Atlanta etc.: Marilyn Wolf's Food Blog and Restaurant Blog

I've always loved the Chuckbox. I went to high school in Tempe and occasionally hung out at the ASU library. (I'm a nerd---what do you expect me to do?) I discovered the Chuckbox across the street from campus on one of those trips, probably on my way to the textbook store (I told you I'm a nerd). It hasn't changed at all and I still think it's great. This is the Little One. The Big One is pretty big and their huge burger really is huge. One of the things that caught my eye way back when was the open charcoal grill that's right in front of you. You order your burger, you see the cook slap it onto the grill, you see the flames lick it into shape. They also have a fixings bar, something that was very popular int the '70s but is much less common now. Most of the new custom burger places put together the burger for you. I enjoy the opportunity to look, shop, and figure out what I want by what I see in front of me. The onion rings, by the wa...

While wandering around Tempe, I happened across a small Indian strip mall. Its restaurant, the Dhaba, specializes in Punjabi food. I was very impressed with the food as well as the decor. I ordered the vegetarian thali. It started with a diced vegetable salad with a sort-of-French salad dressing. I've never seen a salad like it in an Indian restaurant but it was a refreshing way to start. The thali itself had Punjab choli, a lentil dish, and dal. The choli was quite spicy. The chutneys that accompany the meal are much more flavorful than what one gets in a more mundane Indian restaurant. When I looked at the red sauce I suspected that it was pretty hot. I was right---it gave a beautiful burn that kept me coming back for more.

Pizzeria Bianco is one of the most famous restaurants in Phoenix. It happens to be just two miles from the airport. That made it easy to decide what to do first when I arrived in town. I arrived at mid-afternoon, normally a slow time for restaurants. Bianco is so popular that you have to wait even at the down times. The hostess told me to expect a half hour wait but she very graciously worked me in after about five minutes. I started with a plate of green and black olives. Both tasted great and provided different textures (green is firmer). They come bathed in an amazingly flavorful olive oil. Even if you aren't a crust person, try dipping a little of your pizza crust in the leftover oil. This is the sonny boy pizza. It's topped with salami, something that one doesn't often find on pizzas. This extremely fine salami gives a very meaty flavor without being heavy. Of course, the crust is superb. It's just the right thickness with a few wonderful burn...

My Irvine friends took me to Cafe Bresserie during my recent visit. The restaurant is located in an office building near the airport. The outside is low-key but the inside is large and pretty opulent. We arrived early but by the time we left many couples were dancing to a band. We kicked things off with a breasola, a very delicate dish that is a great way to introduce a meat-oriented meal. Our next course was salads. My caesar was fine but nothing special; my friends reported that the beet salad was outstanding. My main course was a steak and white corn. The steak was excellent. The corn was very sweet and tender, almost like dessert. The hit of the meal, however, was the chocolate souffle. It was perfect. The richness of the chocolate and raspberry didn't overwhelm the richness of the egg. It was fluffy and tender, not to mention beautiful.

Catherine and I got a chance to try the Bakery at Cakes and Ale. I had stopped by before for just long enough to try an exquisite cookie. I've been looking forward to this breakfast for a chance to catch up with Catherine and to make our acquaintance with some great breakfasts. That's my cheese and green onion scone plus a biscotti. The scone was very intriguing---you don't see savory scones every day in this country---and it turned out to be even better than I imagined. It has just enough cheese to give the flavor but not be gooey. It's surprisingly salty, which adds a lot to the overall experience. The biscotti was perfect. Too much sweetness would just be lost when you dunk it. The pistachios and bits of chocolate make great little nuggets to discover.

Hyesoon recommended Sufi's. She likes its combination of good food and late hours. I dropped by last night for what passes for a late-night meal for me. As you can see, the interior is quite elegant. The service was generally very good, although I must say that the rest room had absolutely no paper towels. This is the table salad that starts off the meal. It has mint and some other herb I couldn't identify, walnuts, radishes, butter, cheese, and bread. Mixing and matching is part of the fun. My main course was the veggie stew. I had another dish in mind when I ordered so I was a little surprised by what I got, but it was very good. The sauce was moderately spicy; it left a nice burn on my lips at the end of the meal. The stew includes eggplant, potatoes, and an assortment of other vegetables. It comes with a large serving of rice but I think the best way to enjoy it is Southern style---dunk your bread. Wiping the bowl clean is a sign of a good meal.

Hyesoon introduced me to Jang Su Jang. The exterior is low-key and I probably wouldn't have paid much attention to it by myself. The restaurant serves both Korean BBQ and tofu. The room is in a more traditional Korean style and the service was very good. The Korean salad is one of the joys of a Korean meal. The dishes very widely and I don't think that two restaurants serve them the same way. My favorite was the cucumber. Its sauce was very complex: heat, sour, and just a touch of sweetness. Tofu houses serve the tofu in a soup. Hyesoon recommended that I try the seafood. It had some small clams or oysters and crayfish. Those little critters packed a lot of flavor. I ordered it spicy; the level of heat was just right.