Category: Restaurant Reviews

Bavarian Point Restaurant (Mesa, AZ) – Like a brief trip to Germany

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Dining Room
Dining Room
Salad Bar
Salad Bar

Recently I heard about a German restaurant in Mesa Arizona that I wanted to try, and I am happy I did. It is an unassuming restaurant in a strip mall, but when you walk in, it isn’t what you would expect. The decor is definitely makes me think of Germany, although I have never been there. We didn’t have to wait to be seated, although we were there a little early for lunch (around 11:15 am). We were seated at a booth with a cloth tablecloth and a chandelier over it. The menu was quite extensive with about 20 – 25 German entrees plus appetizers and desserts.  I choose the Sauerbraten (roast beef).  It came with dumplings, a red cabbage (sweet) slaw and cranberry sauce. The salad bar came with all the entrees so after I ordered, I loaded up on the salad bar. They had lettuce and a number or different uniquely German items, I made a salad and tried a few of the German salad bar selections. Overall I would say the salad bar is good. All the selections were fresh and the German selections added a nice touch. The order took about 25 minutes for the entrees to arrive, but we also ordered the Gebackenen Camembert as an appetizer which came after about 15 minutes, which is a breaded baked cheese served with lingonberry sauce. It was hot when it was brought to the table and was rich and creamy and did go well with the lingonberry sauce. We had four people eating it and we it was enough for all of us as an appetizer  due to it’s richness.  Shortly after we had finished the appetizer the entrees arrived. The taste of the Sauerbraten had a deep and rich flavor which I really liked. The dumplings were cooked well and had a pleasant texture and flavor. I did not care for the slaw that came with it since I would have preferred a more vinegar flavor as opposed to the sweet flavor the slaw they served. I ended up eating about 1/4 or the slaw, but finished all the rest of the meal. We were too full for dessert, but they did have some tempting desserts. You will end up spending $20-$25 per person, not including tip.  Overall I enjoyed the meal and experience and am looking forward to going back again.

Link to Bavarian Point Website w/Menu

Google Map Link

Address:

4815 E Main Street
Suite #32
Mesa, Arizona

Tacos Los Altos, Best Tacos in Flagstaff

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Sometimes the best food comes from the small hidden away restaurants that all the locals know about. I got lucky on my last visit to Flagstaff and found a place such as this. I have made many visits to Flagstaff over the years and have tried a lot of different restaurants there, but these are by far the best tacos I have eaten in the area.  I talked with the friendly owners, he is from California where he met his wife who was originally from Jalisco, Mexico. She told me she used to have her own taco stand there. She brought her recipes over with her and together with her husband opened a taco shop (Tacos Los Altos, Route 66) in Flagstaff and after years of success, they decided to retire, so they sold the restaurant. They soon became restless and decided to open another restaurant so they opened Tacos Los Altos – West Side. I have tried both restaurants and I like the food from the one run by them best (the West Side Location). My favorite menu item and their most poplar is the street tacos (Mini Tacos) and my favorite meats on them are the Carne Asada, the Adobada, and the Tripas. The Carne Asada is amazingly tender and juicy with a pleasant flavor from her special marinade. The Adobada is one of the best I have tasted, it has the great taste that Adobada marinade brings to the meat, but it is not too salty like most of them that I tried are. It is cooked so that the small chunks of meat have a slight char which imparts a great caramelized taste that blends in with the marinade and adds complexity to the taco’s flavor. The Tripas has no bitter taste, which I have have tasted in some that are not prepared correctly, and it is delightfully crunchy. They will ask how you like it prepared (crunchy or not). I really liked the spicy and flavorful red and green taco sauces from their salsa bar the best. They enhanced the flavor of the tacos, although the tacos were tasty enough on their own to be eaten without it. I usually don’t eat the Lengua tacos, but since it is popular with their customers, I decided to try it, and well I wasn’t disappointed, it also was very good. The meat was tender and had a deep beefy flavor. I ate so many of their tacos that I couldn’t cover any more of their menu, however I will look forward to going through more of it in future visits. If you are in Flagstaff for any reason, or live in Flagstaff, you need to add a visit to Tacos Los Altos into you agenda. Once you try it you will be hooked as I am. Here is the Location:

Tacos Los Altos (Google Maps Link)
2500 S Woodlands Village Blvd #1
Flagstaff, AZ 86001
 

Efes Turkish Restuarant, Shanghai. Incredible Restaurant.

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efes

I used to eat in Efes Restaurant when it was in Tempe, AZ.  I loved the Donner Kebab and a number of other menu items, but unfortunately it closed. I missed it for some time, but then when in Shanghai, China, there it was. I found it again. It has the same great food I remember. The Donner kebab with it’s bits of toasted pita, sour cream and tomato sauce mixed with the rich seared lamb and beef. The perfectly cooked lamb kebab with the pleasant blend of spices. The humus appetizer starting it all off, everything was great, just like I remembered and it brought me back home again to meals with my loved ones. I thoroughly enjoyed it, although it was a little pricey, with the exchange rate of about 6 yuan to the dollar. The  bill for 2 people eating well was about $45, or more if you ordered alcohol depending on what you order. It was within walking distance from the Marriott Courtyard hotel (Marriot Courtyard Website) I stayed at in Pudong. It was about a 20-30 minute walk though which I used to walk off the large meal. Here is the google map link (Efes Google Maps) I look forward to my next trip to Shanghai.

Lotus Land a Must See Restaurant in Shanghai

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I love Indian food in the U.S. but this is so far better than I have tasted here. The not really Indian Manchurian vegetable balls are awesome. The grilled mutton, the Chicken Vindaloo, the Chicken and Lamb Tika are my favorites. I have been to this place over 10 times and it has always been great. The price is a little high, I would end up spending about 20-30 USD when the exchange rate was about 6 yuan to the dollar, but in my opinion it is well worth it. It is in an artsy area in some corridors off the street. If I go to Shanghai, I will definitely try to go here several times.  The address is: Luwan District Taikang Road 274, Tianzifang 12 Building 2 Floor, Shanghai China. I took the Shanghai subway to the Dapuqiao Subway station and left the subway at exit #1 and it was across the road, you have to go down the alley where the small art and craft stores are. Here is the google maps link: Lotus land map link

 

Chino Bandido, A Chinese, Mexican, Jamacan, Cuban Fusion resturant

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Chino Bandido is a great restaurant. It is not fancy at all (The tables are fold up tables and the chairs are not fancy either) but the restaurant focuses on great tasting and original food. They have somewhat of a complicated ordering sheet which they have you fill out but only after they give you free samples of the menu items and train you how to fill it out. Their menu consists of menu items which can be served “Strait Up”,  or in a Burrito or Quesadilla. They have a combo that is two menu items served as you choose with your selection or rice and beans (There are more than one type of each). They also offer a single item bowl which is just one menu item and rice. Some of the menu items are Emerald Chicken, Jerk Chicken, Pollo Diablo, Jen Red Pork, Jade Rd Chicken, Egg Foo Young and more which you can see on their website.  My Favorite is a combo with the Emerald Chicken in a Quesadilla and the Pollo Diablo “Strait Up” along with white rice and black refried beans. Another popular fusion menu item is the Jerk Fried Chicken which can replace the white rice for a little extra charge. The combo with a drink will fill you up and it will end up costing about $10. It is located in Phoenix at 15414 N. 19th Ave. They used to have a location in Chandler close to me but it was shut down more than a year ago 🙁 . Here is a link to their website (Chinbandido.com ). This is a must for out of town visitors.

If you are curious about the name, I talked with the owners before, who are a very nice friendly couple and they told me the name came from the husband, who dated his wife’s sister before actually ending up with his wife. The two women are both Chinese, so he ended up being called the Chino Bandido (Spanish for the Chinese Bandit).

Article from: gastronomy.ddns.net