Sapporo's in Scottsdale

 This Fun Frank Friday, I wanted to indulge in the full sushi experience.  So as we were looking for places to go, as there are actually many to choose from here in the desert, we received a high recommendation from a fellow sushi lover.  When you first arrive at Sapporo's you notice the crowds of people spilling out onto the patio and the towering flames that light your path to the front door.  Just past the flames is a waterfall that frames the entrance.  The architecture is a mix of ancient Japan and modern Tokyo.  There are several fish tanks with colorful fish throughout the restaurant, I was unsure if they were the catch of the day or there just for decorations.  Now I know that some of you are not avid sushi eaters so I plan to give you a rating of 1 to 10 for each roll.  A "1" would be considered the most palatable even for the novice sushi eater and a "10" would be for the true "foodie" that has a sense of adventure and experience with a variety of taste and textures.

So we sat down with four adults and two children and proceeded to give our drink order.  They did have Coke, so you know what I ordered.  Three others ordered water and Jeff who decided to enjoy a sake bomb.  A sake bomb consists of a traditional Japanese beer and a shot of sake (grain alcohol).   Typically one would fill the shot glass with sake and a beer glass 3/4 of the way with beer, then one would take the sake, glass and all and drop it into the beer.  This allows both flavors to intermingle with each other and create the sake bomb.  This is similar to the American "boilermaker".

So the kid's orders came out first.  From the children's menu,  Mikayla opted for the mac and cheese.  I rate this as a negative 8 on the sushi roll scale.  This is definitely for the non-sushi and non-Asian food eater.  The mac and cheese is a great comfort food which many people have enjoyed.  It must have been really good here as she did not even offer to share a bite with me.  Mikayla was also being very adventurous and wanted to share in the sushi experience with the rest of us.  She did try a few bites of different rolls but she ordered one specific roll, the California roll.  

The California roll consists of rice wrapped around imitation crab, avocado and cucumber.  I rate this on the sushi scale as a "1".  This is usually a "beginner" roll and was one of the first I ever tried.  There is no raw fish in this roll and the imitation crab is really a cooked white fish with crab flavoring.  The avocado is excellent color and the cucumber provides a crisp fresh flavor.  This is the roll I would recommend to anyone who has never tried but is willing to give sushi a shot.

Ryland chose the orange chicken which consists of pieces of chicken, lightly battered and deep fried then glazed with an orange sauce.   Served with rice and snow peas, this must have also been delicious as I was not offered a taste as well.  I would rate this as a negative 3 on the sushi scale although it is more adventurous than the mac and cheese and more appropriate for an Asian restaurant it is still for the non-sushi eater.

 The most enjoyable part (for Patti at least) when eating at a sushi restaurant with friends, is that you can order a variety of rolls, place them in the middle of the table and everyone can try pieces of each roll.  This is considered family style eating.  This is a social and adventurous eating environment.  It sparks more conversations as you interact more with each other and you are able to try a variety of foods.

So let's start off with one of Patti's favorites, the Tootsie Roll.  The question is...does she enjoy it because of the taste or because the name reminds her of one her favorite candies?  The answer is.. both!  This photo is actually of two orders of Tootsie rolls as Dana also enjoys this one.  The Tootsie is rice, wrapped around crab mix & cucumber then topped with tempura flakes and drizzled with eel sauce.  Again no actual raw fish in this roll.  Because of this it gets a low rating on the sushi scale but since it does include "eel sauce" I bumped it to a "3".  This roll is mild with a hint of sweet from the eel sauce.  This is great roll to have a bite from after any spicy rolls you may be adventuring through.

Next Dana is stepping it up a notch with the Scottsdale Roll. Again this picture is actually two rolls on one plate. This is rice wrapped around crab, spicy scallops, avocado & kaiware and topped with a dot of Asian hot sauce.  This combination of seafood and kaiware which is radish seeds has a spicy kick to it and I rate it a "4".

Another mild roll, although a bit more adventurous is the Alaskan roll.  It consists of rice wrapped around crab mix & avocado then topped with a piece of raw fresh salmon.  I give this roll a rating of "5".  Though it is a mild roll, it does contain the raw salmon flavor and texture that would make it more adventurous than the previous rolls.

One of our most favorite rolls of the evening was the MT roll.  This roll will stimulate all of your culinary senses and tingle every inch of your palate.  From the crunch of the tempura crab located in the center to the smell of the seared salmon, the creamy crab mix in the middle of the roll to the tang of the hint of lemon and finally the kick to your taste buds not just from the hot sauce but also the spicy mayo, this is a palate adventure to the max.  In addition to the above, this roll also has hidden in it cucumber, avocado and jalapeno all wrapped in a delicate soy paper.  This one was a difficult one for me to rate.  On the sushi adventure rating scale, I give it a "5" but on the flavor and texture scale this was definitely a "10" and a roll that you should not pass on.  Even the novice could enjoy this roll.

Not to be outdone in the spicy arena, comes the Cougar roll.  That jalapeno with the dot of Chinese hot sauce on top just screams "Burn!".   The rice is filled with crab mix, avocado, and cucumber.  Of course you see the Jalepeño but it is also topped with seared Yellowtail, garlic butter sauce & Sriracha (Chinese hot sauce).  I rate this one as "6".  When this roll came to the table, I quickly grabbed my drink because it looked like it would set my mouth on fire.  But I was brave enough to close my eyes and take a bite, jalapeno and all.  I was pleasantly surprised that even though it had a good spicy kick, the fresh jalapeno gave off more of a vegetable flavor than heat.  But the creamy crab mix in the middle, helped put out the 6 alarm fire in my mouth.

Jeff has a weakness or should we say extreme fondness for the salmon nigiri.  This is a small filet of fresh salmon, served raw and placed on rice.  On the side of the plate is also some rose ginger and a dollop of wasabi.  On the sushi scale, I am rating this a "7".  This is what non-sushi eaters typically think sushi consists of, raw fish on rice.  But the actual name of this dish is sashimi.  When you are ready to adventure off to this level, there are a couple of tips I think might be useful.  First, if it tastes fishy, it is not fresh and exercise caution.  Good sashimi will have a cool smooth texture with a minimal oceanic flavor.  This is why the restaurant will give you a small dish for soy sauce.  The sauce plus the ginger and/or wasabi (whichever you choose to use) helps add flavor to this dish.

I consider myself an experienced sushi eater and I enjoy the different textures and flavors of all types of dishes.  Although I did enjoy the nigiri that Jeff ordered, I also decided to bump it up a notch and ordered a sashimi combination plate.  This one contained no rice and just fish with the ginger and wasabi garnish.  There were four different types including salmon, white fish, blue fin tuna, and yellowtail tuna.  I'm going to rate this one a "7.5".   You may think that all raw fish would have a similar taste and texture, but on the contrary, each one had it's own unique flavor and texture.  For this dish, I like to take the wasabi and mix it in some soy sauce.  This gives it a salty, horseradish flavor to each piece I dip in it.



 Here at Sapporo's they have their sushi menu AND a favorite's menu.  Off of their favorite's menu we ordered the Blue Fin Special.  The tuna is lightly seared and served with masago (the orange smelt eggs), garlic wasabi  and drizzled with soy sauce.  The seared tuna is one that I like to order no matter what sushi restaurant I go to.  There is just something about the smoky flavor from the searing paired with the cool of the raw tuna that I have an extreme fondness for.  The masago adds an interesting texture and sensation of popping, not unlike PopRocks for those of you who remember PopRocks.  The garlic wasabi brought out the flavors of the tuna and added a little heat to each bite.  Placed in the center of the dish were marinated cucumbers.  With the intense flavors and textures from each bite, the cucumbers were a cleansing, cooling respite when enjoyed between each piece of tuna.  I would rate this one an "8".

The Citrus Yellowtail dish will take us to the next level of sushi adventure.  This dish is sashimi style Yellowtail tuna in a citrus ponzu with miso sauce and served with a thin slice of Avocado.  The red dot of Chinese hot sauce finished off the color and temperature of the dish.  I gave this a rating of "9" because the texture of the smooth Yellowtail and the smooth nutty flavor of the avocado is an interesting combination but not for the faint of palate.  The part that I found quite interesting was the citrus ponzu.  The tang of the lemon sauce is not often found in sushi dishes.  But the tartness actually complimented the smoothness of the yellowfin. While the cool of the avocado was complimented by the heat of the hot sauce, a yin-yang in true Asian fashion.


WARNING!!!  If you are sushi novice, now would be a good time to stop reading.  I need to add this disclaimer for those who are faint of heart.  This next dish is not frequently found on menus and I had to try it one more time.  I mentioned to Jeff that I had tried it once and I explained my initial experience at a previous restaurant.  I live by a rule that even if you don't like something, if given the opportunity you should try it at least twice in case the first experience was a true representation or not. 

Our last and final dish, I am rating as a "10+" (Patti says I should rate it a "13" to better represent the negativity of it).  We ordered Uni, also known as Sea Urchin.  A sea urchin is a small spiny creature that lives on the bottom of the ocean and is often found if you venture into tide pools.  This was Jeff's first experience with Sea urchin and as you can tell in this photo, the skepticism almost won out.

 The uni is wrapped in nori, and a small mound of rice is under the body of the sea urchin.  The texture starts out as smooth and creamy, then an explosion of oceanic water follows.  It was quickly washed away with the next sensation of a squirt and it can only be described as if I had just taken a big gulp of sandy ocean floor.  This left a strong marine aftertaste in my mouth.  This was actually the better of the two experiences.  I could tell this uni was fresh.

 The look on Jeff's face was priceless!  Although I had tried to prepare him as much as I could for this experience, he obviously was not ready for the squirt and strong aftertaste.  I hope this does not impede any further sushi adventures with him.  I do now have a new found respect for Jeff and I tip my hat to his willingness to try something new.  I'll never ask him to eat Uni again. 

So out of all the food, we experienced here at Sapporos, we found many that were enjoyable and we found some that we most likely will not be eating again.  But at least we tried it.  So if you haven't tried sushi, try it now!

Haus Murphy's

 First let me announce the winner of the "1000 page views" contest.  I sent out to all my Facebook Friends a challenge to reach "1000 page views" and Mark Crane was the first to send back a picture/screen shot of the "1000" on our page.  Since Mark resides out of state and I couldn't figure out how to mail a hamburger, he conceded to the runner-up in the Phoenix area.  The prize of dinner with us went to Lorie Christensen (and her husband, Paul) who was the 1001st page view.  So this Fun Frank Friday takes us to a little piece of Germany in downtown Glendale (59th and Glendale Ave).  We started the evening off with the iconic German food.  A sausage sampler which included a German Bratwurst and a Krakauer Wurst sliced; served over a bed of Haus-made Sauerkraut with three dipping sauces on the side.  The first one I tried was the Krakauer Wurst.  This was a tightly packed sausage full of flavor and spices.  When you bit into the casing, there was the fresh snap that a sausage should have.  The sauces on the side were more for color as this sausage had so much flavor that adding any from the side would only have drown out the true flavors from the sausage.  The other sausage on the plate was the Bratwurst.  I bit down into it and the casing didn't have the snap that the Krakauer had but I was surprised by the tenderness and burst of juice from the sausage.  The Brat did have a mild spices that didn't overpower the meat and the sauces on the side complimented this sausage nicely.  The three sauces were a honey mustard, a type of ketchup/Worcester/chili powder mix, and a yellow deli mustard.  In a true German manner, the sausage was served on a bed of sauerkraut.  Not just any sauerkraut mind you but this was freshly made, warmed and with the special touch of bacon.

Each entree is served with a cup of Chef's soup.  Our flavor was Cream of Leek.  By the name of it,  most likely would not have chosen to order it.  But since it was complimentary, I'm glad I had a chance to try it.  I was expecting a heavy cream based soup, but instead it was a delightfully light broth with onion flavor that was not off-putting.  After the sausage sampler, this was an excellent way to cleanse and ready your palate for the entrees.

Lorie, our contest winner, ordered the Sauerbraten.  This is Haus Murphy's signature dish and was featured on the Food Network. It consists of Sweet and Sour Marinated Beef, served with Red Cabbage and Schwäbische Spätzle (homemade noodle).  This is also one of their more popular dishes and for good reason.  The contrast of flavors is what really makes this dish work.  You have the sweet and sour marinated meat covered with a sweet brown gravy and a sour red cabbage on the side.  The spätzle was more like a bland noodle that provided a texture contrast as well as taste contrast to the sweet and sour.

 Paul, a first time patron of this restaurant, who has no outwardly expressed adventurous spirit, stepped outside of his box and ordered the  "Jäger Schnitzel" a tender Pork Loin, breaded and sautéed to a golden brown; topped with a Wild Mushroom sauce.  All entrees come with sides of German Fried potatoes and Wirsing (green cabbage).  Paul asked to substitute Red Cabbage for the Wirsing.  The breading around the pork loin provided an excellent crunch before your teeth penetrated to the juicy meat in the middle.  The brown gravy with the earthy mushroom taste, gave it a smooth ride across the palate.  The German Fried potatoes reminded me more of some "ole southern comfort food" than the strong vinegar potatoes that I had had when I was in Germany.

Patti chose the Steak Schnitzel, an Angus Steak, breaded and sautéed to a golden brown and although typically topped with a Gorgonzola and Roasted Onion Sauce. She asked for the sauce on the side.  Hers was also served with German Fried Potatoes but with pan roasted Green Beans with Bacon and Onions rather than any cabbage. Once again, it had a strong feel of "comfort food".  The cheese sauce was a strong flavor that balanced out the more bland seasoning of the schnitzel.  The green beans were extremely fresh and the bacon added gave just the right salty touch.


I asked for the waitress' opinion between the Sauerbraten and the Rouladen.  She actually preferred the Rouladen over the Sauerbraten, so I followed her recommendation and ordered the Traditional Beef Rouladen that is sliced beef rolled around a dill Pickle, Bacon and Onion.  My dish was served with Red Cabbage and Schwäbische Spätzle as well.  If I had known better, I would have ordered the Fried Potatoes rather than the spätzle.  What I truly enjoyed about the Rouladen was the bountiful flavors and textured all rolled up in one bite.  Once your teeth have sunk past the meat, you are met with a quick tart taste of dill pickle.  The onion added a sweet flavor next to the bacon's salt.  This all happens at the same time with a smooth brown gravy to wash it down.

The great experience with this German restaurant is that it had authentic German comfort food.  If you are ever missing the Fatherland this is the place to go.  Just don't expect your server to respond back to you in German.  It even has a roaming Oompah-pah Band.  The band consisted of two gentleman, one on the tuba of course and the other on the accordion.  They did play familiar polka's including "Roll out the Barrel" among others.  Which entertained the guests while they enjoy their meal.


 In keeping with the true tradition of Fun Frank Friday, I like to try something different.  The menu didn't offer anything that I hadn't tried before, until I saw the dessert menu.  Among the many different items including apple strudel and black forest torte, was the Sauerkraut Cake.  This is a dark chocolate cake with fudge frosting.  The interesting concept of this cake is that it actually included pureed sauerkraut in the recipe.  The typical flavor of sauerkraut was very difficult to detect in the cake unless you had an experienced and hypersensitive palate.  This rich chocolate cake was quickly devoured so don't let the name throw you off.  It was extremely moist and decadent.

So if you haven't tried Haus Murphy's or Sauerkraut Cake, try it now.

Miracle Mile Deli

So I've returned from jet-setting half-way across the United States.  And quickly find another Fun Frank Friday upon my schedule.  This week is the Miracle Mile Deli located on Camelback and 19th Street.  As you come into the restaurant you notice that there is a cafeteria like serving counter.  Above this counter is the large menu with a variety of deli cuisine more commonly found in the Eastern United States and mainly consisting of sandwiches.  Each sandwich is prepared fresh before your eyes and options for changing it to your liking are available.  The first sandwich I chose to order was the Triple Decker, two layers of Hot Pastrami, Swiss cheese, Lettuce, and Miracle Mile Dressing stacked high on 3 pieces of Rye bread. This sandwich was so large, even a big mouth like me had a difficult time sinking my teeth into it. 

There is something about pastrami and rye bread that just goes well together, so even though they gave me a choice to change the bread to another flavor, I stuck with the rye.  It did have the Miracle Mile Dressing but because of how much meat was on it, there was not enough to balance and left me feeling like the sandwich was too dry.  If you get a chance to try this big one, you may want to ask for extra dressing.  On the side, each sandwich is served with freshly made french fries (or you can substitute another side easily) and a kosher dill pickle. 




There was another sandwich on the menu that really intrigued me but I wasn't sure I could eat two sandwiches in one sitting (or that I should).  So I ordered the New Yorker sandwich to go.  Hot Pastrami topped with homemade cole slaw and Miracle Mile Dressing…a little taste of New York’s best in every bite.  This is the one that would keep me coming back to Miracle Mile Deli.  Between two slices of rye bread was a HEAPING mound of hot pastrami and on top that heaping mound was a HEAPING mound of fresh coleslaw.  The coolness of the coleslaw mixed with the hot meat of the pastrami made for a classic characteristic of what I look for in a good meal, that 'yin-yang' of tastes and textures.  The creamy coleslaw meeting the seasoned pastrami and ending up in a juicy burst of flavors.  Although this too had the Miracle Mile dressing on it (I couldn't tell you what that is) it was the coleslaw that made it not so dry rather than the dressing. 

Now any time you go to a true deli, one of the classic sandwiches of course is the Reuben.  Mouth-watering Corned Beef steamed to perfection, topped with melted Swiss cheese and hot sauerkraut with Miracle Mile dressing on grilled Rye bread.  A true test of a good deli is their Reuben.  So Patti opted to test it out.  The corned beef and sauerkraut made for an excellent combination that melded well with the swiss cheese.  All the ingredients are heaping over the sides of the bread with the exception of the Miracle Mile dressing.  I believe the dressing must be similar to a Thousand Island dressing but it was difficult to tell with what little there was on the sandwiches.  Instead of french fries, she did decide to go with the coleslaw.  The coleslaw was fresh and crisp with a nice creamy tang.  The meal was garnished with of course the kosher dill spear.  She ended up taking half of it home and gives high ratings to it for left-over taste-ability. 

But our Fun Frank Friday didn't end there... we took a short jaunt over to The Gelato Spot.  Here you can choose a couple of different flavors and put them into one bowl.  They also give you free samples of any flavor you want before you purchase so there are no big disappointments.  Patti chose a two scoop bowl with one scoop of Almond Snickers and one scoop of the classic Bacio.  I decided to go with my version of an "Elvis", a scoop of banana, a scoop of peanut butter and a scoop of any type of chocolate.  Gelato is an incredible way to end a Fun Frank Friday and no matter what flavor you choose, you will enjoy it.  And if you haven't gone out to a good deli or even tried a Reuben, try it now.

Peace and Quiet

For as long as I could remember, I have been vacationing at our Kasten family summer cottage on Michigan's largest southern inland lake near Coloma.    The cottage began as a black powder photography studio and was renovated into living quarters in 1907.  This time of year, I like to come up before everyone else and open the cottage for the summer season.  This is the time when it is the most quiet.  I am able to watch the ducks float by and make friends with frogs and squirrels (neither of which Patti would allow me to bring back home).

Even on vacation, eating doesn't take a holiday.  You will eventually have to eat a meal somewhere and somehow.  Most people who are traveling alone, may have a difficult time going to a restaurant by themselves.  But this is an experience that I believe everyone should at least try, because if you aren't comfortable with yourself then no one else will be comfortable with you.  Most people believe that eating is a social experience and I must agree as it is much more enjoyable in social settings. But when faced with being alone, you may find yourself stepping out of your comfort zone to meet new people.  This is also an excellent time to step out of your comfort zone and try new foods.

So I found myself in St. Joseph, Michigan at a restaurant located half a mile east of Lake Michigan.  I arrived at Clementine's around 11 am on a Monday and asked for booth next to the window.  The place was already about 50% full but I was lucky to get a view of the St. Joe river.  Though I was lacking a conversational partner, I was quite entertained by watching the magnificent boats heading towards Lake Michigan along the river.  My waitress came over and we got into a small conversation about the merits of Coke versus Pepsi.  It took only a little bit of convincing before she did agree with me that Coke was the better product but unfortunately this establishment served only Pepsi.  So of course I ordered a lemonade.

After she returned with my drink, I asked for the usual run-down of what were her recommendations for appetizers and entrees.  For the appetizer, she suggested the Clem's Homemade Onion rings served on a wooden peg.  This was one of the most frequently ordered appetizers but she said that her personal favorite was the New Zealand Green Lip Mussels.  I have eaten mussels in the past but I am pretty sure that I have not had mussels with "green lips" before.  My waitress returned with a large plate of the mussels sautéed with spinach and onions in a rich garlic butter and sprinkled on top with Parmesan cheese.  Underneath the green of the spinach, were about half a dozen mussels on the half-shell.  The full flavor of the garlic and butter with the accompaniment of the spinach and mussels made for a mouth-watering, succulent dish.  One flavor did not overpower the other.  The fibers of the spinach with the tender mussels made my mouth crave the excellent texture sensation until it was quickly devoured. 

For my entree, the waitress had suggested the Mess of Lake Perch.  I told her that I was leaning towards the baby back ribs and was curious on how close they were to Chicago style.  She informed me that of course I could get both.  Why choose?  I'm on vacation and had no one to argue that point.  So I did.  I got the Sweet Baby Ray's ribs, a hickory smoked slab of baby back ribs with a zesty barbecue sauce.  The ribs were tender, well smoked and served with the wet sauce.  To give you an idea, this is Chicago style ribs in comparison to other styles that would be described as a dry rub.  Sides of fries and coleslaw completed the dish.  The coleslaw reminded me of KFC coleslaw.  I don't know if they just make it the same way or get it from the same place but it is still very delicious.  It was also served with a slice of garlic toast that was crunchy on the outside and fluffy on the inside.  A nice strong garlic taste topped with a sprinkle of mozzarella cheese.

Along with that entree, I wanted to try the Perch.  Rather than order two full entrees, I chose instead to do what they call "Ante up" (aka "ala carte").  This addition included 5 pieces of mouthwatering Perch.  The fish was prepared with a light dusting of seasoning and pan-fried.  Of course served with a side of tarter sauce.  The outside frying left a rougher texture but it was not crunchy.  This allowed the fish to have a white, flaky center without needing to be deep fried.  Though I did try their tarter sauce, I preferred to use it on the fries because the fish didn't need any of the extra flavor.

This whole time the waitress was extremely sociable and helpful with my dining experience.  She offered the dessert menu but because I was so full I had to decline.  Going out to eat by yourself my seem like a scary or unpleasant experience.  But if you are not afraid to be with yourself, you may be surprised on how friendly others can be.  So if you haven't tried New Zealand Green Lip Mussels, try it now.