FEZ

so i've decided that i need to start eating better and made a deal with my wife that i would severely limit my hamburger intake if i could eat one more hamburger. but i wanted a good burger, something that would make me feel like all other burgers would pale in comparison. so we decided to try FEZ. my wife being a lover of sweet potato fries, found out that they had some out of this world good sweet potato fries. so we went.

we had passed by FEZ a number of times because we frequent the downtown area and often drive down central...as for me, i love taking the light rail, so i couldn't help but notice their three colorful dots that make up the FEZ brand.

much like Switch, i was immediately impressed as we walked into the door of FEZ. the translucent hanging panels were an awesome way to divide the bar area from the dining area. the orange tables were a beautiful choice for a pop of color. the menus were even cleverly designed. everything about this place oozed chic, hip and modern. it was exactly where i wanted to have my "final" burger before going on a diet.

we ordered a basket of sweet potato fries as an appetizer and honestly, we could have had just them for dinner. the fries were crispy and coated in the right amount of cinnamon! the aioli was absolutely out of this world!!!! i won't tell you the secret ingredient, but trust me, you'll love it! the sweet of the fries mixed with the savory of the aioli was exactly the right combination. if you go, the sweet potato fries are a must!

onto dinner...i ordered the FEZ burger, which was a 1/2 lb. of grilled angus beef with spicy honey molasses bbq, cinnamon pears, feta cheese, lemon garlic aioli, crispy onions and cilantro on ciabatta bread. it sounds like a lot of stuff on a burger, but the layers of flavors was absolutely amazing. the first bite leaves you with the flavor of the bbq sauce and then fades into the creaminess of the feta and then lingers with the pear. the burger was present through the whole bite. the aioli and cilantro added a bright flavor which was so good.

my wife ordered the casablanca chicken sandwich. this sandwich included a perfectly cooked piece of chicken with pomegranate vinaigrette, goat cheese, sliced pears, dried cherries and field greens on ciabatta. i only got one bite of this sandwich because my wife didn't want to share, it was that good! but the juiciness of the chicken mixed with the crispiness of the greens and the sweetness of the fruit and the creaminess of the cheese left nothing to be desired. it was an absolutely incredible chicken sandwich!

while there, we had overheard a table raving about the dessert. so we asked our server what they had ordered for dessert (after they left of course) and she told us it was their brownie with almond and vanilla ice cream. i'm not gonna lie about this...it was perhaps the gooiest, most chocolatiest, and amazing brownie i have EVER had. it was so good as the ice cream melted over the warm brownie. i know that this sounds like a lot of food, but you'll want to save room for this dessert.

out of 5 sporks, i definitely give this one 4.5 sporks. FEZ was on top of it all; their decor, their food, their service. it was all phenomenal! make sure you visit this place for dinner. they have brunch too, so i know i'll be going back to try that as well.

FEZ

3815 north central avenue

phoenix, arizona 85012

switch

located on central avenue near the light rail, this chill spot is a great place for a first date or an afternoon lunch with your wife.

having driven by (and ridden by) switch, i was curious as to their menu and quality. but alas, after being bored with some of our usual restaurants, we decided to try it on a sunday afternoon. off the bat, we immediately knew this place was something worthwhile, when you enter the restaurant through a courtyard in the back of the building; fully furnished with some lounge seating. as we entered the restaurant, i was absolutely impressed with the place for two reasons 1) it was all mellow blue lighting and 2) it's all ikea decor. in our book, doing more with less is always a plus.

so onto the food...i had ordered the jalisco chicken panini on the recommendation of the waiter. my wife ordered the mac n' cheese with lobster and crab. all i'm gonna say to either of these dishes was, WOW! they were absolutely incredible. the panini's chicken was cooked right; it wasn't dry. and the chipotle aioli was just spicy enough to still be able to taste the rest of the food, but let you know that it was on the sandwich. the mac n' cheese was nothing short of phenomenal. the cheese was super velvety and creamy and the chunks of lobster and crab were noticeable and added to the overall flavor of the mac n' cheese.

my wife ordered an blueberry italian soda. i wish i would have! it was made with real fruit, not just fruit syrup. and they balanced the sweet perfectly with club soda. it made her want two or three it was that good. i did try it and i have to say that it was BY FAR the best italian soda i have ever had.

out 5 possible sporks, i'd give this one 4. the only thing i would say about this place was the service was a bit slow, but nothing worth complaining over. though our waiter did recommend an awesome dish with the panini so i can overlook a bit of slow service.

switch

2603 north central avenue

phoenix az 85004

Nine05...

we were huge fans of Fate, which occupied this space before it was Nine05. we were hesitant to try Nine05 because we love johnny chu's old restaurant Fate and his new restaurant Sens. but we were craving some quality, local asian fusion cuisine.

after much deliberation, we decided to try Nine05. the decor was still beautiful, stark white tables with white and green chairs. the ambience was still hip and funky with amazing art, still adorning the aged brick walls.

but that's where the good stuff ends...

we picked up the menu to find out that the cheapest entree was $13. not that we were expecting inexpensive food, but $10+ appetizers and $18+ entrees, were a bit of sticker shock. i was very happy to see the iced chai tea...but was EXTREMELY disappointed to get a glass full of ice and milk, with a splash of chai.

but dinner had to be better right?! wrong. i ordered the pork belly fried rice with pineapple and my wife ordered the coconut shrimp...two things about the shrimp. the pieces were the size of peas and the coconut was barely present. but there was cilantro! wait, cilantro?! yep, it didn't mix well in either dish. the pork belly fried rice was under salted and over spiced. my tastebuds were screaming at me after 2 bites and we love spicy food. but the worst thing was that when you order a meal with things like pineapple, coconut or shrimp you want to taste those ingredients and honestly we could not taste any of these items as they were so over powered by the peppers.

okee dokee, so out of 5 sporks, we give this one 2. the ambience is cool and trendy for the arts district it is in, but the food is missing flavor and quality.

Nine05

905 north 4th street

(se corner of roosevelt and 4th street)

phoenix, az 85004