Quick - best restaurant with a bar near the airport

[pgerding]

Picking up my wife this evening and want to eat on the way to Sky Harbor Terminal 4 - say SR51 to 44th St, Camelback to McDowell kind of area.

Was thinking Tarbells, but did that last time. What's your best chow experience, sitting a decent bar with a good bartender and a decent by-the-glass wine list? Quick!

[nancyhudson]

It doesn't matter if you did it last time...

http://www.chowhound.com/topics/386054

[winedubar]

richardsons on 16th and bethany home, delux on 32nd and indian school, la grand orange for pizza or burgers tooo, 44th st and campbell...mmmmm :D

[pgerding]

La Grand Orange it is! I have been wanting to go there for a long time so this was a perfect choice. Sat at the "chef's table" and had a very nice sausage and caramelized fennel with fresh mozzarella. A decent Sangiovese to go with. Took some butterscotch pudding to go. A very nice meal, great service and setting . . . really like that place! Thanks for the idea and recommendation.

[winedubar]

np - im glad you liked it. i really like the chef's table idea - great if you're by yourself or simply don't want to wait for a table. i love the food there. next time give the burger a try - they grind the meat right before they make the patty so its extra fresh and steak-y....

[azhotdish]

Yes, that burger is very good. My one complaint - the dipping sauce for their fries. It tastes like ketchup and thousand island dressing - disgusting in my opinion.

[winedubar]

i must confess, i don't get the fries at lgo so i've never had the dipping sauce - i usually have whatever seasonal veg they have. at delux? bring on the sweet potato fries :D

[pgerding]

I thought long and often about the burger while looking at the menu but knew my wife would want some leftovers and I could guarantee that with a pizza . . . not so much a burger. There will no doubt be a next time.

I also picked up 1/2 dozen English Muffins from the LGO grocery. Hot stinkin dang those things are good!!! Had them with butter and honey this morning and they were hands down the best english muffin I've ever had. cannot wait to make a ham-n-egg-n-cheese sandwich with them tomorrow!

[ccl1111]

just in case you weren't aware, arclecchino gelateria which is attached is hands down the best gelato around. we do gelato pretty often as our daughter is allergic to dairy & the fruit gelato thing works. all of the fruit gelatos we have had have been incredible (strawberry, banana, honeydew, valentino [pomegranate, rose petal, lavender]). They also do a killer pistachio with 100% pistachios - imported from sicily and the coconut we've had is awesome too.

http://www.azcentral.com/ent/dining/a...

[frugalgourmet]

What airport is this? So the next time I am flying in or out of there stop by La Grand Orange for a tasty burger.

[azhotdish]

PHX.

[frugalgourmet]

Holy moly I fly out of PHX 5 times a year and never knew about this! thanks. What else would you recommend in town?

[winedubar]

how much time do you have, frugalgourmet? we have some great food 'round here :) narrow it down for us : fancy, homey, you name it :)

[frugalgourmet]

Winedubar, 2 nights this time. I am from LA, but want to try something homey, unique to PHX. Ordinary food being done extraordinary well. Like a burger or fried chicken, mole or chilli rellano.

[winedubar]

ah ha!! back for more!! do you have a geographic preference? the following ideas assume you are in central-downtown-ish phoenix.

for fried chicken, for me its either lo lo's chicken and waffles or mrs white's golden rule cafe. mrs. whites is tiny, and the menu is written on the wall in pen. its called the golden rule cafe because you tell the cashier what you ordered when you pay at the register :D her grandson larry, nicknamed lo lo, opened his own place. she says his chicken is spicier. i wouldn't call it spicy, but she's the boss ;) lo lo's has sweet tea and fruit punch as fountain drinks, and they'll server your beverage to you in kerr jar's.

another phoenix only spot is the fry bread house. man i love that spot. according to my navajo friend, when on the reservation, the only food the government supplied were flour and lard, so fry bread grew out of necessity. try the navajo taco or green chile. don't forget dessert. and remember extra napkins. you'll see why when you eat it..its really tasty, the people are great, and you'll eat like a king for 10 dollars.

unfortunately, they are only open til 7 :( is that too early for you??

if so, i have another suggestion or 2. if you follow my explicit instructions, you'll be good :D go to pizzeria bianco, put your name on the list for pizza. the wait will probably be about 2 hours. no big whoop!!! go next door to the science center and see the world class exhibit 'body worlds'. i think it costs 20 bucks. but its worth it, and its right next door!! see some weird cool crazy stuff. then, back to bianco's and your table should be ready :D no fuss, no muss, and you'll see why bianco's wins such accolades - locally sourced produce, fennel sausage and mozzarella made daily. have the spedini app, the wiseguy and bianco verde pizza. you'll have leftovers, and you'll thank me later ;)

or, since you mentioned homey - there's been a trend developing over the last 2-3 years in phoenix - independant restaurants in old craftsman-esque houses. a good neighborhood spot on 7th street is called lisa g's wine bar. it's in a cute house, a nice small-ish wine list, and some nice things on the menu. the bowl of balls is nice, and their sandwhich selection is kind of a sampler - 3 mini sandwhiches for 9 bucks. try the ahi slider.

lisa g herself will be your hostess, and its low-key, cute, and relaxing. after dinner, walk 2 doors down for coffee at drip. free wi-fi in case you need it.

hope that helps :) let me know if you need any other suggestions!!

[frugalgourmet]

Yeah, thank you windubar. The fried bread on the reservation and the pizza place reminded me of going to Maddox near Salt lake City where the food is sourced locally daily fresh. One of a kind but good eats. We'll will talk as the dates get near by then I will know exact part of PHX i am staying.

[ccl1111]

i myself say you need to go with the hominy beef stew / fry bread special (simple but i love it) and no way you can skip the honey/powdered sugar desert one. : )

i just can't eat green chile without comparing it to rito's any more. that's what my wife had last weekend at fry bread house and even though it was good, it suffered from our recent introduction to rito's green chile. if rito's was open at night or over the weekend, we'd probably be by there a couple times a week.

[Alice Letseat]

Cannot BELIEVE none of you even mentioned Tradiciones at Ranch Market - which, at 16th and Roosevelt - is actually quite convenient to the airport. AND has a full bar, too. (Tradiciones - excellent regional Mexican.)

[frugalgourmet]

You got me going now_ where is this place for beef stew and fry bread? And this Rito for green chile?

[winedubar]

hi frugal gourmet :) the fry bread house that ccl1111 speaks of - it was on the list of spots for you from last nite..only its open til 7 most nites of the week :( but, if you get there before then you really won't be disappointed. there address is below :

4140 N. Seventh Ave., Phoenix, [phone]

rito's is sublime!!! its the perfect hole in the wall kind of place. but, its only open 8-5. its on 14th street and roosevelt.

hope that helps!!

[johnseberg]

I don't know if Rito's is open at all during the weekend. I drove by on a Saturday, and they did not appear to be open. I guess it was about 10:30am when I drove by.

[ccl1111]

nope rito's - monday - friday; 9 - 5

[frugalgourmet]

Hi Windubar,
I am staying in Mesa area instead of downtown Phoenix, got any suggestions?

[winedubar]

whoa, you are killing me with the mesa destination :D

i haven't eaten anywhere in mesa in over 18 months, which is outside of any time frame i'd consider safely recommending something.

could i tempt you to drive to tempe??

[frugalgourmet]

Hi Winedubar,
Yes, I have a car, and not very far from Tempe. By the way, I looked up La Grand Orange @ 4410 N. 40th but it is a Grocery Store and no burgers found on its menu listed on the website. Is there another location?

[hollyeve]

Nope, same place. The pizzeria (burgers) is right next door. On the same website, there should be an orange/pizza icon. Click on that to see the pizza/burger menu. I believe burgers are available after 4pm.

[frugalgourmet]

Thanks, what so special about Tarbells? I see a lot of mentioning.

[hollyeve]

Tarbell's is great! I eat there at least twice a month, usually at the bar. It is really good accross the board. Cocktails, wine, entrees, pizza, dessert are all very well done. I think upscale comfort food is a good description. And Harry, the bartender, is a great guy. If you are dining solo, the bar is super comfortable.

[frugalgourmet]

I'll be bak..... 3 nights flew by and did not have the time to try fry bread, pizza bianco and Rito's green chili. Went to La Grand Orange though, and what a gem tucked in a residential neighborhood! Sat at the chef's table and had a wonderful sausage with freshly pulled moz chees. The burger was juicy and tasty due to unfronzen patty. (Oh the salads were equally wonderfully satisfying) Fine dinning food quality in a very warm and inviting casual dinning atmosphere. Excellent suggestion & value Winedubar. You're my man. Lo lo's chicken and waffle was another excellent suggestion. The fried chicken was definately worth the trip. I'll try grand ma's place next time - Mrs. Whites golden rule cafe, and let you know what I think comparing to Lo lo's. The chickens were lightly battered an pan friend to a golden brown with the crust light and crunch but not greasy at all. The way authentic southern fried chicken should be. One piece of warning though at Lo lo, make sure there is itemization of the items ordered being disclosed on the check. We got our bill showing the grand total but there is no break down for the cost of each items. When questioned, the waitress was pulling numbers out of air trying to totaled up to the grand total which didn't.

[frugalgourmet]

Winedubar, what eating place is this at indian school?

[JK Grence the Cosmic Jester]

Delux is on Camelback and 32nd.

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Delux
3146 E Camelback Rd, Phoenix, AZ 85016