Blogs

By Jay Bennett

The Budget Beat household loves a good hamburger (or hamburg, as they annoyingly call them in West Michigan, where I spent my teen years during a long-lost time known as the 1980s), so when a faithful reader suggests we check out a particular burger joint, we're there. Recently, I was steered toward Lenny's Burger Shop, a three-store local chain with locations at Central and Thomas in Phoenix, on West Glendale in Phoenix, and North 59th Avenue in Glendale.

The missus and I visited the Phoenix restaurant, which sits in a sleepy strip mall on the corner of Central and Thomas. Numerous signs on the building declare the merchants' being open for business during light-rail construction on Central Avenue. None of the stores in the strip mall appeared too busy around dinnertime on the night we visited. Let's hope they can tough out the construction for another few months.

It'd be a shame to see a place like Lenny's go belly up just because of construction. Though the place doesn't exactly make life-changing hamburgers, the food is well above average, the prices are dirt cheap, and the restaurant is clean. You'd never know it from the outside, but Lenny's sports that popular 1950s diner motif, with red and white tiles and tons of polished chrome, counter seating, and a bunch of two-seater booths. The place is lined with tinsel, too, and with some fans blowing, the room was vibrant.

Like I said, the hamburgers are good but not outstanding, mostly because they're cooked on a griddle, not on a grill over a flame. But the hamburger patties were juicy, flavorful, and served hot; the buns were fresh; and the toppings were plentiful.

The missus ordered the standard #1 burger with pepper jack cheese. It came with lettuce, mustard, tomato, and onion. No complaints there.

I ordered the Mexican burger, a darn nice sandwich topped with green chiles, grilled red onions, Monterey and pepper jack cheese, and mayo. I really didn't taste the mayo, which was fine with me because the burger didn't need it. Of course, the grilled onions and grilled green chiles made the burger something special, and I was not disappointed.

Mexican burger: Green chiles and grilled onions did not disappoint. (Photo by Laura Hahnefeld)

The onion rings fit the bill but did not go above and beyond, as they do at, say, Ricky's Big Philly or Chicago Hamburger Company. The exact same thing could be said of the banana shake that we split. Not bad, and there were a couple of chunks of 'nanner in there but it paled in comparison to the banana shake at Chicago Hamburger Company, who makes one of the truly best in the world (outside of my mom's kitchen, that is).

For the many folks who live along the Central Avenue corridor in Phoenix, Lenny's is probably a mainstay, and with good reason. I recommend it and would visit more frequently if I lived around there. Our meal cost $11, which is downright near unbeatable. Here's hoping Lenny's perseveres through light-rail construction hell.

Lenny's Burger Shop
2825 North Central Avenue
602-263-8700

By Jay Bennett

I'd been curious about trying Eliana's Authentic Salvadoran Cuisine ever the since the first time I drove by the place on 24th Street just north of McDowell. I love Mexican food and assumed that the food of El Salvador would be just as good. Of course, El Salvador is situated nowhere near the northern Mexican states of Sonora and Michoacan and Sinaloa, creators of much of the Mexican food that we know and love.

Still, there were similarities, especially in the names of entrees such as carne asada and fajitas de camarón and drinks such as horchata.

The restaurant has been around for a couple of decades now, as evidenced by the reprinting of a New Times review of Eliana's that dates back to 1991, written by someone named Penelope Corcoran. Well, ol' Penelope really dug the place back in the day. I found it to be decent, probably a worth a trip just for the novelty, but not amazing.

The menu seemed a little tired, as if the Eliana's gang were making the exact same meals back in 1991 as they are today, without many tweaks or improvements.

The building was probably a DQ Brazier or Wendy's in a previous life, but it is clean and cheerful inside now, thanks to colorful decorations from the homeland and lots and lots of hanging plants (a nice touch).

The drinks were very good. One, called ensalada, was a sort of delicious fruit punch with chunks of fruit in it. The horchata was unlike the Mexican horchata we're used to. It was brown-colored, wasn't nearly as sweet, and had a mocha-like taste. That must've been due to the marrow seeds in it. I had no idea what marrow seeds were, but I do now. According to one Web site, they're good for the prostate and promote craftiness.

I ordered the pasteles de salvadoreños de carne appetizer, a deep-fried treat filled with potatoes, carrots, and little chunks of beef. To me, it was like a Hot Pocket crossed with a pot pie. Not bad at all.

I was a little disappointed by my entree, the carne asada con chimol, a piece of broiled flank steak with sautéed onions and a little dish of beans and peppers. The piece of meat wasn't the greatest and the tropical spices that were promised on the menu seemed non-existent. Therefore, it was kinda bland. Even the fresh pico de gallo couldn't do much to amp up this plate. Of course, I still ate it all up, because I was taught as a kid to be a member of the Clean Plate Club.

Carne asada: More tropical spices, por favor.

The missus ordered the fajitas de camarón, which was a better choice. The shrimp were perfectly grilled and plentiful, as well. The plate came with thick, homemade tortillas and a bean purée that really helped make the dish something more interesting than it could've been. Still, not quite a home run.

The fajitas: Not quite a homer. More like a stand-up triple. (Photos by Laura Hahnefeld)

The menu is small, which I like, and very affordable. Every entree is about $9 or $11. But if you're gonna have a small menu, everything on it had better be killer. I'd like to try some of the fish platters on the menu if I go back.

By the way, if you've got restaurants in mind that would make for a cool Budget Beat write-up, I'd love to hear from you. Send your ideas to jay.bennett@newtimes.com.

Eliana's Authentic Salvadoran Cuisine
1627 North 24th Street
602-225-2925

By Jay Bennett

Since being turned on to Paisley Violin by a co-worker a couple of weeks ago, I've been raving about the place to just about anybody who will listen. I know I'm a latecomer to its greatness, but better late than never, right?

Situated in an old, standalone building in a semi-desolate stretch of Grand Avenue in downtown Phoenix, Paisley Violin El Museo Café (yeah, I'm not crazy about the name, either) is a real diamond in the rough, serving salads and top-notch sandwiches at Budget Beat-approved prices, all in a setting dripping with multi-media eclecticism.

If you enter through the back door, you'll walk through a small, wrought iron-adorned courtyard surrounded by brightly colored houses, presumably used as artists' studios. There's a bird cage out there and a pretty fountain, too.

Upon entering the eatery, you'll see an attractive wooden bar running nearly the length of right side of the room. If and when this place ever secures a liquor license (it's strictly BYOB now), it could be a stellar drinking hole on a street that could another one besides the Bikini Lounge and Chez Nous.

The bar: Oh, for a booze license . . .

There's a neat, elevated DJ booth in the middle and a little bit of room for bands to set up and play, which occurs occasionally, including on First Fridays. On the night I went there, a movie screen had been pulled down for Paisley's weekly movie night, during which writer/director Terry Swann screens a classic flick and discusses it afterward. Nude drawings by artist Eric Hodgins lined the wall.

The sandwiches are what makes this place great, especially the Cuban panini, something I've ordered a couple of times now. The Cuban consists of prosciutto served over a black bean paste, chunks of red onion, and melted Swiss cheese. That all sounds great, but what hits this one out of the ballpark are bites of sweet dill pickle and an astounding chipotle mayo dressing. It comes on a toasted baguette that, while tasty, makes eating the sandwich a crunchy, palate-scraping, sometimes sloppy, affair. As I've stated before in this space, I prefer the soft roll, but what are you gonna do? The $8 Cuban is among my favorite sammies in all the Valley.

The Cuban panini: You can't see 'em, but there are pickles in there!

Each sandwich comes with a side serving of uniquely tasty potato salad. (There are other side options, too, but I can't even remember what they are because I'm so fixated on their potato salad.)

The missus enjoyed the Greek Peasant Salad but did not rave about it, so let's move on. Our dining companion, Andi (new to these parts from Big D), ordered another PV specialty, the eggwich. This particular eggwich was of the French variety and featured spinach, Brie, olive oil, and garlic pepper on a big ol' croissant. She gave the $4.25 creation a big thumbs-up. Other eggwiches, which PV serves all day long, include the Greek, American, Italian, Mediterranean, Norwegian. and Cajun.

The eggwich: Good any time of day. (Photos by Laura Hahnefeld)

I'd be remiss if I didn't mention PV's hummus plate appetizer, which comes with a generous serving of reddish, dill-flavored hummus that is unlike any I've had before. It's garnished with a couple of yummy stuffed grape leaves, tomato wedges, and cucumber dill sauce, as well as some toasted pita wedges.

It was really cool to see the small place fill up with an assortment of folks for movie night. Young couples, hipster dudes, middle-aged folks toting bottles of wine, and a couple of families with kids settled in to watch The Magnificent Seven and discuss it afterward with Terry Swann, who will resume movie night on Wednesdays in September with films about the dark side of politics.

I can't say enough about Paisley Violin. This kind of place was a dime-a-dozen in my previous city of residence, Chicago. Ditto for Brooklyn, the former home of the fella who took me to PV in the first place, New Times art director Peter Storch. No wonder we've been gravitating toward Paisley Violin: It's a reminder of all the arty places in those world-class burgs. I'm just happy there are peeps in PHX that get it. On the whiteboard where the daily specials are listed, they've written as a message to diners, "Thank you for feeling the love." No, PV, thank you.

Paisley Violin El Museo Café
1030 Grand Avenue
602-254-7843

By Jay Bennet

It's amazing how many Thai restaurants exist in the Valley. I've been to several but have touched only the proverbial tip of the iceberg, and I'm pleased to report that none of them flat-out sucks (well, there is a certain Thai place on Camelback that provided such an unpleasant experience that I bolted before even ordering the food). Still, there are a lot of dandies out there: Thai Elephant, Thai Lahna, Thai Hut, etc. They all have warranted repeat visits.

Still, there's one Thai restaurant that I find myself gravitating to, and that's Thai Basil, which has a handful of locations around the Valley, including one on Central, near Thomas, and the one I visited for the purposes of this Budget Beat, on University Drive, just west of Mill Avenue, in Tempe.

On a recent Sunday night — after the dinner rush, I might add — the University Drive location was doing a brisk business. That's a good sign. And whenever the co-workers and I hit up the Thai Basil location on Central Avenue for lunch, it's always packed. Another good sign. Let's face it: This family of eateries delivers the goods.

The missus and I started with some spring rolls, a deep-fried mix of cabbage, corn, vermicelli and served with an awesome sweet dipping sauce that had chopped peanuts in it. Needless to say, we scarfed down all four of these things posthaste.

Spring rolls: Sometimes four just ain't enough.

Our entrees were no-frills and no-nonsense and just simply good. She had the pad thai with tofu (I should note that we like to try the standards before we deem a place worthy of venturing deeper into the menu) and found it to be a traditional but tasty serving of pad thai. "Better than most" is, I believe, how she put it, but not quite as good as the dish served at Fate (possibly the gold standard in these parts). It was hot, fresh-tasting, and flavorful, with just enough kick.

Pad thai: A go-to dish if ever there was one.

I opted for the restaurant's signature dish, thai basil with chicken. I highly enjoyed this entree: super-fresh vegetables such as zucchini, carrots, broccoli, bell peppers, and onions, as well as bamboo shoots and, of course, whole sautéed fresh basil leaves, all in a mildly spicy brown sauce. As you might imagine, the basil is what makes the dish. I dig that taste of sautéed basil so much that I'm having a hard imagining ordering anything else on my next visit.

Thai basil: Hot, fresh, and totally basil-tastic. (Photos by Laura Hahnefeld)

High marks to Thai Basil for presenting a menu with a lot — but not too many — options. Often, Asian restaurants will hand you a menu that is downright daunting. Information overload, if you will. I like a small menu. It tells me a restaurant is confident in preparing just a few truly worthwhile dishes.

Both the pad thai and thai basil were about $9 each — a darn nice price for plentiful, fresh servings.

My recommendation: Check out Thai Basil during lunch, when they also toss in a small side salad before you even order. It's nothing fancy — just some iceberg lettuce and a sort-of French dressing — but it's a nice touch that I found myself missing at dinner. Also at lunch, they throw one of those spring rolls on your plate. And the lunch price is about a buck cheaper, to boot.

Like I said, there's no shortage of Thai in this town. Thai Basil seems to recognize this, so it makes sure it's doing things right while still keeping prices down. What more do you want?

Thai Basil
403 W. University Dr., Tempe
480-968-9250

By Jay Bennett

You don't have to twist my arm to get me to dine on the cuisine of the Middle East. It's, perhaps, my favorite ethnic food — and has been ever since I was a little kid eating dinner at the house of my Uncle Walid, a Syrian immigrant. Back in the day, he was quite the cook, whipping up the best hummus, stuffed grape leaves, pita, tabbouleh, fatoush, you name it. For a WASP-y little dork like me, eating over at "Wally's" was like going on vacation.

Thankfully, there's no shortage of great Middle Eastern restaurants in the Valley. In fact, I've found more and better Middle Eastern eateries here than I ever did in Chicago, where I lived before moving here a couple of years ago.

And there's a great, inexpensive place near the intersection of Scottsdale Road and Shea Boulevard called Sabuddy Israeli Restaurant that's a must-eat if you live in the area. And if you're a Phoenix or Tempe resident, it certainly wouldn't kill ya to make the trek to Scottsdale for this stuff, especially when you consider the majority of the items on the menu are between $7 and $10.

The missus and I went pretty standard on our recent trip to Sabuddy, as we tried to get a feel for the basics. She ordered a falafel dinner. For $7, the plate came with four falafel balls, a generous serving of hummus that was scooped out to create a little pond of Sabuddy's tahini sauce (a nice touch, by the way), and a small serving of lettuce lightly dressed with a tasty lemon-vinaigrette.

Falafel plate: That's a lotta food for $7.

The falafel was hot and crunchy on the outside, and the chick pea mixture on the inside was moist and not at all mealy or grainy. The hummus was heavy on the tahini flavor but ultrasmooth and creamy. All in all, very good, especially when scooped up with warm pita.

I ordered the full kabob plate. As it said on the menu, "Kabobs in Israel don't come on a stick. Instead, you'll get ground meat patties season with special Middle Eastern spices, served open-faced on a warm pita." Couldn't have said it better myself. The meat patties, drizzled with tahini sauce on top, were perfectly seasoned and perfectly cooked. On the side was Sabuddy's Russian potato salad, which is outstanding. It's got strong mustard and pickle flavors and is filled with carrots and peas. Make sure you try the potato salad if you venture up to Sabuddy. I would definitely order this meal again. The $8 plate really filled me up.

The kabob plate: Hold the stick. (Photos by Laura Hahnefeld)

Overall, Sabuddy is a great mom-and-pop place that is ultra-clean and comfortable, with good service, great prices, and, most important, wonderful Middle Eastern food. Just like Uncle Wally used to make.

Sabuddy Israeli Restaurant
6949 E. Shea Blvd. #10
Scottsdale
480-348-2333

By Jay Bennett

On Saturday mornings, I like to head downtown to what is casually referred to as the farmers market, at Second and McKinley streets. It's really called the Downtown Phoenix Public Market, a more suitable name than "farmers market" because, in my opinion, it's way short on farmers and way long on stuff I don't want, namely arts 'n' crafts and Jamba Juice.

Regardless, the handful of farmers who do show make the trip worthwhile for me because the inexpensive produce they provide is so good. Even the high-end groceries can't match the flavor, freshness, and price of these locally grown goodies.

Anyway, I make sure I'm a little peckish when I arrive at the Public Market because there are a couple of non-farming vendors there who sell tasty prepared foods.

One such vendor is the wonderfully named Go-Go Burritos. The booth is run by Martin and Maria Osete, chefs and owners of Mi Catering (www.micatering.com), a new-ish business in town that specializes in European and Spanish cuisine. They say they've been at the market for only four or five weeks.

For $5, you can buy a pork breakfast burrito, potato burrito, or the "peppers frittata" burrito. This dandy contains roasted red peppers, poblano peppers, sautéed mushrooms, lotsa cilantro, spinach leaves, Peruvian beans, and a slice of pre-heated fritatta, all wrapped in a wheat tortilla. The fritatta (I can't recall ever having that in a breakfast burrito) is a pretty cool idea because it precludes Martin and Maria from having to scramble eggs on the spot. So, you get your burrito quicker and it tastes just as good as scrambled.

The "peppers fritatta" burrito. Filled with fresh goodness.

Martin Osete says he and his wife are all about healthful cooking and fresh food. They have two teenagers who are used to having the freshest food at home and can't abide the stuff they're served at school. "Currently, we are working with the unified school districts to encourage their schools to have healthy food options." Awesome burritos and a social conscious? We're glad they've joined the market.

A few yards away from Go-Go Burrito is a longtime fave at the Public Market, Grady's BBQ Meat.

Grady Blair and his wife, Caroline, are at the market just about every Saturday, serving up his killer pulled-pork sandwiches. For $7, Blair loads these things up with a gigantic serving of juicy pulled pork, his own tangy barbecue sauce, and ("If you want it served Southern-style," he says) a dollop of peppery coleslaw. For sure, you're gonna need a fork when you eat this sandwich. There's so much stuff on it that the poor bun always ends up failing its mission.

Like Maria and Martin Osete, Blair runs a catering business in addition to setting up shop on Saturdays at the market. He also sells his BBQ sauce (www.gradysbbqsauce.com) and teaches basic French cuisine at the Scottsdale Culinary Institute. French cuisine? "Yeah, but barbecue is my passion," Blair says.

Grady and Caroline Blair: A passion for the 'cue. (Photos by Laura Hahnefeld)

Blair is a congenial fellow who, upon noticing my wife's Boblo Island T-shirt, regaled us with the story of how he got into cooking and how Boblo Island (the site of a beloved but now-defunct amusement park on an island in the Detroit River, back in our home state of Michigan) played a role in his future vocation. Blair was visiting Detroit in the early 1960s because he wanted to see the home of Motown music. "I hopped on the boat [that carried passengers to Boblo] but I had no idea where it was going. I went to Michigan for three days and stayed 35 years."

There, he tasted an uncle's barbecue sauce. "I learned that recipe in high school and have spent 40 years perfecting it." Seems it's pretty much there already.

If you're down at the Public Market on a Saturday morning, stop by to see the Blairs and the Osetes for a mid-shopping food break. Nice folks and good, cheap eats abound in their booths.

By Jay Bennett

I have declared it to be the "Summer of the Summer Rolls." Not sure whom in the world of officialdom I must talk to in order to make my declaration recognized, so, dear readers of Budget Beat, it might end up being our little secret. But that's okay . . . more for us.

The summer rolls I speak of are to be found at Cherryblossom Noodle Cafe, a charming and unique eatery tucked away in a strip mall at Ninth Street and Camelback Road. This unpretentious and odd little eatery's décor is reminiscent of someplace you might find in the European countryside, but the mostly pasta-based food is all over the map: Japanese (including sushi), Thai, Korean, and, um, Italian. Like I said, odd — but really, really addictive. The missus and I have been there three times in the past week and a half, craving those darn summer rolls.

It's the "Summer of the Summer Rolls." Everybody celebrate.

And I can't wait to go back — especially for Cherryblossom's incredible weekday happy hour special, during which a nice selection of adult beverages, appetizers, and sushi rolls are half-price, and a handful of entrees, normally priced at $10 or $11, are $7.

The delicious summer rolls consist of a spring roll wrapper containing shrimp, super-thinly sliced cucumber, rice vermicelli, lettuce, and avocado. They're served in a fun, boat-shaped dish with a few spoonfuls of tangy Thai peanut sauce. (Have I mentioned we love these things?) We went to Cherryblossom around 6:30 on a recent Saturday night and they were already out of summer rolls. Apparently, we're not the only ones who crave them. So, get 'em while it's hot and they're cool.

Speaking of cool, the sake mojito is a treat. Loaded with mint leaves, this mojito substitutes rum for sake, so it loses some of its alcoholic kick but it becomes a much lighter and more refreshing summertime drink.

At half-price, the sushi rolls are a real steal. At full price . . . let's just say I'm probably ordering something else, like Cherryblossom's excellent pad thai or hakata yakisoba, a peppery Japanese noodle dish with cabbage, shrimp, and pork, or the hot Thai beef salad.

For sushi, we tried the spicy tuna, spicy salmon, and Caterpillar (which contains unagi, with avocado on the outside). They tasted okay and they seemed fresh, but they were not spectacular, especially the tuna and salmon. My biggest complaint was, the rice was too cold and too sticky for my tastes. Still, it's decent sushi and it's only about $3 a roll — I won't complain too much. (On a side note, our fave sushi place, Mishima, closed late last year and we're still looking for a replacement favorite. If ya got any suggestions, send them along.)

The spicy tuna roll and the Caterpillar — all for about $7! (Photos by Laura Hahnefeld)

For an order of summer rolls, three sushi rolls, and two Kirin lagers (plus the complimentary basket of warm rolls and banana bread), our bill was $16. And we were stuffed. I call that an amazing bargain — sometimes you can't get out of a Japanese restaurant for less than $50. This happy hour deal at Cherryblossom almost can't be beat. I will say that the hours — 3 to 6 p.m. — may prove slightly prohibitive for many folks. But if you can cut out of work a bit early some day to get in under the wire, I'll think you'll find it worth the effort to nosh at Cherryblossom.

By Jay Bennett

Is there a restaurant you love so much that you'd go there four times a week? Me neither. I live four blocks from La Grande Orange and love its pizzas and salads like nobody's business, but still, I eat them, like, twice a month, tops.

The other night, I was at a Budget Beat reader-recommended Mexican place called Via de Los Santos, in north Phoenix's Sunnyslope neighborhood, and met a diner who says he eats there four times a week. I asked the slender, 50-ish gentleman whether that claim was just a bit of margarita-fueled hyperbole, but he soberly declared again that he eats at "Via's" four times a week, often with his 91-year-old grandma, who doesn’t get excited about much anymore — unless it's a trip to this neighborhood treasure.

Upon arriving at Via de Los Santos, which is on Central and one block north of Dunlap, I realized I'd been at the place one other time, a couple of years ago, with a dude named Bart Bull. Bart's a musician, manager, writer (including New Times, waaay back in the day), gadabout, and cool-guy raconteur — one of the true characters I've met in AZ. And before he high-tailed it to Paris to teach accordion, he loved dining at Via's. So, it was good to be back.

I can see why ol' Bart dug the place. Via's is one of those old-school Phoenix institutions that has a ton of charm, great energy, a fun-looking bar, and a welcoming, neighborhood-y vibe. Nothing pretentious, nothing mall-ified about the place. The missus and I popped in there at 8 on a Tuesday night and the place was packed — always a good sign.

Via's is a hit right off the bat because the two kinds of fresh salsa and homemade chips are among the best I've tried in Phoenix, better even than at some of the higher-profile Mexican places in town. Both favor a rich tomatoey taste over heat. My favorite of the two features chunks of tomato, scallion and cilantro, and a hint of oregano. We nearly filled up on the stuff.

The huevos rancheros: Good for breakfast or dinner.

For entrees, we opted for some Mexican staples over the house specialties. She had huevos rancheros, which weren’t as good — mostly because of the middle-of-the-road chili verde it was covered with — as some others in town. But still, it's huevos — tough to screw it up, you know?

I had a shrimp enchilada and a fish taco. The grilled fish, seasoned with Mexican spices and served on a corn tortilla, was flavorful and cooked just right, but I could've done without the lettuce and cheddar cheese piled on it. The best fish tacos have cabbage instead of lettuce and are cheese-less. It got better after I doused it with the spicier of the two salsas that Via de Los Santos makes.

The shrimp enchilada hit the spot. It was chock-full of little seasoned shrimp, some melted cheese, and an excellent red sauce — all wrapped in a delicious corn tortilla — that suited my tolerance for heat perfectly. Next time, I’ll make sure to try a house specialty — I think I dropped the ball by not exploring that part of the menu — and a margarita (which Mr. Four-Times-a-Week claims is the best in the city).

The fish taco and shrimp enchilada: Dig the red sauce. (Photos by Laura Hahnefeld)

If you live in the north half of Phoenix, Via's is worth checking out. All in all, it was a pleasurable experience and the two of us got out of there for about $25 (which included a coupla Coronas). A ton of food? Not much money? That's old-school charm for you.

By Jay Bennett

The missus and I were on our way to the Tom Waits show on Tuesday and needed something downtown that would be quick, inexpensive (those tix weren’t cheap), and reasonably healthful. I couldn't imagine a big ol’ cheeseburger or chili verde burrito lodging in my gut as Waits sang about Eyeball Kids, Black Market Babies, and Rain Dogs in his trademark croak of a voice for two hours.

I knew Carly’s Bistro would do nicely. The restaurant/bar on Roosevelt Street just west of Second Street has a fine selection of healthful hummus plates and salads, as well as some respectable panini and wraps. And besides the vittles, I’ve always liked the atmosphere at Carly’s, with its works by local artists on the walls, a small space for jazz combos to play tunes at night, and not a big-screen TV in the place. It’s got a big-city vibe without trying too hard to be cool.

We grabbed a small table by the window looking out on Roosevelt and ordered a couple of Stellas for $3 (a darn good price for that particular beer) and my favorite thing on their menu, the “Trio,” a small plate containing two kinds of hummus (regular and red pepper), olive tapenade, warm pita triangles, and Terra chips. I love this plate, especially the tapenade when it’s scooped up in those Terra chips. Highly recommended.

The Trio: A must-order at any Carly's visit

Next up were our salads. She got the Greek salad, which was fairly traditional but no less tasty, with mixed greens, cuke slices, tomatoes, olives, feta, and an excellent caper vinaigrette dressing. She also got a small bowl of tomato basil soup that was okay but not great.

I got the Cape Cod salad, which had lots of spinach leaves as well as candied walnuts, yummy Gorgonzola, dried cranberries, and about six thin slices of juicy red apple. And it was lightly dressed with balsamic. It was my first time ordering this salad but certainly won’t be my last. It really hit the spot.

Here’s another thing I like about these Carly’s salads: For $7.50, they’re the exact right combination of size and price. Thank you, Carly, for giving me a salad similar in size to the kind I would serve in the Budget Beat household. I hate it when you order a $9-$10 salad and out comes a 14-inch plate piled high with so much stuff that you just know half of it’s going to waste before the server has even set it front of you.

Salad, hummus, and a Stella — all for about $14. Nice. It’s a combo that pretty much works at Carly’s whether you’re ducking out of the office for lunch, doing a light dinner, or even getting a bite and a drink after the show (Carly’s is open until midnight Tuesday through Thursday and until 2 a.m. on the weekends).

We got in and out of there cheaply and quickly, with plenty of time to head down to the Orpheum (a real jewel in downtown Phoenix) to catch Tom Waits. If you’re interested, you can read Paul Rubin’s take on the show here. He nailed it: The show was great. And if it hadn’t been a school night, I mighta zipped right back up to Carly’s for another Stella and salad.

The Greek salad and tomato basil soup (Photos by Laura Hahnefeld)

By Jay Bennett

A faithful Budget Beat reader recently steered me toward a place I’d never heard of called El Taco Tote. Like just about every living being, I love Mexican food, so I was excited about this discovery on Phoenix’s west side, on Camelback Road near 35th Avenue.

Expecting a hole-in-the-wall, I was surprised to find that El Taco Tote is an El Paso-based chain with two Phoenix stores, two Tucson stores, and several locations in Texas, New Mexico, and northern Mexico. Generally, I’d hoped to avoid writing about chains on Budget Beat, but I really enjoyed this place.

The concept at El Taco Tote is “build your own taco.” A typical combo platter gives you two large and freshly made tortillas and a generous helping of your choice of meat (steak, chicken, pork, fish, shrimp, all prepared in numerous ways) on each tortilla. I tried the top sirloin and adobado pork tacos; the missus, a self-proclaimed “lazy pescatarian,” ordered fish tacos and shrimp tacos. All the meats we tried were fresh and tasty, and though they were not exactly made to order, they were the next best thing to it. The fish, especially, was an unexpected treat. Some places give you weird heavily battered processed fish sticks, but these lightly breaded pieces looked as if they were actually cut from a fish.

While you wait for your food — this is not fast food, as El Taco Tote likes to remind you with signs that declare as much — you can watch the cooks as they man the expansive grills, preparing all the many kinds of meat. You can also watch as someone mixes the tortilla dough (both corn and flour), rolls it out, and grills them. Very cool.

An El Taco Tote tortilla maker in action.

When they’re served, the tacos come out as just a tortilla and its meat. It’s your job to customize your meal at a bar in the center of the restaurant. There you’ll find all manner of salsa, pico de gallo, guacamole, diced onions, cilantro, grilled onions, grilled peppers, tomatoes, radishes, and limes. Signs placed in front of the various salsas and toppings give you helpful serving suggestions. For example, upon El Taco Tote's suggestion, I successfully paired the Cambray (a chunky, green salsa) with my adobado. Everything but the guac seemed fresh. Though flavorful, it not surprisingly was from a mix — and if your guac wasn’t made five minutes ago, it’s barely worth eating.

Top sirloin and pork adobado tacos, along with a Papota, two kinds of salsa, and an horchata on the rocks. (photos by Laura Hahnefeld)

Still, that’s a minor complaint. Everything we tried was darn good. And on the “Tote Pack” combo, you get what they call a Papota, which is really just a baked potato with butter. But it’s something different — and loaded with salsa verde, onions, and cilantro, it was a carb-tastically pleasant complement to my meal.

Given the number of good-to-great Mexican places around near where I work and live, I’m probably not driving all the way across town on a regular basis to hit El Taco Tote. But I recommend your giving it a shot if you live anywhere near the I-17 corridor and like inexpensive Mexican food (which I'm pretty sure you do). It’s tacos, and on your terms, so what are you waiting for?

By Jay Bennett

Since moving to Phoenix three years ago, I’ve found that 16th Street is the strip to troll for great food, especially Mexican food — whether it’s the dirt-cheap burritos at Asadero, the wonderful Mexican sandwiches at Tortas El Güero, or the high-end stuff at Barrio Café.

But North 16th is also home to one of the best American delicacies — the hamburger — to be found in Phoenix. It's at Lucky Boy.

When you drive by the tiny stand-alone Lucky Boy building, about a half-mile north of Thomas Road, and see its goofy sign, you can’t help but want to stop in. The restaurant has been around since 1950 and under the ownership of Khani Nano and her brother for the past five years. They moved here to buy the business after running a 24-hour diner in Detroit. Nano had reservations about moving to Phoenix (“Too many scorpions,” she says) but she’d also had enough of Michigan winters, which have their own kind of nasty sting.

The Nanos left the classic Lucky Boy menu alone. Lucky us. It’s pretty basic but it’s also really good (and that’s saying something in a town with killer fast-food burgers at Fatburger and In-N-Out). The quarter-pound burger is charbroiled on what has to be one of the cleaner restaurant grills in town. (During my visit, Khani was constantly scraping and scrubbing those grates.) The juicy burger is placed on a fresh, toasted, doughy bun and loaded up with tomato, ketchup, cheese, onion, lettuce, and flavorful pickles (the burger’s secret weapon, if you ask me). I also tried the BBQ burger, which featured grilled onions, bacon, and tangy barbecue sauce. Lucky Boy’s lineup of burgers also includes a Ranch burger and the exotic-sounding International burger (it has Thousand Island on it).

The BBQ burger and fries

The generous portion of thick-cut fries was hot and fresh and, even though they didn’t blow me away, I gobbled up every last one. The missus and I ordered a banana shake to split. It clearly was a hit with her because I got only two sips. But even from that small sample I recall its being thick, creamy, and very banana-y. I look forward to trying some of the 13 other flavors (including cinnamon!). To wash it all down was a cup refreshing fresh-squeezed lemonade.

Khani Nano told me that Lucky Boy packs ’em in at lunch and does brisk business on game nights, when people are streaming downtown to see the Suns or D-backs. She also said people come from all over the Valley, and as far away as Flagstaff, to dine at Lucky Boy. That’s no surprise, I guess, considering the place has been a Phoenix institution for nearly 60 years. What would be a surprise is if Lucky Boy weren’t around, cooking burgers on that spotless grill, for another 60.

Lucky Boy co-owner Khani Nano and her niece, Ashureen Nano. (Photos by Laura Hahnefeld)

By Jay Bennett

Dropping big bucks on dinner is great, but how often do you really treat yourself to a classy meal? When you’re not eating at home (admit it: seems you hardly ever do that anymore), it’s all about finding the best eats for those few bills left in your wallet.

On this blog, I’ll be looking for inexpensive food that isn’t crap. I like to travel when foraging for lunch and dinner, but there are a ton of places in my Indian School-centric world and I need the exposure to other parts of the Valley, so feel free to tip me off to your favorite budget-minded chow. E-mail me at jay.bennett@newtimes.com.

Speaking of Indian School Road, the spectacularly uninviting site of Paul’s Little Philly just west of 36th Street has been transformed into a tidy and fun little place called Ricky’s Big Philly. I think it’s essential dining if you live in the neighborhood and dig giant sandwiches.

The proprietors, Clint Walker and Richard Elizondo, intended to turn the place into a baked-goods boutique when they bought Paul’s last fall. But as they were fixing up the place (“It was in desperate need,” says Elizondo), folks would drop by and ask them not to change the bill of fare. Because Elizondo’s dad and gramps are from South Philadelphia, he already knew a thing or two about cheesesteaks, so he and Walker decided to give the people what they wanted. Walker and Elizondo say the Philly and Jersey transplants who’ve dined at Ricky’s have given them props for authenticity.

I’m a native Midwesterner, so I can’t claim to know a lot about the classic cheesesteak, but I can say the sandwiches at Ricky’s are big and delicious. In particular, the footlong #6 Big Philly Cheesesteak is the behemoth to order if you like your sammy loaded: thinly sliced rib-eye steak (cooked using a recipe created by Elizondo, who has a culinary degree from a school in New Mexico), ham, grilled onions, mushrooms, banana peppers, and white American cheese. You can get other cheeses, too — including Cheez Whiz (for you purists from PA) — but white American is tops.

At this point, you may be wondering: But what about the bun? The bun is what keeps me coming back. On big hoagie-style sandwiches, the bun can sometimes impede your wolfing. I hate it when the bun doesn’t have the right amount of “give” — either it’s too crusty or too chewy, forcing you to wimp out and pick at the sandwich’s innards with a fork. Ricky’s bread has the exact collapsibility that I demand from a bun. You can pick this thing up with two hands and attack it, letting your mouth do the heavy lifting and ignoring the plastic fork that Ricky’s kindly supplies on your metal plate. Elizondo says it took him weeks of trying every bread vendor in town to find a bun that most closely approximates those of Amoroso’s, the gold standard of bun-making back in Philly.

On the side is a nice-size serving of onion rings. The light and flavorful rings are fried with a homemade batter and arrive with your sandwich neither too greasy nor too batter-y. I recommend opting for the rings over the fries, which aren’t really all that special.

Walker and Elizondo say they’re just getting going with Ricky’s. They hope to slowly evolve the menu and add “middle-end diner” food to the lineup of cheesesteaks and other sandwiches. These two guys, who happen to live in this neighborhood, also own a ceramic dinnerware wholesale company. Among other dinnerware items, they design cool salt-and-pepper shakers that, along with various cactuses and succulents, adorn each table in the place.

As you might expect, the sandwiches are all about $6 or $8, a darn good deal when you consider their size and quality ingredients — this isn’t your run-of-the-mill grub purchased from a food service. After a Saturday morning filled with yardwork, I’m likely to be found chilling on Ricky’s little patio, watching the cars go by on Indian School, savoring a #6 (with white American, please).