Triple-D in Triple-A: Filling up in Phoenix
Steve Klauke, voice of the Salt Lake Bees, spends all 144 games of the Bees season with the team, home and away. Needless to say he's not getting home cooking for 72 of those games. Steve's always looking for a good spot to eat in the 15 cities throughout the league and here, he'll chronicle those visits to his favorites, which also happen to be featured on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives.
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When the month of March rolls around, I always get pumped up about what will be my upcoming trip to spring training in Arizona and there are two things that I am most excited about. First and obviously foremost is the baseball, as it tells me that the season is around the corner. The other is the always growing list of restaurants in the Valley of the Sun that have appeared on the hit Food Network program "Diners, Drive Ins and Dives". On this trip, I was able to visit four new spots that host Guy Fieri had visited in the last twelve months.
On the first full day, the first stop was a place called The Duce. It is located just south of downtown Phoenix and just a few blocks from the homes of the Suns and Diamondbacks. The Duce is a converted boxing gym that still has a piece of its past. As you walk in, if you go to the left, you can play a variety of games, including pool, ping pong, foosball and more. To the right is a shopping area that Bees' PR Director Kraig Williams so aptly described as a Cracker Barrel for hipsters. Further back is a regulation boxing ring where for five dollars on a Friday or Saturday night, you can go five minutes with one of your buddies. Turn right from there is a DJ booth and bar and then further along is an outdoor patio and that is where you order your food, which is cooked in a 1965 food trailer named Duchess.
I went with a chicken pot pie in a jar. The crust was flaky and moist and the filling was stuffed with chicken, veggie and a thick gravy. The only negative for me was that it was a little too small for the price of $7 ($9 if you want to take the jar with you). Kraig ordered the slider sampler, which features three different sandwiches; brisket, pulled pork and chicken sausage, and he gave them all a thumbs up.
The next night was barbecue night at a place in an unusual location. Tom's Thumb is set up in a gas station in North Scottsdale, but don't let that fool you - this is world class competition barbecue. If you order a platter, which is what we did, you have a choice of two of three meats. I went with the pulled chicken and brisket and Kraig went with the brisket and pulled pork.
Once you get your meat, you have more decisions to make, as they have seven different sauces to choose from; Toto's Kansas City, Mo' Memphis Mop, Sweet Baby James, ZZ's Texas Chipotle, Javi's Habanero, Mean Mr. Mustard and XXX, the hottest of the three. I went with the more traditional Kansas City, while the more adventurous Kraig tried all of them. My sauce was just right, but Kraig said the XXX set his mouth on fire. He did, however, enjoy the mustard-based sauce.
As for the meat itself, it was smoked just right. The brisket was lean and moist, but not fatty. The pork was just the way you like it, and while smoked chicken can be dry and tough, that was not the case at Tom's Thumb - It was juicy, tender and easy to eat.
The following night, we were in for something really different. We travelled east of Phoenix to Gilbert and Sal's Gilbert Pizza. Being from Chicago, I tend to stick my nose up at New York pizza, but decided to give this a try. As you may or may not know, one of my rules for Triple-D in Triple-A is that I have to eat something that was featured on the episode it appeared on.
We decided to split a pizza that was topped with baked ziti. That's right, baked ziti - an idea I would have liked to have thought of myself. I figured it would be a heavier pizza than it was, and while it wasn't exactly light, it was a combination that seemed to work well. The ziti is loaded with mozzarella and mixed with a pink sauce, which appeared to be almost a combination of marinara and alfredo sauces. The crust was thin and crisp and I don't how it held together with the ziti on it, but it did. For me, the only thing missing was some crumbled sausage or ground beef.
On the final day of baseball and eating, not necessarily in that order, we went to a place that definitely falls into the "dive" category. Paradise Valley Burger Company is not as swanky as the name would indicate. It is located in a strip mall in north Phoenix and when you walk in, you find a rather Spartan place with just a handful of tables and chairs that have seen better days. Of course, we aren't there for the décor, but for a unique burger experience.
The Country Fried Burger is as sinful as the name would indicate. They take two burger patties, cover it in country fried steak batter and drop it in a deep fryer. When they are finished, they place the burgers on a toasted brioche bun and cover it with green chile country gravy. I am not a huge fan of green chiles, but this gravy was unbelievably good. They give you a small cup on the side, as well, used for dipping your burger. Before they are done, they top it with lettuce, tomato and crispy fried onions. The sandwich was one of the most unusual combination of ingredients on a burger that I've ever eaten, but it was one of the best, as well. It is a good thing, however, that I walk a minimum of four miles a day after eating something like that for dinner. Kraig added that they served some of the best French fries he'd ever eaten, made all the better with a side of gravy for dipping.
That was definitely a delicious and calorie-filled trip to spring training in Arizona, and I've already tried to step up my walking to prepare for next March's trip to the desert. While there were no Triple-D restaurants on the Bees' first road trip to Sacramento and Fresno, I am looking forward to checking out some new spots on trip two in Albuquerque.