There Will Be Bloody Burgers

I was happily redeemed from my bad burger experience in LA (twice in a row -- Lucky Devils and the Stand, but that's another post) thanks to a long-awaited trip to delux in Phoenix during a recent visit.

I had read much about this place on message boards and admit was a bit worried it may end up being more of a 25 degrees-kind of place with a scene and buzz but disappointing food. So it was with some trepidation that I walked into the ultra-chic delux, complete with communal counter-top-style table in the middle with cozy tables lining each side of the smallish place.



As soon as I bit into my perfectly-cooked medium rare standard classic burger with the works, I was sold. It helps that the place uses both stickers (rare, medium rare, medium, etc) and wooden sticks to keep track of desired level of doneness, which I consider the second most important thing about a burger after the actual meat quality (bun is third in my book). The menu boasts that the meat is "freshly ground, all natural, grain-fed, certified premium beef" that is an exclusive blend from Harris Ranch." And it shows. The meat had enough fat (or "marble" depending on who you ask) for it to be juicy and the meat tasted fresh.



The works included a choice of american, cheddar or jack cheese (I chose american), shredded iceberg lettuce (I would have preferred arugula), beefsteak tomatoes, red onions and pickles. It was a winning combination. The bun that brings it all together was toasted just right with the right level of denseness. Because the meat was cooked medium rare, the lower bun did soak up the juices a bit but not too much.



I took a bite out of the delux burger that comes with a blue cheese and gruyere cheese blend, caramelized onion and bacon mixture, arugula on a bread it called "demi-baguette." I didn't really consider it a baguette and it was far too dense to complement the meat. I'm also not a big fan of blue cheese on my burger a la My Father's Office in Santa Monica (another hyped burger joint that doesn't measure up).



I also liked delux because it offers sweet potato fries, which I venture to say I like more than french fries. Curiously, few burger places offer this delectable accompaniment to a dripping burger. The best sweet potato fries I've had so far are at Mr. Bartley's in Cambridge. (sidenote: I think it renamed my favorite "Tiger Woods" burger THE TEDY BRUSCHI -- a football player -- and added some pretty offensive names to the menu.) But I digress. Unlike at Bartley's, it's a shame one has to order fries separately in fancy burger joints.



However, I liked that delux has only two burger options, just like my favorite burger place in LA -- Houston's. My all-time favorite burger is the $16 California burger (right, with arugula and avocado, with bbq sauce on the side) at Houston's (the one in Santa Monica seems to be consistently better than the one in Century City mall or Pasadena). The burger at delux was very sumptuous and I liked the $9 price tag, but for the whole package, Houston's still reigns for me despite the sweet potato fries disadvantage.



Even though I'm not a beer aficionado by any stretch, the final clincher for me was the extensive beer selection at delux. It serves local microbrews and a wide array of international ones. I tried the $8 sampler with three 5oz glasses of beers either chosen by delux or you. I chose a local Hefeweizen (wheat beer) called Papago Orange Blossom, which was so light and citrusy that it hardly tasted like beer; a Belgian beer called Hoeguarden that I also liked because it was airy and had hints of citrus; and finally a rich dark stout from England called Young's Double Chocolate Stout that was so incredibly decadent it could have almost passed for dessert. This lovely stout was smooth, creamy and really the closest thing to "dessert beer" I've ever had. The foam on top looked and tasted like milk froth in a tiny expresso cup and I relished every sip. Plus, all three glasses came in a cute little labeled container to make sure you kept track of which is which.



Takeout is available, it opens till 2 a.m. and there's a decent gelato place in the same mall. What's not to like? Warning: the evening scene may be different from lunch, but I would recommend this place nevertheless.

delux
3146 East Camelback Road (Biltmore Plaza)
Phoenix, AZ 85016
(602) 522-2288

Can you say fall-off-the-bone in Afghan?

How's this for a story: local favorite Afghan restaurant in San Francisco named "The Helmand" located on the edge of North Beach and Chinatown closes down. Its manager moves to Arizona to set up shop because he's told there isn't a single Afghan restaurant there. I'm glad he did. I would return any day to savor his amazing lamb shank, but more on that later.

We drove by Kabab Palace -- Cuisine from Afghanistan a few times thanks to its prominent location. Curious, we walked in, only to find out it had been three days since it opened. Armed with a huge appetite and even larger party, we ordered a good sampling. The top photo features two appetizers that can be ordered as entrees: aushak, a ravioli filled with leeks and scallions, served on a sauce of yogurt mint and garlic, topped with ground beef and mint; and mantwo, homemade pastry shell filled with onion and beef, served on yogurt and topped with carrots, yellow split-pea and beef sauce. Interesting factoid: the word, "mantwo," used for these ethereal dumpling-like things is the same as "mandoo," used for Korean dumplings, and "manti," tiny dumplings served with yogurt in Turkish cuisine.

Both appetizers were mild and the flavored yogurt sauce complemented the dumplings nicely, but I liked the aushak better, only because I thought the ground beef inside the mantwo was a bit dense. It may well be the garlic-infused yogurt sauce on the aushak that did me in. It helped that the bright white yogurt tinged with sprinkles of green from the mint and red from the meat sauce looked vibrant and inviting.



Let me jump to the best dish, hands-down: qabelee, a pilaf-type rice baked with chunks of lamb shanks, raisins and glazed carrots. This type of rice is called "pallow," and is described as basmati rice boiled then drained of water, seasoned with vegetable oil, cardamom, cinnamon, nutmeg, cumin seeds and black pepper caramelized and then baked. That's a pretty elaborate preparation of the rice. But the star of the dish was the lamb shank, in all its fall-off-the-bone glory. Lamb isn't usually the most popular meat, but my companions were devouring it. The lamb was buried inside a mountain of the rice topped with raisins that added a tinge of sweetness to the rice and lamb combination. It was like discovering a treasure tucked inside that was waiting for its shining moment. I can't think of a better way to eat lamb shanks.



Sabzi challow was another good lamb and rice dish but slightly different. It was lamb loin and the challow rice is made in a similar way to pallow rice but with less seasonings. I liked the spinach that came with the lamb, but some grains of rice of the challow were dried out and hurt when I bit into them.



My third favorite dish was chapendaz, beef marinated, grilled and served on a sauce of grilled tomato, hot peppers, onion and cumin seeds served with lentils and spinach rice. I liked that the beef was cooked medium as requested, although I'm a medium rare kind of person (family-style dining has its pitfalls). We also had mourgh challow, a chicken dish infused with spices and sauteed with yogurt, cilantro and curry, which was similar to chicken tikka masala but less spicy. Koufta challow featured rice with beef meatballs sauteed with sun-dried tomato, hot peppers and green peas in a tomato sauce. The meatball dish looked a lot better than it tasted. The meatballs were too densely packed and felt dry.



What pulled the flavors together was the condiments trio that included "chatnis," the Afghan word for "chutneys." Cilantro chatni was my favorite, which tasted almost identical to the Indian variety, bu the other red chatni was made out of chili peppers and there was a yogurt and dill sauce that added a refreshing touch to the meat dishes that could feel heavy at times.

All of these delectable dishes were washed down with the perfect drink -- green tea with cardamom. Service was great and I would definitely recommend this place. It also has a lunch buffet I have yet to try but I'm sure it'll be as well-prepared with care and attention to detail as the dinner dishes.

Kabab Palace
Cuisine from Afghanistan
710 W. Elliot Rd., Suite 108
Tempe, AZ 85283
(480) 775-6288

AZ Report: Fish Tacos, BBQ, Habanero Burger & Juicy Kebabs

I wasn't sure what to expect from Arizona's eateries, so went with an open mind and had a great time. Not all of the food was stellar, but some were certainly noteworthy for their sheer novelty and heat factors. I'd like to highlight some of the better ones.

First off, we headed over to Pro's Ranch Markets, which a friend had recommended. Upon entering the massive Whole Foods of all things Latino, complete with neat stacks of chile and tamarindo as well as an incredible food court bustling with people devouring tortas and splurping glistening sopa de res, we were smitten.

This paradise of a market offers everything from freshly made tortillas ("from an old fashion tortilla factory on the premises," according to the website) to prepared meats and fish. After marveling at the amazingly fresh produce and abundance of chile varieties, we were ready to eat.



We got an order of the fish tacos, which were my personal favorite, ceviche de camarones (raw shrimp with veggies slightly cooked by citrus marinade), a carne asada taco plate, carne asada sandwich, the beef soup, and to round it off, watermelon aguas frescas (literally "fresh water"), which was just what I needed to quench my thirst in 100+ weather out in desert-land.

Back to the fish tacos. The freshly-made tortillas made a huge difference as they were the first thing you bit into. But the star of the meal was hands-down the fish. They were fried to perfection but not greasy at all. Crispy on the outside and moist and soft on the inside. The fish was very fresh. You know how some places try to mask fishiness with blobs of the thousand island-type dressing? I'm glad they went easy on the dressing so I could really taste the fish, which I did and loved.



The carne asada tacos were ok but they tasted like the meat had been pre-cooked and sitting there for some time, which it had. Likewise, the torta, which used the same meat, was average. The bread was soft and I liked the cheese, but pre-cooked meat is pre-cooked meat.



The beef soup with vegetables seemed like a great hangover remedy or just plain old comfort food. The sizeable meat chunks were very tender and had absorbed the great flavors of the vegetables and spices, as if they had been slow-cooking for hours on end.





The shrimp ceviche was refreshing when we had it, but we suspect that one of our companions got sick from it. Although everyone else was fine, I'm not sure I'd recommend it, just to be on the safe side. I suppose that as a general rule, it's not very wise to have raw seafood in 100+ weather.



Now on to Joe's Real BBQ, for some ribs and brisket. I had the Meat Plate that comes with 1/2 lb of one or two meats with two sides (BBQ pit beans and potato salad) for $10.99. I thought it was a good deal until I got the puny portions and had to buy another set. The ribs are usually my favorite but I liked the tenderness of the brisket and pulled pork that our companions had ordered better. The BBQ sauce came in regular and spicy -- I liked the latter. I should disclose that my BBQ heart belongs to the Salt Lick near Austin, TX, followed by Fat Matt's Rib Shack in Atlanta, GA, but then again, I have yet to take my dream BBQ road trip to the South to sample all the best BBQ in the country. I think there should be a BBQ Museum created a-la-Ramen Museum in Japan, complete with tastings of all the best BBQ.



The sides? The beans were good, potato salad (they also had a cheesy version that congealed too quickly) standard and mac'n'cheese decent. The fluffy bread the plate came with was light and airy -- a good accompaniment to all the other heavy sides.



Housed in a real 1929 brick building from the "golden age of agricultural Arizona," the restaurant features engaging murals of that bygone era as well as props and posters that conjure up images of how people lived during those times. There is also plenty of outdoor seating for cooler days.



During my research, I repeatedly heard about this infamous Habanero burger served up by Carlsbad Tavern in Scottsdale. Being a burger-lover and heat-seeker, I proceeded to dare myself to try it. The burger meat was surprisingly good quality, considering the place reminded me of a horror-themed restaurant, and the heat did not disappoint. They had added ground habanero peppers into the patty and at first bite, nothing happened. Seconds later, it crept up on me -- slowly but surely, until the heat started spreading its goodness.



It was memorable and I was sweating profusely, but it didn't seem as bad as the ill-fated experience with habanero my dinner companion once had in Merida, Mexico. Thank God the waiter warned me not to drink water as that would have magnified the heat. The burger generously comes with a free glass of milk instead, which I politely declined. A few things the burger did not have going for it were the dense and stale bun and the fries dripping with grease. And what's up with the side salad drowning in ranch dressing?



Last stop: Med Fresh Grill on S. Mill Avenue near Arizona State University in Tempe. Cities are so close to each other that going from Phoenix to Scottsdale or Tempe takes no more than 20 minutes. I was skeptical at first as the place looked too pristine, but I was pleasantly surprised at how juicy and moist my chicken kabob was. I can't say the hummus was the best I ever had but I would most definitely return for the chicken. I had many others on my list of places to try -- such as a famous hot dog place -- that will have to wait until my next trip.