The Food and Drink Guy

Category: Arizona

  • The Brickyard Downtown (Chandler, AZ) Review

    The Brickyard Downtown (Chandler, AZ) Review

    Rating: 5 out of 5.

    4.75* (out of 5)

    Yelp Review

    Google Review

    Food: 5*

    Atmosphere: 5*

    Value: 5*

    Service: 4*

    02/24/2024 The Brickyard Downtown (480) 963-1373

    When we got out of Saturday evening Mass, my wife found this gem while searching restaurants near our hotel. Downtown Chandler comes alive in the evenings and this place was right in the middle of the activity – open, modern and full of energy.

    We started with a Kentucky Maid (see picture – great bourbon drink) and a Gates of Oblivion (see picture – we love smokey mezcal with some spice and this one delivers both) drink. Both of them were delicious…just a bit on the small side. Maybe intentionally so, to be consistent with the smaller Tapas plates served for dinner.

    For our main course, I went with the Coconut Shrimp (see picture) and my wife ordered the Pork Fried Rice (see picture). Both of them were amazingly delicious and due to the smaller Tapas plate sizes, we opted to order the Pork Tacos (see picture) to share. They were some of the best street tacos that we’ve had – warm, fresh, moist and seasoned to perfection!

    You will definitely enjoy a stop here for dinner – while the plates and drinks are a little on the small side (Tapas), the lower prices serve as an offset…and you will be less likely to feel stuffed when you leave!

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    Coconut Shrimp
    Pork Fried Rice
    Pork Taco
    Kentucky Maid
    Gates of Oblivion

    Photos copyright: happyhourdesmoines.com & thefoodanddrinkguy.com

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  • Hop Social Grill (Chandler, AZ) Review

    Hop Social Grill (Chandler, AZ) Review

    Rating: 5 out of 5.

    5.0* (out of 5)

    Yelp Review

    Google Review

    Food: 5*

    Atmosphere: 5*

    Value: 5*

    Service: 5*

    02/23/2024 Hop Social Grill (480) 485-4677

    This started out as a stop to sample some local craft beers while waiting for our reservation time at another restaurant. However, we liked it so much and the food on the menu looked so good – that we decided to just stay and have dinner here instead!

    We had heard good things about the Fried Brussels (see picture), so ordered them as an appetizer and were NOT disappointed – they were delicious! For our main courses, I ordered the Harvest Bowl (see picture), my wife ordered the Prawn Bowl and my friend ordered the Chicken Pot Pie (see picture). All of them tasted just as good as they look in the pictures and we would recommend all of them.

    Along with our drinks during the meal, we topped things off with an order of Creme Brulee (see picture) at the end of the meal and also found it to be quite tasty. Not only was the food, service and atmosphere outstanding here, but given that all of our dishes were under $20 – I’m giving 5* for Value also.

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    Photos copyright: happyhourdesmoines.com & thefoodanddrinkguy.com

    Harvest Bowl w/Salmon
    Chicken Pot Pie
    Fried Brussels
    Creme Brulee

    Photos copyright: happyhourdesmoines.com & thefoodanddrinkguy.com

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  • The Sicilian Butcher (Chandler, AZ) Review

    The Sicilian Butcher (Chandler, AZ) Review

    Rating: 5 out of 5.

    4.75* (out of 5)

    Yelp Review

    Google Review

    Food: 5*

    Atmosphere: 5*

    Value: 4*

    Service: 5*

    02/19/2024 Sicilian Butcher (480) 573-8550

    My wife found this place online – looked good, had great ratings and was near our hotel. We were impressed as we walked up to the exterior of the restaurant (see pictures) and that positive feeling only grew as we stepped inside. Everything was so well-lit, modern, open and full of energy – even on a Monday night.

    We didn’t have reservations and had to wait a bit for our table, so took advantage of the opportunity to sit at the bar (see pictures) and have a drink. The craft beers were very good and the prices were reasonable. Shortly after our drinks were served, a table opened up for us to be seated so we transferred to it.

    We soon learned that the restaurant is known for its meatballs – you choose your meatball, sauce and pasta (see menu pictures). Our bartender was great, so we went with his recommendations on the pairings. I went with the Sausage, Arrabiata with Creamy Polenta (see picture) and my wife ordered the Sicilian, Truffle Mushroom with Creste de Gallo (see picture). As we always do, we each tried some of each other’s dish and we both really liked both plates. The meatballs were great, but the polenta was so rich and creamy, yet also light – quite delicious!

    For dessert, my wife and I both love Tiramisu, so we were looking forward to giving it a try. However, since our waiter’s dinner suggestions were so good, we asked him for a dessert recommendation and he suggested the Lobster Roll (see picture). Obviously, it isn’t a savory lobster roll, but rather is given name due to it looking like a lobster tail – and is best described as a close cousin of cannoli (delicious creamy custard inside a light, flaky shell). It was SO good and I highly recommend that you try it!

    And maybe the best part of all (given my strong sweet tooth) was the bakery with gelato and other delicious cookies and desserts that was in another part of the building as we exited. Make sure you stop here and pick up some treats to bring along home or to the office – you’ll make instant friends when you share!

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    Photos copyright: happyhourdesmoines.com & thefoodanddrinkguy.com

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  • Patent 139 Brewing Co. (Chandler, AZ) Review

    Patent 139 Brewing Co. (Chandler, AZ) Review

    Rating: 5 out of 5.

    5.0* (out of 5)

    Yelp Review

    Google Review

    Food: 5*

    Atmosphere: 5*

    Value: 5*

    Service: 5*

    02/18/2024 Patent 139 Brewing Co. (480) 597-7138

    We just got into town the night before and were looking for some place to go on Sunday afternoon when we saw this place near where we went to an afternoon Mass. While there wasn’t anything that really stood out on the exterior, once we stepped inside we were impressed with the modern decor and welcoming environment (see pictures). Then, after stepping outside on the patio with our beers and seeing the beautiful pond, we were even more impressed.

    We were looking for samples of some local craft beers and something light to eat to cover us until dinner time. Patent 139 covered us very well in both areas, and the Smoked Avocado Feta Dip appetizer that we ordered (see picture) left us very impressed! We both absolutely loved it so much that we were tempted to place a 2nd order. It was so fresh, flavorful and delicious…not to mention how great it looked when it was served. Oh, and lest I forget, the beer samples were quite good also!

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    Photos copyright: happyhourdesmoines.com & thefoodanddrinkguy.com

    Photos copyright: happyhourdesmoines.com & thefoodanddrinkguy.com

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