mint, how can you go wrong, right?

- And it was very fresh.

The mint chocolate chip ice cream was that kind that's made with the real mint, so it's white pale, not the fluorescent green.

- Which I like.

I love the way gas stations used to be painted in the fifties.

I just don't want to eat them.

So what did you have, Stephanie?

- We had the layered Russian honey cake.

It was really beautiful.

It was very tall, layered, I think, with mascarpone, and, she said, honeycomb.

So it was really special.

We saved some and brought some home for our girls 'cause they were disappointed.

They were originally gonna come with us, and so we thought, this would make it better for them, to bring them some dessert.

And they loved it too.

- Well, that was very generous of you.

I'm sure it took a lot because it sounds delicious.

- It did.

- [Mark] What did you have?

- Well, I'm in a similar boat.

My wife couldn't make it, so I had to bring something home.

So I got the brittle, which was bacon infused.

And so, I figured that would be a winner.

And so, I had a little bit there, and it was in a bag, so I was able to take that home and not come home empty handed.

- Oh, very nice.

Well, Stuart, you do have sort of a bacon theme going here.

- It does permeate.

- If you would like to try The Gladly, reservations are accepted.

And the average tab for dinner is $44 without drinks.

Thanks to Stephanie, Giselle, and Stuart for sharing their pics.

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

Go to azpbs.org/checkplease, and nominate your favorite spot.

We just may invite you to be on the show.

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

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

Arizona".

I'm chef Mark Tarbell.

Have a delicious life.

- [Man] "Check, please!

Arizona" was made possible by.

- [Man] Lawns by Les, a family owned business serving HOAs and commercial clients while working to improve the local community.

Proud to support Arizona PBS.

Enhancing arrows on a landscape since 1982.

- [Woman] Finding a local dentist can be difficult, from basic cleanings and fillings to cosmetic procedures, even implants.

Bestdentalcareaz.com can make finding a dentist in your neighborhood simple.

More information at bestdentalcareaz.com.

- [Man] Ironwood Cancer & Research Centers.

Providing personalized treatment options through research trials, genetic testing, and counseling.

Focused on emotional, physical, and social support.

Outsmarting cancer one patient at a time.

- [Man] Whitfield Nursery proud to support Arizona PBS, a valley tradition since 1946.

Over 200 acres of Arizona grown trees, citrus and palms.

Complete custom design and installation.

And Whitfield Nursery still does the digging.

Whitfieldnursery.com.