Beaver Choice - Tempe, AZ

I need to start this post off with a disclaimer: the owners of Beaver Choice are actually one of my clients; I leased them the space to open the restaurant, so I went into this hoping that it would be good and I wouldn't have to write a bad review, well, I am happy to report that the food here is excellent!!  I really shouldn't have worried, as all of the reviews on Yelp were glowing, but you just never know! 

So I know you are probably chuckling at the name, who would name a restaurant Beaver Choice?  Especially if that restaurant was to be located in the same shopping center as Ted's Hot Dogs?  It makes for quite a comical corner for food, but it is tasty food, so I guess it just adds to the experience.  The owner of Beaver Choice, Hanna, is the nicest lady you could ever meet.  She ended up in Arizona via Canada via Sweden via Poland, and there are influences of each in her food.  Apparently the national animal of Canada is a beaver, so that is how the restaurant got it's name, and yes, she does know what beaver is slang for, but she thinks it is funny and gets people talking about her restaurant!

Luckily, her food is good enough to get people talking, and the name becomes just a side comment!  The day we were there, they were still writing orders by hand, but were going to be getting a computer system in the next week.  My only complaint about my experience was probably the wait and confusion due to the hand written orders, so now that that should be all cleared up, there is no reason to not go to Beaver Choice!

The menu is full of delicious sandwiches and pitas, as well as favorites such as QuebecPoutine (fries covered in cheese curds and gravy, a Canadian classic) and Swedish Meatballs with Lingonberry Sauce.  There were so many choices it was hard to choose, but we finally were ready to order.

My sister went with the Pork Tenderloin in Gin and Cream sauce.  Each entree comes with three side choices, and she went with the side salad, broccoli and the pan fried thyme potatoes.   When the food was served her plate was heaping with food, making the $11.50 dish well worthy of the price.  The pork medallions were perfectly cooked and tender, and delicious when dipped in the cream sauce, that had quite a bite from the gin.  The salad, was a salad, but the lemon dressing was tasty.  The broccoli was cooked well, but nothing special, which was not the case with the potatoes, they were phenomenal!  Perfectly roasted, crispy on the outside and seasoned with thyme, they were the perfect pairing to the pork.  My sister was very happy with her meal, and vowed to be more adventurous with her side choices the next time. 

I decided to try the dish that everyone says is the best one on the menu, the Chicken Schnitzel Cordon Bleu.  It is basically a chicken breast, pounded thin, then stuffed with ham and brie cheese.  It is then breaded, and sauteed until crispy and served with a creamy mushroom sauce smothered over the top.....and Oh My God...it is AMAZING!  I don't even like mushrooms, but the sauce is scrumptious and goes so well with the crispy chicken, salty ham and creamy cheese.  I chose the creamy dill mashed potatoes as one of my sides, and they were perfect for sopping up the extra sauce.  I also got the marinated green beans, which were served like a cold bean salad, and had great flavor and the tomato basil salad, which was delicious as well.  Both were light and refreshing, which was the perfect compliment to the savory chicken dish.  The portions here are huge, so even though the dish was $11.75, I easily got two meals out of it.

The space doesn't have many tables, and is quite minimalist when it comes to decor (all from IKEA) but it makes up for it with the amazing flavors being pumped out of their tiny kitchen.  The menu is full of interesting and exotic sounding items, but also has a cheeseburger for the non-adventurous eaters in your life.  I can't wait to go back, and I really hope that when I do, Hanna has made some fresh pierogi that she has as a special every now and then! 

Beaver Choice

1743 E. Broadway Rd.

Tempe, AZ 85282

480-921-3137

www.beaverchoice.com

House of Tricks - Tempe, AZ

 I had been hearing great things about House of Tricks for years, but I had never made a trip there due to the price point of the menu.  Fast forward to my sister's birthday and this is where she picked for dinner, which was perfect because it would be on my parent's nickel! Now, my sister's birthday was actually at the end of June, so I am about three month's late on this post, but honestly, I think I delayed posting because I wasn't really all that impressed with my experience.

The building itself is so cute, a little old house in the heart of Tempe with lots of charm.  It being June, in Arizona, we had to eat inside and they didn't seem to have the best air conditioning, so I would not really recommend going during the summer months.  Our waiter was really attentive and did a good job, but I think the food was over promised and under delivered.

We got the Watermelon, Tomato and Burrata (mozzarella) salad to start, it was a lovely presentation, but I didn't think it justified the $12 price tag.  The burrata was delicious, but the watermelon was odd for us, plus it wasn't ripe and had no sweetness to it.

I was having a hard time deciding what sounded good to me on the menu, and ultimately chose the Roasted Chicken stuffed Ravioli in a corn sauce, and my Uncle Tony followed suit.  The sauce was nice and light and the filling of the raviolis was good, but there was one major problem, the outer edges of the raviolis were so thick, they were tough!  That's right, tough pasta, a major problem!  Maybe it was just that night's batch, but they really needed to roll the dough much thinner.  Uncle Tony and I both agreed that the dish needed the touch of an Italian grandmother!

My sister and my dad both got the Grilled Filet with a Mushroom Demi Glace, Potato Galette and Asparagus salad.  Both of their steaks came cooked to order and they enjoyed the potato gratin.  They both enjoyed their meal, but they did go pretty basic so there wasn't too much to comment about.

My mom got the Nori Wrapped Ahi Tuna Tempura, which had a beautiful presentation.  It was served on a bed of brown rice with enoki mushrooms and a soy ginger vinaigrette.  My mom loves seared ahi, and this was a unique take on it, by actually battering it and flash frying to give it a crunchy outside.  She really liked this and said that all the flavors blended really well together.

Aunt Martha ordered the Shitake Mushroom Crusted Salmon that was served over a Scallion Risotto.  The dish was topped with tempura style haricot verts (green beans), which really gave it that wow factor!  The beans were crunchy and tender, and went well with the crust on the salmon.  Martha loved this dish, but then again, if you know my Aunt Martha, she's never met a food she didn't like!

Since we were there to celebrate a birthday, of course we had to get dessert too!  The list that the waiter rattled off had so many options that we had to get two!  The first one was a chocolate peanut butter bread pudding with chocolate dipped pretzels and caramel sauce.....sounds amazing right?  Well, it was actually a big let down!  The bread pudding part was really mush and the flavors didn't stand out on their own....plus the pretzels were chewy...which means they were stale!  This had such potential, but just didn't cut it :(

My sister's favorite dessert is Key Lime Pie, so we ordered that as well.  We have had a lot of Key Lime pies in our days, but this one was probably near the bottom of the pack.  It didn't have that much tartness too it, which is a key component to key lime pie.  The filling was smooth and creamy, but it mostly just tasted like sugar.



We all had a nice time and my sister enjoyed her birthday meal, but I don't think I will be heading out to House of Tricks anytime soon again.  I don't mind paying big price tags for a good meal, but I just wasn't impressed enough to run out and have another $25 entree.  Once it cools down I may consider going for lunch on the patio with some girlfriends, but I will pass for dinner.

House of Tricks

114 E. 7th Street

Tempe, AZ 85281

www.houseoftricks.com

Thai Rama

Ever since we had dinner at Yupha's Thai Kitchen a few weeks ago, where my sister got her first taste of Tom Kha Gai soup, she had been craving another bowl of the soup.  So, a couple of weeks ago, we decided to go to the Arizona 5A-II state football championship game at Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe because our high school, Chaparral was vying for the championship. (They ended up winning!)  We thought it would be fun, but boy did it make us feel old, especially when I realized that I was sitting in those same stands 10 years ago when I was a senior in high school.....wow does time fly!  We had rushed to get to the game in time after work on that Friday, so we didn't have time to eat dinner beforehand, so when we left the game we were hungry!

Since it was a cold December night, my sister really wanted to get some of the Tom Kha Gai soup.  Well, I didn't feel like driving all the way down to Yupha's, and since there seem to be a bunch of Thai restaurants that have recently popped up around ASU's campus, we decided to try someplace new, which is how we ended up at Thai Rama.  I was a little bit skeptical at first because I remembered the restaurant being a place called Char's Thai back when I was in college, and while I had never eaten there, I had heard that it was very old inside.  So we were pleasantly surprised when we walked in and found a restaurant that had been completely remodeled, it was so clean and fresh looking.  The new owner's had put in all new flooring, paint and tables, giving the place a much needed facelift.

We looked over the menu, which was vast, but it didn't take my sister long to decide, she had her mind set on some soup!  But first we decided to get some Crab Puffs as an appetizer.  My sister and I always tend to order crab puffs when we are together, and can you blame us?  Crispy shells filled with creamy cheese and crab, dunked into some sweet and sour sauce....delicious!  These puffs were an excellent version of the classic, they had just the right ratio of crab to cream cheese; which made the filling creamy but didn't overpower the crab flavor.  The shells were perfectly crisped, and were not greasy at all, which is a major bonus.  The portion as huge, it included 6 large wonton stars; so far, so good!

We had just barely finished the crab puffs when our entrees arrived, starting with my sister's soup.  At most restaurants, it is called Tom Kha Gai, but Thai Rama refers to it as Tohm Khah Goong; I am not really sure how the name difference comes into play, but it is the exact same soup.  At Yupha's we had just ordered a small cup of the soup, but at Thai Rama, Laura ordered the full portion; this was served in a silver urn like contraption that has a whole in the middle that is lit on fire to keep the soup warm, it is a pretty common way to serve soup in Thai restaurants, but it didn't stop us from getting a kick out of it!  Laura liked this version of the soup even better than Yupha's, mostly because it used shrimp instead of chicken.  The broth was so flavorful with that hint of coconut, and they had spiced it just right to not make it overly spicy for my spice averse sister.  She raved about how she was going to be addicted to this now, especially since the restaurant is just down the street from where she lives!

I didn't really know what I wanted to order that night since I wasn't really in the mood for Thai food (I agreed because I knew my sister was really craving it, and many times she gives in to my Mexican cravings!), but ultimately I decided on the Khao Paht, or fried rice.  You got to choose between chicken, beef, pork or shrimp to be added to the rice, and I went with the pork at a mild spice level.  I have to say, I didn't have any expectations for this because I wasn't in the mood for Thai, but after my first bite, I was singing a different tune!  The rice was amazing; perfectly seasoned, with a hint of heat.  Although, the best part about it was the pork, they used a tenderloin, and it was the most tender pork I have ever had; it just melted in my mouth.  I had my sister try a bite of it, and she too thought that it was excellent.  The portion was huge, so I took quite a bit of it home and I have to say, it was every bit as good leftover and cold the next morning!

We had a really great meal at Thai Rama, and I can't wait to go back and try some of their other dishes, like the Pad Thai and Panang Curry.  The atmosphere was pleasant, the restaurant was clean, and the servers took excellent care of us.  I noticed that Thai Rama has a few other locations around town, so if you are in the mood for some good Thai food, look them up and find one near you!

Thai Rama

927 E. University Dr.

Tempe, AZ 85281

http://www.thai-rama-az.com/

Yupha's Thai Kitchen

A couple of weeks ago, I made plans to go out to dinner with "My Biggest Fan" (aka Kelly) and her family, as usual, she wanted me to pick the place, and preferably make it someplace new. When we get together, we tend to always go for Mexican food, and while neither of us have ever been known to turn our nose up at a good enchilada, I thought we should shake things up a bit. I had remembered reading about Yupha's awhile ago, and I always had wanted to try it, and with it conveniently being located in Tempe between my house in Scottsdale and her house in Chandler, it just made since. Plus, she and her husband Jimmy love them some spicy food, so if we weren't going for Mexican, at least they could still get their spice fix! Never wanting to miss out on some Thai food, or getting to play with a cute baby, my sister came along with us as well.

Yupha's is located in the same plaza as Vincitorio's Restaurant on the Southeast corner of McClintock and Elliot. They used to be located on Rural and Elliot, but have moved to this new location in the past year. The space is big, open and modern; with high ceilings, minimal furniture and modern art, it makes for a very relaxing vibe. We arrived at 6:30 on a Thursday night, and while the place wasn't completely full, most of the tables were occupied. Our waitress came by and took our beverage order, and then gave us some time to look over the menu. And time she gave us, because it seemed like it was 10 minutes before she finally returned; they must have been understaffed that night, because it was just her and one other waitress covering the whole restaurant, so we decided not to get to upset by this.

When she finally did return to take our order, she couldn't have been more pleasant; answering our random questions and suggesting items on the menu. Kelly and Jimmy ordered the Thai Rolls to start and I got some Tom Kha Gai soup to begin with. The spring rolls came with four in an order, and plum sauce on the side for dipping. Everyone's first reaction to them was how skinny they were, and not in a good way. The menu described them as being filled with bean threads and vegetables; well, upon their first tastes, Kelly and Jimmy saw a bean thread or two inside of them, but other than that, it just seemed to be all wrapper. They were cooked to a nice, golden, crunchy brown, but they were seriously lacking in the veggie department. The plum sauce was good, but they are probably not something that I would recommend for anyone to order.


I absolutely love Tom Kha Gai soup, but almost every Thai restaurant that I go to doesn't offer just a single serving bowl of it, they get all fancy and serve it in these giant silver urns, so I rarely end up ordering it. When I saw that I was able to order just a bowl of the soup, I knew that I had to give this version a try. Well, I have to say, this was the best version I have ever had; it had a touch of heat, mixed with the cool coconut and lime leaves, it was heavenly. My sister had never tried this kind of soup, so I scooped some into a bowl for her and she too thought that it was really good. The flavors were so well balanced, that I really could have eaten a giant urn full of this version!


I like all different kinds of Thai dishes, curries, noodles, etc., but on this particular night I wasn't feeling that adventurous, so I decided to go with the old Pad Thai standby. Kelly decided she was going to have the Pad Thai as well (but I won't bore you all with two pictures of the same dish). I ordered mine mild with the chicken and shrimp, while Kelly ordered hers at a hot heat level and with just tofu. When the dishes came out they were giant plates, just heaping with noodles. The ever present crushed peanuts and bean sprouts were strewn across the top just waiting to be mixed in to the delicious sauce and noodles below. Both Kelly and I dug in and were immediately happy with our dish; the noodles were perfectly cooked, and the sauce had just enough sweet and heat to give it a savory flavor. We both really enjoyed this classic, and I even felt that this is quite possibly the best version that I have ever had. My only complaint would be that I got a whopping two shrimp in my dish, and one of them was so hidden I didn't even find it until I was boxing up my leftovers!


Laura, whom I usually refer to as the Pad Thai Queen, because she never varies from her order, actually surprised me and ordered the Roasted Duck. Well, I shouldn't say this totally surprised me, because while she loves a good Pad Thai, if there is duck on the menu, it is no contest. She was quite surprised by how many different duck dishes Yupha's had on their menu, typically, if there is duck, there is one option, but they had at least four options plus a duck special! Not being one for spicy food, she opted for the Roasted Duck that was served over a bed a steamed spinach and with a brown sauce on the side. When her plate arrived, she was amazed to see the entire duck on her plate...bonus! The duck's skin was nice and crispy, and when dipped into the brown sauce, the flavor was really accentuated. Laura was really happy with this dish, and while it didn't scream Thai food, she was happy to pass up her usual Pad Thai in favor of the duck (though that didn't stop her from stealing a few bites off of my plate)!

Jimmy was in the mood for curry, and finally decided on the Green Curry with Beef, at a hot heat level! When the bowl came out, I could smell the heat wafting off of it and the scent of the lemongrass; it looked really good. After piling his plate with rice, he scooped beef and green curry sauce over the rice to begin his feast. He really like it, the meat was tender and the heat of the curry was tempered by the rice. At one point, he ran out of rice, and due to the shaky service, we waited a long time before Laura told him to just eat the rest of her rice; which was a good thing, because we might still be waiting for rice and water today! Once he got more rice, Jimmy was able to polish of the curry and declared it to be a success!

When we first got to the restaurant, Logan was still asleep, and of course he decided to wake up just before we got our food....but he is such a good baby that it didn't cause any problems. Laura hadn't seen him since he was a few days old, and she was excited to see how big he had gotten at five months old! We tried to take some pictures with him at the end of dinner, but he wasn't in the mood for photographs, but that didn't stop us from trying!

Myself, Laura, Logan & Kelly

(Not Pictured - Jimmy the Camera Man!)

Dinner was excellent, I am so glad that I finally made it to Yupha's, and I think the consensus of the group was that this was some above average Thai food. As always, we went for the company, but enjoyed the food, not a bad Thursday night at all!

Yupha's Thai Kitchen
1805 E. Elliot Rd., Suite 115
Tempe, AZ 85284
www.yuphasthaikitchen.com

VinciTorio's Restaurant

I hadn't been to a new restaurant in awhile, so I was looking forward to trying out this place with a few girls from my Sorority Alumni group. Two of them are regulars at VinciTorio's and had been wanting me to host one of the dinners there, so I finally gave in and planned the dinner there for a Friday night. I had called at noon that day to get reservations, and it was good that I did, because there were quite a few people waiting when we arrived, but we were seated right away.

The interior of the space has a very homey feel, with pictures of the owners family all over the walls. I estimated that there were only about 20 tables in the restaurant, so it was a nice atmosphere. After our waiter took our drink orders he came back with a basket of hot bread. My friends, the regulars, informed me that all the bread was made in house, making it very fresh. There were two types in the basket, a foccacia and a garlic bread. Both of them were excellent, the garlic bread was crunchy on the outside and soft in the middle. The foccacia seemed to be scented with rosemary, and it was delicious dipped into the self-serve olive oil and balsamic vinaigrette that was on the table.

The menu had lots of options, pasta dishes, meat dishes, salads, sandwiches and pizza...so much to choose from! While we looked over the menu, we decided to get some soup and salad to start with. Katie was raving about the Mushroom Soup, and while I am usually not a mushroom person, once I saw hers, I decided to give it a try since my meal was going to come with a choice of soup or salad. It was a rich, thick soup made with mushrooms, cream and red wine. As I was eating mine, I just felt that something was missing, so I added a dash of salt, and then the flavors really came alive. It was delicious, and I may have cured my mushroom hatred (although it still applies to raw mushrooms....yuck!).

Laura, Whitney & Cynthia all decided to start with the Caprese Salad. The presentation of the salad was lovely, and it came with some pleasant surprises that were not indicated in its description on the menu; roasted red peppers, marinated artichoke hears and kalamata olives! They gave me a bite to try, and while it was a decent version of a Caprese salad, it was nothing spectacular. The tomatoes seemed to be a bit under ripe, making them a bit hard and flavorless. The fresh buffalo mozzarella was good, and we really did enjoy the little extras on the side.

After we had finally decided on our main courses, it wasn't long before they started rolling out of the kitchen. Cynthia (one of the regulars) ordered the Gnocchi al Pomodoro Fresco, but substituted the fresh Pomodoro sauce for the Bolognese sauce. A huge bowl of little pasta and potato nuggets arrived, drenched in the meaty sauce. This is one of the usual things that she orders here, and she was not disappointed a bit. She gave me a gnocchi to try, and while I thought the dumpling was good (maybe a little tough), I was not a fan of the sauce. I think tomato based sauces are very personal, and what is amazing to one, just doesn't do it for another. I liked the ratio of the meat to the red sauce, but I think there was just a bit too much oregano for my taste, plus, I usually like my gnocchi served in a Vodka sauce!

Whitney was torn between two dishes, but ultimately decided to order the Ravioli di Zucca, which were butternut squash ravioli in a four cheese sauce. The presentation of these was beautiful, and she was quite amused that the ravioli were actually in the shape of large hearts! She felt the sweet squash filling paired well with the savory cheese sauce, and was very happy with her meal. It was definitely a rich dish, but not in a heavy way.

Katie (the other regular) ordered the Eggplant Sandwich which was served with homemade potato chips. The sandwich consisted of lightly breaded eggplant slices, tomato sauce and mozzarella cheese all baked into a fresh roll....the sandwich was huge! Katie said that it was very good, the eggplant was not soggy in the sandwich at all, and there was just enough sauce and cheese as a compliment. She gave me a chip to try and they were amazing! There is just something about homemade potato chips, they were still a bit warm, and seasoned perfectly with a touch of salt.

Laura wasn't in the mood for anything heavy that night, so she ordered the Chicken Caesar Salad. The salad was a good size portion with strips of seasoned chicken breast perched on top. She really liked the chicken, and felt that it was cooked perfectly. The salad was dressed with just enough dressing to retain the crispness of the lettuce. Laura really liked this salad, and said it was definitely something that she would order again.

When I saw the Cannelloni Rossini on the menu, I need to look no further! I have always loved Cannelloni, but it is not found on a lot of menus, so I was excited to try it. This one was filled with a mixture of ground veal, chicken and ricotta cheese, then topped with a duo of bechamelle and marinara sauce. When the plate arrived, I couldn't wait to dig into it, but I was ultimately disappointed. The filling was really dry, and there wasn't quite enough sauce on top to make up for the dryness. Also, once again, the red sauce just didn't suit my taste buds, making it taste a bit odd to me. The bechamelle sauce did have good flavor, and I ended up dipping some of the delicious bread in it. I was bummed by my dish, but at least everyone else seemed to enjoy theirs.

At the end of our meal, both Cynthia and Whitney decided to get a Cannoli for dessert. I am not a fan of Cannoli, but they both assured me that they were very good. They were a good size, filled to the brim with cream, and accented with a sprinkling of chocolate chips, powdered sugar and a cherry on top!

Laura decided that she wanted some dessert also, but opted for gelato instead. She had her choice between chocolate and vanilla; she chose the chocolate. After just one bite, she declared it to be the best gelato she had ever eaten! At that review, we all grabbed a spoon and took a taste, and it was amazing! It was rich and creamy and had just enough chocolate to make it feel decadent, but it wasn't overly sweet. She happily cleaned her bowl and was glad that we stayed for dessert!

Overall, we had a really nice time at VinciTorio's, it is a charming neighborhood Italian restaurant. The service was excellent, and for the most part the food was really good. I would consider giving it a second chance because there were some other items on the menu that were very appealing to me, but for next time, I just know that I need to stay away from anything with red sauce!

VinciTorio's Restaurant
1835 E. Elliot Rd., Suite C-109

Tempe, AZ

www.vincitoriosrestaurant.com

Casey Moore's Oyster House

"I'm a Sun Devil, man!"

This is the best movie quote ever (from Jerry Maguire for those of you living on another planet), and I have always prided myself in being able to shout it out and mean it. But last weekend, I realized that I was a very bad Sun Devil. Why do I say this? Because during my years at ASU, I never once stepped inside of Casey Moore's Oyster House....which apparently, is just very un-Sun Devil of me! I had always heard about it, but I just never ended up there. I don't know if it is because it is off the well-treaded path that is Mill Avenue or because it was just easier to walk next door to The Vine, but somehow it never happened.

I had some friends helping me move some furniture at the sorority house last weekend, and as their reward and thank you, I was taking them to lunch. I asked them where they wanted to go, and when Casey Moore's was mentioned, and I said that I had never been, they all just looked at me in shock! I was even with two non-Sun Devils, and they had been there before, so it was decided that I must try it out!

Casey Moore's is most known for its large patio, perfect for day drinking; but it is July, and there was going to be no sitting outside in 110 degree heat for us, especially since we had just been doing manual labor. We went inside the building, which is a converted house; and legend has it that it is haunted! The inside had lots of old charm to it, and we were able to easily grab a table in an area just off of the bar.

Whitney and Billy told me that the last time they were there they had gotten the Fried Zucchini and it was amazing. I am a huge fan of zucchini, it is one of my favorite vegetables, and well, who doesn't like fried stuff? So we decided to start with an order of that. The plate came out piled high with golden rounds of zucchini and a side of ranch dressing for dipping. I took the first bite and instantly agreed, these were awesome zucchini! I loved the crunchy coating, that had just the right amount of seasoning; it was very light and crispy. The zucchini were not greasy at all, and paired with the cool ranch, they were a wonderful start to our meal.


Billy decided to get the Fish and Chips again after his last visit; he says that they are the best he has had in town. The plate arrived with three large pieces of fish (cod) that were cooked to a deep golden brown. The batter was nice and crunchy, while the fish was tender and flaky. He doused on the malt vinegar and chowed down! Paired with french fries and some coleslaw, he was once again very satisfied with his meal. They looked good to me too, and I decided that I would have to come back just to try them myself!

Whitney also chose to get what she had ordered the last time she was there (I guess it should be taken as a good sign when people reorder the same dish again and again), which was the Hippie Sandwich. The sandwich gave you your choice of turkey, ham or roast beef (she chose the roast beef) and was piled high on wheat bread with lettuce, tomato, onion, sprouts, avocado and cheese. Whitney ordered hers minus the tomato and onion. Once again, she really liked her sandwich, and they were definitely not skimpy on the meat, the sandwich was huge! She was only able to end up eating half of it, but enjoyed every bite, along also with some of the fries that were on the side.

Jessica had a hard time deciding what to order, but ultimately, she ended up getting the Club Sandwich. This was not your usual triple decker sandwich, it was a blackened, grilled chicken breast topped with bacon, ham and melted cheese! There was also some lettuce, onion and tomato on the plate. Jessica had to cut the sandwich in half, but after her first bite, her eyes lit up and she declared, "Wow, this is good!" From where I was sitting it looked good, and it too was a big portion. The fries on the side were golden and crispy, rounding out the tasty meal.

Ryan was in the mood for a sandwich as well, and ordered the French Dip. The meat was thinly sliced and covered with melted provolone cheese, served on a soft sub roll. I was sitting across from him and began to think that maybe I had ordered wrong! On the side was a bowl of au jus for dipping and some french fries. The steak was tender, and when combined with the creamy cheese and salty au jus, it was the perfect combination. At the end of our meal, Ryan's plate was empty, so I am thinking he liked it!

I just didn't know what I wanted that day, but ultimately, I figured that it was a seafood place, so I should get some seafood. Even though it was 110 degrees outside, I really wanted to try the clam chowder because I am a clam chowder junkie! I almost always order it when it is on a restaurant menu, and that day was going to be no exception. The bowl came out piping hot with two little bags of oyster crackers on the side. I dumped the first bag in and took a bite, and mmm, it was a good chowder! The flavor of the clams really shined through, and there were lots of large pieces of clams as well. The soup was seasoned really well, and while it was creamy, it didn't feel too heavy. I was very glad that I braved the heat to try the chowder!

With my chowder I ordered a shrimp appetizer. I can't remember the name for the life of me, but there are two on the menu, one is the Scampi and the other is maybe called Cajun? I got the Cajun one, with the hopes that they would be similar to my favorite Nawlin's style BBQ shrimp. I took a bite and was not quite sure about what I thought. They weren't spicy like I had anticipated, and they didn't taste bad per se, they just weren't what I was expecting. I tried to eat a second shrimp, but I just didn't really like them, so I opted to just eat the garlic bread instead, which was very tasty. I think that these shrimp probably are okay, it is just when you have a flavor in your head and you get something else, sometimes your taste buds have a hard time adjusting!

We had a really nice meal at Casey Moore's, and the relaxed atmosphere made it for a neat place to hang out. I can definitely see myself returning once the weather gets cooler to hang out on their giant patio. In the meantime, at least I can now, once again, proudly proclaim:

"I'm a Sun Devil, man!"

Casey Moore's Oyster House

850 S. Ash Ave.

Tempe, AZ 85281

http://www.caseymoores.com/

La Bocca Urban Pizzeria + Wine Bar

My good friend Kelly (aka Doughhead) has always been one of my biggest fans when it comes to my cooking. She is actually the one that inspired me to start this blog after having enjoyed reading her blog (Kelly and Jimmy), and I think she gets the award for my most loyal reader! Even though we don't get to hang out that often, we try to get together for dinner every couple of months, to catch up on each other's lives. Kelly just had a baby at the end of May, I was lucky enough to stop by and visit them shortly after his arrival, but my mom still hadn't gotten to meet Logan, so we decided we needed to go to lunch! Kelly and I go way back, you see, our parents met each other when they were both newlyweds living across the street from each other; many year's before either Kelly or I were even a thought in our parent's minds! It is always fun getting together with them, because it is like a second family. So with a plan in place; Kelly, her mom Sharon, baby Logan, my mom and I were going to have a mid-week lunch date! Since Kelly values my foodie opinion, I was nominated to pick a place to meet; I think she was also angling to get a mention on my blog!

With Kelly and Sharon living on the South side of town, and my mom and I living on the North side, I decided that Tempe would be a good middle point for everyone to meet. I also figured that since it was summertime, it wouldn't be all that crowded in Tempe compared to other times of the year. I remembered that a few of my friends had said good things about La Bocca and after checking the menu, it looked good to me, and I also thought that there was a lot of variety for non meat eating Kelly!

La Bocca is located in the Brickyard on Mill Ave., which is in the heart of Tempe right by the campus of ASU (GO DEVILS!). The space is sleek and modern, with lots of wood an rich colors on the walls. There is a large bar on one side of the room, and with the high ceilings, it has a nice open feel. The staff was very accommodating and brought out a high chair to put Logan's baby sat on so he wasn't forced to sit on the floor!

After looking over the menu, consisting of mostly bruschetta, salads, sandwiches and pizzas, we were ready to order. My mom and I decided to get a couple of things to share; I am always a fan of a lot of variety! We started out with the Caprese Salad. When they brought it out, they had graciously split it onto two plates. The presentation was lovely, with the tomatoes alternating with the fresh slices of mozzarella and basil. The salad was dressed with a balsamic drizzle. This was so delicious, one of the best caprese's I have ever eaten. I sometimes feel that balsamic can be too overpowering, but in this dish it was just right. My mom really liked this as well; and we both were intrigued by the use of both red and green tomatoes, a unique twist on a classic dish.

To go along with our caprese, we decided to get the Bruschetta Plank on the appetizer menu. When I say Bruschetta, the first thing that probably pops into your mind is chopped tomatoes, basil and olive oil. Well, La Bocca takes bruschetta to a different level. They have eight different toppings to choose from, and you get to choose four for each plank! Our choices were (from left to right in picture): 1) roasted garlic, goat cheese & balsamic arugula 2) queen creek olives & basil ricotta 3) prosciutto, fig & marscapone and 4) artichoke, spinach & roasted pepper. The presentation on the wood plank, was very unique, and each piece was cut in half for easy sharing. We both started to taste the different varieties and were immediately delighted with our choices. The saltiness of the olives with the creamy ricotta was divine; same with the prosciutto fig & marscapone, which had salty, creamy and sweet elements. The bitter arugula and balsamic was tempered by the tangy goat cheese, and the freshness of the artichokes and spinach contrasted well with the roasted peppers. My favorite of the bunch was the prosciutto, fig & marscapone, but mom's favorite was the olive & ricotta; this is a great dish to share, because it can be tailored to many different tastes!

Kelly was in the mood for pizza, and was very excited by all the different unique flavor combinations. She opted for the Truffled Mushroom pizza, which I think made my mom a bit jealous because since she had agreed to share with me, she instantly knew that there would be no mushrooms in her meal (I HATE mushrooms!). Kelly sensed my mom's mushroom struggle and told her that she would give her a piece to try; problem solved! The pizza had sauteed mushrooms, roasted tomatoes and goat cheese baked into the chewy crust. Then it was topped with baby spinach that had been dressed with some balsamic vinegar and a touch of white truffle oil. Kelly really liked this pizza, and when my mom got her piece, she too was a fan. They both liked the contrast of the hot pizza with the cool lettuce (which is a combo that I too dig with a BLT pizza). Let's just say, by the end of our meal, the pizza plate was empty!

Sharon ordered the Italian Chicken Salad Sandwich on toasted Foccacia bread. She also had her choice of side items, and opted for the garden salad. Our first impression of the sandwich was that it was huge!! The roll was a good size, but I think what made it look so big was how much chicken salad they had filled the bread with. Sharon enjoyed this sandwich, as it was a different twist on a chicken salad, there was no mayonnaise! The chicken was mixed with onions, peppers and seasoned with garlic, herbs and some olive oil. Sharon ended up taking half of it home, which I think most people would, so it would be a great sandwich for sharing!

Not only was the food delicious, but the company was wonderful. It is always fun to catch up with old friends that you don't get to see that often, and of course, Logan and his hair stole the show! If I was attending an event in the Tempe area and needed to grab a meal, I would definitely go to La Bocca again. I think it would be a great place to also meet up with friends for drinks and appetizers...and maybe some dessert too!

La Bocca Urban Pizzeria + Wine Bar
699 S. Mill Ave., #115
Tempe, AZ 85281
www.laboccapizzeria.com