- And now at Arizona PBS original production.

- I'm Chef Mark Tarbell.

Welcome to Check Please Arizona.

The show were people like you recommend their favorite restaurants.

Coming up, we have three guests who are passionate about their picks, and are ready to share the reviews with each other, and with you right here on Check Please Arizona.

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(upbeat music) - This week on Check Please Arizona, our guests have dined in Chandler, Tempe, and Cave Creek, and are here at the table to tell us more.

Educator Marla-Tiye Vieira journeyed halfway around the world on a recent adventure.

She was ready to share her inspired local pick with us.

Unfortunately, her restaurant choice has closed.

Clinical sales specialists Andy Gavette looks forward to exploring Japan one day.

Until then he knows great sushi, and he's found it at this spot in Chandler.

And up first former egg farm CEO, Linda Thomas.

Her recommendation is a place where the food is creative and the spirits are infused with Southwestern flavors.

It's Black Mountain Tavern and Distillery in Cave Creek.

(upbeat rock music) - My business partner nor I had any idea the complexities that we would encounter along the way in, into opening a distillery.

And what it would take to get this thing up and running, up and off the ground.

We have a variety of bourbons and whiskeys that are distilling in the barrels right behind me.

And our vodka is on display and for sale.

And that's been remarkably successful.

A great vodka to me, and to most people is a vodka that's very clean and very crisp.

One that doesn't bite as it enters the pallet and doesn't burn on the way down.

Doesn't sit real heavy.

And the key to that is really the number of times that it's distilled.

Our vodka right here on site is distilled 10 times.

I think it was more dumb luck than it was anything, but we stumbled across a recipe and a process that works for us.

And, and it's been, it's been really well received.

My favorite drink is probably a vodka press.

It's our vodka with Sprite and a splash of club soda with a lime twist, little sweet.

You still get the vodka, you still get the lime, it's almost and dangerously so like you're not even drinking alcohol.

We tried to provide a little higher end type of menu.

We have, we have the burgers and we have the salads, but we also have on our menu a tavern filet, but far and away, the most popular dish that we have here are the mahi fish tacos.

The corn or flour tortillas that comes with aioli sauce on the top of it.

And they're outstanding.

Everybody that tries 'em, just loves 'em.

Even to this day, when my partner and I walk in here, we look at this place and we can't believe what we've created.

You know, there's been a lot of headaches and heartache along the way.

There have been some really, really challenging times.

But the thing that I love the most about it, is the process.

The people that I've met, the people we have working for us here, it really, it really makes it fun because if it weren't for the people, if it weren't for the process, if it weren't for creating something from start to finish, I'm not convinced we'd still be here.

(upbeat music) - Linda, can you distill for us why this is the place you picked for today?

- I found it in a little tourist booklet, and it said that they distilled their own spirits.

And so I was in.

- So prohibition is over in Cave Creek.

- It is, I think it never was, actually.

(laughing) - You're probably likely, right.

- [Linda] Yeah.

- So what did you think, Andy, when you first came into this place?

- The atmosphere's really nice because they have one whole wall, that's like a, a wood paneling.

That's like a rough wood, it gives that really rustic look.

- [Mark] Really rustic.

I love that.

- [Andy] And then they've got a clear panel where you can see all inside the, their brewery.

So you can see all these, you know, vats and stuff on the inside of the bar, which is kind of neat too.

- It's so funny in Arizona and you're from the East Coast.

- Right.

- I'm from the East Coast.

- Right.

- So back there you'd have a little tiny house, charming, maybe a brick building.

- [Marla-Tiye] Exactly.

- And out here, even the greatest restaurants are in these small strip centers or malls.

So it's very different for us right.

So what did you think when you first came up to it?

- I thought it was like authentic Southwestern eating and it's fun.

The staff, they were so warm and like, again, what you said, Andy, about the walls being so rustic.

You felt like at home, you know, they made you feel like you were family.

So that's really a great asset.

- [Andy] Yeah its super friendly.

- Oh super.

- Even people that didn't serve you come up and say, hey, how's everything going?

- [Marla-Tiye] Right.

- Make a joke, you know.

Its fun.

- [Marla-Tiye] Yeah, yeah.

You would watch the other, you know, patrons, they're laughing, they're talking.

So everybody's having a great time.

- [Mark] Yeah.

- So the atmosphere is just super positive.

- I think we're becoming family there.

- Yes.

- Oh nice.

- Oh, you're, it's a place, you know, it's so interesting.

I went with a friend and he said, this is a place if I lived nearby that they would know my name.

- They know ours.

- It would be my regular place.

- Wow.

- So Marla, what did you have to eat?

- I had the wonderful pretzels and beer cheese appetizer.

Wow, I just wish I had more because I'm such a big eater and it was really, you could taste the pretzel taste, but they were nice and long and you know, warm and with the beer, cheese, it paired well with.

I also had the excellent, fresh squeeze lemonade.

I didn't do any distillery.

(laughing) But you know, but the lemonade, it was really fresh.

It was squeezed and it was outstanding.

And for my entrée I had the, the pork adovadaro.

It was so tender.

- [Mark] Yeah.

- [Marla-Tiye] Oh the, the Verde sauce or green sauce.

- [Mark] Yeah, first of all, it's brazed forever.

So it just breaks down all the fibers.

- [Marla-Tiye] Right.

- [Mark] And the meat it just melts in your mouth.

It's so good.

- Oh its excellent.

- And it's a classic Arizona dish, really Mexican dish.

- Right.

- But we've adopted it as our own.

- Exactly, but like I said, again, it was authentic Southwest.

So anybody who's not from Arizona should go there and get the culture of Arizona.

- Linda what did you have?

This is your place.

What'd you start with?

- I actually, I started with a Moscow mule.

(laughing) - [Mark] Well, there you go.

I like that.

Some people start with dessert.

I like you, Linda.

- I, that's why I thought about being the distillery.

- [Mark] Yes of course, you gotta, you know.

- [Linda] I, I buy their vodka by the bottle from there.

- [Mark] Wow.

- [Linda] Because it is the best vodka I've, I think there is.

- [Mark] And it's fresh.

- [Linda] It is right there.

You watch 'em make it as you're eating.

- [Mark] You know, vodka's an interesting thing, Linda.

You know, it's, some spirits are very take time.

They have to be aged in various barrels and it's 10, 12, 15 years.

The best vodka in the world is determined by the fact that it tastes like nothing.

It's been quadruple distilled to take out every, every aroma, every flavor that might have been there.

And it's just a pure nothingness.

It's as light as air.

So anyway, is that what theirs is like?

Or does it have some character?

- No, theirs is perfect.

- [Mark] It is.

Well perfect, I can't- I gotta stop there.

- [Linda] Yes you do.

- [Mark] What did you have to eat to start with?

- We had the hummus.

Their hummus is homemade there.

It was really smooth and it had a teeny bit of surprise spice in it.

It was very good.

- [Mark] Yeah.

- We started off with the pork gyoza.

Which were kind of a crispy pork gyoza that you'd find in a Chinese restaurant.

Which is funny, you mention in the Mexican adovadaro because their menu has stuff from everywhere.

From Mexico, from China you get these pork gyozas but they're very good.

They're crispy, and it had the sauce drizzled on it.

And we basically went through all of them before our meals came.

(laughing) So it was very good.

- So yeah it's usually ground pork, a little bit of garlic, green onion, Asian influence.

- [Andy] Asian.

Yeah, Asian influence sauce, yeah.

- Very nice, what'd you have for an entrée?

- So I have the chili lime seared scallops, and that came with a side of mashed potatoes and also steamed vegetables.

But I'm glad I got the scallops.

They were cooked perfectly and it's kind of fun to see like seafood like that at a, at a bar type, you know, brewery or sports bar.

You actually have a restaurant type food in this location.

- And that's what my husband goes for.

- I had Sonoran chicken.

- [Mark] Okay.

- [Linda] And I wasn't sure what Sonoran chicken meant, but it was- - It doesn't mean anything, but that's the beauty of it.

- [Linda] Yeah.

- Well, the interpretation obviously would have some Southwestern or Mexican flavor.

- And it did, it was on some rice and it had the, the chicken breast was sliced and it was juicy.

Nice tender chicken.

Not at all dry and then the sauce, I thought it was gonna be tart, but it was actually sweet.

- Sweet?

So it had, did it have a little heat to it too?

- Yes absolutely.

That was a little surprise after you swallowed was.

- Aside from the sweetness in your Sonoran sauce, what did you have for dessert?

- I had the bread pudding with a dollop of vanilla ice cream on top.

And it was great because the bread pudding was kind of warm.

- [Mark] Yes.

- [Andy] And you'd have the vanilla ice cream slowly melt down and the bread pudding.

- [Marla-Tiye] Right.

- [Andy] So you get a bite of kind of the ice cream.

- [Marla-Tiye] Right.

- [Mark] And the bread pudding in one bite.

It was, it was really good.

- Well I had the same.

- [Mark] You had the same thing.

- I had the same exact thing.

That's, that's always my go to, but my thing was, I didn't know it had nuts in it and that's not their fault.

That's my fault.

I don't like a lot of nuts, but it was excellent.

The flavor was outstanding and the texture.

- And Linda, I know you said you're trying to be careful, but life is about balance that you step into dessert?

- Oh, absolutely.

(laughing) We had, we shared, that was our, our accommodation to healthy.

We shared a caramel and fudge sundae.

We skipped the whipped cream though.

- [Mark] Oh you did.

- [Linda] Yeah.

- [Mark] Okay.

- [Linda] But it was scrumptious.

- [Mark] Well, next time you skip the whipped cream, just pile right here on this plate right here.

And I would take care of that, okay.

- All right.

- 'Cause I would not want to see that go to waste.

- That's right.

So you had a drink.

I think it was a, it caused a little disturbance.

I think it was called The Troublemaker.

- [Andy] It was a troublemaker.

- [Marla-Tiye] Have you had that?

- [Andy] I had that, yeah, so it was kind of a vodka drink.

- [Linda] Oh yeah.

- [Andy] With had some cucumber overtones.

So it was very refreshing.

- [Linda] I kep meaning to try that.

- [Andy] Yeah, it was very good, but I didn't get any trouble drinking it.

So fortunately.

- I think it's called The Troublemaker 'cause it sounds so sneaky refreshing.

- [Andy] Yeah.

- [Linda] It does.

- [Mark] It's like I'm having a juice.

(laughing) A cucumber juice.

- [Linda] Yes.

- So Linda, this is your pick.

How would you describe it in a few words?

- Comfortable, but the food is upscale.

- [Mark] Nice, Andy.

- Fun sports bar, but with a menu you wouldn't expect.

It's got a menu of a, a really good restaurant.

- [Mark] Marla.

- Rustic wrapped in real.

Really comfortable atmosphere.

You feel like you're eating at home.

- If you would like to try Black Mountain Tavern and Distillery, you'll find that at 30855 North Cape Creek Road at the intersection with Desert Willow Parkway in Cave Creek.

Reservations are not accepted and the average tab for dinner is $25 without drinks.

(upbeat music) Up next, Andy's favorite.

It's Shimogamo Japanese restaurant in Chandler.

(upbeat Japanese music) - When you walk into Shimogamo you might notice a really big kind of a logo right in the front.

That's actually the family crest of the Otomos.

Yoshio Otomo is kind of the face of the restaurant.

He answers the phone.

He seats everyone.

He waits tables.

Sanae Otomo.

We call her mama San here.

She runs the kitchen.

So all our kitchen items, our non sushi items are very, very traditional, authentic.

And most of our Japanese customers that actually come to eat here, come just eat her cooking and her Japanese food.

The grilled barbecue beef tongue.

A lot of people think it's a very scary dish, but it's delicious.

It's probably our simplest dish in the menu.

Its sliced very thin, grilled 'til it's kind of crispy and served with a sauce that's just lemon juice and salt.

Very simple but probably one of our best sellers.

Learning to make sushi in Phoenix was a little different because it's hard to find kinda the traditional Japanese chef to train you.

So I kinda got lucky.

I kind of bounced around until I came to Shimogamo.

When I got here, I got to learn a lot of the traditional things of the sushi bar.

If you take the time to, to do things, maybe it takes longer like buying a whole fish takes longer to break down, making sure it's taken care of properly, proper temperature, little things like that go a really long way in sushi, because there's such a small room for error.

One of our favorite dishes here is the white truffle amberjack sashimi.

It's unique to us.

We serve amberjack sashimi with a thinly sliced shave red onion, a little bit of white truffle olive oil, ponzu, which is like a citrus soy sauce right on top, a little bit of salt and then a pinch of micro greens right on the top.

So it's a really nice of kind of refreshing sashimi dish that we do here.

The more simple the product and the better the product.

I think the, I think that's the best sushi you can eat.

Some places wanna really dress up the sushi and do 10 sauces and cover it and deep fry it.

To me if you have a, something very good and simple, like maybe a nice piece of tuna belly, you don't need to do anything to it.

And I think that's the best way to eat sushi.

- So Andy, what brought you to this restaurant?

- Well, it's funny because I was actually in another sushi restaurant speaking to a woman at the sushi bar next to me, this Japanese woman, and we were talking about sushi and she told me there's this restaurant called Shimogamo that all of the professional baseball players, Japanese baseball players eat at when they come into town.

So right then I was sold.

It's like, if a professional Japanese baseball player knows where to eat, good sushi, I have to try it.

So that's what made me originally try this restaurant.

I'm glad I did 'cause it's, I think it's some of the best sushi in Arizona.

- Friends recommending to friends or new friends in this case.

- [Andy] Exactly.

- But wow, that's kind of, a little awkward.

(laughing) - Especially at a sushi bar.

It's an intimate experience and they're behind you, facing you anyway.

Interesting, so that's what brought you there.

So tell me a little about it.

What's it look like?

- Well, if you drove by, you wouldn't be able to see it from the road.

It's kind of in a small strip mall.

There's not really a big sign.

So it's like one of those restaurants you have to hear about it from someone else.

- [Linda] Well, we actually had to drive around the parking lot a few times to find it.

But when we did, we got there right at 11:30, which is when they open, and there were already people standing out front.

So I'm thinking, well, this will maybe be a great place.

I'm not a sushi fan.

So I wasn't sure what I would, whether I would like it or not.

But we walk in and it is, there were these wonderful, I don't know if they were lithographs or paintings or what they were.

- [Mark] I think they were block prints.

It looked like it.

- [Linda] Block prints.

- [Mark] They are very beautiful.

- And I, I went around and looked at 'em.

My friend said, you know, she'll just sit, that's good.

But we got the last table.

- Wow.

- At 11:30, 'cause we went for lunch.

And then the, there were people waiting.

So I was impressed by that.

And it, it was a really cute little place.

That's the word I would use.

It was cute one.

- [Mark] Very cool.

So Marla, what did you start with?

- Well, I started with the seaweed salad and the taste was excellent because you know how seaweed always has that very, very strong, fishy taste.

But my issue was just the texture.

It was tactile.

- Hey, put enough soy on it Marla.

No problem.

(laughing) Linda, what'd you start with?

- Okay.

- Well I started with saki.

- Yeah.

(laughing) There is, is there a- - There's a theme.

- Are you, are you catching this Andy?

(laughing) - I had never tried saki.

First of all, when I saw that it was this Japanese restaurant, I'm like, oh no, because I don't like sushi and I didn't know what else you could get there.

But I went and I just said, I'll really be an inventor.

But I had never tried saki, so I went with a friend who knew, 'cause she'd been to Japan.

So she said we should have it hot.

So we tried it hot.

I didn't think it had very much taste.

- [Mark] Yes.

- So then we tried it cold.

So we got different kind and got it cold.

- [Mark] And?

- [Linda] And I loved that.

- [Mark] All right.

- [Linda] That was good.

That was like an excellent wine.

- So move over Moscow mule.

- [Linda] Yeah.

- So now its saki (mumbling).

- [Linda] That's right.

- It's interesting about heating things.

And this is about wine too.

Temperature can make a huge difference.

If a wine's too cold, then it will mute the aromatics and things like that.

If a wine's warm, it explodes it.

It makes it more, its not in a bad way sometimes.

If it's too warm, like saki, it has that effect of having it feel like nothing.

'Cause it all the, all the subtleties will be steamed or heated out of it.

- [Linda] All right.

- So that's the reason for it.

But there is a true tradition in Japan to have warm saki.

It's quite rare, it's way more common in Japan to have cold saki.

Here not so much.

- Okay but I had the hot saki.

Now, see, I've never had that before and I loved it, and I thought it paired well with everything that I ate, you know, because- - Did you put lemonade in it?

(laughing) - No I went for the alcohol this time.

- You did?

- I really did.

- Okay.

- And it I've never had it before and it was outstanding.

And I was like, there's a subtle sweetness, underlying sweetness with all the items there and just paired well- Well I thought so with the food, the saki, everything.

- There can be and saki can have this whole sweetness.

- [Marla-Tiye] Yeah.

- It, it's as diverse as wine.

It can be light.

- [Marla-Tiye] Yeah.

- It can be sweet.

It can be spicy.

It can be creamy, cloudy, sparkling.

- [Marla-Tiye] Right.

- Really great.

Well, glad you had- - And it was crisp I thought too.

Yeah so.

- Well they listed five kinds, how do you know if you've never had it what kind to have.

- Order all five.

(laughing) Don't stress, just- - Then I wouldn't have eaten.

- Get Uber, you're good.

- I did eat meso soup.

- [Mark] Oh good.

- While I drank saki.

- Oh that's a good balance.

- [Marla-Tiye] That's good.

- Yes very well paired.

- [Linda] Yes.

- Andy what'd you have?

- We had the ahi poke for a starter and ahi poke is basically a Hawaiian dish.

So they have some not only Japanese, but a Hawaiian dish as well.

And it's simply a cubed tuna mixed in with some sauce and some vegetables in there too.

It was, it was very good.

- [Linda] Is it cooked?

- [Mark] No poke is raw, its cubed raw.

It's, it's a, it's kind of a beach food, you know, in Hawaii It is Hawaiian, but the influences are purely Japanese and Polynesian.

So which a lot of people immigrated to Hawaii and that's where, it's sort of at like a lot of things in our country.

There's a blend of influences and that's where that's from.

And it's become very popular poke.

- Yeah we had a lot of stuff.

So we, one of my favorite cuts of sushi is a, sashimi called toro.

It's the most expensive part of the tuna, its a tuna belly and it's expensive.

It's got the market price.

So whenever I go eat sushi, I always get the toro.

One of the reasons I like it is because toro usually melts in your mouth when you eat it.

You put it in and it just dissolves.

And you have this great flavor of tuna.

And one of the rules I always get when I eat sushi in a new place is I get the salmon sashimi as well.

Salmon sashimi is just a cut of the fish.

And if the salmon melts in your mouth, like the toro, then you know, you're at a good sushi restaurant and their salmon sashimi will just melt in your mouth too.

We also had a soft shell crab roll, which was very good.

We had the uni, which is a- - Sea urchin.

- [Andy] Sea urchin.

Yeah, sea urchin.

So it's not for the rookie sushi eaters, but it's basically, it looks like a orange kind of tongue.

- [Mark] Yes.

- [Andy] On top of rice.

But it's very, it's very creamy taste and it also melts in your mouth.

So we had that as well.

- It was raw?

- [Mark] Yes, it's raw.

- Raw.

- [Mark] Yeah raw urchin and also advanced.

I think you might like it.

You should really just try it.

(laughing) Go back there- - Little piece, just a little piece.

- Have all five saki and just have some uni.

- If I have all five sakis and maybe I can do that.

- And you will just, it'll be fabulous.

(laughing) You won't even know how fabulous.

(laughing) Literally.

- Yeah well I remember.

- We also had eel.

The eel was very good too, 'cause it's almost kind of like a dessert roll.

It's got a sweet kind of sauce center, but it's also very savory.

So the eel was very good as well.

- [Mark] So what else did you have Marla?

- In my entrée I had the beef teriyaki.

It was like, it was barbequed and oh, it was perfectly cooked, it was tender.

It was not too much sauce.

And the rice was perfectly cooked and for $5 more, I could get the meso soup and salad and oh, it was just- - And you got a little adventurous with your other side, side you had.

The grilled mackerel, did you have?

- I would go back for that.

I would go back for that.

And I'm a fish connoisseur like, like Andy.

I would go back for that.

Perfect, it was so fresh.

You could smell the fish.

- It has to be 'cause mackerel very strong.

Has anyone, have you had mackerel?

- I've never before.

- Never had it, never had it?

- No.

- It is the one of the most, so if it was rated as one of the most adventurous thing.

- Right.

- One of the most adventurous things.

- Right.

- In Japanese restaurants it's mackerel.

'Cause it's so intensely flavored.

But you loved it, that's cool.

- [Marla-Tiye] I was so, and you know, it was tender, but it was, you could smell the ocean in the middle of the desert.

So I'm thank you, thank you so much for recommending this restaurant.

It was awesome.

- Mackerel all right.

I had grilled beef tongue.

A barbecue beef tongue.

- Really.

- Okay, but we won't go into that.

- Okay, okay.

- I had the tempura.

This was so lightly battered and it's like they dipped it in and pulled it right back out.

And the great thing about tempura is that it's like opening Christmas packages.

Each one you taste, you don't know what it is until you taste it.

So there were beets, there were sweet potatoes.

There were carrots, there was one onion and a mushroom.

But I had vegetarian obviously.

Because I didn't want any of the fish stuff so I was done with that.

- What'd you had for dessert?

- An excellent cappuccino jello.

Oh, it was like served in a champagne glass, like a flute.

So elegant, and, but the taste, it was light like jello, but intense coffee flavor.

And it had the whipped cream.

Yum and a nice serving.

- [Mark] Nice.

- [Marla-Tiye] Very nice serving.

My approval was really great.

(laughing) 'Cause, but yeah.

- I had green tea ice cream and I, I shouldn't have, it's very traditional and my friend that, that I went with- - And you had that Andy, right?

- I did, yeah.

- She really liked it, but I thought it tasted like green tea.

Which I realized I don't really like.

(laughing) - Well, it does, it is very traditional and it does, it should taste like green tea.

And it's really an interesting thing.

'Cause you would never put cream in a green tea traditionally.

What'd you think of yours?

- I liked it.

I like green tea, so I liked that matcha type flavor, but I think it was great because it was almost like a pallet cleanser.

So you eat all this different types of fish and then you have this kind of pallet cleansing dessert.

And I think it worked very well.

- All right, Andy, your restaurant, two to three words.

- If, if a Japanese professional baseball players eat there when they come in town, guess what, you'll want to too great.

- [Mark] Right.

- The first Japanese restaurant I've actually enjoyed.

- Divine, delectable and distinguished.

- I like that, triple, I like that.

If you would like to try Shimogamo Japanese restaurant, it's located at 2051 West Warner Road, just West of Dobson Road in Chandler.

Reservations are accepted and the average tab for dinner is $35 without drinks.

Thanks to Linda, Marla and Andy for sharing their picks.

And don't forget, you can share yours too.

Go to AZPBS.org/checkplease and nominate your favorite spot.

Be a part of the foodie conversation on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Hashtag Check Please AZ.

Join us next time when three new guests bring us three new restaurants right here on Check Please Arizona.

I'm Chef Mark Tarbell, eat well and often.

- [Narrator] Check Please Arizona is made possible by...

The friends of Arizona PBS.

Members of Arizona PBS who give additional gifts to support original programs.

Thank you.

(upbeat music)