What's the deal with Pete's Fish and Chips?

It's a question I asked myself each time I passed the hopping joint in Mesa:  What's the deal with Pete's Fish and Chips?  The drive-thru in the Glendale location is so busy it literally blocks traffic on Glendale Avenue because the line extends onto the street.  It's hard not to have one's curiosity peaked.  I took the next step in my usual eatery-hunting and looked Pete's up online where I found a plethora of less-than-favorable reviews.  So, I tried to tell myself, "That's that", and move on.  But somewhere in the back of my mind Pete remained.  I posed the question ("What's with Pete's Fish and Chips?") to friends that grew up in Arizona.  Surely they would have some insight into what all the buzz is about.  Again, I was met with overall bland opinions.  It seemed no one I spoke with really understood what the deal was. Yet the crowds never dispersed...

It was a beautiful day in December.  I had just come from the Mesa LDS Temple and was 8.5 months pregnant, starving, and on my own for lunch.  Was today the day I would finally answer the question?  Yes it was.  I pulled into Pete's Fish and Chips (not an easy move trying to maneuver the drive-thru crowd) and stood in line.  I then noticed the "Cash Only" sign and left, thinking, "Never mind, you know it's not going to be good anyway..."  Then I noticed an ATM next door.  "Ok, just give it a try."  Five minutes later I'm back in line... scanning the menu... affordable prices... remembering the warning my Arizonan friends had given me not to ask for ketchup or malt vinegar.... My turn is up.  I order 2 pieces of fish and chips.  My order arrives: Moment of truth.  And I have to admit, I am pleasantly surprised!  But am I actually enjoying the food, or are my pregnancy cravings clouding my judgement?

Flash forward 6 months:  A hot, but tolerable, slightly breezy day in June.  I'm looking for fun activities to fill our time and restaurants/drives that are conducive to sneak-attacking my 5.5 month-old into a much needed nap.  A perfect chance to give Pete's a second go-around, and to take another objective eater with me.  My sneak-attack nap plan worked great.  The little man fell asleep in the stroller ride walking a couple of blocks through downtown Glendale to Pete's.  The breeze made the outdoor eating bearable (barely). It was shaping up to be a good day.  We order.  The food arrives.

So, let's ask that age-old question again:  What's the deal with Pete's Fish and Chips?!  Here's my verdict.  I really can't argue with any of the negative reviews I read.  They really are fish sticks, not remotely traditional fish and chips.  It is dirty.  Ketchup and malt vinegar are not an option.  The staff is pretty curt.  But... there is a but. I watched an episode of Parts Unknown last night where Anthony Bourdain shamefully enjoyed Frito Pie in New Mexico.  So here's to you Tony:  I shamefully enjoyed my meal at Pete's!  And there's no pregnancy judgment-clouding to blame this time around.  Here are the positives I see:  Isn't there something great and American about those dirty, dives that have been family traditions for several generations?  As I watched the clientele at Pete's, it was not your typical food-snob:  It was families, friends, and couples of various walks-of life, all of whom shared a common love of this bizarrely comforting comfort food.  I didn't even grow up coming to Pete's, but I found eating there strangely homey, like it was a place I had been coming since I was a child.  The food was served hot.  The fish was moist, and the crunch was fantastic.  I loved the breading!  It wasn't greasy at all; and while the seasoning was on the mild-side, it was sufficient.  I found the kick in their special sauce (essentially a watered down mix of ketchup and cocktail sauce) to be, again, surprisingly delicious.  I kept dipping.  I wanted more.

The deal with Pete's Fish and Chips is this:  It's comfort food that you will never be able to qualify by descriptions of its flavor or authenticity.  Pete's isn't remotely the best fish and chipper (in fact, it's hard for me to even actually call them fish and chips) you will find in the valley. But Pete's is an Arizona staple, and a staple that I can say was a pleasant surprise. I'm glad I ate there to answer the question for myself.

There is nothing wrong with this sandwich.

Meatball Sandwich from McGurkee's JP Sandwich Shop

Sandwich perfection!  Honestly, I can't find one thing wrong with this sandwich.

Seriously, these meatball sandwiches at McGurkee's JP Sandwich Shop are to-die-for.  There is nothing fancy about them, but every single simple ingredient is ideal.  The meatballs are juicy, tender, and full of flavor.  The marinara is chunky, fresh, garlicky, and present enough to make a statement without running all down your hands as you eat.  The cheese--well, you can't really go wrong with provolone.  But where this sandwich really trumps all the other decent meatball sandwiches in the world is its sesame bun. The thinness of the bread is flawless and truly makes the meatball the star.  The punch of  sesame flavor and the crunch from the toasted bun truly make this the ultimate meatball sandwich.  My only recommendation is to order a couple of peperoncini peppers (it will set you back a few cents) and try the classic "bite off the tip, pour the juice on your sandwich before taking a bite" trick.  My stomach is growling writing this.  Literally. The super sicilian is also an excellent sub choice, but if I could only have one, I'm taking the meatball. I love supporting a place like this that's been around over 30 years.  All you busy workers, students, and other hoards of people who flock to the Subway restaurants located on every corner:  Promise me you will try this place at least once if you are in the Phoenix area. You'll never look at a Subway the same way again.  

It's hard to believe my time in Phoenix is winding down so quickly.  Two weeks from today I will be driving north with no plans to return.  Look at me getting all sentimental... Anyway, knowing the end is near there are several favorite spots I need to visit for that one last fix.  Thus our visit to McGurkee's last week.  There are so many culinary "gems"here I never got around to highlighting!  Perhaps I'll continue to write about Phoenix for a few months after my departure.  It's been an amazing experience living here.

When life gives you lemons, well you know...

Life has given me quite a few lemons lately, so naturally I did what anyone would do:  Make lemonade.  One of my favorite things about living in Phoenix is the access to citrus trees and fresh (free) citrus.  I used my frozen lemon juice to make this amazing lemonade.

Truth be told, this is not a photo of my lemonade but it looks exactly like what I made.  I have an issue posting without pictures.  Posting without pictures reminds me of kindergarten, reading those drab books without illustrations.  Do you remember that?  Here's the recipe:

-1 3/4 C. white sugar
-8 C. water
-1 1/2 C. lemon juice
-1 large bunch basil
(optional: fresh seasonal berries)

1. Make a thick simple syrup by combining the sugar and 1 C. water in a small sauce pan.  Bring to a boil until the sugar dissolves, cool to room temp, and then cover and refrigerate until chilled. In pitcher stir together chilled syrup, remaining 7 C. of water, lemon juice, and the basil leaves. Leave in the refrigerator for 24 hours before serving.  I added pureed strawberries prior to serving, but any fresh berry would be delicious; I just chose strawberries so I wouldn't have to strain out the seeds.  It was also amazing on its own.  The basil added a subtle but definite flavor.  Perhaps for more of a punch next time I'll try pureeing some basil in with the berries. I also plan to try this recipe with limes instead of lemons to recreate a drink-able version of my favorite sorbet at Sweet Republic.

Speaking of frozen things, I also poured some of the lemonade into popsicle molds with some bits of basil and the strawberry puree, and they made another lovely treat.  

My mom, my son, and I had a picnic at The Farm at South Mountain this week.  Hopefully I'll get a chance to write about that soon.  It was so beautiful under the pecan trees.  If life is giving you lemons, try this recipe.  It helped me.

What kind of cook are you?

Reader, I pose this question:  What kind of cook are you?  There are several kinds I suppose.  Tonight I'll discuss two.  My mom and I stand at opposite ends of the spectrum.  My mom is the over-estimator and I am the under-estimator.  Let me elaborate-

You may be an over-estimator if:
-Your definition of "cooking" means heating up a jar of pasta sauce and boiling spaghetti noodles.
-You throw away recipes you haven't used in more than a year.  If you needed them, you would have used them in the past year, right?  There must be a reason you haven't cooked it, even if you can't remember why.
-You see anything that involves chopping as considered a difficult recipe.

You may be an under-estimator if:
-You significantly misjudge the amount of time a recipe will take.
-You actually refer to the "prep time" listed on a recipe like it's a reliable source of information (I will be the first to say I am no professional chef, nor do I possess any formal training, but the 5 minute "prep time" listed in the recipe I will share below is laughable.  Ha.).
-You don't seem to learn from past experience, and continue to utter the words, "Wow, this is taking longer than I expected" 2 hours into the cooking process.

So, over-estimators, like my mom, over-estimate the amount of work it takes to cook, and therefore find themselves avoiding it. The under-estimators, like me, continually underestimate the actual time and effort it will take to cook, and are surprised at how labor-intensive the process turns out to be.  Case in point:  This week's dinner.

Having a baby changed everything about the way I cook.  At first I tried to be wonder woman in the kitchen.  But after cooking honey lime enchiladas when my son was less than a week old led to a near complete emotional and physical breakdown, I realized things needed to change.  Enter a month and a half of frozen lasagna, pizza, bagged salad, pizza.. oh, and did I mention pizza?  Since staying with my parents, I have had the opportunity to cook again because of the extra hands.  This week was Indian food.  I cooked a sweet potato cauliflower dish and served it with saag paneer and naan a la Trader Joe's.  It was fun, but it definitely fell into my under-estimator category.  Here is the recipe:

INGREDIENTS;
-2 T. olive oil
-1 onion, chopped
-1 T. fresh grated ginger
-1 T. coriander seeds (or 1/2 T. ground coriander)
-1 T. cumin seeds (or 1/2 T. ground cumin)
-1 tsp. turmeric
-1 tsp. salt
-1 tomato, chopped
-1 large sweet potato, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
-1 small head cauliflower, cut into bite-size florets

DIRECTIONS:
Place the oil in a large nonstick skillet and heat over medium-high heat.  Add the onion and ginger and cook for 4 minutes. Stir in the spices and toast for 15 seconds and then add the tomatoes and sweet potato.  Add water as necessary to keep the ingredients from sticking, and cook until sweet potatoes are tender. Add the cauliflower and stir well to combine.  Place a tight fitting lid on the pan and cook until the cauliflower is crisp-tender, about 5 to 8 minutes.

Sounds easy enough, right?  It certainly wasn't the hardest recipe I have ever cooked, but it was definitely an under-estimator.  And when all is said and done, I can't say it will become one of my go-to's, but it was a fun venture into home-cooked Indian cuisine.  I loved the saag paneer and naan from Trader Joe's.

Until next time, goodnight.  I suppose I'll be back with an another underestimated recipe soon since we under-estimators just never seem to learn...

Nielsen's Frozen Custard

I have been spending a few weeks in Utah.  The grandparents are loving spending time with the little one, and I am loving the extra hands so it's a mutually beneficial, beautiful thing... :)  My trip has been full of a lot of good-old comfort food (Javier's, fried chicken from Maddox, Tony's pizza with those wonderful signature green olives) and some exceptional standouts (Chocolate calzone from Arella Pizzeria, shrimp tempura from Temari).  Ice cream has always played a major role in my life.  Since being pregnant, ice cream has played a nearly daily role in my life--and I'm not ashamed of it whatsoever.  Haagen Dazs chocolate peanut butter has been my regular go-to.  Today we took a trip to Trader Joe's in Salt Lake and on the way home stopped at Nielsen's Frozen Custard in Bountiful.  It was a gorgeous spring day, about 73 degrees.  And speaking of gorgeous.... 

I can't call myself a frozen custard aficionado.  I don't have tremendous knowledge about the subject, but I trust my palate, and Nielsen's is the closest thing I've ever tasted to frozen custard perfection.  It is so unbelievably smooth.  The concretes are thick, rich... I'm literally salivating writing this.  Literally.  My parents' classic orders have been passed down to me:  A chocolate almond malted concrete, and a caramel cashew malted concrete.  Have you ever eaten something and been unable to refrain from uttering audible oohs and ahhs?  This was one of those moments for me.  Every bite seemed just a bit better than the last.  The creamy, dense texture of the custard; the bold crunch of the roasted almonds in every bite, the rich chocolate flavor.  Heavenly.  Freddy's is good for a frozen yogurt craving in Phoenix; Rita's is delicious for what it is, although let's be honest, that soft-serve frozen topping in your gelati is a far cry from true frozen custard; but my original introduction to frozen custard still holds the number one place in my book.  And in my heart.  And I'm so grateful today provided me the opportunity to relive that love affair over again.  Wish me sweet frozen custard dreams tonight.   

Back from the abyss... with Avocado Egg Salad Sandwiches

Well I'm back from the abyss that was 2013!  Over a year since my last post and a lot of life changes.  I have a new little one with me, and I am motivated to get back into blogging.  I have a whole list of back-logged entries I'd like to add (the "Big Unit" at Alice Cooperstown, Restaurant Week at Binkley's, the heaven that is The Welcome Diner...)-- we'll see if that happens.  But for now, I'll start with a delicious new recipe:  Avocado Egg Salad Sandwiches.

Egg salad sandwiches were a staple in my mom's kitchen.  My mom's version included the usual egg salad mix topped with paprika, and our own Hyde specialty:  Bread and butter pickles.  A great version.  But here is a great twist if you're looking for something healthy and a bit more unusual.  I found this recipe on Pinterest, tried it, loved it, but felt it was lacking something sweet.  My mom discovered the secret ingredient to make this sensational sandwich perfect:  Mango chutney.

For the egg salad:
5 hard boiled eggs
1 large avocado
Small container (around 1/3 C.) plain greek yogurt
1 tsp. curry powder (more or less depending on your affinity for curry)
Salt and pepper to taste

Spread a generous portion of mango chutney on one slice of bread.  Top with the egg salad, romaine lettuce, and another slice of bread.  Makes 4 sandwiches. Divine.

I inhaled the sandwich too quickly to snap a photo--I'll try to control myself and add one next time.