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>>> And now, an 8 original
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>>> Hello.
I'm Robert McGrath and
welcome to "Check, Please!
Arizona."
The show where people recommend
and talk about their favorite
restaurants.
So this is how the show works.
Every week we have three
guests.
Each recommends his or her
favorite spot and then the
other two go see what think.
Joining us is Jenna Keck.
She enjoys discovering local
places with amazing food and
service.
When it's time to celebrate,
her family knows the spot.
Our next guest is Jodene
Saavedra.
She loves to drive around to
look for places to stop and
dine.
Their hidden gem is a unique
setting.
Up first, we have businessman
*** todd.
He's eaten at just about every
restaurant in Phoenix and isn't
afraid to try anything.
He keeps coming back to his
favorite place.
It's Arcadia tavern, located
east of 48th street in
Phoenix.
>> Arcadia tavern puts an
emphasis on American classics
with great food prepared by
chef Robert Wagner.
Our roasted half-chicken served
on mashed potatoes with grilled
asparagus is phenomenal.
Our miso salmon is something
you haven't experienced that
you need to come down and try.
All our burgers are made from
ground chuck and every patty we
do is formed in house by hand.
We have a very generous bar, a
large bar seating area as well
as a very large patio.
Right now, we currently have 72
different beers that we offer
here between our drafts, our
bottles and specialty cans.
We allow the family to come in
and dine with us.
They can bring their children,
they can still be adults, have
it the cocktails and enjoy tell
us but more importantly the
kids can still be kids.
We have lots of game systems.
We are now up to 25 TVs in
this establishment 50 inches or
larger and there's always a day
where I think where could I put
another one?
And we've been able to provide
live music every Friday night.
Arcadia tavern is a family
dining experience with an
emphasis on food that's
prepared daily, being seated
and able to watch your favorite
sports.
>> ***, you chose this
restaurant.
Why did you choose Arcadia
tavern?
>> It's been a pizza place,
it's been a lot of things but
it opened a few years ago and
we went in there and my wife
and I tried it and it was
great.
They had the best burgers to me
anyway and the ribs and
everything is very, very good.
Good service, and it's a sports
bar so you can watch all the
sports you want to in a place.
We loved it there.
>> Sounds like a good reason to
nominate it.
>> Yeah.
>> You all and visited it.
>> It was family dining, a
large family gathering spot.
It wasn't cold feeling, it
wasn't feeling like you were at
a restaurant some place, just
kind of a community room where
you're able to gather together
and hang out.
>> I agree with you because
there was a very loud band
playing and there were lots of
kids.
It didn't feel like any one
distinct noise rose above the
chatter of friends and family.
So I think the hum and thrum of
the place is definitely people
interacting.
>> Let's describe the interior
when you come in.
>> I see the big screen TVs,
you can't walk six feet without
watching something about
sports.
They promote Arcadia high
school, the high school there.
The ambience in there is a
sport bar but a clean one and
the food is excellent.
So that's what you feel when
you walk in the place.
You feel welcome.
>> Now, obviously the choice
you made here was based on a
lot of different things.
What would you say that the
thing that made you nominate
the restaurant besides the
interior?
>> The food.
The food is just -- it's not
just typical sport bar chicken
wings and something else.
They have wings but I mean, you
can get prime rib, you can get
spaghetti, chicken.
The menu is three pages of
things that you can get.
The one that I really like is
the prime rib au jus French
dip.
And they really -- it's really
prime rib.
They put it on their own bread
and it's heated with -- a
little cheese and you dip that
in and if that don't satisfy
you, there's something wrong
with you.
It's that good.
The other thing that I've
always liked is the baby back
ribs.
They're excellent.
They just are.
It comes with French fries or
coleslaw or whatever you want
with it.
>> We had the queso, which was
delicious and I think it came
with chips, as well.
But it felt like it was really
good quality cheese.
It had a lot of fresh tomato in
it, it was beautiful.
It was one of the nicest quesos
we have had.
The burger was the best burger
I've ever eaten in my life.
I did the build your own so you
could select from a long list
of items and I had it on the
pretzel bun and the bun was
fantastic.
I'm not sure what you had but I
already know I'm going back to
try the prime rib and au jus
but the burger was phenomenal.
My husband had the ribs and one
of their tag lines is you don't
need a knife.
Absolutely true.
>> We started off with the hot
spinach artichoke dip.
We loved the dip but when you
go to some places, it's like a
gelatin, it's not as fresh with
the cheese and it was
completely fresh.
It was so -- it was just
delicious, and then they had
the roasted salsa that went
with it as well that
complemented it and we scraped
it clean.
That was our favorite thing.
>> What comes with the
artichoke dip?
Is it bread?
>> It's tortilla chips.
>> It was really good.
And then I had the chicken
pesto pizza and the portion was
huge.
That could feed two people.
It was just delicious.
And their home-made basil pesto
on there.
They grilled their tomatoes.
It went watery.
And then they saved -- shaved
the chicken.
So that was pretty good.
And then my husband had the
Buffalo chicken sandwich with
cheese, a grilled chicken
instead of breaded and he said
it was the best one that he had
ever had.
It was perfectly balanced with
all the different flavors.
>> For dessert, they have a
fudge cake with chocolate and
with -- you have to order it
and as you come in because it
takes 20 minutes to make and
they have this ice cream --
it's so good.
>> What did you have for
dessert on there?
>> The baked cookie.
I don't know what the name is.
>> Arcadia cookie.
>> And we went for the peanut
butter.
I don't know which one you had.
Okay.
Fantastic.
I want to go back and try that.
The peanut butter cookie was --
just chips of peanut
everywhere.
My husband loves that type of
dessert, I don't, but I wanted
to try it.
It was delicious.
I wasn't used to it but I'm
eating this cookie and it was
phenomenal.
One of the best desserts I've
ever had.
>> I would agree.
It was huge.
There was four of us there so
we all split it.
It had the vanilla bean ice
cream and it was gooey and warm
and delicious.
>> If you would like to try
Arcadia tavern, reservations
are accepted are not required
and the average tab -- the
average tab per person is
around $15.
>>> Up next is MacAlpine's
restaurant located at the
corner of 7th and oak streets
in Phoenix.
>> The soda fountain and
pharmacy opened in 1929.
It's been MacAlpine's ever
since then.
The soda fountain was years ago
part of a pharmacy and sodas
were tonics, they would make
you feel better.
We had the original fountain,
and then we have old fashioned
marble-top tables and a booth
from the late 1800s and it's
just gorgeous.
The most unique part about
MacAlpine's would be the
history.
We have been here for so long.
We serve American food,
hamburgers, salads, sandwiches,
and then we have an interesting
variety of sodas.
We have 99 flavors of soda, and
then some very unique ice cream
sodas, and then we have
delicious sundaes, splits.
We serve a meatloaf dinner.
It's real mashed potatoes which
we make here, gravy, of course,
and carrots.
We also serve a good
old-fashioned sloppy joe.
We have added the antique --
[ Indiscernible ]
Our goal was to make
MacAlpine's a destination.
It's a unique property which
makes it very interesting and
very fun.
I would say MacAlpine's is a
step back in time.
It's a blast from the past.
>> This is your choice.
Why did you nominate this
restaurant?
>> I love MacAlpine's
restaurant and soda fountain.
It feels like you're stepping
back in time.
It's like you get a break from
reality, no matter how good
reality is, sometimes, you want
to have an escape and I loved
that the restaurant is
authentic to its era, that you
can look behind the counter and
see a 1950s shake maker, it
makes a good shake.
I also loved that the
restaurant is flanked by two
vintage stores.
So you can get lost in that
atmosphere.
>> What was your first
impression?
>> My first impression was it
was different because it's hard
to find the parking and when we
pulled up, we walked into one
of the rooms with some of the
furniture and so I was a little
confused and we looked to the
left and you step back into
time.
The soda fountain, it's just
kind of a cool vibe going on
and you walk in and then you
can see the rest of the store.
They have vintage clothing.
>> I moved here in 1962 and the
place was open then.
I used to go there with my
kids, I used to live in that
neighborhood, ice cream cones
was the big thing.
The atmosphere is great, it's
the 1950s.
>> How much has it changed?
>> It looks the same.
They've kept the atmosphere.
In fact, some of the antiques
they have in the place I think
were there when I was there in
'62.
It goes back way back.
When I went in there, I was
going to try both the food but
I knew the malts and the shakes
had to be good so that was the
first thing I got and I ordered
the special, which was French
onion soup and a hamburger.
This is a malt shop, this is
not a lunch place.
And it's nothing wrong with it.
I was a little disappointed in
the preparation of the food.
But the malts, shakes and at
the end.
>> By the time you've had your
four servings of malt, you
can't squeeze in the pie.
>> I did.
>> My husband had the special
of the day at the time which
was the roast beef with the au
jus dip, which was phenomenal.
I had the grilled cheese, which
had --
>> What bread did you have it
on?
>> Sourdough.
>> Was it great?
>> I added bacon.
>> So that's what I should have
done.
The waitress recommended to me
do it on sourdough and I went
with something else so the
bread, I didn't get that
crunch.
I'm going back.
>> That sounds better than what
I had.
>> It was.
>> And I would agree, I was
thinking -- I wanted the full
effect so we wanted the meal
and the ice cream and the money
wasn't what we were expecting
but she recommended the toasted
cheese, and they have really
good bacon so it was -- it was
big, and so it was just so
good.
It was just a good crunch.
>> Bacon makes everything
better.
>> It does, it really does.
>> What did they serve with
your sandwiches?
>> I had the carrot salad,
which was delicious.
And then the other meal came
with coleslaw.
And what I loved about the
people that work there is that
they are passionate about their
flavors of ice cream and their
99 soda flavors and you can ask
them what do you have in the
freezer and they'll recommend
combos to you and they'll go
through great detail and
explaining what the different
types of drinks are.
>> I had a malt and it was -- I
was reading it, six scoops of
ice cream and I was just like
oh, my word, that's huge and it
came in a huge glass and it was
delicious and totally ate the
whole thing up because it was
that old-fashioned malt.
The good flavor, just took me
back to the days of my grandma
and eating that like a little
kid.
It was delicious.
>> They make it the way you
want it.
I ordered a chocolate malt with
vanilla ice cream and it came
in that container that you were
talking about.
So I really can't complain
about the hamburger because I
kept going to the malt
constantly.
>> And it made the cherry pie
viable really.
>> I could care less about the
burger, I wanted the pie and
the malt.
>> The other great thing that
we had was the egg cream.
I was reading about it, you
think the name throws you off
but it was delicious.
It was a soda, and then you had
your flavor, which you did
peach wedding cake flavor and
then -- it was half and half.
So we were kind of reluctant
and she made one for our whole
table and it was dessert in a
cup.
It was delicious.
It was good.
>> Great place to get a soda,
it truly is.
I've been back once since I've
got there.
My wife doesn't know about it.
>> She does now.
>> Well, if you would like to
try MacAlpine's restaurant and
soda fountain, reservations are
accepted for parties larger
than six and the average tab
per person for dinner without
drinks is around $11.
>>> Our next restaurant is
Fajitas, a sizzling celebration
located on black canyon highway
on the east access road in
Phoenix.
>> Fajitas is a tex-mex
restaurant with a huge emphasis
on serving fresh home-made
food.
Every day, we season our meats
and our chicken and our shrimp
with a special dry marinade, 24
hours in advance and it flavors
and tenderizes the food.
All of our Fajitas are prepared
on our grill and we use a
special charcoal.
Then we have a special tortilla
station where they prepare them
to order.
Obviously, we special in
Fajitas but -- we do have lots
of other items and our
vegetable Fajitas have become
very popular.
Our Fajitas are for sharing.
We serve it in the half and
pound and the pound.
Also at lunchtime, Monday
through Friday, we have a
quarter pound, which is more of
an individual fajita.
Fajitas is a fun, exciting,
lively atmosphere.
We have a lot of regular people
that tell me that once they've
had a fajita at Fajitas, they
can't eat Fajitas anywhere else
because ours are the best.
Fajitas is what we want to do
perfect every time.
>> This is all you.
Why did you nominate this
restaurant?
>> Well, Fajitas has been --
they're celebrating their 25
years and it's a place that our
family has always gone for my
birthday, kind of just a place
where we gather together as a
family with friends and we love
Mexican food and when you walk
into Fajitas, the smells just
overtake you and they have
everything right in the middle
with the bar surrounding where
they cook all your meat and
vegetables and everything and
their fresh tortillas made
there.
When you want good Fajitas,
fresh, hot with a warm tortilla
and a good family meal, it's
the place to go.
>> You walk in and you have
this smell of Fajitas and I
don't care where you go,
Fajitas smell good.
>> What was your first
impression?
>> I was excited to be there,
it definitely felt like a
fiesta was going to happen and
I couldn't wait to eat what I
was seeing walking around the
restaurant, which is just those
sizzling platters.
>> With all the smoke and
everything.
>> The one thing that struck me
was that they have these
massive hanging plants.
Did you see that?
I was like are these fake?
And everywhere throughout the
restaurant, they have very
large beautifully taken care of
plants, give it another kind
of -- is.
>> They're really plants.
>> They are.
>> Like a real hacienda.
>> That's exactly the feeling
you get.
>> A unique feature it sounds
like is this kitchen in the
middle of the restaurant.
And the fact they make their
own tortillas and that's
visible to the guests.
>> They have the grill where
they do all their meat and
vegetables.
Right there, it's a huge cast
iron one that they put
everything up and they kind
of -- you can see it moving and
getting cooked right there.
It's the big part.
And then sometimes, you see the
fire going, different things
like that and everything
freshly prepared right there.
It's a huge open area like
that.
>> When I took out my first
tortilla out of the dish, I
knew it was different from
anything I had ever had before.
It felt like I was in someone's
home, it was phenomenal, really
good.
>> You can smell all the way
through the restaurant and they
know what they're doing with
that.
>> It's not a trick.
That's a strategy there.
>> That's right.
>> I love their salsa, it was
fresh and I like the fact that
we got our own salsa bowl.
Sharing is good but sometimes,
you want your own bowl and the
chips were warm and we added
the queso and it was definitely
a totally different experience
from what Arcadia tavern was
but it was delicious.
It was delicious.
>> We got the fiesta bean dip.
That seven-layer bean dip and
it's warm on a big plate with
your beans and your cheese and
guacamole, it's a nice little
pre-taster.
I went during lunch with my
friend and we literally split
the lunch portion because you
can get about almost four out
of that just with all the sides
and everything that they give
with it.
So that's really a great cheap
option for lunch is to go and
get your own different flavor
that you want and it's really
good.
>> I had the beef and it was
too big to eat.
It was delicious.
The beef was tender and
flavorful.
>> We wanted to try the regular
beef to see what it was like
and we were stunned.
It was tender, the flavor was
amazing.
We couldn't even finish the
half-pound option because you
can get whatever the meat is or
veggies in the half-pound or
the pound and they're very
clear about two people can do a
half-pound, four people need a
pound.
You don't feel like they're
trying to give you too much
because you're ordering the
meat by the half-pound, you
know that you're getting enough
meat, and then it's just this
luxurious bonus that you get
this platter of sour cream and
the pico de gallo.
And great quality cheese.
>> Now, what about desserts?
>> We didn't get the dessert
because I was so stuffed from
everything but they do have a
really good dessert taco thing
that they have there.
It's really good.
Served with ice cream and
chocolate and it's just
delicious.
It's full.
>> I was very tempted by the
dessert tortilla, that's like
fried and powdered with sugar
but the girl that was serving
us, she said apple pie, hands
down, go with the apple pie and
she was like there's butter on
the bottom and when it comes,
it will be bubbling.
So it was a very large piece of
apple pie and she was
absolutely right.
It comes similar to the way the
tortilla comes with the wooden
board, the very, very hot cast
iron skillet, and then in the
bottom is like maybe brandy
flavored butter or it's just
spiced butter and on top is the
apple pie with the most
phenomenal buttery crust, which
has been sitting in the butter
so it's absorbed and crispy.
And on top, the most amazing
vanilla ice cream.
>> Quite an impression.
>> I recommend it, highly.
>> If you would like to try
Fajitas, a sizzling
celebration, reservations are
not required and the average
tab per person for dinner
without drinks is around $14.
That's it for another show and
don't forget to visit our
website where you can watch all
of our reviews and even
nominate your favorite
restaurant.
We just might invite you to be
on the show.
On the go, check us out on your
mobile home.
I want to thank my guests this
week.
Join us next time when three
new guests will recommend their
favorite spots right here on
"Check, Please! Arizona."
I'm Robert McGrath and I'll
see you then.
>>> "Check, Please! Arizona"
was made possible by lawns by
les, a family-owned business
serving hoas and commercial
clients for 30 years while
working to improve the local
community.
Proud to support 8, Arizona
PBS.
More information
www.lawnsbyles.com.
>> BestDentalCareAZ.com
identifies selected dental
offices in the Phoenix-metro
area, providing services from
basic cleanings and fillings to
advanced cosmetic procedures.
More information at
BestDentalCareAZ.com.
>> Whitfill Nursery, proud to
support 8, Arizona PBS, a
valley tradition since 1946.
Over 200 acres of Arizona-grown
trees, citrus and palms,
complete custom design and
installation and Whitfill
Nursery still does the digging.
>>> Ironwood Cancer & Research
Centers specialize in prostate
cancer treatment and is a proud
member of the association of
community cancer centers,
patients have access to robotic
surgery, chemotherapy,
radiation and clinical trials.