Neighborhood Spots: Phoenix City Grille, Sfizio, Brunch&Sip

- [Announcer] And now, an Arizona PBS Original Production.

- 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 the reviews with each other and with you, right here on "Check, Please!

Arizona."

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(gentle music) (upbeat jazz music) (Mark and guests chatting) - I'm Chef Mark Tarbell.

Welcome to "Check, Please!

Arizona."

In this episode, we're raising our glasses to those in the education field.

Let's meet our diners.

Tiffany Floyd is in early childhood education.

She loves video games and spending time with her two kids and husband.

When she's not whipping up new recipes in her kitchen, she hits up a neighborhood favorite in Central Phoenix.

Rebecca Parisi is a third grade teacher who's getting her master's degree in counseling.

She enjoys baking for her fellow teachers.

Her restaurant pick is all about breakfast.

But up first is fourth grade teacher Jacque Fuerte.

Before teaching, Jacque did voiceover work.

In her free time, she hikes with her husband and their two pups.

After a day on the trail, she carbo loads at her favorite Italian spot.

This is Sfizio Modern Italian Kitchen.

(upbeat music) - Sfizio is an Italian restaurant.

It's a neighborhood restaurant, family-run.

We are here every day, and everything is made from scratch.

(upbeat music) We have all Italian flavor, particularly things from South Italy with a little bit more red sauce, a little bit more spicy.

I was born in South Italy, the region Calabria, in a small town by the ocean.

Sfizio is a word that we use a lot in Italy.

We use for different things.

The actually word is like a craving.

It's like something, you want it, but you don't really need it necessarily.

It's like a whim, something you want to have it.

The most popular dishes, I would say, is the handmade pasta, lasagna, gnocchi, or tagliatelle.

We have a brick oven, and it gives you a little particular taste.

Makes a big difference, I think.

I think we have a nice atmosphere.

I would think that we like to make people feel like they're in their home.

We have a lot of Italian wines.

We have a full bar.

We do some great drinks.

We have a nice patio as well.

I would like for them to come here and enjoy themself and feel like they're in their houses and be comfortable, and hopefully get them to come back again and enjoy again.

I will like to have our guests feel like that they're eating in Italy and without a jet lag.

- So Jacque, why did you pick Sfizio?

- I picked Sfizio because I was coming home one time from a doctor's appointment up in North Phoenix.

And my--There was a football game on, and my husband and I were like, "We need to watch the first half before we go home."

And I looked over, and there was just this darling open restaurant, and I said, "Oh, that looks good.

Let's go in there."

We just watched a little bit of the game and then slowly realized we're going to be staying here and enjoying a full evening of this.

- So what did you have when you were there?

- While we were sitting there at the bar and loving it, I ordered a meatball, and it came, and it was just huge.

The thing that made me love it immediately is that I, first of all, don't like a dense meatball, and it was not dense.

And it was just firm, and you were just able to cut through it.

The sauce that's on top of it, I'm not a big tomato paste sauce kind of person.

I kind of just like, like a delicate sauces, and the sauce was just so delicate.

You could see the meatball underneath it, - Oh.

- [Jacque] And then it was all around the plate.

And the bread was just homemade and just provincial and delicious.

- So Tiffany, what'd you have to start?

- For the appetizer, I had, well, obviously, first I got a cocktail, and it was delicious.

I had the, uh, the Blood Orange Cosmo, which I thought was very, very sweet and flavorful but strong, and I like that in a good cocktail.

(everyone chuckling) And then for an appetizer, I had the arancini, which is, you know, I'm sure you know, which is just risotto kind of fried in a little ball with some dipping sauces.

It was very good.

It was crunchy on the outside but not too overly fried.

It was very creamy on the inside.

You could tell that risotto was very good, and it had a delicious marinara sauce for dipping in too.

- [Mark] Yeah - [Tiffany] And they came out hot and fresh and it was delicious.

- Classic.

Rebecca, what did you have for a appetizer?

- So my guest and I had the burrata with the tomatoes and the toast and the balsamic.

And my waitress was very nice because I asked her for extra balsamic.

- [Mark] Cool.

- [Rebecca] And she brought me, half the plate was probably balsamic, (Mark chuckling) which is fine because it was very good.

The burrata was perfect.

The tomatoes had like olive oil, salt and pepper, so they were really well seasoned.

- [Mark] Yeah, very cool.

What'd you have for entrees, Jacque?

- For dinner I had the frutti di mare, - [Mark] Mhm - [Jacque] which was fresh seafood, and I just mean so fresh.

And it was just, again, that light Italian sauce where you could see the seafood underneath the sauce.

You could see what it was, and that was what I enjoyed about this.

I could see the clams, I could see the shrimp, I could see the fish, and because the sauce was just so delicate and, again, over homemade pasta, which was so nice.

And my husband had the lobster-stuffed ravioli, which was, again, I'm just gonna keep using that word delicate, but I don't know what else to say.

It was just a nice delicate ravioli, not hard to cut into, and that was where I really ordered more bread.

And we cleaned up his plate, and we cleaned up my plate.

- Rebecca, what did you have?

- [Rebecca] So I had the gnocchi, and my waitress was fantastic again because when she took my order, I asked for the gnocchi, and I didn't even finish what I was about to ask her, 'cause I was about to ask her to swap out the sauce, and she asked, "Do you wanna change the sauce?"

(Mark chuckling) So I had the gnocchi with their bolognese sauce, and the sauce was very, very good.

It was very meaty, which I enjoy because sometimes bolognese sauces are very loose, and it's more a marinara sauce with a touch of meat.

This one had a lot of meat.

It was very chunky.

The gnocchi, I did notice, I felt like I ended up putting a lot of salt on it, just, and it wasn't the sauce that was under-seasoned for me.

The sauce was very flavorful.

I think just the gnocchi needed that little more salt to bring everything up a little bit.

- [Mark] Bump it up?

- Yeah.

- Yeah, hey, that's okay.

Gnocchi is 'cause it's, you know, potato and flour and eggs.

You kind of have to season it up 'cause it kind of absorbs seasoning over time.

What did you have, Tiffany?

- I had the short rib rigatoni, actually, and I really liked it.

I thought it was really good.

It was my first time having fresh pasta, - [Mark] Mhm - [Tiffany] and so I was kind of like, "I'm, you know, excited to have fresh pasta."

So I really like the Italian feel.

It felt really authentic.

It didn't feel too commercial, I guess, I kind of wanna say, is that there wasn't like very much sweetness in the sauce, which I really like, and I love that it was very, very tender meat.

It wasn't too meaty.

The portion size wasn't too big or anything.

It was delicious, and you could tell that they're really, really passionate about an authentic Italian dining experience.

- Well, they're from Italy.

- It was really good.

- What'd you have for dessert?

- [Jacque] I got the tiramisu and the tiramisu came out and it isn't sweet, it was just nice and espresso-y - [Mark] Mhm and delicious with my lemon cello.

And so that was uh, that was wonderful for me.

- Tiffany.

- I had the cannoli actually for dessert.

And, not something that I would normally order, I'm not a big dessert person, but I was kind of surprised because I, I, reading it on the menu, I realized it had the ricotta cream on the inside and I was kind of intrigued by that 'cause I've used ricotta but not in a sweet, you know, application.

So, I was very, very surprised when I actually bit into it because the outer crust tube thing, um (group laughs) it's kind of like a crunchy, almost like um... - [Rebecca] It's like a cookie.

- [Tiffany] Yeah, - [Mark] It's like a crunchy sweet crepe.

- [Tiffany] but kind of like a crumbly, yeah um - [Mark] Sweet crepe or cookie.

- [Tiffany] It was really, really good.

And then the, the cream was not too sweet, which I can really appreciate.

I thought it was really nice.

I like a, a dessert that's not too cloying, you know.

- Yeah.

- Doesn't make you like (gasp) so it was really good.

- So this is where we do like a one word, one sentence takeaway or a pro tip.

It's your restaurant.

Jacque, what would you say?

- You know, my thing that, um, that I loved about it most was for my husband and I, it was romantic.

It, it didn't start that way, but it just morphed into romance, and it was a romantic dinner for us.

- [Mark] Tiffany.

- [Tiffany] Hmm.

- Takeaway.

- For me, I guess my takeaway would be if you want something that kind of feels like a real, like you're going to Italy, to someone's family house for dinner and they're really wanting to impress you.

That's definitely how I felt when I went there.

- Yeah.

Family house in Italy.

Love it.

Rebecca.

- It's a very nice little Italian restaurant.

It's definitely got that cozy feel to it.

And I would say this is a great place for someone who wants a little more of like a modern take on Italian food.

Just like they say in their name.

It is a very modern kitchen.

- Very cool.

If you want to try Sfizio Modern Italian Kitchen, it's located near Tatum and Deer Valley in Phoenix.

An average meal will cost $28 and they do take reservations.

(upbeat jazz music) - Our next restaurant recommendation belongs to Rebecca.

A brunch joint with ties to a famous soul food family.

This is Brunch and Sip.

(upbeat music) - Brunch and Sip is a small, cute, quaint restaurant nestled in Arcadia where we brunch all day and sip all day.

And we wanted to create a menu that everyone could enjoy.

Our number one seller is the chicken and biscuit.

That biscuit is made fresh every day and then we open the biscuit up and then on the bottom of the biscuit you'll have your deep fried chicken breast seasoned to perfection.

And then it's nestled between, you can have turkey sausage or sausage gravy and it's just, fireworks in your mouth.

When you have sip in your name, you have to bring the cocktails.

So we're always looking for fun cocktails.

Our number one seller is our mimosa flight.

So the decor of Brunch and Sip was supposed to be like a farmhouse kind of, you know, different patterns and looks and wood and white and that's what we were really going for.

But we wanted to also feel intimate.

Brunch and Sip's vibe, I feel like it changes.

Monday through Thursday, you could have a business meeting here, bring your mom, you know, have a great time.

Now, Friday, Saturday and Sunday is definitely lit.

It's up.

We have a DJ in so it's definitely a different feel on the weekends.

I picked to open a brunch spot because I always wanted all these things on the menu at Lolo's Chicken and Waffles, we had pancakes, we had waffles.

But when you think about Lolo's, they want fried chicken and waffles.

And so we just thought, wow, all the menu items we took off of Lolo's, we can bring to Brunch and Sip and make it even better.

When the guests walk into Brunch and Sip, I just want them to relax, have a good time.

To see your guests enjoying the experience and enjoying the food and like excited about what they're eating, that is like the best feeling ever.

This is why we do it.

(upbeat music) - So Rebecca, I hear you didn't like brunch very much.

What turned you onto this place?

- Yeah, so I don't eat breakfast in most days of the week because I wake up so early and I'm not hungry and then I just never eat breakfast throughout the day.

So usually if I do go out to brunch, it's on the weekends.

And so this place has a lot of food items with creative sauces or different seasonings that you might not think of for brunch.

And so that's.

- Even that fried green tomatoes.

- Yes.

- I was so happy about that.

- Yes they do.

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

- [Rebecca] So I am not a drinker but my waitress was amazing and she recommended a mocktail to my friend and I and it was passion fruit base.

It also had, I believe pineapple in it.

It came served with one of those little pineapple leaves in it and some - [Mark] Oh cool.

- [Rebecca] pomegranate seeds.

So it was definitely on the sweeter side, but I enjoy that it was sweet but also had a good amount of tartness in it.

- Yeah a lot going on in that one.

- Yeah.

- So it is Brunch and Sip, Tiffany?

- Yes.

(chuckles) - Yes.

What did you have?

- [Tiffany] I had the SSS for the cocktail.

It was a sweet, spicy sour I believe it was called.

And it was kinda like a breakfast margarita, I guess you kind of wanna say?

Um, no salted rim or anything, but it was jalapeno and pineapple and a simple syrup I think?

And it was one of the most delicious things I've ever had.

(group chuckles) - [Mark] Wow.

- I wanted to order several more, but I remembered that I was driving (Mark and Tiffany laugh) so I only had the one.

- [Mark] Very wise choice.

- [Tiffany] Um.

- What do you sip on?

- There are so many fun brunches and I love to go out to brunch, but this is just my favorite.

Thank you for recommending it.

I loved every minute of it.

My daughter and I got the flight of mimosas and they came, there was a blackberry mimosa, there was a pineapple mimosa, there was a blueberry and they were all full size mimosas so they didn't come in a flight with just scant.

They were full sized and so we were able to really enjoy them.

- What did you have to eat there?

- I love gravy and I love good delicate gravy.

And sometimes if I get biscuits and gravy, which I love, it comes out and the gravy comes and it doesn't withstand the air - Little too thick, little gummy, yeah.

- From the, from the, but I thought I'm gonna go ahead and do this 'cause it was the chicken and biscuit and it came out and the gravy was just this glorious before I even tasted it, just a beautiful texture of gravy.

Nice and fluid on my plate.

- [Mark] Yeah.

- [Jacque] And just beautiful on a, on just a huge fluffy yet crispy - [Mark] Tender biscuit.

I know the biscuits.

- [Jacque] Biscuits.

- [Mark] They're so good.

They're perfect actually.

- [Jacque] And the chicken was just perfectly fried and just nice and just white and fresh.

Everything was just so fresh and clean.

It just, for some, for something like chicken and biscuits and gravy, I'm gonna use the word clean.

It was just so delicious.

I loved every bit.

- I haven't used that word for that dish in a while.

(group laughs) There they do it right.

- [Jacque] Yes.

- Tiffany what'd you have?

- My dish was, uh, kinda fun, it was called "Because Waffles Shouldn't Have All The Fun."

(group laughs) So it was basically three pancakes with three chicken wings on top that were like fried chicken wings and like raspberry honey syrup.

- [Mark] Oh man.

- [Tiffany] That kind of was a little bit spicy but not too much.

And I love the chicken, I thought the chicken was really tender, really well cooked.

It was not overcooked at all.

The pancakes were just life changing.

- [Rebecca] Yes.

- [Tiffany] Like I am a pancake purist and I will cut down - Life changing!

- a lot of pancakes.

Yeah.

- I don't know that I've ever had a life-changing - They were amazing.

- I'm going.

They must be.

- They are definitely like goals for me to personally make pancakes and I try so much to make pancakes, but as delicious as they were, if I go again, I'm getting that fried chicken biscuit.

- It's delicious.

- That chicken biscuit because my friend got that.

And it.

- Life-changing.

- It's just - Life-changing.

- Yeah.

- Life-changing.

- I would sell all the pancakes for that - My life changing moment - Biscuit.

(group laughs) - My life changing moment was there was the short rib hash.

I mean I was like, whoa.

- [Rebecca] Yeah, that's amazing.

- [Mark] Have you had it?

- [Rebecca] Yeah, and it has rosemary in it I think?

- [Mark] Yes.

- [Rebecca] Yes.

- [Mark] What else did you have there?

- [Rebecca] So I also had the pancakes.

I, however, I'm not a pancake purist.

(Jacque chuckles) I am, uh, I'll go through moods or I'm like, "Oh, pancakes sound great," and then like the next day I'll be like, "I don't want, I don't like pancakes."

(group chuckles) But these pancakes, they are my favorite ones I've had anywhere probably.

They have a whole list of toppings you can get for their pancakes and their french toast and one of them is the lemon blueberry ricotta.

- [Mark] Yeah.

- [Rebecca] So it has a blueberry sauce on top that is perfect.

It's sweet and tart.

And then it also has a dollop of ricotta and I think there might be some inside the pancake batter too, probably.

- [Mark] Oh, that's great.

- [Rebecca] And it has like lemon zest also grated on top of it, and they're humongous and fluffy and perfect.

- So Tiffany, you have fried green tomatoes too, right?

- Yes, I did.

And that was actually, the kind of the theme for my dining experience is my first time having fried green tomatoes as well.

- [Mark] Really?

- [Tiffany] I have had green tomatoes but never fried.

But I really liked that they, I didn't think you could fry a tomato, (group chuckles) but apparently just a very light, delicate, crispy little frying coatings really enhances the tastes of a plain tomato.

So it was good.

- So tell me about the vibe there.

Tell me about the atmosphere.

- It can be a little bit busy is how I would say it, especially on the weekends.

If you go for brunch, definitely plan on getting there early.

They have a live DJ there - [Mark] People are like (mumbles) - [Rebecca] and they have a huge outdoor patio where the DJ is at.

And so it can be crowded, but it's not, I wouldn't say it's so crowded that you feel like you are sitting on top of someone else.

- Yeah.

- I actually thought when I first came in, I thought it was nice and quiet and I went on a weekday super early, like eight o'clock in the morning.

Well that's super early for me.

(group chuckles) But I thought it was nice and quiet.

But then closer to like 9, 9:30, even though there was no wait, there was hardly anyone there, I could hear the music getting a little bit louder and I was like, oh, okay, I can kind of see that this would be a hip place.

But now that I know that there's a DJ and stuff on the weekends, I will visit during the week.

- Yeah.

- Yes.

- So you, you're more the weekday.

- Yes.

- And when we went in, my daughter said, "Oh mom, you love a hip hop breakfast."

- [Mark] Oh boy.

I said, "Oh I love a club in the morning."

And we - Go, Grace.

- And we did.

And, but she also said to me, "But look, it's not so loud."

Like we were able to carry on a conversation just as we are now - [Tiffany] That's interesting.

- with a hip hop vibe in the background.

I, I loved it.

- If you wanna try Brunch and Sip, it's located near 40th Street and Indian School in Phoenix.

An average meal will cost $25 and they do not take reservations.

(upbeat music) - Our last restaurant is Tiffany's choice.

There's just something about a neighborhood restaurant spot you cannot beat.

And this one's welcomed guests for more than 25 years.

This is Phoenix City Grill.

(upbeat guitar playing) - Phoenix City Grill is a neighborhood spot that I think is, I would define it as a mainstay in the city of Phoenix.

You know, we've been here since '97, 25 years.

I describe our food as casual upscale.

We use local and seasonal ingredients whenever possible.

We have an all day menu that I think anybody can find just about anything on it.

Small plates, appetizers, fresh ground burgers, salads, and then entrees from pastas to seafood.

We do a fresh catch every day.

So we have three different steaks on the menu currently and just try and put our kind of, you know, little local twist on 'em.

In house we make our own black garlic that's about a 13 day process to age and ferment it, and we take that and make a steak sauce out of it.

So that's definitely unique to us for sure.

We try to always have a couple local Arizona wines on the menu and then our cocktail program, we try to focus and use a lot of the bourbons that we've selected in the private barrel selection process.

I think the ambiance of the restaurant at Phoenix City Grill is, I think it's very comfortable.

It's not stuffy, it's soft colors, comfortable chairs.

I want our guest experience to be excellence.

It's what we strive for every day.

We want people to feel comfortable here and feel like they receive a great product for a fair price, and then go tell everybody else about it.

(upbeat guitar) - So Tiffany, how did you find this little neighborhood spot?

(Tiffany laughs) - I knew you were gonna ask me that and I wish I had an answer, but I truly don't remember how I happened upon it.

I just remember driving up with it for the first time and it was just, I was a different person from that day.

Um - I love that.

- This is not only Arizona, but this is Phoenix kind of restaurant and I could tell that as soon as I walked in.

So I was immediately like, "If I was gonna recommend a restaurant, it had to be this one, for sure."

- Cool.

I love that.

So what did you have for an appetizer?

- My appetizer, they have this amazing cornbread that, it's like a green chili cornbread.

- [Mark] Yeah.

- [Tiffany] And they actually sell it in entirely by the skillet, but you could just buy a piece if you want.

So I usually go for a piece.

I don't know if Phoenix is as well known for green chili as like New Mexico, but we have a presence here and that green chili cornbread is definitely it.

- That was good.

So Jacque's, what did you have to start?

- I had the cornbread as well and it was so delicious.

And I'm a, I have a southern background, my mother's from Tennessee so she makes it and I'm not a sweet cornbread person and this was not sweet and so it was just delicious.

But my, um, experience with appetizer was I'm not, uh, a cocktail person.

I'm a, I'll get a beer or I'll get a glass of champagne.

I got the espresso martinis for the first time ever.

It was nice and rich and just coffee and delicious and it paired so well with everything we ate.

I even ordered another little shaker full for dinner.

- Okay.

- And so that was kind of my appetizer with the cornbread and it was, it was delicious.

- Well we, Rebecca what'd you have to start.

- Well I saw the cornbread on the menu and I'm sad I didn't try it.

My guest - You should be, 'cause I had it too.

That's three out of four - I blame what my guest I was with, they wanted to try the queso and the queso was very good.

It had, kind of like the cornbread it sounds, like it had really big chunks of green chili in it.

- [Mark] Mhm.

- [Rebecca] So it was well seasoned, a little bit spicy.

Corn chips were perfectly salted.

- [Mark] I had the cornbread and that.

- Oh?

- So I think I ding, ding, ding.

I think I won.

(group laughs) - Yeah, you did.

- So what did you have for an entree?

- I had the short rib and what I really enjoyed about this place is they offer the full portion or the half portion.

- [Mark] Mhm, yes.

- [Rebecca] And so I got the half portion of it and it came with a brussels sprout hash, which if you're not a brussels sprout fan, this will convert you because it was delicious.

I don't know how they prepared it, but the Brussels sprouts were caramelized on the outside and it had onions and peppers, came over mashed potatoes and the, uh, short rib itself was perfectly tender.

Didn't need a knife at all.

- [Mark] Yes.

I mean I had that too.

And just fork tender.

There wasn't, uh, any fat in it whatsoever.

Tiffany, what'd you have?

- It's funny that you say that about - After the cornbread.

- Brussels sprouts because I, very weird about brussels sprouts 'cause I love them, but I don't feel like anybody cooks them long enough.

So I got the grilled beef tenderloin as my entree, but it came with the brussels sprout hash on the side and I thought it was amazing.

I love brussels sprouts in any way that you could prepare them.

I will eat them.

But the grilled beef tenderloin, I really liked it because sometimes when I tell servers I would like mid rare, closer to rare, they still bring it closer to medium or closer to well sometimes.

(Mark chuckles) So I like that the server was really listening to me and was able to deliver me a delicious, tender grilled beef tenderloin that was perfectly seasoned and just not too big, not too small, just really fills you up.

And the brussels sprout hash.

I love it so much.

- Jacque, what did you have for an entree?

- My daughter and I split the short rib and I loved the brussels sprouts.

In fact, I could go on and on just about the sides.

The brussels sprouts were delicious.

The garlic mashed potatoes were just tender and so flavorful.

Just such a, such a punch of power.

And then we also got the Danish baby back ribs - [Mark] Oh.

- [Rebecca] Nice.

- [Jacque] And we split those and those came with delicious sides.

This coleslaw was just incredible.

And the shoestring potatoes were so crispy and thin and all separate.

They didn't, they didn't bunch together and the ribs had the chipotle rub of some kind before they put the sauce on which the sauce wasn't overpowering.

And we split those.

And between the richness of both of those, the, again, I'm gonna go back to the espresso martini (group laughs) Was such a good accompaniment to both of those, but, but everything was delicious.

And I would like to say something about our server too.

They all just seemed to really know what they were doing.

(group agrees) All of them seemed to just really know.

So I - [Mark] My server was there 23 years.

- Yes.

- I'm like, oh my gosh, this is awesome.

So Rebecca, what did you have for dessert?

- Yeah so I had their special of the night.

It was a crème brûlée cheesecake.

So, the filling was a little bit firmer than a crème brûlée because it was a, a pudding of course.

But you could see the vanilla bean in it.

And then the top, they did the best part of the crème brûlée, which is where they blow torch the sugar on top.

- [Tiffany] Yes.

- [Mark] Yes.

- [Rebecca] It was amazing.

- [Mark] That is really cool.

- [Tiffany] After I was done, I was like, you know, I do wanna end the meal with something sweet.

And the guava margarita kind of fruit is a dessert.

- Yeah.

- So (women laugh) it was sweet and tart and I like 'em strong and they did not disappoint.

- [Jacque] We had the bread pudding.

- [Mark] Yeah.

Brioche bread pudding.

- [Jacque] Brioche bread pudding.

It was a little bit dense.

I kind of like a fluffier one, but that just might be a taste for me.

But it was certainly delicious and we didn't leave, uh, a bite left.

(laughs) - So it wasn't that dense.

- No, it wasn't, it wasn't that dense.

(group laughs) - You had to break it down.

- Yeah.

(group laughs) - Awesome.

So Tiffany, your place, takeaways?

- My takeaway would be if you are trying to bring someone into Phoenix and show them what Phoenix is all about as far as the the food scene, um, but still impress them with good food, I would say Phoenix City Grill is it.

- Awesome.

Rebecca, your takeaway?

- Yeah, I would say this is a perfect little date night spot.

Especially if you go when it's not as busy, you can get a seat, you know, and just enjoy the company.

Enjoy some really good food.

It's a great little place to try out.

- Awesome.

Jacque, your takeaway?

- Happy hour is busy.

So if you are a happy hour person and this seems like a really fun place, go early.

- [Mark] Yeah.

The bar is pretty rocking, right?

- [Jacque] Mhm.

- [Mark] They have a whiskey selection that's kind of unrivaled.

- Yeah.

- Nice.

- If you want to try Phoenix City Grill, it's on the southwest corner of 16th Street and Bethany Home Road.

An average meal cost about $30, and they do take reservations.

I wanna thank Jacque, (upbeat piano plays) Rebecca, and Tiffany for joining me at the table.

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

Arizona".

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

Who knows?

You could be joining me at this table.

Be a part of the foodie conversation in Arizona on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram using #checkpleaseaz.

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

Arizona."

I'm Chef Mark Tarbell.

Have a delicious life.

(waning piano) - [Announcer] Technology today and much more is used to treat cancer at Ironwood Cancer and Research Centers, always looking to find more, more time, more life.

Ironwood Cancer and Research Centers, outsmarting cancer, one patient at a time.

- [Announcer] Albertson's Safeway Pharmacies and Valley Nonprofit Mission of Mercy are proud to support cancer awareness.

They encourage you to talk to your doctor, get recommended screenings, and don't forget your flu vaccine.

More information at albertsonsorsafeway.com.

(upbeat jazz music)