- [Announcer] And now, an Arizona PBS original production.

- I'm Chef Mark Tarbell.

Welcome to "Check, Please!

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

Coming up, we have 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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(jazz music) - I'm Chef Mark Tarbell.

Welcome to "Check, Please!

Arizona."

In this episode, we're enjoying the flavors of Spain, Italy, and the ocean.

Let's meet our diners.

John Reina is retired, but he isn't slowing down.

He and his wife of 57 years love to dine out all over the valley and the world, in fact.

His daughter is a pastry chef, so he says he has quite the discerning palate.

Tracey Dodrill is a science teacher who works with NASA.

She even went on a zero-gravity flight to see what life is like in space.

She adopted a dog a few years ago and loves to take him on walks, which is how she found her restaurant pick.

Our first restaurant recommendation comes from Erica Maxwell.

She's a children's book author who wrote her first book about her daughter.

She loves to travel, which is why she picked her spot, a charming restaurant serving up Spanish, Italian, and Asian flavors in a quaint setting.

This is the Hidden House.

- The Hidden House is a hidden gem, nestled in the center of Chandler.

Aptly named The Hidden House because we're truly hidden, offering a different experience in every area of the restaurant.

It was originally a 1939 residential cottage.

Gavin, the owner, had had his eye on it for quite some time.

And so, 30 some years later, he renovates it into a dream restaurant.

We walk in and we have French Parisian patio.

Then we have the cozy cottage, and then the hangar, which again, it's a farmhouse.

It's a little bit more casual.

I would describe our menu as eclectic.

So we have a little Asian, a little French, Southwestern American, so there's something for everyone here.

Some of our popular items we do are tacos.

The pork chop, which is actually on our dinner menu, which is one of my favorite dishes.

Our pineapple, right-side-up cake is wonderful for dessert.

So about every six months we go summer seasonal, winter seasonal.

There are not many things that stay.

We tend to rotate all of it.

Our cocktail program is based on history.

It was created by our late beverage director, Bobby, who was very dear to us here at The Hidden House.

Goes through generations, pre-prohibition, prohibition, tiki and modern.

So lots to pick from, and a lot of time and effort was put into the program.

What I would like our guests to feel as an exceptional, elevated, different experience with attention to detail, we want them to remember the service that they've received, and the love that is put into what we do, here at The Hidden House.

- So Erica, how did you find Hidden House?

- Hidden House was first revealed to me and my daughter, back during COVID.

And we went during the spring and sat on the patio and had our first meal there.

I have always connected with Hidden House, not only because of its location, but because the staff is so amiable and friendly.

- What'd you have when you were there?

- So one of the many things I enjoy about Hidden House is they always have new flavors to savor.

And so I tried something new, the sweet corn and chicken chowder soup, and it was hearty, lots of chicken.

I didn't expect the flavors to go well so long.

It wasn't where you had like, each kernel of corn.

It was blended very well, and it was very flavorful and filling.

- Well, it sounds awesome.

- [Erica] Yes, yes.

- Savor the flavor, I'm gonna take that one.

John, what did you have?

- Oh, I had two things.

We had the cheeseboard, fruit and cheeseboard, and the cheeses were so beautiful, 'cause what they did is that they took the provolone or provola, and they made a flower out of it.

- [Mark] Oh wow.

- I thought it was an actual flower And my wife says, "Well, take a bite."

And I took a bite, I said, "No, it's cheese."

I couldn't help myself.

And I had the popcorn shrimp.

- [Mark] Oh yeah.

- I thought that, oh, just, and the seasoning and the taste.

I can't, I don't know what the kind of spice it was, but it was just enough that it didn't kill the meal or kill my tongue.

Really enjoyed that very much.

- Tracey, what did you start with?

- So I started out with the loaded salad and it was absolutely phenomenal.

It was a bed of mixed greens, it had pepitas in it, tomatoes, hard-boiled eggs, some bacon.

But the real beautiful thing about it was the dressing.

It was a tarragon ranch, and I'd never had a tarragon ranch before.

And it just had a nice little tang to it.

For the entree, I went for the double burger, It was very hearty, well cooked.

The fries, I asked them what they had cooked their fries in 'cause they were really crispy on the outside, but soft on the inside.

And it was just a really nice meal.

We went at lunchtime and it was just a great meal for that time of the day.

- Awesome, thanks Tracey.

John, what'd you have entrees?

- The chicken sandwich.

I know it sounds not elegant.

- Well, if they can, I mean, it's a test.

- The way they made it, lightly crusted, deep fried, I guess, but it was so juicy.

It was really one of the best chicken sandwiches I think I ever had.

It took me to another world, in a way.

I said, this is a chicken sandwich?

Unbelievable.

Really enjoyed it.

- Erica, what did you have for dessert?

- So the bartender, he encouraged me to try the Nutella and Pistachio Cup.

- [Mark] Ooh.

- And I was not saying, ooh and ah, 'cause I'm not a Nutella person.

And I was surprised, pleasantly surprised, because it had the flavor, it had crunch to it.

They had some candies in there and a little granola, and the flavors really burst in my mouth and I ate the whole thing.

- John, what did you have for dessert?

- Well, because I grew up with a Pineapple Upside-Down cake, my mother made the best in the world, I said, "Now I haven't had it in a long time."

And I said, "I'm gonna try it."

Well, to be honest, I was slightly disappointed.

- Oh, well, how can you beat mom's?

- Exactly.

- That's not really even fair.

- But the cake was dry.

It's just like I'm used to like the soaking in of the juices into the cake.

It wasn't like that at all.

I mean, I ate it- - [Mark] Okay, so, you know.

- Sorry.

- Okay, so I ate it.

- I suffered through, put it that way.

- That's okay, what'd you have?

- So I had a completely different experience with the Pineapple Upside-Down.

And I had, a Pineapple Upside-Right.

I had never had it before in my life.

And so, and I thought, this is kind of interesting.

I looked at how it was put together and it, the cake definitely had an almond flavoring to it.

And it was nice because it had a crystallized sugar on top.

In addition to, and I'm gonna pronounce this wrong, probably Mark, Tasian, so kind of a little bit of a spice to it, kind of spicy, almost like what you would find on like, an apricot with chile.

And it had caramel in the middle and it, to me it was delightful.

- Yours sounds better than mine.

I gotta tell you- - The piece I got- - Mine wasn't like that at all.

- I'm having Tracey's pineapple- - Yeah, so, mine was really moist, so maybe the day that I got it, the kitchen had a good day.

The Pineapple Right Side-Up cake, for me was really a win-win for the restaurant.

- Cool.

well thanks Tracey.

So now we go to our pro tip part.

This is your restaurant.

- Yes.

- So it's one word or one sentence that it's a takeaway that everyone needs to know.

- My pro tip is ambiance.

- [Mark] Ambiance, love it, so go for the ambiance.

- Yes, go for the ambiance.

- Perfect, bam, drop the mic.

Erica did it.

(group laughing) John, what's your pro tip?

- Well, I love the history and I like the adobe wall that you walk through and as she said, the open seating and then you walk to another level, which is the bar.

I mean, it takes you to like three different steps that you could have a choice of where you really wanna dine.

And just has a lot to offer, and the food was good.

- So three different restaurants in one.

I love it.

- [Tracey] Really.

- Tracey?

- It was just very memorable.

Like, again, as was mentioned by John, just a beautiful, historic place, off the beaten path.

I don't think I would've ventured down there, but I will be returning because there are some things on the menu I still want to try.

And it was just a beautiful, beautiful restaurant.

- If you wanna try Hidden House, they're located at Commonwealth Avenue in Chandler.

An average lunch meal is $35 and dinner is 85.

And they do take reservations.

(jazz music) Our next pick is John's.

Arizona may be a landlocked state, but we do have access to great seafood.

John's spot has been around for more than 50 years, an underground restaurant serving up fresh fish all day.

This is The Salt Cellar.

(violin music) - The Salt Cellar is a upscale seafood restaurant.

Was built in late 1970 and we took it over in 1980 and turned it into the seafood concept, and everything that you see today.

We've been in business for 43 years now.

Okay, our menu is your, pretty much a traditional, New England-style seafood.

We run Alaskan king crab, lobster, we do a lot of scallop dishes, shrimp dishes.

We were one of the pioneers in the Valley of flying in fresh seafood.

So I get up every morning about 5:30, 6:00 o'clock.

I'm on the phones talking to my brokers around the country.

43 years ago we started our twin happy hours.

So it's four to seven and 10 to midnight, now.

And we reduce the prices on most of the appetizers in the bar.

We hear a lot of people say, I've been driving by here for 20 years, and I see all the cars in these two little buildings.

And I'm like, where's all the people?

So when you pull up, you're just gonna see these two little buildings.

You're gonna come down three flights of stairs and when you get down to the bottom of the stairs, you walk into what is a traditional New England seafood house.

It's a total escape.

It's not like anything else in the Valley.

The original builder of the The Salt Cellar, was a guy named Stan Patmore.

They were trying to figure out the name and it's about a half a mile from the Salt River.

So it's a basement and the Salt River down there, so they came up with Salt Cellar.

Because the restaurant was built in late 1970, none of the ADA requirements were in place.

It's just impossible to add an elevator.

So what we've done is we have an icon on our webpage, and if you're someone who's unable to get into the restaurant, we do curbside service with our product.

One of the things that that drives me, is it's kind of nice to be known as being very good at what you do.

It's fun, I'm on second generation customers.

I've had two second generation employees, so it's like having a party at your house every night.

- So John, tell us about how you found, you and your wife, found The Salt Cellar.

- Well, we like going to different restaurants and we just heard a lot about this restaurant and said, "Well let's try it," 'cause that's just us, that's what we do.

The first time we thought it was excellent and the second time, and oh my God, this is just a great place to go to.

Now the uniqueness of it all is that the opening, the restaurant, looks like a little matchbox on the top of ground, and then you walk in, and then you see all this wood and steps.

So you go down one flight and then a second flight, and then the third flight, finally you hit bottom.

I'm going like, I feel like we're in a galley of a ship, with all the fish that they have to offer.

- Well, what did you have?

I started with the escargot, which they had in, stuffed in mushroom caps, with a delicious oil and herb kind of- - [Mark] A little bit of garlic.

- [John] A little, oh a lot of garlic.

And it's so funny 'cause I asked the waiter, I said, "Don't I get bread?"

He says, "Yes, I'm holding off on the bread "because you need to have that with the escargot, "so you can dip the bread in the oil."

I said was that thoughtful, that's just what I wanted, right?

- So, Erica, what did you have to start?

- So I did not have an appetizer.

I am not a shellfish person.

- Okay, this is the perfect restaurant, okay, sorry.

- I did have a salad, it was a nice-size salad and I enjoyed the salad.

- Tracey?

- So I started out, my friend Chris, who also teaches science with me, we went to celebrate our birthdays.

And so we showed up at happy hour and we decided to get a couple appetizers.

We had the escargot also, and we shared that, absolutely phenomenal.

The garlic and olive oil was just very tasty, stuffed in the mushroom caps.

Just very, very delightful.

And then we went on to the Oysters Rockefeller.

Not quite the same experience.

The Oysters Rockefeller, the first time they brought it out, it was, you could tell that it was partially frozen.

There was a lot of spinach and the cheese on top or the pernod sauce on top, was melted, but underneath it was frozen.

So they were very kind enough to take it back and then reheat it for us.

And that might have just been an off-night for that appetizer, but the salads were fantastic.

Very large portions.

I went with, and I had not had a Thousand Island dressing in probably, 30 years.

And the Thousand Island was homemade, and it was absolutely fantastic.

And I thought, why have I been missing this for so many years?

It seems like things that my mom and dad would've served us when we were growing up.

- Classic, right?

- [Tracey] Classic.

- This is a 50-year-old-plus restaurant.

- [Tracey] Yes.

- And they have classics.

- And it was, the salad was just phenomenal.

- What did you have for entrees?

- So for the entrees, both my friend Chris and I both ordered the scallops.

She ordered them baked, so it was baked in like, a wine-butter sauce.

And I got mine grilled.

- What did you have for an entree?

- I like crab cakes, and haven't had any here in Arizona yet.

I said I'm gonna try it 'cause it said Maryland Crab Cakes.

- [Mark] Yeah.

- [John] Well that sort of takes you back to- - [Mark] East Coast, that's where, the crab state.

All the good stuff.

- It was delicious.

It was not over-breaded.

Sometimes they'll over-bread them.

They were perfect.

- Erica?

- I was excited to first of all, attend the The Salt Cellar for dinner because I've always passed it.

I did look ahead at the menu and I was excited about trying the salmon.

I really enjoyed great salmon.

And so as the waiter is telling me about the fish being fresh and he gets to the part about, "Except for the salmon, which is farm-raised."

And so I literally sunk in my seat.

- That's an interesting thing, 'cause being a chef, it's a very big topic for us.

And like with vegetables, there's farmers and there's farmers.

And with farm raised salmon, there's the elevated, organic, sustainable cold water, not so densely populated fed, either with organic or naturally.

And it's really quite extraordinary and can be better than a wild-caught salmon from a less favorable environment.

I would just share that.

- Yeah, I decided upon the Beef Wellington, which was on the menu, listed on the menu, as one of the favorites.

And so the baked potato was very good, rather on the small side, but I liked that it was thoroughly cooked.

And then when you added the butter and the ingredients to it that I like, it was nice and creamy.

So that was great.

The Beef Wellington was okay.

It didn't have as many flavors as I would like to have in the beef itself, but the beef was very good and tender.

- John, this is your place.

What is the pro tip?

- It's just, I think a wonderful place, in terms of a romantic dinner.

I think the ambiance is they have low lighting, which makes it that more romantic I think.

And the service overall, just can't beat it.

- Erica, your pro tip?

I would say pro tip is nostalgia.

It has been a staple and I would try it and I would try it for maybe lunch or happy hour.

- Like Erica said, it's been around forever and I would definitely try it again for happy hour.

Maybe get some more escargot.

It was, those were really good.

- Escargot, thanks Tracey.

If you want to try The Salt Cellar, they're located in Scottsdale on Hayden Road, just north of McKellips.

An average meal is about $90 and they do take reservations.

(jazz music) Our last restaurant recommendation is from Tracey.

She loves to go out and dine with her friends.

She says this place is perfect because everyone can find something and the views are spectacular.

This is Thompson 105.

(jazz music) - Thompson 105 is a local, neighborhood restaurant.

Kind of like a modern-day Cheers.

We wanted to be an American casual cuisine, but with an Italian influence.

We have a rotisserie that we spin both prime rib as well as chicken.

And then we have a wood-fired pecan grill that of all of our meats, our seafood, a lot of our other menu items are cooked on.

We settled on about eight cocktails that we feel that represent us very well.

We want to be known for our whiskeys and our tequilas.

If you look at our list, we probably have about 20-something tequilas.

We have about 40 different whiskeys.

All of our entire restaurant opens up to the patio.

The patio is just an amazing feeling.

We have misters, we have heaters, we have fans out there.

So it doesn't matter what time of the year it is, it's gonna be beautiful out there.

On one side of our patio, we have the sunset and the city view, on the other side, we have the mountain view.

So when the sun is setting, you get that color change on the mountains.

Happy hour has been a big focus for us.

It's Monday through Friday from three to six.

You can actually make reservations for happy hour.

Brunch is a nice combination of about eight unique brunch items.

Probably at any point in time, I probably know about 50% of my guests that are here because they've been in multiple times before.

Everyone likes to be recognized, everyone likes to feel that they're part of something and that's what we wanted to create.

Again, going back to that Cheers feeling, where everybody knows each other.

- So Tracey, how did you find Thompson 105?

- So Thompson 105 used to be a previous restaurant in McDowell Mountain Ranch, and it shut down during COVID.

And as I was walking my dog through the neighborhood, beautiful views and mountain pass, up to the McDowell Mountain Ranch area, we saw that a new restaurant was going in.

It's just got an exquisite view of the McDowell Mountains.

So as it opened up, the neighbors and I started popping in to visit, whether it be a happy hour, a brunch or dinner, and just a phenomenal neighborhood restaurant.

- Okay, what are some of the go-to appetizers?

You've been there quite a bit.

- I've been there quite a bit.

My favorite appetizer is the prawns with avocado and it's just absolutely fantastic.

- [Mark] Well, how's that prepared?

I didn't have that.

- So it's prepared, it's got three or four large prawns and it's prepared with fresh avocado, - [Mark] Oh.

- [Tracey] Heirloom tomatoes and a light vinegarette.

Just absolutely delightful.

Just the combination of these flavors, just excites your taste buds, just absolutely phenomenal.

- John, what'd you have for an appetizer?

- Had the fried artichokes.

- [Mark] Oh, good.

- And they're lightly breaded, and they had a bit of a sauce that that went with it.

I didn't use the sauce, but they were very good.

- Erica, what'd you have for an appetizer?

- So I went for brunch.

- Oh, well there you go.

- I enjoy brunch- - Which is new for them.

- It is my favorite meal.

- Right Tracey?

- [Tracey] Yes.

- Yes, and it's new, and it was working for me and my girlfriend.

I had, it started with the complimentary cinnamon roll, which was brought out in the skillet, and I can't forget, I have to say the magnificent views of the McDowell Mountains alone, on that patio, expansive, very nice patio.

Then I chose the pepper and egg sandwich.

And it had pesto on it, it had grilled red peppers and onions, and it was delicious, and it was very flavorful.

I liked the way everything was cooked, and it came on a baguette roll, which was also great.

My friend had the chicken and waffles, which I started to get, but, very particular about chicken and waffles.

- Yeah.

- [Erica] The bourbon maple syrup was like, baked in the chicken a little bit on the top.

It was a tempura chicken, the way it was fried was nice and light and the waffle was delicious.

I took a bite of hers and we shared.

And we both were pleased with each other's dishes.

But the chicken and waffle was delicious, as well.

- [Mark] Wow.

- We went the Italian route.

So I ordered the lasagna, and my wife ordered the rigatoni bolognese.

The manager was really nice.

He came over later after finding out that I was Italian.

And he said, what'd you think of lasagna?

I says, "Well, if I wanted a meat ball lasagna, "that's what I would order."

I'd say, where's the ricotta, where's the cheese?

Where's the, "Oh yeah, we have to improve on that."

And so what happened, ultimately, my wife didn't want the bolognese because the spaghetti was too dente.

Not cooked well enough for her.

So we sort of switched.

So I ended up eating the bolognese, which I thought was okay, very meaty.

There's no doubt about that, because they used their braised beef as the sauce.

- Tracey, what'd you have for entrees?

- Had the filet, and it was just absolutely cooked to perfection.

Came with a side of polenta.

A grilled garlic, which was really nice, and grilled vegetables.

So it was just a really nice combination.

Again, cooked to perfection.

- [Mark] Savory?

- [Tracey] Just savory, just really delightful, and really nice sized portions too, I mean.

And I'm a good-sized eater, so it was nice to be able to leave the restaurant, feeling full, too.

- Alright, now we're onto the sweets, dessert.

- My dessert was a Espresso Martini.

- [Mark] Oh, there you go.

- [John] Well, I had to have something to digest what I ate, I had two plates of pasta, bolognese, lasagna, meatballs.

I love it, I love it.

- Tracey?

- So my friend and I, we got two different desserts and shared.

We got the Key Lime Tart, which was done in a shortbread crust, which is a little unusual, - [Mark] Ooh, yes.

- [Tracey] But the shortbread crust made it just decadent and rich and buttery and just really wonderful.

I've gotta say though, their Tiramisu was off the charts.

It was just fantastic.

It had the fresh, it had dark chocolate shavings on top of it, and it was just, it melts in your mouth.

- Okay, your place, pro tips?

- Oh, stunning views and amazing food.

- I think it's a happening night.

A lot of TVs, sports programs, and whatnot.

- [Mark] Erica?

- The food and the views absolutely, were definitely worth trying this new place out.

And I enjoyed the brunch, which was new on the menu, so.

- If you want to try Thompson 105, they're in North Scottsdale, near Thompson Peak Parkway and McDowell Mountain Ranch Road.

An average meal is $40, and they do take reservations.

I want to thank Erica, Tracey, and John for joining me at the table.

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

Arizona."

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 the table.

Be a part of the foodie conversation in Arizona, on social media using the hashtag 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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