Davwud Invades The Valley of the Sun (and San Diego)

Re:Davwud Invades The Valley of the Sun (and San Diego) (Davwud)

Thu, 01 Mar 2012 13:52:07 GMT

CajunKing

Chinese - Mexican - Carribean

WOW what a wonderful combination, my mouth is watering just thinking about the unlimited options.

If you click on the link and scroll down you'll find I've linked to Flavourtown USA. Click that link and scroll to the bottom of the page and you can play Guy's visit to CB. Honestly, it was an amazing meal.

DT

Re:Davwud Invades The Valley of the Sun (and San Diego) (Davwud)

Thu, 01 Mar 2012 13:47:52 GMT

Foodbme

Davwud,
You hit some of Phoenix's good spots.
My Big Fat Greek & Corleone's, as you discovered, would be on the "B or C" list.
Next time you come out, contact me and I'll supply you with a list of all the "A" places.
Glad you enjoyed the food, especially Carolina's. It's been featured on here numerous times. So much food, so little time!

It's a ways off but I'm tenatively penciling in a trip in October. We'll see how things pan out over the course of a half year but I'm hopin'

So rec's are always welcome. So is meeting if that's something you'd be interested in.

DT

Re:Davwud Invades The Valley of the Sun (and San Diego) (Davwud)

Wed, 15 Feb 2012 10:13:10 GMT

Matt's Big Breakfast
http://davwudsfoodcourt.b...tts-big-breakfast.html

Re:Davwud Invades The Valley of the Sun (and San Diego) (Davwud)

Tue, 24 Jan 2012 12:52:41 GMT

eruby

Great report and excellent pics Davwud! And kudos for taking the time to honor your Uncle.
Thanks. My mom (brother/sister) went down just before he died and said her good byes then. I felt like my family needed to be represented for the memorial.

The BLT burger is kind of tall for my taste. I likely would have pulled a few lettuce leaves off and eaten them on the side. What is the burger resting on besides maybe the mayo that seems to make it sit up high on the bun? Or maybe it's just the pic angle.
I think it's just the angle. It's sitting on bun and mayo. I'm not big on tall burgers but I prefer a great tall burger to a lousy short burger all day long.

In re the cheesesteak, where you wrote "Beef, onions and "Wiz wit" on a hoagie roll.", 'wiz wit' in Philly is cheeze wiz with onions, so the the onions were doubled.
I sit corrected.

And like others, In-N-Out was a one time thing for me in Las Vegas as they don't exist on the east coast.
I was so surprised at how mediocre it was I'm actually looking forward to trying it again. I feel like I must have missed something.

DT

Re:Davwud Invades The Valley of the Sun (and San Diego) (eruby)

Tue, 24 Jan 2012 09:43:14 GMT

Great report and excellent pics Davwud! And kudos for taking the time to honor your Uncle.

The BLT burger is kind of tall for my taste. I likely would have pulled a few lettuce leaves off and eaten them on the side. What is the burger resting on besides maybe the mayo that seems to make it sit up high on the bun? Or maybe it's just the pic angle.

In re the cheesesteak, where you wrote "Beef, onions and "Wiz wit" on a hoagie roll.", 'wiz wit' in Philly is cheeze wiz with onions, so the the onions were doubled.

And like others, In-N-Out was a one time thing for me in Las Vegas as they don't exist on the east coast.

Re:Davwud Invades The Valley of the Sun (and San Diego) (MetroplexJim)

Tue, 24 Jan 2012 09:06:05 GMT

Foodbme

wanderingjew

Great report.
Glad you made it to Carolina's in Phoenix
On the other hand, sorry you went to In and Out- it's a wasted meal as far as I'm concerned.

If you've never been to an In & Out like Davwud, it's worth 1 trip just to see what the hype's all about

I agree. Last May, when In-n-Out opened here in Dallas the lines of those who had "to scratch that itch" were incredible. Now you can walk right in and sit right down.

Davwud's "bottom line" in re: In-n-Out vs. Five Guys is spot-on.

-------------------------
Davwud, thanks for the great and well-illustrated report; you've added several places to my "list"!

Re:Davwud Invades The Valley of the Sun (and San Diego) (speechpeach)

Mon, 23 Jan 2012 19:01:28 GMT

I can 't believe it!!! I have actually eaten at the Harbor House in San Diego a few times. Unless I have it confused with somewhere else. I was in San Diego a few years ago for my teacher sorority international conference, and stayed at the Manchester Grand Hyatt, which is near the HH. I almost feel like a real Roadfooder now, as I rarely ever see any mention of the places I haunt. There are a few local places I need to mention and might take some work on my behalf but maybe I can figure out how to add pics to my posts.

Re:Davwud Invades The Valley of the Sun (and San Diego) (Davwud)

Mon, 23 Jan 2012 12:52:36 GMT

Harbor House in San Diego
http://davwudsfoodcourt.b...2/seaport-reunion.html

DT

Re:Davwud Invades The Valley of the Sun (and San Diego) (Davwud)

Mon, 23 Jan 2012 12:38:18 GMT

Finally got around to a review of The Grind.
http://davwudsfoodcourt.b...000-of-separation.html

DT

Re:Davwud Invades The Valley of the Sun (and San Diego) (phlmaestro)

Sat, 10 Dec 2011 14:07:57 GMT

Great report and photos!
I'm from Philly and I can tell you that looks like a pretty authentic cheesesteak with the possible exception of how thick the inner portion of the roll is. If I could only see the closer half, I'd think the photo was taken in the Philly region.
Looks like a very nice mix of meat, whiz and onions.

Re:Davwud Invades The Valley of the Sun (and San Diego) (Davwud)

Sat, 10 Dec 2011 09:05:20 GMT

Heres' a review of Carolina's Mexican Food.

http://bit.ly/tBUZih

DT

Re:Davwud Invades The Valley of the Sun (and San Diego) (Davwud)

Mon, 07 Nov 2011 20:22:25 GMT

wanderingjew

Great report.

Glad you made it to Carolina's in Phoenix

On the other hand, sorry you went to In and Out- it's a wasted meal as far as I'm concerned.

After hearing so much about the mighty In-n-Out I had to try it. There's no way I couldn't go all that way and not try what some hail as one of the greatest burgers around. It's also the model a local burger guy is using. His burgers however BA-LOW INO out of the galaxy.
So based on that it wasn't a waste. Call it a fact finding mission if you will.

DT

Re:Davwud Invades The Valley of the Sun (and San Diego) (mr chips)

Mon, 07 Nov 2011 16:23:56 GMT

Thanks for the report.

Re:Davwud Invades The Valley of the Sun (and San Diego) (wheregreggeats.com)

Sat, 05 Nov 2011 14:41:17 GMT

Thanks for a superb report

Re:Davwud Invades The Valley of the Sun (and San Diego) (Foodbme)

Sat, 05 Nov 2011 14:14:44 GMT

MiamiDon

Nice report! Do I detect that you like Mexican Food? That's an awesome-looking burger.

When in Miami, eat Cuban & Caribbean. When in the Southwest, eat Mexican! It's whats for breakfast!
My College Student Granddaughter has a Chinese roommate (From China) All she eats here are Burger Kings, not interested in Chinese food!

Re:Davwud Invades The Valley of the Sun (and San Diego) (Foodbme)

Sat, 05 Nov 2011 14:04:15 GMT

wanderingjew

Great report.
Glad you made it to Carolina's in Phoenix
On the other hand, sorry you went to In and Out- it's a wasted meal as far as I'm concerned.

If you've never been to an In & Out like Davwud, it's worth 1 trip just to see what the hype's all about

Re:Davwud Invades The Valley of the Sun (and San Diego) (wanderingjew)

Sat, 05 Nov 2011 10:42:22 GMT

Great report.

Glad you made it to Carolina's in Phoenix

On the other hand, sorry you went to In and Out- it's a wasted meal as far as I'm concerned.

Re:Davwud Invades The Valley of the Sun (and San Diego) (MiamiDon)

Sat, 05 Nov 2011 09:42:15 GMT

Nice report! Do I detect that you like Mexican Food? That's an awesome-looking burger.

Re:Davwud Invades The Valley of the Sun (and San Diego) (jaylhorner)

Fri, 04 Nov 2011 17:40:12 GMT

Real good report.... great pics!

Re:Davwud Invades The Valley of the Sun (and San Diego) (CajunKing)

Fri, 04 Nov 2011 15:52:09 GMT

Chinese - Mexican - Carribean

WOW what a wonderful combination, my mouth is watering just thinking about the unlimited options.

Re:Davwud Invades The Valley of the Sun (and San Diego) (Foodbme)

Fri, 04 Nov 2011 14:09:52 GMT

Davwud

Foodbme

Davwud,
You hit some of Phoenix's good spots.
My Big Fat Greek & Corleone's, as you discovered, would be on the "B or C" list.
Next time you come out, contact me and I'll supply you with a list of all the "A" places.
Glad you enjoyed the food, especially Carolina's. It's been featured on here numerous times. So much food, so little time!

Living in TO we have a huge Greek population so MBFGR was certainly not up the level I'm used to. That said it was certainly very serviceable. I'd say a strong C level place.
Having not really had a lot of experience with cheesesteaks I don't have a good standard. I'd look at Corleone's as a B lister but it had a very sanitary vibe to it. I know they have "Franchise opportunities" and it certainly looked prepackaged. The sandwich was tasty though.

I gave my cuz a list of about 10 places. We hit 4 of them I think. Chuckbox, Frybread House and Ranch House Grille were all places I had high on my list.

I'll send you a message next time I'm down there. Whenever that'll be. In 25 years it was my first visit.

DT

The Chuckbox & Fry Bread House are both good & Unique. The Ranch House food is good. The last time there the service was sub par.
Beaver Choice would be a good one for your Cousin to try out. The owners immigrated from Scandinavia via Canada. They serve Poutine!
http://beaverchoice.com/

Re:Davwud Invades The Valley of the Sun (and San Diego) (brisketboy)

Fri, 04 Nov 2011 09:49:14 GMT

Everything looks so very good. I have been to Philly and while I cannot say for sure those cheesesteaks do look good and authentic.

Re:Davwud Invades The Valley of the Sun (and San Diego) (ScreamingChicken)

Fri, 04 Nov 2011 08:32:28 GMT

Looks like you hit quite the variety of places, Dave...very nice! The machaca looks especially good.

Brad

Re:Davwud Invades The Valley of the Sun (and San Diego) (Davwud)

Fri, 04 Nov 2011 08:07:04 GMT

Foodbme

Davwud,
You hit some of Phoenix's good spots.
My Big Fat Greek & Corleone's, as you discovered, would be on the "B or C" list.
Next time you come out, contact me and I'll supply you with a list of all the "A" places.
Glad you enjoyed the food, especially Carolina's. It's been featured on here numerous times. So much food, so little time!

Living in TO we have a huge Greek population so MBFGR was certainly not up the level I'm used to. That said it was certainly very serviceable. I'd say a strong C level place.
Having not really had a lot of experience with cheesesteaks I don't have a good standard. I'd look at Corleone's as a B lister but it had a very sanitary vibe to it. I know they have "Franchise opportunities" and it certainly looked prepackaged. The sandwich was tasty though.

I gave my cuz a list of about 10 places. We hit 4 of them I think. Chuckbox, Frybread House and Ranch House Grille were all places I had high on my list.

I'll send you a message next time I'm down there. Whenever that'll be. In 25 years it was my first visit.

DT

Re:Davwud Invades The Valley of the Sun (and San Diego) (ann peeples)

Thu, 03 Nov 2011 21:57:50 GMT

All I have to say is -FANTASTIC!

Re:Davwud Invades The Valley of the Sun (and San Diego) (Foodbme)

Thu, 03 Nov 2011 20:56:57 GMT

Davwud,
You hit some of Phoenix's good spots.
My Big Fat Greek & Corleone's, as you discovered, would be on the "B or C" list.
Next time you come out, contact me and I'll supply you with a list of all the "A" places.
Glad you enjoyed the food, especially Carolina's. It's been featured on here numerous times. So much food, so little time!

Re:Davwud Invades The Valley of the Sun (and San Diego) (Michael Hoffman)

Thu, 03 Nov 2011 19:48:22 GMT

Nice report. Thanks.

Re:Davwud Invades The Valley of the Sun (and San Diego) (Davwud)

Thu, 03 Nov 2011 19:38:07 GMT

Here are posts for the Tamale Store
http://bit.ly/vqMI7d

And Chino Bandido.
http://bit.ly/u1Pm2g

Enjoy
DT

Davwud Invades The Valley of the Sun (and San Diego) (Davwud)

Thu, 03 Nov 2011 19:33:24 GMT

Howdy food fans.

Time to post another trip report. This time to Phoenix and San Diego for a memorial for my uncle. My first trip to anywhere west of Dallas and it was a huge hit. Especially on the food front.

First things first I had a layover in Dallas and decided that I'd give Fuddruckers a try. With one right in the airport I figured it would be hard to say no. After much searching (and asking) I finally located it. Let me tell you, it was......okay. I've heard tales of how great Fudd's was but in the end, it was just okay. 5 Guys (specifically University Ave in Huntsville) is still the best chain burger.

I arrived in Phoenix just shy of noon. My cousin picked my up and told me he hadn't eaten and had selected a place from my list of options. The Grind.

This upscale burger joint has a coal fired oven wherein the burgers are cooked. To a perfect medium in our case. The BLT burger is pretty self explanatory.

Later that night my cuz took me to his favourite place. The DD&D featured Chino Bandido.

This place combines Chinese, Mexican and Caribbean foods. As odd as it sounds this almost seems like a natural fit. Chinese food favourites stuffed into burritos, etc. So I had Emerald Chicken Quesadilla, BBQ Pork Burrito, Pork Fried Rice and Cuban Black Beans. It was unbelievably good.

So the next morning I was on my own for breakfast and opted for another 3D featured place, Matt's Big Breakfast.

Modeled after a mid west coffee shop Matt's is very busy. The one good thing was, through waiting and then eating I was only in for a 45 minute investment time wise. I had seen on DD&D and on the menu the salami scramble and was all set to order that.

Pork Tenderloin, Ham and Sausage with Scrambled Eggs, Cheese and fresh jalapenos with a side of home fries and a fresh tortilla. It was excellent.

Lunch on day two was a neat little Bar and Grill type place that has chicken cooked over Mesquite. Chuy's wasn't the plan but it worked out well anyway.

The grilled chicken breast was great. I had it with some salsa and Baja sauce on a tortilla. The beef tacos were fabulous though.

Grilled Tri Tip with Cilantro and some Pico. The sides were good but not mind blowing.

We had stopped at a local place called the Tamale Store. They sell frozen tamales that you take home and nuculate.

They have meat, veggie, vegan and desert tamales. They come in pairs and the heating instructions are printed on the take out menu.

The Chipotle Chicken and Red Chili Pork tamales shown are outstanding. They best my cuz said he's had. We ate their tortillas three different meals.

So off to San Diego the next day to scatter my uncles ashes in the harbour. We met at the Harbor House right at the edge of the water.

The terrace we ate on had a great view looking out on the water and the USS Carl Vinson (aircraft carrier) was docked at the Naval Air Station. The menu was full of seafood and the fresh oysters were very good of course.
I've never had Fish Tacos anywhere other than my house. I either roast seasoned fish or grill it. These were deep fried talapia and terrific. The guac worked really well and I like that they used cabbage. The provided Ring of Fire Hot Sauce was killer. Good heat and great taste.

We had dinner that night after the "Booze Crooze" at Joe's Crab Shack. It was unfortunate that a local indy fish restaurant couldn't seat us for a couple hours so we ended up at Joe's. I split an Orleans Steampot with another guest. Shrimp, Crawfish, sausage and corn in Cajun seasonings and served in a bucket. Taste wise it was quite good but sadly overcooked. The beer was good though.

The next morning I opted for a liquid breakfast. Coffee and Coke Zero. Lunch however afforded me the opportunity to sample the wares of the legendary In-N-Out burger franchise.

I probably should've gone with a Double Double but my cuz suggested two singles, one regular and one "Animal style."

They were good but really nothing all that great. A step up from McD's but still couldn't knock 5 Guys off the block. The fries weren't very good.

So back to Phoenix and dinner at a local Greek place. It was good but my camera had crapped out on me so I didn't bother with pix. My Big Fat Greek Restaurant is fine if you're in the area but I don't think I'd drive across town.

So the next day I ate my first of two meals at the place at which I wanted to eat more than any other. Carolina's Mexican Foods. I wanted to eat at a great divey Mexican place and Carolina's delivered.

Just incredibly good. A breakfast burrito and tamale the first day. The burrito was great but the tamale kinda fell apart. It tasted really good but there really wasn't enough masa to hold it together. Carolina's is hailed as having the best machaca in the city.

OMG. This stuff was incredible. I had it in a burro, enchilada style with extra red sauce. The red enchilada sauce was great but more importantly, extremely addictive. I couldn't stop eating it. I all but picked up my styrofoam container and drank the left overs. The interesting thing is it had a strong beef gravy flavour. It was like nothing I'd ever had. Everything I was hoping it would be.

So a little hockey and then to a small, local chain name Corleone's Authentic Phillysteaks.

Having never been to Philly I can't really attest to the authenticity of these sandwiches.

Beef, onions and "Wiz wit" on a hoagie roll. It was running down your arm juicy. Very tasty and filling.

Well anyway, that's a look at my trip to the desert.

I'll post reviews on my blog and link to them here as I get them up.

Hope you enjoy it.
DT