July, 2015 | Arizona Reviews

ZK Grill

Have you tried ZK Grill yet? That stands for Zaytoon Kabob Bistro. It’s a great fast-casual option for a delicious Mediterranean meal.

ZK Grill has some delicious and authentic Mediterranean food that is sure to satisfy!

Entrees are also huge, and come with rice and a big salad. Our dishes came with almost a half-head of lettuce!

I ordered the lamb and beef platter, and definitely enjoyed myself. The lamb filet slices were perfectly cooked. They were not overdone in any way, and tasted really fresh.

I’ve also really enjoyed their hummus dishes on previous visits. The other thing that’s really good is the gyro meat. Absolutely delicious!

ZK Grill recently underwent a pretty big remodel and transformation. They have new seating and artwork. Definitely give it a try if you’re looking for either take-out or dine-in. Enjoy!

Getting there

Located on Tatum Blvd. north of Thunderbird.

Greenway & Tatum Center
4757 E. Greenway Rd.
Phoenix, AZ 85032
Phone: (602) 354-3663

Fired Pie

I’ve made a few more visits to Fired Pie up in Scottsdale and wanted to let you guys know what I think now that I’ve had a few repeat visits.

As I said earlier, there was a visit to Fired Pie where the pizza preparer was quite stingy on the ingredients. I’ve since made three more visits to various Fired Pie locations around the valley and have not experienced the same thing. Either they’ve resolved it, or I got lucky.

Fired Pie is an amazing concept. Just like Kramer’s idea for a build-your-own pie shop (for pizza), at Fired Pie you can basically build your own pizza.

It works like at Subway, except you have way more control than at Subway. Here, you can choose the sauce, the cheeses, the meats, vegetables, and toppings. And, there are no theoretical limits. If you wanted every single topping, I don’t think they’d turn you down.

Fired Pie also has really good salads. I’ve tasted the Blue Cheese and Steak salad, the Southwestern Salad, and the Greek Salad. All very good, and definitely enough salad for two people. Maybe three.

The pizza’s are always delicious. They cook them in a wood fired pizza and there’s almost always enough to take-home afterwords.

Give Fired Pie a next time you’re hungry for pizza in Arizona!

Getting there

There are many locations around Arizona. While Fired Pie could be considered a chain at this point, they are all owned by the same company and all based here in Arizona.

Fired Pie
14740 N. Northsight Blvd.
Scottsdale, AZ 85260
Phone: (480) 404-9996

House of Yang

Who serves the best orange chicken in Scottsdale? The excellent House of Yang in North Scottsdale might just be the answer. Especially if you want authentic orange chicken without going to a chain.

House of Yang has been a personal favorite for me for over 7 years. It probably helps that it is within a mile of my home in Scottsdale. House of Yang is located in a strip mall just north of Thunderbird on the west side of Scottsdale Rd.

House of Yang is a family owned and operated business that serves consistently good Chinese food. They sell the majority of their food as take-out and delivery orders, but you can find comfortable seating in the restaurant. But, it shouldn’t be considered a fine-dining establishment. Most of the people who come in are doing take-out.

We like the Orange Chicken and the Kung Pow Chicken the best! They have a regular and large size. We tend to order the Large since it’s a few dollars more and gives you nearly twice as much food. The large size is about $9.85 and for two entrees with rice you can get out the door for about $20.

The Orange Chicken is served with white rice and is delicious! It is a spicy orange chicken dish (but you can order it without the spices). The folks at House of Yang are not stingy with the sauces, and you’ll find your chicken is coated with a nice thick coat of orange sauce. Awesome! It’s really good, and you can taste the strong orange flavor. The chicken is cooked just right, and pieces just right for eating.

The Kung Pow Chicken dish is also quite good. It’s served with white rice and comes with some vegetables included in the dish. The Kung Pow Chicken has a lot of really tasty sauce that goes well with the rice. Quite good and one of my personal favorites.

So, if you’re in the Scottsdale area and looking for a good Chinese restaurant near the Airpark be sure to give House of Yang a try. You won’t regret it.

Getting there

House of Yang
13802 N Scottsdale Rd
#138
Scottsdale, AZ 85254
Phone: (480) 443-0188

Thai Basil at Paradise Valley Mall

While working on a rush project for a client, we decided to pause and break to order some dinner. We decided to order take-out from the new Thai Basil at Paradise Valley Mall.

The Thai Basil at the mall is located on the south entrance, next to the Starbucks.

Thai Basil is one of the better-known Thai restaurants in the Phoenix area, and has numerous locations around the valley. Thai Basil is considered by many of my friends to be the best Thai food in the state.

We ordered the following: A red curry with chicken, a pineapple Thai fried rice, and a drunken noodles with chicken dish. They were all really fantastic!

Above: Red Curry with Chicken

If I could find one way to describe the food, it would be that it tasted more authentic than other nearby Thai restaurants. Maybe because the red curry was less sweet than others I’ve tried. It has a real Thai curry taste and I think it had less brown sugar than I’m used to which explains the flavor difference.

Above: Drunken Noodles

The other nice plus was that the drunken noodles were served with fresh vegetables on the side. Something that other Thai restaurants don’t offer as part of the entree. We really liked the drunken noodles. Big noodles mixed with fresh vegetables, soy sauce, and chicken and spices. Delightful!

We really are beginning to love the pineapple fried rice. We’ve been ordering that from every place we go lately. What a great dish! If you have a hankering for a fried rice, give it a try!

Above: Pineapple Fried Rice with Chicken

Thai Basil has a really beautiful interior. They have awesome blue and purple mood lighting that makes the restaurant look futuristic. They also have a bar where you can eat if you are by yourself (that’s where I sat while waiting for the food to be ready).

Enjoy your visit to Thai Basil!

Getting there

Located inside Paradise Valley Mall, on the south side in the middle by the Starbucks. You can park and enter the restaurant without entering the mall.

Paradise Valley Mall
4550 E. Cactus Rd.
Phoenix, AZ 85032
Phone: (602) 788-0899