Exploring downtown Phoenix

 Some restaurants will entice you with a rich buttery flavor, while others lure you in with their sweet tantalizing desserts, but Steve's Greenhouse Grill brings you in with the freshness of their ingredients.  Located in the center of downtown Phoenix at Adams and Central, this tavern not only has bar and patio but also surprisingly more dining area than expected.  This is a casual dining so as their website says "If you have reservations, you're in the wrong place".  Of course we are always excited when the answer to our drink question is..."we serve Coke products".  We were even more excited when the Coke comes in a large enough glass that you will not need a refill during your meal.  We started off with the "Chipotle Chicken and Green Chili Quesedilla".  Marinated diced breast of chicken layered with cheese, diced green chiles and tomatoes served with sour cream and salsa.  Wow! to finally bite into a quesedilla that was fresher than homemade.  There was no heavy oil or processed food after taste.  The serving size is large enough to share with two people but you may find yourselves fighting over the last piece.  The tortilla was lightly grilled.  The green chili and cheese were a nice compliment to the mouthwatering marinated chicken.

The menu consisted of a larger variety of grilled sandwiches and burgers (even ostrich) as well as a small section of other entrees such as steaks and pasta.  The one sandwich that caught my eye was the "Drunken Chicken Sandwich".  The first thing that came to my mind was "Foghorn Leghorn" sitting on my plate chugging a bottle of tequila.  In reality, it was a tequila and lime marinated chicken, grilled then topped with pepperjack cheese and ranch dressing.  It was served on a wheat bun with the regular burger toppings such as lettuce, onion, tomato and a spear of dill pickle.  My first bite was a fiesta for my taste buds.  I almost expected the tang of the tequila lime marinade to overpower the taste of the entire sandwich but the spice of the pepper jack cheese soon made me forget about the tang.  The fire ran rampant through my mouth with a kick that was later soothed by the creamy ranch dressing.  If you like Buffalo Wings, you will like this sandwich.  I enjoyed it for the roller coaster of flavors it provided.

Patti opted for my second choice which was the Monterey Chicken Sandwich.   A fresh grilled chicken breast topped with bacon, imported Swiss cheese, and guacamole served on a whole wheat bun with all the other regular fixings.  She expected it to be dry so asked for a side of mayo but was pleasantly surprised that she did not need it.  (Instead we used the mayo to make fry sauce for Frank's french fries).  The sandwich was incredibly fresh without any heavy over tastes of sauces.  Our server talked her into ordering the Grill's potatoes rather than french fries when he said they were grilled with garlic and onions.  The potatoes could have used more garlic and seasonings but were a nice change of pace and when it comes to garlic we believe you can never have enough.

As I have stated before I don't normally like to order desserts from restaurants but for fun we looked at the menu and this one literally jumped out at us.  It is called "Chocolate Monkey".  The main ingredient that sold me was "sliced bananas, deep fried, rolled in cinnamon and sugar".  MMMMMMmmmmmm, can't go wrong with deep fried bananas.  So it is three egg rolls filled with Ghiradelli chocolate chips and sliced bananas which are then deep fried and served with vanilla ice cream, chocolate sauce and whipped cream.  The whole thing is sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar.  Even if your stomach is full from your sandwich, you can't stop yourself from eating this dessert.  I am almost afraid to tell you have delicious this is for fear you may not invite me to share it with you when you go.  Because there is no way I will be sharing this the next time I go. 

I must say that the dessert was my highlight of the evening.  The most discouraging thing about coming to Steve's Greenhouse Grill, is trying to find a parking spot.  But after this dessert, I am glad we did end up parking a couple blocks away.  There are some treasures to be found in downtown Phoenix.  This is one of them.  If you haven't at least tried fried banana before, try it now.

And now for something completely different....

This Fun Frank Friday starts off at Shooter's World.  After a long week of work, there is nothing more relaxing than ripping a few bullets through something.  It just relieves the stress.  Shooter's World offers a Ladies' Night on Fridays which allows Patti to shoot for free and they will provide free gun rental, eye and ear protection.  They are also supposed to provide additional instruction if wanted but Friday they were short handed so Frank assisted the lady in the lane next to us by answering her questions and being all around helpful.  It is a challenge to keep up with Patti as she is such a "dead-eye" with the .32 cal and .40 cal handguns.  We probably fired off approximately 100 rounds and you see by the picture above, we almost shot the targets head off.

 

 After we left, we headed to Camelback and 35th Ave in Phoenix.  Just around the corner almost from Shooter's World.  Where we arrived at "Fu-Fu Cuisine".  The restaurant seemed empty with plenty of tables, there was only one other table that had customers when we arrived.  This usually tells you one of two things: either the advertisement hasn't been done well or the food hasn't been done well.  The place itself was homey with African artwork and interesting African music videos.  We really enjoyed the atmosphere and immediately felt comfortable here.  Our hostess was also our waitress and by the strong accent I could tell the food was going to be authentic.  Despite the accent, there was no doubt that she understood us perfectly and we had no concerns asking her questions about the menu.

We were happy to hear that they served Coke products so guess what we had to drink and no it wasn't water with lemon!  The first thing that had caught our eye on the menu was Pof-Pofs.  The menu describes it as  :"Fried sweet dumpling: one of my favorite items made with flour, sugar and butter and deep fried"
We figured you can't go wrong with deep fried sugar and butter so we had to try an order of 6.  Surprisingly these are very addictive and an order of 6 was not enough.  We ordered another set of 6 to go home with us.  After much discussion we decided that the best way to describe them is similar to a doughnut but not as airy.  I do recommend them as a dessert rather than as an appetizer as described in the menu.  After eating four of the six by myself, I started getting full and had to stop snarfing them down or there would have been no room for the rest of the meal.

 

We also decided to try an order of the  "Chicken Shish kebab"  Cubes of marinated chicken with red and green bell peppers and onions on skewers.  The chicken was moist and the vegetables were grilled to perfection.  The marinade was a nice "jerk" style that did not overpower any of the flavors on the skewer at all.  I was actually impressed with this as most marinades will overpower everything else and you are unable to taste individual ingredients.

 


Now for those who are brave in the culinary arts, where texture does not rule the day, I would recommend the goat curry.  That's right, I said goat!  I know that most people are used to having cow, lamb, pork or even boring chicken but I went with the goat.  This consists of marinated goat meat mixed with peas and carrots and served on top of white rice and surrounded by slices of fried plantain.  I asked for a medium spice but she initially brought me mild.  She remember later and offered to bring the additional spices to me but I told her it was not necessary.  For those who have never had goat, it is a chewy meat.  The other thing to watch out for is the tendency for small bones to still be present.  Be cautious.

Patti was not as brave as I and settled on the more familiar chicken meat but chose it in the form of the "Yassa Chicken" entree.  She asked if it was from the African or the Caribbean style of cuisine (see restaurant logo) and was informed it was African.  It is a yellow mustard marinated chicken breast served with sauteed onions and red peppers on a white rice.  It was surrounded by green olives with pimentos.  Surprisingly, the green olives made a great compliment to the flavor of the chicken and vegetables.  Overall the best dish of the evening.

This was actually a fun adventure in dining.  I enjoyed the unusual cuisine even though the presentation of the food on the plates wasn't glamorously garnished.  The flavors of the food and the mix of the textures made this a "Fun Frank Friday".  We are looking forward to trying this restaurant again soon.

So if you haven't tried goat, try it now!

Buca di Beppo's

My Italian is very rusty.  I don't even know what "Buca di Beppo" means but this "Fun Frank Friday" we chose an Italian restaurant.  I was looking for something that would be romantic for Valentine's and Italian food felt appropriate dinner for two.  We arrived around 5pm and there was already a 10-15 minute wait before we were seated.  As you walk in the walls are plastered with Italian memorabilia from photos, portraits, statues, and Italian signs.  This gives you something to look at while waiting for your table.  When our name was called our hostess immediately gave us a tour of the kitchen.  It is a simple walk through that shows the efficient and cleanliness of the kitchen line.  There is also a table you can reserve to sit at in the kitchen if you so desire.  I'm really impressed with any restaurant that is willing to show you how and where the food is prepared.  This shows confidence as well as trust.  We  were escorted to our booth and soon after greeted by our waiter.  He asked us for our drink order and when he told us they have Pepsi products we told him "Thanks for playing we will have water with lemon".  While  looking over the menu, we noticed that the size of the silverware is unusually large.  Which is fine by me, just means I can get more food in my mouth with one shovel.  It should have been our first indication of the size of the entrees we would be receiving.  Luckily if I had spilled any, it would have been easily wiped off the plastic table cloth by the paper napkin.... just like at home.

We ordered an appetizer sampler so we could try a variety of flavors.  Our trio included calamari, mussels and shrimp scampi.  As we waited for our appetizers to come out, our waiter brought out some sourdough bread and small dish which was empty.  At first I thought that it was for some invisible butter but our waiter seemed to be a little distracted or absent minded and after we had eaten a slice or three of bread, he realized that he had forgotten to pour olive oil into our empty dish.   Our appetizer arrived.  My heart had been set on the calamari because you can always tell what kind of Italian chef you have by the calamari.  It can be either very tender or very chewy, depending on the quality.  As I started on the calamari, it was crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, like good calamari should be.  The spicy marinara dipping sauce gave it just the right kick.  The smaller pieces with the squid tentacles tended to be overcooked and too chewy for my liking.

So I have mixed feelings about Buca's calamari.  Next I attacked the mussels.  Surprisingly, they were better than I expected.  They were tender, smooth and cooked to perfection in marinara sauce.
The shrimp scampi is the one you can't go wrong with.  The shrimp was tender, the garlic was strong surrounded in a the buttery wine sauce.  After tasting the scampi, I realized the sauce would make a perfect compliment to anything you dipped in it.  So let's try an experiment, take your left-over scampi sauce (once all the shrimp is gone) and mix it into your dipping olive oil.  Now dip your bread into our experiment and voila, you have just changed a bland olive oil into a flavorful dipping sauce.

 

When we were ordering our entree, we noticed the two choices of small versus large entrees.  Our waiter explained that a small entree feeds two people and a large feeds four.  All the entrees are served family style so they are easy to share.  Our first choice was the Prosciutto stuffed chicken.  This consists of chicken breasts stuffed with cheese and prosciutto, breaded and baked, then served on top of a pesto sauce.  Topped off with marinara and Parmesan cheese.  I enjoyed the different flavors of the dish.  The breading gave it a crunch while the prosciutto and cheese was a smooth compliment.  This would make good meal in itself but we needed something more.

If you go to an Italian restaurant you should always try and get some type of pasta.  We chose a shrimp Florentine, which our waiter indicated was a new addition to their menu.  This was a fettuccine pasta with shrimp, spinach, and tomatoes in a light garlic sauce topped with Parmesan cheese.  The colors and texture were brilliantly put together.  The flavor seemed to be lacking some sort of "oomph".  I think it might have needed a little more garlic/tang/kick to get the taste buds really going.  Don't get me wrong, it was good just not great.
  After eating our fill, we still had enough to take home and enjoy left-overs for at least two more meals.   You certainly could easily feed two or more people with one entree.  The downside is that the prices will reflect the amount of food that you receive.
So if you are looking to feed your family around a large table, this is definitely the place to be.  If you are looking for a quiet, romantic evening, you may want to choose another restaurant.
For the Italian food that your mama cooked at home, if you haven't tried Buca di Beppo's,  try it now.

Throw your plans out the window and ...KABUKI!

Throughout this week I was thinking of going to a gourmet hamburger place or a Mexican place and even considered an African/Caribbean restaurant. But for this Fun Frank Friday, I threw a dart at the map and it landed at the Tempe Marketplace. There are many types of restaurants to choose from but sushi always gives me a warm feeling. There is a restaurant there called "Kabuki".  They have many traditional rolls but I have always enjoyed the specialty rolls.  We started off the evening by sitting in a booth and received our drink order.  FINALLY!  A good restaurant that serves Coca-Cola products!  I have been eating sushi for a very long time, so I am not a novice by any means.  If you are thinking about trying sushi, I recommend that you consult an expert so you will have an enjoyable dining experience.  There is nothing worse than watching someone trying sea urchin for the first time and not wanting to eat sushi again.  We decided to order 6 rolls to start with.  Yes we usually order A LOT of rolls!  Typically, we can put away between 7 and 10 rolls between the two of us.  Lucky for us it was happy hour and some of the rolls were discounted.  While we were waiting we were surprised when our server brought out a complimentary bowl of edamame.  A very nice touch, though typically served steamed warm with a dusting of salt, our order was served cold.

The first ones that came out were the Aladdin roll.  It was a spicy albacore and lightly battered shrimp tempura.  This one definitely has a kick to it, make sure you have enough to drink after each bite.  Unfortunately for Patti, the server was so efficient that he kept taking her drink for a refill and she had to wait for its return which although it was only momentarily, it seemed like an eternity after taking a bite of such a spicy roll.  The Goldrush roll was described as a "lightly battered California roll served with eel sauce".  Lightly battered is not how I would have described their tempura, it seemed more like a thick caking of batter rather than "lightly".  This roll was bland for us.  It served a great taste relief balance to the spicy Aladdin but on its own would have been a disappointment.  Next was the Alaskan roll-artfully baked salmon on top of a California roll. This roll was prepared better than it was described.  They start off with a regular California roll, which is cream cheese, crab and cucumber inside rice, then added salmon slices on top and drizzled a hollandaise-type sauce overall.  The combination of flavors and textures, topped by the tang of the hollandaise made it the hit of the evening.

The Dragon roll -freshwater eel on top of a California roll- was a definite because it looked so cool! (at least in the menu pictures and at the table next to ours).  Ours looked like it had been rushed and could have been from a nuclear melt down as it had three eyes (made from octopus tentacles), it only had one carrot ear/horn thing instead of two and it nearly lost it's maraschino cherry nose.  This fresh-water eel roll still tasted great.  The eel was tender and placed well over the rest of the roll.  The snout and the tail were each so large that I was not able to eat them in one bite.  Even though it was a mutant dragon it was still an excellent roll of sushi.  Next was the spider roll.  The spider soft shell crab and avocado in a crab roll topped with smelt egg.  This one has always been one of my favorites.  It has the exciting texture of smelt eggs with the delicacy of crab meat.  This is one that I would recommend to anyone trying sushi.  Here at the Kabuki in Tempe, the roll was so large it could not even fit into my big mouth.

The Kabuki roll was a regular roll with slices of raw fish artfully arranged on top.  A spicy crunch roll individually topped with favorite premium fish selection.  Those who have not tried a lot of sushi, normally think that raw fish might be the worst thing to try and swallow.  But it is quite the opposite.  The flavor, if done right, is not fishy at all.  In fact if you eat tuna from a can, you can eat sushi.  I normally judge the freshness of sushi by the non-fishy taste.  With that being said, the Kabuki roll was topped with raw salmon, tuna, crab, salmon eggs, smelt eggs, whitefish, spicy salmon and a spicy tuna.  These were prepared well but Patti disagreed with the description of "artfully arranged".  This roll may not be for the novice but is for those who are ready to adventure out from the typical sushi roll.

As if that wasn't enough, we also decided to take it to the next level and ordered three types of sashimi.  A seared yellowfin tuna, a seared tuna, and flying fish eggs.  Both the tunas were tender but seemed to have been seared with a propane blow torch.  This actually gave them more of a chemical taste than would have been if the fish were grilled or left raw.  The flying fish eggs are definitely not for novices and should be reserved for sushi experts only!  I loved the snap, crackly pop of the fish eggs when you bite into them but it had a horseradish wasabi flavoring added that left it overpowered and an overwhelming after taste in your mouth.

Even though we didn't order an excessively large number of rolls, by our standards, our tummies were extremely full and satisfied at the end.  And surprisingly we were able to take some of the sushi home as left-overs.  Not typically recommended with the raw fish but is do-able for those that have been cooked such as the tempura rolls and the eels.  We saved part of the dragon and the Alaskan and one piece of the Goldrush for our left overs and surprisingly they were just as tasty on Saturday as they were Friday night.

So if you haven't tried sushi, try it now.

Live it Up in Scottsdale--Roka Akor

"He wants steak, she wants sushi" is a typical argument of what's for dinner.  At the Roka Akor, why not have the best of both worlds?

We arrived shortly after they opened.  Very few people were there and we were seated quickly.  There are a couple of seating choices, including the patio, the bar, a table or at the robata bar.  A robata bar is basically a sushi bar that serves open grilled choices as well.  This is a great way to interact with the chefs in front of you and enjoy a great meal.  We chose a table but observed the chefs talking often with those who had chosen the robata bar seating.  The atmosphere was romantic Japanese with a touch of high class elegance.  I would recommend getting dressed up and not showing up in shorts and a tee-shirt.

Once we sat down, our server asked if this was our first time here and when we indicated that this was our first visit, he was able to explain the menu options and choices in great detail and without effort.  We first asked him what types of soft drinks were available,  he immediately recommended the"Honey Yuzu" lemonade.  He explained that the "Yuzu" was similar to a Japanese tangerine and it was mixed with a sharp lemonade.  He warned that we could become addicted to it and it was an incredible refreshing drink with a zing.  It was an amazing compliment to rest of our meal.

We started with a few choices off the "hot plate" appetizer menu.  The first one was a Roka Akor specialty "Kobe Beef and Kimchi Dumplings".  The tender Kobe beef with the tang and spicy kick of the kimchi was an excellent balance of the yin-yang of flavors.  When I first saw it, I thought it was going to be  crispy pan fried dumpling, but when I bit into it, it had the flavor of pan fry but had the texture of a freshly steamed soft dumpling.

Next came another specialty called "Robata Grilled Scallops with Yuzu Shiso and Wasabi".   We were served two perfectly grilled scallops, well garnished and sliced in half for ease of eating with chopsticks.  Even though there was not much there, these scallops will melt in your mouth and remain in your memory for days!

As this restaurant was named one of the top 10 Sushi spots in the United States, we had to order a maki roll.  We chose the Unagi (fresh eel) roll.  The eel was freshly grilled and also melted in your mouth.  It was well balanced with the cucumber and cool sushi rice.  Though the eel that was placed on top was well made, the remainder of the roll lacked imagination.  It was plain green on the inside and that was it. 

Next came the main course.  If you like what she's having and she might like what you are having, then this restaurant certainly does encourage the romantic sharing of meals.  The two entrees that we chose were based on the server's description of a tempura lobster tail and his recommendation to pair it with the "(12oz.) Rib Eye with Wafu Dressing" -kind of like a "surf and turf".  So let's start off with the Rib Eye steak.  It was cooked perfectly to a ruby red medium rare then cubed to save us the agony of cutting our own meat (with chopsticks-no less). The Wafu dressing was a ginger based sauce that did not overpower the meat in any way.   

The lobster tail meat was removed, cut into bite sized pieces, battered and cooked as a tempura then placed back into the tail shell and served with a creamy wasabi mayonaise and another sauce similar but different to a soy sauce.  To have the lobster tempura without any dipping sauce was fine.  But when you dip it into the wasabi mayo it was better.  Then I tried it by dipping it into the wasabi mayo as well as the soy-like sauce and experience a flavor explosion in my mouth!

Like I have said in the past, I don't normally like to order dessert from a restaurant.  But I was so impressed by the entire meal that when the server suggested a dessert menu, I simply asked him "what would you recommend to 'wow' me".  He asked a few questions about food allergies and we added some additional food preferences and he said "I will bring it out to you".  We had no clue what it would be until he placed it before us.  We waited with anticipation and speculated on what could possibly top off a meal like this.  He returned with the dessert plate called "Panna Cotta". 
On the left was a custard cup topped with pie cherries and resting on a mint leaf.  On the right was a Yuzu ice cream with honeycomb crisp.  The honeycomb crisp tasted as if you had pulled a comb straight from the hive and placed it in a toaster.  It had a sweet, flaky crunch.  The Yuzu ice cream was a mix of sweet and tang from the Yuzu fruit but not as strong as the lemonade.  The fantastic part of this was when you placed it on your tongue, you felt a fizz.  This was balanced with the creamy custard cup which by itself was a little on the bland side.  To have only have a part of this dessert would have left you feeling completely unbalanced.  The crunch of the honeycomb crisp, the fizz of the ice cream, and the smooth creaminess of the custard makes this one of the best desserts I've ever had.

I know I have spoken very highly of the food.  But there is a down side to this restaurant.  Please look online to see if this is a restaurant you can afford, even with a coupon, we spent three times as much as we normally would.  But it is worth every penny and a nice option for special occasions.  For example I think this would be perfect for Valentine's Day but get reservations, they have a special 5 course meal plus dessert specially for that day.

It is located at 7299 North Scottsdale Road and according to their website also in Chicago.  So for that special occasion, if you haven't tried Roka Akor, try it now!

Bobby Q's

This week we are going where vegans fear to tread!  We are heading to a carnivore paradise.  This is where you can sink your teeth into many varieties of barbequed meat.  We arrived at 5pm and the parking lot was 90% full.  This is probably due to the number of patrons in the patio bar in the back.  We were seated right away and the dining room was about 50% full.  By the time we left (around 6pm) however, there was a wait for a table.  So if you go, go early!

Since they serve Pepsi products we naturally had our water with lemon.  For appetizers the only way to go is the heavenly Q-roll.  They are a flaky pastry stuffed with smoked brisket then deep fried and served with chipotle dip and a sweet barbecue sauce (the same sauce they put on their meat).  We decided on two orders as we don't like to share our Q-rolls even with each other.  They are THAT good.

Most barbecue places will limit your choices of meat, but here at Bobby Q's they have an entree called "Whole Hog Heaven".  It is perfect for those who can't decide.  And I recommend it as a sharing entree because even after sharing there are plenty of left overs to take home.  Especially if you got the Q-rolls too.

With the "Whole Hog" you choose 2 types of ribs from Baby back, St. Louis, or beef.  I prefer the Baby back and St. Louis.  Then you choose 2 types of meat from pork, brisket, sausage or chicken.  In the past I have tried each type and I prefer the pork and the brisket.  On top of that you also choose three side dishes.  Tonight we chose the shoestring fries and the grilled mixed vegetables, but were stuck for a third choice so we asked our server.  She recommended the mac and cheese. 

Bobby Q's is a sweet wet barbecue. The ribs were a smoky, moist, fall-off-the-bone, 'smack my mouth and call it heaven' good ribs!  The pork and brisket were also moist but I felt that it still needed a little sauce to kick up the flavor.   Along with every meal, they serve cornbread and butter.  It looks flat but it is full of flavor and I recommend that you eat it with your hands because it breaks apart more if you try to eat it with a fork.  As a rule I don't eat mac and cheese at a restaurant, but I hadn't tried Bobby Q's so we took a chance.  If you like good comfort food that is extremely cheesy and rich, this is your side dish.  The grilled vegetables were...let's just say lacking in any flavor.  The shoestring fries are not my favorite because they are skinny but these were well made with a nice seasoned flavor.  With that being said, do NOT go to Bobby Q's for the side dishes.  Go for the barbecue, especially the ribs!

I was so full and we couldn't eat any more.  When we boxed it up, it seemed like we had at least half of it still left.  This is the best part, because not only do I get a great barbecue for dinner tonight, I get great barbecue for dinner tomorrow as well.
We of course decided not to have dessert and asked for the check.  When she returned with the bill, she also brought us one last treat.  The freshly made, still hot, cinnamon donuts that they give complimentary to all.

So if you haven't tried Bobby Q's, try it now.  They are located at 8501 N. 27th Avenue (Phoenix).

Bombay Spice, Friday the 13th!...BOOM!

How many of you out there have vegan friends?  It is hard to find a restaurant that serves food for both the vegan as well as us carnivores.  I recommend Bombay Spice.  When we arrived there was only one other table filled.  Our host allowed us to pick any tables that suited us, there were no booths to choose from.  While waiting for Craig and Sheila to arrive, we looked at appetizers.  Our final decision was the Chickpea hummus, the seared eggplant, and the vegetable samosa.

The hummus, served with roti bread, arrived first which had an excellent tang to it very unlike a store bought variety.  You can definitely taste the fresh ingredients in it.

 Next came the seared eggplant.  Be warned those of you with food texture sensitivities!  The texture was similar to a sauteed mushroom topped with a sweet plum sauce.  It was incredible and we fought over the last bite. 

Finally the vegetable samosa.  It is a crispy baked turnover, set of two, stuffed with spiced potatoes, peas and seasoned with cumin.  Served with a side of plum sauce as well.  It reminded me of what a burrito might taste like if served in India.  If you have more than two people, I recommend ordering more than one serving of the samosa.

Next comes your entree.  I really enjoy that it comes in a three step process which allows for multiple varieties.  Step one, choose your base: white rice, brown rice or noodles.  Step two, choose the sauce: curry, korma, spinach, or tikka marsala.  You also need to choose if your sauce is mild or hot.  I recommend medium.  And for the third and final step, choose your ingredient: vegetables, chicken, lamb or seafood.  If you can't decide there is always the chef's sampler which gives you a good sample of all.  I highly recommend it for the first time Indian food eaters.


I decided to go a little bold with the noodles, lamb and spinach sauce.  It was good but I think the chicken would have been better with the spinach sauce than the lamb was.  Patti and Craig chose the korma because it is the sweetest of the sauce choices.  Sheila always gets the tikka masala because she likes the mix of sweet and spice.

The entrees are served with Naan bread and papadum crisp.  We all decided that you can't go wrong when ordering any of the entrees at this restaurant.

Now, the ultimate reason for eating at Bombay spice, is not the appetizers, it's not that they server Coke products, and it is not just because of the entrees.  THE ultimate reason for eating at Bombay spice is...
DESSERT!  You may or may not have noticed, but we don't typically order dessert when we go out.  But we ALWAYS order dessert at Bombay Spice.
They have a sampler of all three but our favorites are  the mango sorbet and the carrot halwa.   The carrot halwa is made with fresh carrots, ricotta cheese, cardamom and topped with whipped cream and chopped pistachios.  It is served warm and you can see the steam rise as you dig in.

The mango sorbet is so close to eating a real mango right out of the fridge without all the work needed to remove the mango pit before eating.  It too is topped with a mango sauce and chopped pistachios.

This is the best secret of the restaurant, get both desserts and alternate bites.   You go from the warm carrot to a mango bang!  It is a party in your mouth!

So if you haven't tried it, try it now!