(calm music) - I'm Chef Mark Tarbell.

Welcome to "Check, Please!

Arizona", the show where Valley residents recommend their favorite restaurants.

Coming up we have three guests who are passionate about their picks.

They've dined in all three and are ready to share their reviews with each other and with you right here on "Check, Please!

Arizona".

(upbeat music) (upbeat music continues) - [Narrator] "Check, Please!

Arizona" is supported by... - [Narrator] Ironwood Cancer & Research Centers, personalized cancer care through medical and radiation oncology focusing on supporting all of you.

Ironwood Cancer & Research Centers, outsmarting cancer one patient at a time.

- [Narrator] Hospice of the Valley, care for chronic illness including all stages of dementia.

Plus compassionate hospice services with emotional support for family members, a not-for-profit community hospice, hov.org.

(calm music) - [Narrator] Copenhagen, featuring contemporary furniture from around the world.

Copenhagen is dedicated to comfort and craftsmanship.

Located at copenhagenliving.com.

- [Susan] I'm Susan Linkous of the Linkous Group, a fee-based registered investment advisor specializing in financial planning, investment management, insurance strategies and more.

Linkousgroup.com, investing for life.

- [Narrator] Whitfield Nursery proud to support Arizona PBS, a Valley tradition since 1946, over 200 acres of Arizona grown citrus trees and palms, complete custom design and installation and Whitfield Nursery still does the digging.

Whitfieldnursery.com.

- We're good.

I guess we can do it.

I'm Chef Mark Tarbell.

Welcome to "Check, Please!

Arizona".

In this episode, we're enjoying an East coast diner, Chihuahuan flavors, and regional American cuisine.

Let's meet our diners.

Steve Semken is a geology professor at ASU.

He loves to cook, hike, and travel, and he's a diehard ASU football fan.

Brett Gitskin is an engineer.

He and his wife have three kids and a grandbaby.

His true passion is barbecue.

He loves to compete and judge contest.

But up First is Stacia Ortega.

She's originally from New England and her favorite kind of restaurant is a diner.

So when she's craving a taste of home, you'll find her at our first stop, this is Joe's Diner.

(upbeat music) - Joe's Diner is a from scratch breakfast and lunch restaurant with caring personnel and the best coffee you've had.

We're known for the pancakes, the biscuits.

I make nine kinds of jam.

I get asked about the quality of our pancakes and why they're so good.

I always think that a part of it is the fact I'm making it and I'm cleaning it and you're not, but it's a scratch made product throughout the day.

We use a local buttermilk out of Yuma that has no carrageenan.

It also has eggs and actual local flour.

Our biscuits are special because we make them by hand regularly through the day so freshness really counts on a biscuit.

We serve about 80,000 people a year.

We do 47,000 cups of coffee a year.

I probably do 120 pounds of pancake mix a week.

Jam is a pretty straightforward process, I make about 14 gallons a month.

In my diner, the vibe is created by my servers.

All of my servers are moms and therefore there's an empathy that I can't duplicate.

They remember you, they remember what you eat, they are welcoming.

I work with my wife Joan.

We've been married for 26 years, we've been together a little longer than that and at this point we have a shorthand that we can talk.

It is a teamwork that we are very good at and in sync with each other.

At dinner when you're a chef, you don't see anybody.

For breakfast, I get to see the guests.

I get an immediate return on how I'm doing.

Are they enjoying it?

Cooking is giving and when you get to feel that come back because of their appreciation, it makes you wanna work better.

(upbeat music) Stacia, I'm from New England too and I love diners, big part of my childhood.

How did you find Joe's diner?

- Well, living in the central corridor, looking for mom-and-pop, that New England experience of a different restaurant and there was Joe's.

- Joe's was there.

- Joe's was there.

- So what did you have when you were there?

- I start with coffee, that Arbuckle Coffee which is fantastic.

I always get a pancake which is one of the best pancakes I've ever had in Phoenix.

It's fluffy, it's flavorful, I don't know if it's cinnamon or orange juice in there, but it's so tasty.

- That's so New England.

My mom uses orange juice in hers.

- That's how we make it at home.

Yes.

- I don't know what it is.

The acidity, I guess.

- Yes, and eggs Benedict.

I love really good poached eggs when you slice into it and the yolk comes out and what's great about Joe's poached eggs, they're fresh.

There's a difference between getting a grocery store egg and getting a fresh egg.

- [Chef Mark] And how do you tell that?

I'm testing you here as a chef?

- Yeah.

Well my cousin has a farm and they raise chickens, so I can tell there's just a different flavor.

- They stand up like a... I mean, they stand up like a, it's like a pancake.

The lake stack, the oak on top and then the white.

- Yeah.

- It's really cool.

Steve, what did you have when you were there?

- I had he border omelet which is something like a Denver omelet but then they improve it greatly by adding green chilies and adding tomatoes and they put little US and Mexican flags on it to symbolize the omelet and that was served with potatoes.

Now, I'm celiac, so I'm concerned about gluten-free and they didn't have any gluten-free bread, but the server was very good, offered a lot of options, and I had a really nice sub bowl of fruit.

Really good fresh fruit.

- That's cool.

- And actually it was much better in the long run.

And omelet was light and it was... That was three eggs and very well prepared.

- Substantial.

- [Steve] Yeah, it was a substantial omelet and the potatoes.

I mean it- - I had like the quadruple meat omelet.

It was crazy.

- Yeah.

It's definitely a diner kind of breakfast.

I lived in New England for many years too, but also I'm from Northern New Jersey and we kind of stylized ourselves as being the home of diners also- - I heard from someone that you all might have invented the diner in New Jersey.

- That's what we like to say anyway.

But the servers were really good and they're not quite as surly as diner servers in the East which is, I guess that's a good thing.

So Brett, what did you have there?

- I had the corn beef hash.

- Yeah.

- And what I liked about it was it was just the right amount of crispy.

It wasn't overdone and it wasn't just mush.

Although when Joe came around and as he came around twice while we were there to all the tables.

- Wow.

- He actually said, "You know, I actually don't make that, but I like to cook it that way.

I make everything else from scratch."

- Yeah, well it takes time to do corn beef so it's probably better to have a pro do that if you're gonna do a lot of volume.

But I do like that when it's crispy, like he does it on the outside and then kind of creamy on the inside.

- Exactly.

- It's just something, something.

I'm mouth watering right now, how about you y'all?

- Oh yeah.

- I mean, this place was good.

And there was one thing I wanted to have, the biscuits.

Did you have the biscuits?

- [Brett] I had biscuits in chorizo gravy which it didn't have as much chorizo as I thought.

But when he came around a second time, he pointed out his homemade jams and I said, "Why didn't you tell me this before?

'Cause I would much rather have had the jam and a biscuit."

To me that would be the best, you know.

'Cause, the gravy, it was okay, but everything else was really good and I'll bet those jams are great.

- [Chef Mark] They were.

I had 'em, and, you know, the other thing I love about Joe's is he uses real butter, you know?

- [Stacia] Yes, yes, on the pancake.

- Yep, this is your place, Stacia.

Tell us about the decor for those people that haven't been yet.

- What's great about it, it's very diner.

It's got the old posters, signs, advertising signs, and just the booths.

Now, the many years I've been going there, they've had the table and used to be like kind of shellacked with business cards.

It's very relaxed.

- Very relaxed.

Staff's really nice too.

- I would agree again as another person who knows diners well, a couple of things that really made me feel I was in diner.

We were in an upholstered booth and it was very roomy and very comfortable and that brought back a lot of memories.

It's not really a diner if it doesn't have a really big menu, and it did.

It had really big, you know, extensive menu and that really made me feel that this was an authentic diner.

Brett, what'd you think of the decor?

- I thought the decor was very diner, but it wasn't the kind of kitschy where they're trying to be over the top.

It was casual, just come in and feel comfortable and that to me was one of the things that made the atmosphere good.

- Yeah.

- And again, Joe came around twice.

He actually apologized for the slow service.

A cook had not shown up for work so he was kind of pulling double duty.

- Wow.

- But everybody was happy.

- So Stacia, this is your place, we're ready for a pro tip or takeaway.

- Parking is a little tight because they're so busy, but I have never not been able to find a parking space.

- I would say for people who are concerned about gluten, make sure you talk with your server 'cause they will have alternatives for you that they're very happy to do.

- Get the pancakes.

- Get the pancakes, drop the mic.

If you wanna try Joe's Diner, it's located in the Melrose District on 7th Avenue North of Camelback.

An average meal costs $22 and they do not take reservations.

(upbeat music) And now to Brett's choice.

He discovered his pick during Arizona Restaurant Week when he fell in love with their watermelon arugula salad and now it's his go-to spot.

This is Rusconi's American Kitchen.

(upbeat music) - I'm Michael Rusconi and I'm the chef proprietor of Rusconi's American Kitchen.

We're a fine dining contemporary American restaurant that focuses on sustainability.

At Rusconi's you can find seafood, salmon, scallops, different cuts of beef or grilled steaks and we do a wonderful Sunday brunch.

One of my number one sellers to my surprise, and it's been like this for a long time, is our pecan wood grilled blackberry glaze salmon.

And the other one that is really, really popular is our beef tenderloin medallions with our truffle scented macaroni and cheese.

We cook over a wood-fired grill.

It's one of the cornerstones of our restaurant.

We use pecan wood, which it has great flavor, it works with a lot of different things.

My cocktail program is ever evolving.

I'm always trying to push the envelope to grow our cocktail program, yet it still has to be approachable for our clientele and we've been winning wine spectator awards every time we apply.

We have over 110 varietals on the menu right now.

I was involved in the construction of the restaurant.

It's supposed to be a very comfortable ambiance.

You know, there's a lot of wood tones in here, some steel, it's a full exposure kitchen so our guests can see just about everything we're doing and they can see the care that goes into our food and I really think that makes a big difference.

Why do I know that?

'Cause they tell me all the time.

It's a warm, inviting atmosphere.

My staff reflects that when you come in.

I have great people that have been working with me for a very long time and you see the fact that they enjoy working here every day.

It's very rewarding.

(calm music) - So Brett, how did you find Rusconi's?

- Relatively recent transplants to the valley, we moved here in '19 trying to find places to eat and so we went out and it was one of the first ones we tried.

And again, that salad, what made it good was not just the watermelon arugula, but on the four corners of the plate it had a little dab of goat cheese with a touch of balsamic vinegar.

- Ooh, perfect.

- Those extra touches.

And every time we've gone back, one of the dishes, if not more of them, have a little extra touch that really sets it apart from going to many other restaurants.

- Well, he is a great chef, I love him.

So that's what brought you there.

What did you have when you went this time?

- They had a special of mussels and I love mussels so I had the mussels.

And while only one of the other people that we went with another couple would try the mussels, I convinced them all to try the broth and everybody wanted to take a jar of that broth of home.

It was outstanding.

There was sausage in the broth too, which is not normal for mussels.

- It gives it a little kick.

Steve, what did you have to eat?

- Yeah, the maple leaf farm duck breast.

It had a strawberry on the top.

It was served with forbidden rice.

It was medium rare.

- Was the skin crispy?

- Skin was very crispy.

- Very important.

- [Steve] Skin was very crispy.

That's important to me too.

- Yeah.

- And the skin was very crispy, it wasn't... Again, really wasn't fatty, it felt very lean and it- - That's great.

- How about forbidden rice?

Sometimes that can be a little bit dry and chewy.

- No, this was really good forbidden rice.

It was sticky like it's supposed to be, and it had little bits of fruit in it, and yeah, it was really well prepared.

And the duck breast was served right over the top of it so the flavors all got to mix into the rice which I think is really important too.

- Yes.

- My wife and I always share dishes, that way we can experience more.

- She's very nice.

- She is very nice.

And she had the pork tenderloin, which had a blackberry glaze on it.

I have to say, as much as I liked my duck breast, I think her pork tenderloin was even better.

- It was the winner day show.

What did you have while you were there?

I know you went for brunch.

- I went for brunch.

Started off with the New Orleans beignets.

So I had eggs Benedict, my go-to.

Had a citrusy Hollandaise sauce.

Had capers on top and with a side of potatoes.

Again, I'm a little bit of a Benedict person when I go to breakfast that's what I look for and that's always, who had the best one, what's the baseline?

And so a little disappointed.

Eggs did do what I wanted to do when I cracked opened the yolk but not much salmon.

A little disappointing.

- So for you?

Yeah- - It was for me- - I didn't say that.

- a Benedict.

It's true.

So let's talk about appetizers.

Brett, what did you have for appetizers?

- So I had a tomato burrata salad and it was heirloom tomatoes and his little touch for this was a scoop of basil on top.

- Nice.

- That then started to melt into the tomatoes and the cheese and it was wonderful.

We were near the station where the chef was doing the final touches and they were doing this french fries with truffle and Parmesan and he was finishing 'em with a torch and we decided to try them and boy are we glad we tried them.

They were gone first.

- Steve.

- My wife and I shared the pork belly.

It was a glaze with a strawberry glaze.

It was very crispy.

It was not fatty at all.

- So it wasn't spongy fatty?

- No, no.

it was actually on the crispy side which we really liked and it was actually very generous appetizer, was plenty for the two of us.

- Did you have any cocktails or anything while you were there?

- I did, I had the Bloody Mary.

I was excited to try it.

Our server told us, "Oh, we make our own mix which can be really good."

And so I had it.

I did like, they had the little corner shun little crouton and olive which I love green olive on the top and a lime.

So no celery.

I am anti celery and so, yeah.

So- - They knew you?

- Yes, they did.

- Steve, what did you have?

- I had the, Mai How Excellent.

It was a Mai Tai, but it also had egg white in it so it reminded me of a pisco sour.

- Oh, okay.

- And it was really, really wonderful.

It was kind of, I guess a combination of a rum drink, you know, with the Peruvian Classic- - And a little foam on top?

- Yes.

- And Brett, what did you have to drink?

- I'm a wine guy.

- Okay.

- So I had wine.

My wife is a Manhattan drinker.

And other than our one neighbor, Bruce, this is the best Manhattan she's found in the Valley.

- Oh, cool.

- So... And she tries out almost every place we go.

- And wine.

You're a wine guy, how was the wine program?

How was the wine list?

- Wine list is very good.

They've got a certain amount of California, but they've got a lot of South American and some Australian wines there that are reasonably priced and I think that's one of the things about this restaurant is he really tries to keep the prices reasonable.

They're not diner prices- - [Chef Mark] They're reasonable.

For what you get I think it is.

- [Brett] I think they're really good.

- For sure.

Did you have dessert?

- We had so many appetizers that we just... Four of us shared one dessert and it was a lemon and thyme creme brulee.

- Oh.

- And it was very good.

It was subtle lemon 'cause it's so much, so often you can get it where it'll just tart and get you.

- Yeah.

- And it was subtle but it was done very well.

- Perfect, Brett.

I love it.

Steve, what did you have?

- I'm celiac so I'm somewhat limited in my dessert choices.

But they brought me a wonderful ice cream sampler which was all house-made ice cream.

And it was a combination of chocolate blueberry, vanilla bean, and root beer float.

- Ooh.

- And the ice cream was all really good and it was quite a generous serving and it was delicious.

- Now we'll do the one word or one sentence pro tip takeaway.

Brett, it's your place.

- Well, as I mentioned, I'm a wine guy, so if you can go on Sunday nights, half price bottles of wine.

- [Chef Mark] Boom, that's a pro tip.

- When I made the reservation online, they give you a space to add any comments so I mentioned that I was gluten intolerant and we got there.

The hostess knew that I was gluten intolerant.

The server came to our table with suggestions right up front like, we know you can't eat this or that.

Without a doubt it was one of the most gluten-free friendly restaurants I've ever been to.

- My pro tip would be, if you make a reservation ask to be sat in maybe a little further away from the kitchen.

- Okay.

- Or at the bar.

And when it gets nice out, on the patio.

- If you wanna try Rusconi's American Kitchen, they're located on the Northeast Corner of Tatum and Shea.

An average meal will cost you $38 and they do take reservations.

(upbeat music) (upbeat music continues) Our last pick is Steve's.

His wife is Mexican American so making his choice was easy.

A restaurant owned by a husband and wife team serving the chihuahua dishes they grew up with.

This is Cocina Chiwas.

(calm music) - Cocina Chiwas started by my wife and I with our intention of basically bringing the cuisine of what we've learned here in Arizona and things that are available here in Arizona combined with things from Chihuahua, Mexico, which is where we're from.

This isn't food in the same way that I think people came to expect Mexican food, right?

I think one of our biggest inspirations is to kind of create our own kind of category.

Our menu kind of changes quite a bit so anything you see today you might not be able to get in a month.

We have a woodfire oven, a woodfire grill.

Both of 'em are used mostly for our proteins.

We also make some quesadillas that are open format and then we like to do a lot of our veggies, a lot of bracing.

So the cocktail programs in the same way that we think about food, kind of showing or showcasing what Mexican drinks are.

I think a lot of people know what tequila is.

They're starting to become more familiar with what Mezcal is but there's so many things more and I think that's part of what we're trying to do is we try to showcase the different regionalities in drinks as well.

From a bias perspective, we want it to be comfortable setting for family in a higher scale meaning, you know, we do full service here.

We're located in a community called Culdesac, which is the first Carlos community of its kind here in the United States and Arizona in particular.

We're close to light rail.

A lot of the things that we're trying to format is to kind of build a restaurant that's formulated for community.

The guest experience has always been like you're coming to my house.

That's always the goal.

The goal is I want you to feel comfortable.

When there's food involved, I think we're all a little bit happier regardless.

So, you know, food and drinks together, you're having a good time.

(upbeat music) - So Steve, how did you find Cocina Chiwas?

- The proprietors of Cocina Chiwas also have Taco Chiwas downtown.

- Yes.

- And we were very, very fond of that place.

Been there many times and really enjoyed it.

So when I heard they were opening up a place right in Tempe where we lived, you know, was just a thrill.

- So what did you have for an appetizer?

- For an appetizer we had the Chile Colorado bean dip which is really wonderful.

It's a bean dip with a kick.

It has a little bit of the Chile Colorado and it's served with homemade corn chips, tortilla chips, really, really well produced.

A very, very generous serving.

It has a little bit of cotija cheese on top and, you know, it's certainly enough for two or even three people.

- Stacia, what did you have for an appetite?

- We had the elote con crema and oh my God, it was so good.

So good.

- I love elote.

- [Stacia] It was just the cream, the little bit of spice reminded me of getting it from the vendor on the street.

You know, the corn, the spicy corn and all that.

It was delicious.

We split the grilled Caesar salad.

- Oh yeah.

- So that was delicious and it was the long romaine.

And actually to have that sear on there, really just- - Smokey char.

- [Stacia] Smoky char enhance the flavor of the Caesar as well.

- It's the best way to have Caesar.

So Brett, what did you start with?

- We started with street corn like Stacia had, but we also had a short rib quesadilla which came out.

It was actually much more like a wood-fired Italian pizza.

- Nice.

- Except it was wood-fired Mexican quesadilla that was different and outstanding.

- That is- - 'Cause it's not what you expect, it's good.

- That's awesome.

So what did you have for an entrée?

- I had the chicharon and the pork belly.

- Chicharon.

- It's served on poblano rice and with sliced radish.

And again, it's cooked perfectly.

It's crispy, it's not overly fatty, but it's not dry.

- Is there a little spice?

- There's a little bit of spice on it.

Yeah, a little bit of heat.

Well prepared so it's neither too fatty or too dry.

- So perfect.

- And again, it's very typical of this restaurant.

The servings are enormous and I couldn't eat it all.

I had to take some home which- - Had to.

- Yeah, had to.

- He emphasized had to, I'm not sure of that.

- And it makes an amazing breakfast the next morning I can tell you.

- Put it up in some eggs.

I'm loving it.

- Yeah.

- Stacia, what'd you have for an entree?

- I had the pollo and mole.

- Oh yeah.

- And so mole is my go-to.

And was interesting, came on a wonderful bed of polenta, which is some of the best seasoned polenta I've ever had.

It was so creamy and I was like, "Oh, can you give me more?"

- Gimme a bucket of that please.

- Yeah.

- Brett, you're green?

- Yeah, I- - My wife had the pollo mole too and she gave it two thumbs up.

- What kind of mole?

I mean, so there are hundreds of moles, so how was- - Right.

Actually the mole was what the chicken was kind of- - Marinated.

- It was marinated in, yeah.

So there was no extra mole sauce which was like, oh.

But the chicken was so good, the flavor really- - Soaked in and- - soaked it in to the chicken itself so I cleaned all that up.

- You did?

- Yeah.

- So Brett, you ate the way I like to eat most which is family style.

So what were the highlights from your meal?

- So we had pollo con mole, we had iberico pork, and we also had pulpo, octopus.

And then finally we had an order of tacos, which since there were four of us, normal order is three, and they popped an extra one in so we could all taste it.

- No, that's cool.

Well, tell me a little bit about the iberico pork.

- It was almost like a ribeye steak of pork bone in that was cooked and then sliced and I think it also came on a polenta.

The other thing that stood out is they brought some tortillas, and I don't know if it was for the iberico or for the oil, but these small corn tortillas that were corn the best I have ever had.

- Awesome.

- They were really- - They're very much like the kind my wife makes and they're really, really wonderful.

- So when are we getting invited over?

- Yeah.

- You're all gonna be knocking at your... All right, we'll see.

What'd you have for cocktails?

- I had the chihuarita and that's a margarita, but it is made with sotol instead of tequila.

So sotol is a Chihuahua native liquor that's made from the sotol plant which is also called Desert Spoon.

It's related to the agave, but it's not quite the same as what goes into mescal or tequila.

The chihuarita is really spectacular.

- Brett, what'd you have for drinks?

- I also had a chihuarita, but our server bragged about the fact that they make their own juices so I added blood orange to my chihuarita and it was great.

And my friend had a Paloma and he said it was the best he's ever had.

- That's amazing.

Oh, you have a something, a little something, something.

- I had a little something.

I had the white sangria.

- Okay.

- Which was delicious.

Had a little sprig of rosemary in it and it just was really flavorful.

Just light enough 'cause I was just really prepping for dinner and- - All right, desserts?

Did you have one?

- We did not.

We were too full.

- I had a mango sorbet with tajin sauce over the top.

- [Chef Mark] Ooh.

- So it was a combination of flavors that maybe wouldn't have occurred to me but it was a homemade sorbet, it was really fresh and fruity and really a wonderful sweet, cool taste, and then you got the Chile from the tajin over the top.

- That is great.

- It really... The combination was perfect.

My wife had a french toast ice cream sandwich which was really remarkable.

Of course, I couldn't try that being celiac, but she enjoyed it very much.

- We also had the french toast ice cream sandwich.

We shared that because we just had so much other stuff but it was very good.

And again, it's different.

- That's awesome.

- It's not what you expect, but it's good.

- So this is time for pro tips.

Steve, your place.

- Again, they're very gluten-free, friendly.

So if you're celiac or have other food intolerances, make sure you let your server know they can cook almost anything on the menu gluten-free.

- I would say make reservations.

People weren't waiting, but I would just make reservations just in case 'cause parking can be a little tight.

- I would take the advice of our server, Maria, "Do it family style, you're gonna get so many more tastes and bites and you're gonna wanna come back again."

- Brett, it's the only way to eat family style, that's a great pro tip.

If you wanna try Cocina Chiwas, it's located in Tempe on Apache Boulevard just East of McClintock in the Culdesac Apartment complex.

An average meal will cost $40 and they do take reservations.

I wanna thank Stacia, Steve, and Brett for joining me at the table.

And thank you for joining us for "Check, Please!

Arizona".

If you'd like to share your favorite restaurant, head to our website, azpbs.org/checkplease and nominate your must eat at spot.

Who knows?

You could be joining me at the table.

And be a part of the foodie conversation in Arizona on Facebook and Instagram using the #checkpleaseaz.

Join us next time when three new guests make their recommendations right here on "Check, Please!

Arizona".

I'm Chef Mark Tarbell, have a delicious life.

- [Narrator] "Check, Please!

Arizona" is supported by... (crowd chattering) (upbeat music) (upbeat music continues) (upbeat music continues) (upbeat music continues) (upbeat music continues)