(bright music) - I'm Chef Mark Tarbell.

Welcome to "Check, Please!

Arizona," the show where Arizona residents recommend their favorite restaurants.

Coming up, we have guests who are passionate about their picks.

They've dined at all three and are ready to share their reviews with each other and with you, right here on "Check, Please!

Arizona."

(upbeat jazz music) - [Announcer] "Check, Please!

Arizona" is supported by... - [Narrator] Copenhagen, featuring contemporary furniture from around the world.

Copenhagen is dedicated to providing comfort, craftsmanship, and customer service.

Located at copenhagenliving.com.

- [Narrator] Whitfill Nursery, proud to support Arizona PBS, a valley tradition since 1946.

Over 200 acres of Arizona-grown trees, citrus, and palms.

Complete custom design and installation, and Whitfield Nursery still does the digging.

Whitfillnursery.com.

- [Announcer] Also supported by... (mellow jazz music) - I'm Chef Mark Tarbell.

Welcome to a new season of "Check, Please!

Arizona."

In this episode, we're checking out plant-based cuisine, sophisticated comfort food, and a coffee shop with a woody twist.

Let's meet our diners.

Ryan Johnson works in sustainability at ASU.

His work takes him all around the world.

In fact, he just returned from a trip to Hong Kong.

Because he has celiac's disease, he's always on the hunt for gluten-free dining options.

Velia Aguirre works in a non-profit helping kids.

She's a busy mom with three kids of her own.

Her pick is a family favorite that never disappoints.

But up first is Margaret Kelly.

She enjoys traveling and dining out with friends.

Margaret's a courtroom deputy, and when she's not keeping everyone in order, she's ordering off the menu at her longtime fave.

This is Beckett's Table.

(bright music) - I think the vision when creating Beckett's Table was to really create a spot that everyone could come and enjoy themselves.

The menu at Beckett's Table is taglined Seasonal American Cooking.

We do very high-end cooking techniques, but we want it to be approachable.

We want it to be for everybody on a daily basis.

Our goal is to change the menu four to five times a year, depending on what's fresh, what's seasonal, and what, you know, what we're craving, really.

The signature dish at Beckett's Table has to be the short ribs that are so tender and braised for hours, and we have the secret sauce that we braise it in.

But for me, it's kind of funny because when I put up the grilled cheese sandwich and I smell it, like every single time I wanna take a bite outta the grilled cheese sandwich.

So when we were creating the menu, and especially the dessert menu, I really wanted to go back to childhood memories, and for me, one of those things was pecan pie.

So what we did is we created a crust that had less sugar in it, has more ground pecans in the crust, and then we put figs in there.

It's a perfect combination.

My business partners and I have a little joke, and it's I stay out of the wine cellar, and they stay out of the walk-in.

Their expertise are with the front of house and with the beverage program, and their desire and their constant scrutiny over the list is second to none.

They focus so much on Arizona and what all the amazing people in Arizona are starting to do with the beverage and wine, as well as including beverage from all over the world.

When we were first designing the restaurant, we thought about how we wanted to integrate the kitchen into the space.

So we actually literally jutted the kitchen out into the dining room on purpose.

And it's great for me because I get to see and feel the dining room.

A little kind of secret that I have in my head is that whenever I create a menu item, I want it to be craveable.

Your brain automatically goes to that moment where you had that first taste, that first delicious bite of something.

And so I just always try to make craveable food, delicious, craveable food.

(gentle music) - So Margaret, why did you pick Beckett's Table?

- I picked Beckett's Table because they are, always have delicious food.

- Oh, the food?

- Yes.

- Awesome.

- I love the food there.

I like the decor and ambiance also, but I go for the food.

- What's your go-to appetizer?

- The eggs.

- [Mark] The eggs, so the deviled eggs?

- Yes, they do a weekly deviled egg.

- [Mark] You had those, too?

- [Ryan] I had 'em as well.

- [Mark] Oh, you did, Ryan?

- Yeah.

- Good.

- The week I was there, it was garlic toast deviled eggs, and I'm celiac, but they put that garlic toast sprinkle on the side.

- [Velia] Mine was a muffaletta.

- [Mark] Oh, muffaletta.

- Yeah.

- Oh, wow.

- So they're always- - So they do change it all the time.

- really good.

- Yes.

- They do.

And I love deviled eggs.

- I'm not sure what the meat is, but they take whatever the theme is, and they put little bits of it on top of the deviled egg, and it's always delicious.

- So Margaret, what did you have for an entree?

- I had the Beef Bourguignon Shepherd's Pie.

- Ooh, that's kind of an interesting blend.

- [Margaret] You have the delicious beef bourguignon with the vegetables and then the mashed potato.

- [Mark] Oh, good, so it's sort of like half and half, or split?

- Yes, yes.

- Beef Bourguignon, which I love.

Tell me about the gravy.

- [Margaret] Oh, so rich and delicious.

- [Mark] It was?

- [Margaret] And the meat's very tender.

- Veggies?

- I just love it all.

- Yes.

- It is.

- [Margaret] The carrots, everything.

- [Mark] It sounds like what I was saying, a silky comfort food, right?

- Mm-hmm.

- Yum, yum.

- Did you have the deviled eggs to start?

What did you have?

- Deviled eggs were fantastic.

So I'm celiac, and you know, I kind of see the world through a lens of a celiac and also sustainability because of where I work, and that's how I live my life.

So I try to stay away from beef.

I went for fish, tried to order the barramundi.

They kind of steered me away from it 'cause it had orzo under it, which is a pasta.

- Yes.

- Ended up with salmon.

So this was on wild rice, had grilled broccolini on top.

Really delicious preparation.

The grilled broccolini, I think was a nice crunch with a little grill flavor on there.

The salmon, I wish it was cooked a little more.

I just had 'em bring it out from the kitchen the way they would do it.

It seemed like it wasn't cooked all the way through.

I don't know if that's normal.

- Well, it's a little pro tip, most chefs will do it just over medium, or you know, maybe medium, which can be a little sort of translucent in the middle.

That's a very common thing.

So you just need to mention that.

That's a pro tip.

And salmon is often cooked that way with chefs at a certain level, and Justin's a great chef, so you just need to tell him, you know, "I'd like it cooked through, please."

What did you have for an appetizer, Velia?

- I had the vegetable chopped salad.

It was served with a, like a Chardonnay vinegarette or a wine vinegarette.

- [Mark] So it was a little bit tart?

- Yes, it was.

Dressing was so good, I had to ask for a second one.

- [Mark] No way.

That's awesome.

- Mm-hmm, it was like drinkable.

- [Mark] That is a good one.

Oh, drinkable, that's even better.

I like that.

- [Margaret] The salad was served with freeze-dried corn, which I've never had.

- Oh, so light and crunchy.

- [Mark] -hmm.

- Very nice.

- [Velia] And a salad before, so for those gluten-intolerant people, if you want a crunch, that's a great salad to get.

- And what did you have with it?

- I had the bacon cheddar biscuits with apple butter, and that was scarfed down more quicker than I thought it was going to be.

- So did you have anything else for an appetizer?

- Absolutely, the charred Brussels sprouts, the charred Brussels sprouts that came with the honey mustard pretzel crumble on top.

- Ooh, nice.

- It's really crunchy.

- [Mark] That's kind of classic.

- Mm-hmm, very crunchy.

- Oh, that's Americana all blended together.

So what was the texture of the Brussels sprouts?

Good charred, tender?

- [Velia] Absolutely, there's a nice crunch, and some were very tender and soft, and it was, I think there might have been some balsamic glaze there.

- [Mark] Yeah, I think that honey mustard glaze or balsamic was quite, I don't know, it wasn't sweet.

It actually really brought, it brightened it up a lot, I thought.

It was really good.

- [Velia] Yeah, we ate the whole container.

- [Mark] Ate the whole thing?

Okay, then it worked.

- [Velia] Yep.

- So for entrees, what did you have?

- [Velia] The short braised ribs with mashed potatoes and some sauteed vegetables.

- Oh, nice.

- Yes.

- [Mark] So what was the mashed potato like?

- [Velia] Creamy, oh, so rich and flavorful and decadent.

- Nice, I think they use Yukon Golds or something like- - Didn't they call it like the world's greatest mashed potato?

- I think so.

Something like that.

- They have some- - Well-earned.

- Yeah, Ryan, that's so true.

- Well-earned.

- And it didn't disappoint, right?

It really didn't.

Did you have dessert?

- Yes.

- [Mark] What'd you have?

- We have, well, I always have to have the fig pecan pie, but we also had the spice cake, and I think we've tried all the desserts at one time or another.

(laughs) - [Mark] So I didn't go for the fig pecan pie.

Is it like a fig base?

Is that what it is?

Or how are the figs?

- [Margaret] I think it's mixed in.

- [Mark] Oh, it's mixed into the base, and then the pecans are on top.

- Yes, yes.

- And caramelized.

Hmm, sounds delicious.

I love figs.

- [Margaret] And you can buy the whole pie if you'd like.

- [Mark] Oh, really?

- Yes.

- Well, that's a good tip.

I like that.

Did you have dessert, Velia?

- No, we had drinks, which were our dessert.

- [Mark] What'd you have for drinks?

- [Velia] We had an Arizona Farmhand, my husband had, which was this ginger whiskey drink, I believe, and then I had an old-fashioned, and they were sweet enough to count as dessert.

- All right, that's a good tip.

Ryan?

- No drinks for us, but I really appreciated the menu was very plainly labeled with gluten-free items.

So we did have a dessert.

We had a brownie that was in a white chocolate, sort of a, I don't know, at the bottom of a bowl with kind of a soup-like chocolate.

- [Mark] I think it's creme anglaise, they call it, or something like that, yes.

- Something like that?

- [Ryan] Thought it was very good.

I guess it was a flour-less kind of chocolate.

So, excellent.

- Good.

- Really enjoyed it.

- So this is a time where we do pro tips.

So I'm gonna go around starting with you, Margaret, you know, one thing that the guests need to know that as you're the pro, what they need to know going into it.

- My pro tip would be to follow them on Facebook.

- Oh!

- You'll see weekly what their eggs are, what their veg plate is, and any special events.

And Sundays is half-price wine bottles.

- Oh!

Yes.

(Margaret chuckling) Ryan, what's your pro tip?

- My pro tip would be to meander over by where the chef is cooking, because it's a low, at least for me, I'm a taller person, but it was a low bar there to see into what he's doing.

And then right there, there's like a whole library of books, cookbooks or books that are, you know, restaurant guides for other cities.

I just grabbed a few and you know, was thumbing through them as we're waiting for the food to come out.

So that was really cool.

- Velia, what's your pro tip?

- I think that if you have somebody in your family that's apprehensive towards trying new vegetables to take them there, if you could have them explore and all different types of vegetables, - They do it so well.

If you want to try Beckett's Table, it's located at 37th Street and Indian School.

An average meal is around $48, and they do take reservations.

(mellow jazz music) Up next is Velia's pick, a restaurant that not only serves unique coffee drinks but creative food items, too.

This is The Coffee Builders.

(bright music) - The coffee builders is an experiment of mine, actually.

I call it my testaurant because I build restaurant interiors for people with my other companies.

I wanted to create a place where I could experiment and have fun and try new things.

And then I also love food and I love coffee, and now I don't have to go anywhere for lunch, and we get to serve really cool things.

(laughs) What I really wanted to do at this shop is to take coffee to another level because for me, coffee is a treat.

It's like unto a cocktail where I can go and experience something really nice.

I get to have all of the notes and the flavors of coffee.

So our most popular drinks are actually the specialties that we created, things that you might not find at other coffee shops like our Cabernet latte or the black truffle latte or some of the seasonal things that we'll bring in.

We have a traditional coffee menu, so you can come in and get a traditional macchiato, an espresso.

And then we also have matchas and teas.

There's a lot of options for those of you who aren't coffee drinkers as well as us coffee snobs, you know.

So what makes us a little different, too, is I bring in some food that maybe you haven't seen before.

We have a smorrebrod, which is a Danish open-faced sandwich.

It's difficult to say, but it's really easy to eat.

It's beautiful.

It's very artistic.

So my wife and kids are gluten free, so when I started this shop, one of the things we did is our waffle base is gluten free to begin with.

They're so good that people come in just for the waffles.

One of the cool things about this space, you might notice if you clap in here, there's no echo.

We built this really cool tessellated ceiling.

It was an experiment of mine because you can be anywhere in this restaurant and it can be slamming, it can be busy, the coffee's going, and it's not harsh on your ears, but you can clearly hear the conversation at the table.

We are different.

If you come here, you're going to experience something different.

You may not be able to put your finger on it exactly, but you're gonna get really high-quality ingredients, and you're going to have things that you probably will not be able to get elsewhere.

(bright music) - So Velia, why did you pick Coffee Builders?

- Oh, many reasons.

It's a place where I could bring my entire family, and we all leave very full and happy.

And it's aesthetically pleasing.

It's beautiful architecture and just a great place to be.

Kids are more than welcome to come as well.

- So this is built by a gentleman, Mr. Porter, who has a reclaimed wood business.

Like, they're doing beautiful things with wood, right?

Is there any wood in this space?

- Yes, when you walk in, look up.

- [Mark] Oh, the ceiling is amazing, right, Ryan?

It's crazy.

- [Ryan] It seems like Frank Lloyd Wright or something built this ceiling, it's like geometric- - Yeah.

- Complicated, incredible.

- Everything about it, right?

It's really intentional.

- [Velia] And then there's a patio area, which is nice and shaded through all the foliage there.

And during the nice weather months, it's very popular.

- What did you have to start with or what do you eat?

- I started with the truffle burrata.

- And how was that presented?

- It was the whole burrata with some sliced tomatoes in the caprese style- - Ah, nice.

- plating, mm-hmm.

And then we had some, I ordered all of our children the gluten-free waffles.

And one of my children is also dairy free, so they made him a dairy-free whipped cream that was safe for him to eat.

- So what did you have for coffee?

- I had the Masala Gold.

It's this turmeric spiced infused tea.

Very- - Warm?

- [Velia] Warm and healing.

It felt very therapeutic inside.

- Oh, totally.

- And then my husband had a drink called Abuelita, which is a coffee-chocolate type of drink, and he drank it in like two drinks.

- [Mark] Oh, good.

- [Velia] And it's served in a pretty glass.

- [Mark] I noticed that, the glassware, right?

Margaret, I mean, everything was kind of intentional.

Of course- - Everything, and the little flowers, my kid thinks beautiful.

- My children eat those flowers.

- Oh, they do?

Oh, that's good.

Well, they're edible.

- Yes, they are.

- Margaret, what'd you have to start with?

- I had, I took a friend also, so, and she's gluten-free.

And so we had the little mini-waffles, delicious.

And I started with the Bacon & Bleu Scotch Whiskey Figs.

- [Mark] Boy, that's a mouthful.

- Yes.

- Were they?

Were they?

- [Margaret] Yeah.

(laughs) They were wrapped in bacon.

- Okay.

- And had some bleu cheese, and they were served warm in like almost a martini glass.

- Oh, my gosh.

- And then decorated with the edible flour on top, just beautiful.

And my friend had one of the smorrebrod open-faced sandwiches.

- Oh, yes, the smorrebrod.

That's how you pronounce it, actually.

- [Margaret] It was like a avocado toast type of thing, and she had it with the gluten-free bread.

- So Ryan, gluten-free, we're talking about gluten-free all day here.

Tell me about your experience.

- Yeah, like this is the allergy episode or something.

- No, no, it's preference.

I just say preference.

And in some cases, yes, allergy.

So what'd you have?

- I went with a coworker at lunchtime during the middle of the week and ordered some champagne deviled eggs to start, which were really nice.

I mean, the champagne was very subtle, but it was there.

- [Mark] Was there some bubbles?

- I don't know if they were bubbling in my mouth, but I got a little hint of champagne.

I think she did as well.

I had a plank sandwich, which was an open-faced egg salad, three slices of gluten-free toast with a generous portion of egg salad, very creamy egg salad, delicious.

And she had a chicken sandwich, which was on a brioche, and it was excellent.

- Well, what did you have to drink?

- [Ryan] Oh, I had the dark chocolate pistachio decaf.

- [Mark] Ooh!

- [Ryan] 'Cause I'm not a coffee guy.

I thought, "I'm here.

I'm at a coffee place.

I'm gonna have a coffee."

Dark chocolate pistachio, it had a little hint of green.

I think it might even had a pistachio nut- - Wow.

- floating on top.

It was absolutely incredible.

I mean, really cool.

And the whole place feels kinda like a speakeasy when you get in there, right?

- [Mark] Yes.

- [Ryan] I mean, the wood ceiling is incredible.

There's only like one window over in the corner.

They have table lamps.

I just love the atmosphere of the place.

- [Velia] Me, too.

- It's very quiet and calm, right?

- [Mark] It's extraordinary.

- And I was gonna mention the coffee because I did their cold brew, and I always taste my cold brew before adding anything to it, and it was delicious, just- - Ooh!

- Just plain - [Mark] Yum, so good cold brew.

I love it.

- Yes.

- I love that.

So Velia, last thoughts or pro tips.

- If you follow them on Instagram or TikTok or Facebook, they have events there.

So there's chess tournaments that they hold and yo-yo classes that they hold over there.

- Oh, I'm going to the yo-yo class.

- Who doesn't love yo-yo?

- I know.

- Yeah, right?

- So community engagement is really important to The Coffee Builders.

- I want champagne deviled eggs and yo-yo class.

- Ryan, pro tip.

- Pro tip would be eat the microgreens and the little flower that comes along.

I ate the flower.

I thought it was pretty cool.

Looked like a Hawaiian orchid flower or something.

I have a second pro tip, Mark, which is to go next door if you're there, go to the Porter warehouse that has the recycled wood or the farm wood.

Really a cool experience after you eat or before you eat.

- That is awesome.

Thanks, Ryan.

Pro tip, Margaret.

- Just go.

- Just go, boom!

Drop the mic.

If you wanna just go and try The Coffee Builders, it's located on 901 South 7th Street.

An average meal is about $25, and they take reservations for certain situations.

(mellow jazz music) Our last restaurant is Ryan's choice.

He says having celiac disease makes it a challenge to dine out, so when he found this restaurant, he was thrilled, a restaurant that caters to everyone's dietary needs.

This is the Giving Tree Cafe.

(mellow music) - The Giving Tree Cafe is an organic plant-based oasis owned by David Warr.

He's our head chef and the owner of our restaurant.

We are fully vegan, gluten-free, organic, soy-free, and we serve the most loving and authentic food to all of our guests.

We want to focus on the fact that vegan and gluten-free, soy-free organic food can be absolutely delicious.

And you can still have some of those same dishes you might've had if you've decided to go plant-based.

So we have soups and salads.

We have flatbread, quiche, and the most amazing desserts.

We also have Krunch Raps.

You might've heard the term crunch wrap before.

It's on popular fast-food item menus.

But ours is special because it starts with our homemade lentil-and-rice wrap.

We make them right on the griddle, and then it's stuffed with all of these different options.

We currently serve six different versions.

We make homemade oat and almond milk every single morning here, so our coffees are very popular.

We have the most delicious matcha.

So that along with our fresh, cold-pressed juices, those are all very popular.

We use good, clean water in our food, and that's what we use, reverse osmosis water, because everybody deserves clean from beginning to end when it comes to our food here.

I think it's easy to convince people that gluten-free and vegan food can be fun when they see what an extensive menu we have.

Being able to see a whole array of beautiful, colored food that is nutritious and has amazing ingredients in it entices people to wanna try new things.

So what David believes in in this restaurant is that good, healthy, organic food is our birthright.

We all deserve to have food that's going to nourish us from the inside out, that's going to help not only ourselves but help our planet and generations to come.

So when we eat, we wanna have each other in mind and our planet in mind as well.

(calm music) - So Ryan, how'd you find the Giving Tree?

- You know, a coworker introduced me to this place, and we had a small business meeting there.

There's a large table right when you walk in, and we had just a terrific meeting there.

And I looked at the menu, and it said no dairy, no gluten, no this, no that, plant-based.

So I just order with reckless abandon at this place, which I can't do at a lot of other places.

- Wow, that must be freeing as an experience.

- It's incredible!

I mean, I can order literally anything on the menu, Mark.

- (laughs) That's awesome.

So what did you have?

What did you start with?

- This time, I had Dave's Bowl, which was a, you know, an interesting combination of ingredients in the bowl.

There's a blob of red heat there that, you know, it was pretty hot.

And then I mix it in with the, you know, he does a fake burger, which you put in there, and some kimchi.

You mix it all together.

I mean, it is incredible.

And the menu says that he eats this every day.

- Wow, so it truly is Chef Dave's bowl.

I wonder if he calls it blob of heat.

(laughs) - I call it blob of heat.

- Is it chorizo?

- Yeah, it might be, 'cause I didn't have that one.

- Blob of deliciousness.

- Oh, what did you have next?

- So my spouse had the Krunch Rap, which I highly recommend the Krunch Raps.

There's a handful of them on the menu, you know, and they are like a pocket of love, just deliciousness inside of a pocket.

Think had some, a variety of veggies and sauce.

You know, it comes with a plant-based ranch sauce on the side, so pro tip, you know, you take a bite, and then you can pour the ranch inside into the pocket of love, and you can eat it like that.

- [Mark] That's awesome.

- I had the Mediterranean Krunch Rap.

- I wanted to try that one.

- What's in the Mediterranean?

Oh, you had it, too?

- No, I wanted to try to try it.

- Oh, you wanted to try it.

- Yeah.

- Well, unfortunately when I went there they were, didn't have any veggie patties.

(laughs) - [Mark] Oh, okay.

- You know, they offered to substitute with like their, I guess it's their breakfast sausage patty.

- Oh.

- And or leave it out.

And so I chose to have the sausage patty, and that was okay.

What I really liked is it's a crunch wrap because they put their corn tortilla also in there, and that was really good, that crunch and the flavors.

I really like the Mediterranean with olives and a little red onion and a little red bell pepper.

- Oh, wow.

- In a pocket of love.

- In a pocket of love.

- A pocket of love.

- Velia, what'd you have?

- The Korean BBQ Krunch Rap.

- Okay, what was in it?

- It was kimchi was in it, and it was served with a barbecue spicy sauce, and that was really delicious.

- [Mark] So kimchi, so it had a little bit of tartness to it as well.

- Yes, mm-hmm.

- Oh, so it's really cured.

- Yes.

- Crunchy too?

- [Velia] Yep, very crunchy.

- [Mark] Little bit of spice?

- Mm-hmm, yep, yep, yep.

- Yum.

- [Velia] Lots of vegetables.

A lot of red cabbage and carrots in there.

- Oh, good.

- Crunchy.

- Any dessert?

- [Velia] I ordered sundaes for all the children that I was with, (laughs) and they like- - [Mark] They were dairy free, so.

- [Velia] Mm-hmm, they were- - [Ryan] Coconut cream sundae, I had it as well.

Toasted almond, strawberry, and chocolate sauce.

- Oh, okay.

- Yeah, delicious.

The coconut cream was really creamy.

- Well, coconut is the magic if you're dairy free.

- My dairy-free son was just thrilled.

He wanted two more, he said.

- Did he get 'em?

- And he was, no, no, but he was really insistent.

- I think there's two more- - He's like, "I need more desserts here."

That's what he said.

"I need to try all the desserts here."

- So did anyone have drinks?

- Yeah, so we ordered two mocktails to start the meal.

I had an Island Breeze Chiller, which was like a coconut pineapple.

- [Mark] Nice.

- [Ryan] Delicious, you know, glass of deliciousness with chili lime on the rim of the glass.

- [Mark] So kind of rimmed with it?

- Yeah, quite nice.

- Nice, nice.

- [Ryan] My wife had a Ginger Magic Mule, which was obviously very ginger forward, but it was delicious.

She shared it with me, and so I recommend mocktails.

- Mocktails, cool.

- My mom had water and said it was awesome water.

- Awesome water.

- It's probably 'cause of the osmosis.

- And mom's are always right.

- Mm-hmm, they are.

- (laughs) So decor, your place.

- [Ryan] I call it, you know, modern urban hippie.

It's concrete floor.

It's pretty plain.

I like, what I like about the place is around the restaurant, they've got, you know, little entrepreneurial, you know, offerings from local boutiques and stuff.

So you can buy lotions and potions.

You know, it's a community place.

- Absolutely.

- And their values are written on the wall, right?

- Sustainability.

- Yes.

- And it makes everybody feel welcome.

Children are welcome.

Anyone is welcome.

And my son was, gravitated towards that boutique right away and wanted to buy lots of amethyst.

- I thought it was really pretty, like a garden setting, lots of live plants.

- [Mark] It's very light.

- Yes.

- Yes, very light, nice murals on the wall.

- Yeah, it's sort of a little surprise, and it's a real gem there on 7th Street, I love it.

I think that whole little area is such a little unique gem.

Ryan, your place, pro tip.

- Pro tip is, you know, parking is ample, but I would say get the Krunch Rap.

And I would say, you know, take a nice bite out of it and then pour a delicious sauce into the pocket of love.

- Velia, pro tip?

- [Velia] Bring the children.

- [Mark] Bring the children.

- [Velia] Bring the children and let them have vegetables.

- Have the sundaes.

If you want to tand Velia for joining me at the table.

And thank you for joining us for "Check, Please!

Arizona."

If you'd like to share your favorite restaurant, head to our website, azpbs.org/checkplease and nominate your must-go-to spot.

Who knows?

You could be joining me at the table.

Be a part of the foodie conversation in Arizona on social media using #checkpleaseaz.

Join us next time when three new guests make their recommendations, right here on "Check, Please!

Arizona."

I'm Mark Tarbell.

Have a delicious life.

(mellow music) - [Announcer] "Check, Please!

Arizona" is supported by... - [Narrator] Tomorrow's technology today and much more is used to treat cancer at Ironwood Cancer & Research Centers, always looking to find more, more time, more life.

Ironwood Cancer & Research Centers, outsmarting cancer one patient at a time, - [Narrator] Hospice of the Valley, medical, social, and spiritual care for patients nearing end of life and support for their families.

A not-for-profit community hospice, hov.org.

(gentle music) - [Announcer] Also supported by... (upbeat jazz music)