Dining Guide from p 37 screens, promising falafel sandwiches, beef shawarma plates, salads, and falafel rings. Aside from the saj-wrapped falafels, lentil soup is a favorite. The shop was opened in 2016 by Ali and Madda Shakir from Iraq, who dubbed it Casa De Falafel only because Falafel House was taken. (So, no, this isn’t a Mexican-meets-Mediterranean fusion eatery.) Both Casa De Falafel and the gas station have a retro vibe, sporting green and pink plastic booths, dark green tiles, neon signs, and a peppy, we’re-here-to-serve atmosphere. Plus, you can get any drink you want — it’s a gas station. 6730 W. Cactus Rd., Peoria; 623-979-9234; facebook.com/CasaDeFalafelRestaurant. ($) Eric’s Family Barbecue: Hungry for ’cue in the west Valley? The meats smoked in salvaged propane tanks behind Eric’s are the best you’ll find. Eric Tanori smokes the old-fashioned way, meaning without the assistance of gas, a labor-intensive method that raises the ceiling for how good marquee cuts, like brisket, can be. In his spacious, cafeteria-style dining room and out on a homestyle patio, that brisket adorns just about every platter. Slices come thick, broad folds pungent with the deep smoke of mesquite. They almost dissolve on your tongue like spoonfuls of pudding. This is one of the best briskets and some of the most impressive barbecue in the Valley. In this brisket, you can taste musky echoes of the charcoal-grilled carne asada Tanori grew up eating. As with brisket, he seems to approach each meat a shade differently; the stripped-down Texas style that many of his meats recall remains a reference point, not a law like gravity. At Eric’s, smoked turkey (one true test of a pitmaster’s skill) is subtly flavored and tender-as-can-be, thanks in part to garlic and a doctoring with butter au jus. Ag- gressively dry-rubbed ribs tingle with pleasantly warm spicing. Pulled pork is a more-standard-but-still-admirable version, everything you’d want in a shredded pile. Low-key sides and desserts, like banana pudding and cheese-dusted elote, call to mind the backyard barbecue fiestas from which Eric’s was born. 12345 W. Indian School Rd., Avondale; 623-248-0148; ericsfamilybbq.com. ($$) Haus Murphy’s: For a quarter-century, this cozy, classic restau- rant from chef and owner Brett Hoffman has been dishing out authentic German cuisine in Glendale. (You may have seen it on the Food Network.) Haus Murphy’s is known for its Original Oktoberfest Pretzel, the sausage sampler, juicy bratwursts, house-made sauerkraut, and quite a variety of schnitzels (including a one-pounder). We’re also keen on the potato and quark gnocchi, the haus gulasch in a bread bowl, and gulasch fries. The German aesthetic extends, of course, to the bar, which offers giant bottled biers you can enjoy beneath strung-up lights on the vaguely European patio — a lovely slice of Old World in the West Valley. 5739 W. Glendale Ave., Glendale; 623-939-2480; hausmurphys.com. ($$) Hot Dogs El Caprichoso: The closest thing Phoenix and/or Arizona has to a signature dish — aside from the much-battled-over chimichanga — is the Sonoran hot dog. When we’re called upon to make a case for the importance of this cherished street food, we look to the El Caprichoso Sonoran hot dog cart. Around for more than 20 years, El Caprichoso operates outdoors from 6 p.m. to 2 a.m., a hot grill under a parking lot tent. Its grilled, bacon-wrapped hot dog is crammed, almost forced, onto a fluffy, split-top roll that’s kissed all over with char. If you’re the type who likes a heavy Sonoran dog, order yours with all the fixings: beans, grilled onions, fresh diced tomatoes, guacamole, salsa, cotija cheese, ketchup, mustard, and thick squiggles of mayonnaise. If you weren’t an Arizonan before, you are now. 2826 N. 35th Ave.; 602-561-3723; facebook.com/ sonorandogs. ($) La Bamba Mexican Grill Restaurant: The entrance to La Bamba lies beneath no sign, in a strip mall suite between a laundromat and Discount Tire in the deep west Valley. Inside, the extremely friendly chef, Edson Garcia, is multitasking, creating next-level tacos, sauces, horchata, and aguas frescas. Garcia — who has said he was homeless just a few years ago — started his restaurant career as a dishwasher, worked his way up to line cook, then began opening restaurants in this suburban sec- tor of Phoenix. In a recent review, our restaurant critic made a big claim: The al pastor tacos at La Bamba in El Mirage are the best in the Valley. Garcia uses pineapple vinegar and pork belly and serves these tacos on flour tortillas, topped with onion, cilantro, and house-made salsas. It’s a hauntingly good example of the level of Mexican fare our city has to offer. 12102 W. Thunderbird Rd., El Mirage; 623-213-7860; facebook.com/ labambamexicangrill1. ($) La Mejor Barbacoa: Just southwest of Old Towne Glendale, you’ll find La Mejor Barbacoa sandwiched between an auto repair shop and a transmission repair shop. Blink, and you may not find it at all. Good thing there’s a sign, and three flappy ban- ners advertising barbacoa, menudo, and Micheladas. Inside this golden-yellow restaurant (which looks deceptively small from the outside but is larger once you walk through the door), you’re greeted with neon beer signs, worn but elegant tables and chairs, oversized house plants, and a friendly, family-like staff. The barbacoa is worthy of its place on the sign, but so is the consome, pozole, and menudo. Most items come with house-made tortillas, a green sauce, and a slow burner of a red sauce (which a staff member will warn you about personally). In the mood for something sweeter? Flip the two-sided menu for mango con chile, ice cream, fruity shaved ice, and aguas frescas. 6522 N. 59th Ave., Glendale; 602-687-3200; la-mejor- barbacoa.business.site. ($) Mercado de los Cielos: What was once a Mervyn’s department store is today Mercado De Los Cielos, a Hispanic marketplace on the southern end of Desert Sky Mall. More than 200 tenants call the place home. Though some view Mercado De Los Cielos primarily as a shopping destination, it’s also a paradise of counter-service eateries serving up fresh agua frescas, tortas, quesadillas, mariscos, gorditas, and all kinds of street foods. We’re partial to the rancheritos con elote at Elotes Y Hot Dogs and the full mole platter from Gorditas Wendy. There’s a lot to choose from — almost too much. If you struggle with decisions (or, for that matter, pronunciation), photos of almost every dish can be found above the register. And if you’re just at Mercado De Los Cielos to shop, grab a pina or mango loko at the raspados de frutas naturales stand to sip as you browse the shelves. 7611 W. Thomas Rd.; 623-245-1404; desertsky.com/mercado. ($) FOOD TRUCKS Emerson Fry Bread: Anybody familiar with our food truck scene knows that one of the longtime greats is Emerson Fry Bread, mobile purveyor of American Indian foods and gemlike drinks. Classically trained Loren Emerson, who is Mohave, Quechan, and Mexican, and Dine chef Roxanne Wilson are behind the truck, along with their kids. You can’t roll up to this truck without ordering a drink. They come in tall Mason jars sloshing with ice. A nuclear-pink prickly pear lemonade kicks with the watermelon-meets-strawberry-meets-guava flavor of cactus fruit. The Sedona Sunset iced tea also has a cult following. Emerson’s fry bread is puffy and pale brown with rich flavor and plenty of chew. You can eat it plain, sure. But souped up into a sandwich or taco, it catapults this truck into a league of its own. The classic order at Emerson Fry Bread is the Jazzy, grilled carne asada served as an Indian taco with no decorations. An upstart newcomer that has dethroned the former king, however, is this truck’s mutton sandwich. Sheep leg grilled to high succulence and flaked onto fry bread with onion, chiles, and half of a baked potato, this gut-busting sandwich is one of the great simple pleasures of the Valley food scene. Mobile, Phoenix; 602-516-8228; facebook.com/ pages/Emerson-Fry-Bread/199977690094707. ($) La Frontera: It’s rare to find a more joyful lunch, dinner, or late- night meal than one eaten near a taco truck in a lot on 16th Street. Our favorites along this strip near 16th and Van Buren Street are La Frontera 1 and 3, and, up the street some, Tacos Y Mariscos El Sinaloa. As its name suggests, Tacos Y Mariscos El Sinaloa specializes in the food of the Mexican state Sinaloa, meaning, for one, mariscos. Seafood comes amid the scraping and clacking of the truck and the music of the boombox, past the ice chests of sodas, and to your table on the pavement. It comes in a goblet. It comes on tostadas. You get a whole plastic sleeve of snappy corn beside your aguachile or ceviche tostadas. They spread a lush fire to your very marrow, a fresh- ness you feel in your soul. The two La Frontera trucks are open deeper into the night. One serves mariscos plus odds and ends, including hamburgers and a plump, glorious, cheese-blizzarded Sonoran dog. The other truck focuses on big ticket meats and offal. Burritos. Vampiros. The tacos are among the best street foods in town. Though commonly available meats like carne asada thrive here, consider looking to others. The lengua is rich and fatty. The buche has a deep animal intensity. Tripas are screaming hot and crackly. Sure, there’s salsa you can add, but these tacos are so right you don’t need more than onions and chopped herbs. 209 N. 16th St.; lafronterafoodtrucks.com. ($) The REZ an urban eatery: If you spot the sign for the The Rez, an Urban Eatery, out in the wild, reach for your cash and head for this roaming restaurant. You can sometimes find The Rez in downtown Phoenix during the late hours, even till 4 a.m. on weekends, or possibly at a festival, farmers market, or special event where food vendors are crammed into neat little rows. The Rez offers Navajo cuisine, food stand-style, served by Renetto-Mario Etsitty — whose resume includes Tertio Wine Bar chef and ASU fine arts graduate, among other things. Etsitty is known for frying up Navajo tacos, and plating Navajo burgers, chilaquiles with blue corn chips, tamales, crepes, stew, and some incredible fry bread. (Vegan options are also plentiful.) The aguas frescas are a signature dish here; flavors include a prickly pear that packs a deep magenta punch and a green flavor that’s a complex mix of honeydew, basil, pineapple, and jalapeño. Mobile; facebook.com/The-REZ-an-urban-eatery- LLC-222023814592172. ($) 39 phoenixnewtimes.com | CONTENTS | FEEDBACK | OPINION | NEWS | FEATURE | NIGHT+DAY | CULTURE | FILM | CAFE | MUSIC | PHOENIX NEW TIMES JULY 1ST – JULY 7TH, 2021
