i'm gonna start this blog off differently than all the others...i'm gonna give you the ratings first. you'll understand why in a moment. out of 5 sporks, i give chino bandido's 4 sporks. the food is awesome in a very different way...and yes it was featured on the holy grail of shows, "diners, drive-ins and dives" with guy fieri.
onto the review.
so here's why i did the ratings first, chino bandido's (or chino's for short) is a chinese-mexican food restaurant. no, not a chinese and mexican food, chinese-mexican food. now aren't you glad that i gave you the ratings first?! otherwise you wouldn't have read this far. i had heard about this foodie spot from several people in various circles i run in. i was skeptical about chinese-mexican food at first...i mean, really, how good can it be?!
onto the food.
okay, so when you go to chino's, if it's your first time, they give you some samples and explain how the menu works. PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE enjoy the 5 minutes of tastings and explanations...you'll understand why when you get there. it can be a bit confusing, but this step helps out immensely. after trying various chickens and rices, we decided to order. i got a jerk chicken quesadilla with a red chicken (kinda like orange chicken) burrito and some plain fried rice with their black beans...my wife got emerald chicken and carnitas with chicken fried rice and the black beans. sounds too bizarre to wanna try, i know, but trust me it all goes together well.
first of all, their black beans are legit! my wife who can't stand black beans said she wants the recipe so she can eat them all of the time! the quesadilla was good, but the burrito was phenomenal!!!! but i gotta tell you, the sleeper in all this was the emerald chicken. the emerald chicken was insanely good! the flavors were fresh and meshed so well together. and their carnitas blows anything else i've had out of the water; it's just so full o' flavor and tender!
like i said, chino's may sound like a cuisine to stay away from, but trust me it is VERY good. by the way, you get a snickerdoodle cookie with your meal...and yes, it is excellent too! go there with your friends. y'all will love it! oh! and they just opened a chandler location for you east valley-ites...
chino bandido's
15414 north 19th avenue
suite k
phoenix arizona 85032
1825 west chandler boulevard
chandler arizona
Friday, December 11, 2009
Saturday, December 5, 2009
aiello's fine italian dining
aiello's italian food is by far, hands down, without a doubt the best italian food in the valley! carrie and i went there on our date night a few weeks back. we've passed by aiello's numerous times on the way to other restaurants in DoPho (downtown phoenix). for whatever reason, we've never stopped to eat italian there.
anyways, we decided that we would go out for italian dinner on our date night and thought that aiello's was the spot to go. from the outside, you expect a quaint dining experience and their trees covered in white lights out front are a sure sign of this. on the inside, the dining experience is enhanced by the open kitchen. on a personal note: i love open kitchens, they just feel fancy and really add to my dining experience. the owner, joe aiello, is intentional about visiting every table as they are seated to greet them and strike up a conversation.
as an appetizer, we ordered the calamari. i think that it is our way of determining how the rest of the meal is gonna go. and aiello's is no disappointment...we found that the best thing to do is take the marinara sauce and add a hint of the chili oil that they serve. just try it, you'll love it too!
for dinner, carrie has decided that linguini with clam sauce is her ultimate deciding factor in a good italian restaurant. me? i went for the special. ravioli stuffed with carmelized onions, prosciutto and cheese in a pink sauce. so how was the food? OMG! it was the best italian food we've had in the valley...hands down, no joke. the ravioli was perfectly offset with a fair amount of basil that was not offensive. carrie, who normally saves half of her meal, at the entire portion of linguini with clam sauce. not because it was small portion, but it was THAT good.
despite our fullness after an appetizer and entree, we ordered a canoli. i heart canoli. and aiello's canoli is out of this world. whatever you do, save room for this canoli. it was rich, but not oo rich, and had some cinnamon which made this desert incredible. OH! and don't forget to get a bite of the fresh strawberry with your fork full of canoli.
i don't think i even need to make another argument about aiello's. it's amazing and you'll definitely wanna go here! out of 5 sporks, we give aiello's 4.5! joe aiello came around to visit us after dinner and i was more than happy to tell him just how impressed i was with his food. and he followed up our dinner with a surprise that i won't tell you about. you'll just have to go and find out.
aiello's fine italian dining
5202 north central avenue
phoenix arizona 85012
602-277-8700
anyways, we decided that we would go out for italian dinner on our date night and thought that aiello's was the spot to go. from the outside, you expect a quaint dining experience and their trees covered in white lights out front are a sure sign of this. on the inside, the dining experience is enhanced by the open kitchen. on a personal note: i love open kitchens, they just feel fancy and really add to my dining experience. the owner, joe aiello, is intentional about visiting every table as they are seated to greet them and strike up a conversation.
as an appetizer, we ordered the calamari. i think that it is our way of determining how the rest of the meal is gonna go. and aiello's is no disappointment...we found that the best thing to do is take the marinara sauce and add a hint of the chili oil that they serve. just try it, you'll love it too!
for dinner, carrie has decided that linguini with clam sauce is her ultimate deciding factor in a good italian restaurant. me? i went for the special. ravioli stuffed with carmelized onions, prosciutto and cheese in a pink sauce. so how was the food? OMG! it was the best italian food we've had in the valley...hands down, no joke. the ravioli was perfectly offset with a fair amount of basil that was not offensive. carrie, who normally saves half of her meal, at the entire portion of linguini with clam sauce. not because it was small portion, but it was THAT good.
despite our fullness after an appetizer and entree, we ordered a canoli. i heart canoli. and aiello's canoli is out of this world. whatever you do, save room for this canoli. it was rich, but not oo rich, and had some cinnamon which made this desert incredible. OH! and don't forget to get a bite of the fresh strawberry with your fork full of canoli.
i don't think i even need to make another argument about aiello's. it's amazing and you'll definitely wanna go here! out of 5 sporks, we give aiello's 4.5! joe aiello came around to visit us after dinner and i was more than happy to tell him just how impressed i was with his food. and he followed up our dinner with a surprise that i won't tell you about. you'll just have to go and find out.
aiello's fine italian dining
5202 north central avenue
phoenix arizona 85012
602-277-8700
Saturday, November 28, 2009
scotty dogs
so i'd like to believe that because i am from chicago, i have a bit of insight on chicago food. one of these quintessential foods is the hotdog. now i know what you're gonna say...hotdogs?! really?! yes, hotdogs.
my brother-in-law actually recommended scotty dogs to me. he said that i needed to verify if scott was creating the true chicago dog. now for those who do not know, true chicago dogs are made with steamed poppy seed buns, vienna hot dogs, tomato, relish, hot peppers, mustard (NO KETCHUP!!!) and a pickle slice. i have to admit, i was skeptical about going to scotty dogs to try a chicago dog. i've met scott bangs, owner of scotty dogs on a few ocassions, and he was happy to serve up a chicago dog. there was a mutual respect, he knew i loved chicago dogs and i had heard that he serves up a good one.
well, scott didn't disappoint. when he handed over the 'dog, i gave it a good look over...and then i asked, "is that celery salt on there?" with a smile, scott answered, "you know it!" i knew right then i was in for a true chicago 'dog. though i didn't mention it above, celery salt is an essential ingredient to the chicago 'dog. scott assembled the perfect concoction of necessary ingredients to create one of the best chicago hotdogs i've had in the valley.
but that wasn't enough. i needed a second 'dog. so i asked scott if he had a specialty 'dog...sure enough, he told me about his "scotty dog." cheddar cheese on the bottom, a hot dog, topped with tomatoes, hot peppers, sauerkraut, melted cheese, mustard and then the topper, siracha sauce. now i know this sounds like it would be a reason to call the fire department for your mouth, but it's not. it's got the perfect amount of kick. i can honestly say that the "scotty dog" is worthy of pink's hotdogs in hollywood status.
if you can only eat one hotdog for lunch, go two days in a row to try both of these. scotty dog definitely deserves 4 sporks out of 5! here's the kicker, scotty dogs is a mobile cart. so you're gonna wanna follow him on twitter to get his location. scotty brings the urban vendor experience in full force and the food is good, to boot!
scotty dogs
on twitter at @sbangs
my brother-in-law actually recommended scotty dogs to me. he said that i needed to verify if scott was creating the true chicago dog. now for those who do not know, true chicago dogs are made with steamed poppy seed buns, vienna hot dogs, tomato, relish, hot peppers, mustard (NO KETCHUP!!!) and a pickle slice. i have to admit, i was skeptical about going to scotty dogs to try a chicago dog. i've met scott bangs, owner of scotty dogs on a few ocassions, and he was happy to serve up a chicago dog. there was a mutual respect, he knew i loved chicago dogs and i had heard that he serves up a good one.
well, scott didn't disappoint. when he handed over the 'dog, i gave it a good look over...and then i asked, "is that celery salt on there?" with a smile, scott answered, "you know it!" i knew right then i was in for a true chicago 'dog. though i didn't mention it above, celery salt is an essential ingredient to the chicago 'dog. scott assembled the perfect concoction of necessary ingredients to create one of the best chicago hotdogs i've had in the valley.
but that wasn't enough. i needed a second 'dog. so i asked scott if he had a specialty 'dog...sure enough, he told me about his "scotty dog." cheddar cheese on the bottom, a hot dog, topped with tomatoes, hot peppers, sauerkraut, melted cheese, mustard and then the topper, siracha sauce. now i know this sounds like it would be a reason to call the fire department for your mouth, but it's not. it's got the perfect amount of kick. i can honestly say that the "scotty dog" is worthy of pink's hotdogs in hollywood status.
if you can only eat one hotdog for lunch, go two days in a row to try both of these. scotty dog definitely deserves 4 sporks out of 5! here's the kicker, scotty dogs is a mobile cart. so you're gonna wanna follow him on twitter to get his location. scotty brings the urban vendor experience in full force and the food is good, to boot!
scotty dogs
on twitter at @sbangs
Friday, November 13, 2009
Chicago Hamburger Co.
i've been going to this place for nearly 10 years and it never lets me down. i decided to take my wife there a few years ago, because quite frankly, it's the most authentic chicago-style joint in town. they have everything that true chicagoans want, and everything that non-chicagoans would envy because they're not from chicago! only kidding. but seriously, this place is very good!!!
when walk into the place you are bombarded (and that's an understatement) by chicago paraphenelia. posters of michael jordan, the "monsters of the midway" (if you know chicago, you know what i'm talking about with that reference), mayor daly election poster, street signs. there is memoribilia from the white sox and that other baseball team, too. everything that would take you back to the windy city...only it's here in phoenix. there's pinball machines for the kiddos and the kid in you...
okay, food. seriously folks, these guys at chicago hamburger company know how to do food right. their hamburgers are incredible...but personally, i prefer their sliders. a pack of 10 will run you about $9, but trust me, you'll be luck if two of you can eat ten...unless you're a champ. but the bread is super soft, which is rare to find appropriately on other places "sliders." the fries are yummy scrumptious...chicago hamburger company also sells...wait for it...wait for it...chili cheese fries! if you're from chicago you know that this is one of the four food groups (along with hot dogs, pizza, and funnel cakes). they have a pretty good menu and the prices are fairly reasonable. you can escape with two very full people for around $20.
out of five sporks, chicago hamburger company gets 4.5! yes, this place is that good. it's not a chain and it definitely takes me back to my days in the greatest city on earth. go there, get full and enjoy chicago in phoenix.
when walk into the place you are bombarded (and that's an understatement) by chicago paraphenelia. posters of michael jordan, the "monsters of the midway" (if you know chicago, you know what i'm talking about with that reference), mayor daly election poster, street signs. there is memoribilia from the white sox and that other baseball team, too. everything that would take you back to the windy city...only it's here in phoenix. there's pinball machines for the kiddos and the kid in you...
okay, food. seriously folks, these guys at chicago hamburger company know how to do food right. their hamburgers are incredible...but personally, i prefer their sliders. a pack of 10 will run you about $9, but trust me, you'll be luck if two of you can eat ten...unless you're a champ. but the bread is super soft, which is rare to find appropriately on other places "sliders." the fries are yummy scrumptious...chicago hamburger company also sells...wait for it...wait for it...chili cheese fries! if you're from chicago you know that this is one of the four food groups (along with hot dogs, pizza, and funnel cakes). they have a pretty good menu and the prices are fairly reasonable. you can escape with two very full people for around $20.
out of five sporks, chicago hamburger company gets 4.5! yes, this place is that good. it's not a chain and it definitely takes me back to my days in the greatest city on earth. go there, get full and enjoy chicago in phoenix.
Friday, November 6, 2009
pho thanh
so we were in the mood for some asian food, whether it was thai, chinese, vietnamese, whatever; we just knew we wanted asian food. and we didn't want to try our usual haunts. i thought vietnamese sounded good. so we tried this little joint down the street from us by the name of pho thanh.
from the outside, pho thanh sits in a mini-strip mall with another asian restaurant, nail salon and an asian food market. from the outside, you would never want to try this place. but it is definitely a gem in the rough. the seating inside has some family tables, so you could sit right next somebody from somewhere else. although it's not identical, it definitely reminded me of my experience eating in chinatown in boston. so i knew right there it would be a good experience. the decor was pretty plain, but again, not something to judge a place's quality of food by (cause Lord knows i have eaten in some very nicely decorated restaurants whose food was horrible).
anyways, when i opened up the menu (which is a small novel in and of itself), i was happy to see a vast array of choices for dinner. i'm not a huge noodle fan, so i opted for a broken rice dish. my wife, she loves soups and so she went for pho tofu. service was a bit slow, but we did get around to ordering. i was pleasantly surprised by the waiter's recommendation after i had told him my order. i ended up with a broken rice dish that included shrimp warpped in beancurd skin, bbq pork, crab and egg cake, ground pork wrapped in grape leaves and some rice. i figure if a waiter is gonna recommend something it's gotta be worth trying. i also ordered a vietnamese egg soda. i'm not gonna lie, it was different, sort of an odd flavor of egg whipped with soda water. it was tasty, but i don't that it would be my drink of choice.
when food came, i realized just how exposed i was to americanized vietnamese food in my past. this stuff looked authentic. not that i know what authentic looked like...but this stuff had to be. my wife's pho tofu was HUGE! it was a bowl that was easily 12" across and 4-6" deep. she really enjoyed it...but i didn't try it because i have to be a very particular mood for soup. my food was equally great. if i could (which i think i can) i would eat the ground pork wrapped in grape leaves for dinner by themself. they're sort of like dolmas, but i like these better.
overall, the meal was pretty good. out of 5 sporks i'd give this place 3.5. i think i was expecting something different, so that may have thrown off my tastebuds. the food was good, but the service left a lot to be desired. plus, i don't know how i feel about servers walking around eating food in between serving food...just doesn't seem cleanly to me. i would go back for sure; at least now i know what to expect.
pho thanh
1702 west camelback road
phoenix arizona 85015
from the outside, pho thanh sits in a mini-strip mall with another asian restaurant, nail salon and an asian food market. from the outside, you would never want to try this place. but it is definitely a gem in the rough. the seating inside has some family tables, so you could sit right next somebody from somewhere else. although it's not identical, it definitely reminded me of my experience eating in chinatown in boston. so i knew right there it would be a good experience. the decor was pretty plain, but again, not something to judge a place's quality of food by (cause Lord knows i have eaten in some very nicely decorated restaurants whose food was horrible).
anyways, when i opened up the menu (which is a small novel in and of itself), i was happy to see a vast array of choices for dinner. i'm not a huge noodle fan, so i opted for a broken rice dish. my wife, she loves soups and so she went for pho tofu. service was a bit slow, but we did get around to ordering. i was pleasantly surprised by the waiter's recommendation after i had told him my order. i ended up with a broken rice dish that included shrimp warpped in beancurd skin, bbq pork, crab and egg cake, ground pork wrapped in grape leaves and some rice. i figure if a waiter is gonna recommend something it's gotta be worth trying. i also ordered a vietnamese egg soda. i'm not gonna lie, it was different, sort of an odd flavor of egg whipped with soda water. it was tasty, but i don't that it would be my drink of choice.
when food came, i realized just how exposed i was to americanized vietnamese food in my past. this stuff looked authentic. not that i know what authentic looked like...but this stuff had to be. my wife's pho tofu was HUGE! it was a bowl that was easily 12" across and 4-6" deep. she really enjoyed it...but i didn't try it because i have to be a very particular mood for soup. my food was equally great. if i could (which i think i can) i would eat the ground pork wrapped in grape leaves for dinner by themself. they're sort of like dolmas, but i like these better.
overall, the meal was pretty good. out of 5 sporks i'd give this place 3.5. i think i was expecting something different, so that may have thrown off my tastebuds. the food was good, but the service left a lot to be desired. plus, i don't know how i feel about servers walking around eating food in between serving food...just doesn't seem cleanly to me. i would go back for sure; at least now i know what to expect.
pho thanh
1702 west camelback road
phoenix arizona 85015
Friday, October 30, 2009
fast eddie's diner
so i'm a total diner freak and jump at the chance to enjoy a place that serves up food like it used to be. fast eddie's is that place...i had driven by this place for 10 years and now i'm kicking myself for waiting so long to try it.
we wanted some breakfast on sunday after church...pancakes, eggs, toast and jam. you know, breakfast food like you remember as a kid. the stuff that used fill up the house with awesome smells. we decided to try fast eddie's. my wife was a little nervous when i told her where we were going, but the only thing she was concerned about was the pancakes.
we walked into fast eddie's and we could see how the place had evolved, yet maintained it's classic charm. it's been around for awhile, i got those down home chills on my arms because i knew i was about to enjoy an incredible breakfast. then, a skillet passed me by and i about snatched it off the table it was going to. did that skillet look good!!! i knew what i was having.
the walls of fast eddie's are covered with quirky and comical sayings like, "if you don't like the food, send it back. if you do, don't." it provided us some entertainment while we waited to order and get our food.
my wife ordered pancakes, eggs, hashbrowns and bacon. you know, stick to your ribs kinda stuff. i ordered a mexican skillet. when the food came, i was amazed at how good it looked. the hashbrowns on my wife's plate were crispy brown on the outside. the bacon didn't look burnt or raw. the eggs looked cooked to perfection. the homestyle potatoes on my skillet looked as though they had been cooked with love. the cheese was that beautiful "in-between" of still melting and melted. then we ate. oh boy, did we eat! the food was so good. my skillet was perfectly cooked. i ate the whole thing (which i was later told had been witness only a handful of times by our waitress). my wife enjoyed her meal as well. i even tried her pancakes. now, i am not a pancake fan, but i can tell you this; i would order those pancakes. they were thick and fluffy. scrump-diddly-ocious.
okay, so i'm not going to lie, fast eddie's is good and we recommend you try it. don't wait 10 years, go next weekend. on a scale of 5 sporks, i'd give fast eddie's 4 sporks. it is a really good greasy spoon. i wouldn't give it 5 because it's not a complex, high-culinary experience of food, but it's great nonetheless.
fast eddie's diner
3422 west glendale avenue
phoenix arizona
Friday, October 23, 2009
Angie and Jimmie's Pizza
so we've been trying to find a good pizza delivery joint different than streets of new york...our usual place. we refuse to order dominos, pizza hut or papa john's. why? because that's not the type of cats we are. we're all about supporting the local people.
anyways, pizza. i had google mapped pizza places in my area and to no surprise i was surrounded by two dominos, two pizza huts, two papa john's. but then, there it was, angie and jimmie's. we were nervous, because our ventures in delivery pizza have been sketchy at best. but we thought, hey, let's give this place a shot.
first of all, the prices are cheap. we paid $21 for a large pizza and an order of garlic cheese bread. we were still a bit skeptical, but when it arrived in 35 minutes (not an hour like streets of new york), we were happier.
we opened up the boxes and immediately we were pleasantly surprised by the look of the food. after all, we first judge food with our eyes. the garlic cheese bread had cheese on it! go figure. and it looked like bread, not some burnt flattened piece of dough. the pizza had cheese on it and the toppings were visible. the crust looked tasty, just the right shade of brown.
we were pleasantly surprised with the pizza. the toppings were good, not great, but good. the crust was the best we've had yet in a delivery pizza. most pizzas come soggy, but not angie and jimmie's, it was the right consistency. it was crispy where it needed to be and soft where it needed to be. the garlic cheese bread was moist and we could actually taste the garlic and cheese.
out of 5 sporks we'd give angie and jimmie's pizza 3.5 sporks. this pizza place was good for delivery, the prices were good and the pizza was tasty. the only problem was that the black olives and mushrooms were from cans. if they used fresh vegetables, this place would be a 4+ spork delivery joint, for sure. but honestly, we'd order from there again, and that's what counts.
angie and jimmie's italian pizza
3126 west indian school road
phoenix arizona 85017
602-246-7833
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