Gourmet Goes Country - The Deli, Queen Creek AZ

What I love about the food industry is that artistry and creativity abounds everywhere. The restaurant business is not an easy business to be successful at as you can tell by many openings and closing. Many close not for the lack of risk-taking but for fundamental mistakes. At the top of the list is usually quality, customer service, menu choices, and value. I'm happy to report that The Deli doesn't fall into any of these categories. Blake Mastyk, former chef at Cartwright’s in Cave Creek, is the creative force behind the The Deli, with plenty of help from his wife, Nicole, former sommelier at Tonto Bar & Grill in Cave Creek. They have brought to the country what many have failed to do in a big city. Great food, consistent quality, excellent customer service and value. Did I mention great food? The name "Deli" is a little misleading in that this is much more than what most people understand a Deli to mean. No meat slicers here.

Let's start with the breakfast my wife Diane and I enjoyed the other morning. With an eclectic variety of dishes and ingredients on the menu this isn't your average bacon and egg breakfast place. Is Queen Creek ready for Chicken- Parmesan, Artichoke Hearts, Tomatoes, Red Onion omelettes? Or, Pastrami & Potato Hash and a side of Biscuits and Gravy? You betcha!  I quickly zeroed in on the Eggs Benedict, 2 eggs over easy & served on biscuits with hollandaise sauce & deli potatoes after seeing it pass by us and going to a different table. Except for one thing ... it was served on CRAB CAKES. We're talking REAL CRAB friends. Take a look.

I've had many an Eggs Benedict from New Orleans to San Francisco, but this can't be topped. Well-seasoned, crispy cakes with an immediate taste of crab. When you combine the flavors of the crab cake with the eggs and the hollandaise sauce you just have to smile. I also tried it with a homemade mustard aioli that they make which added an extra zest of flavor. POW! I also loved their deli potatoes which is unique by taking a baked potato and smashing it and putting it on the grill to get crisp.

I'm a sucker for Biscuits and Gravy so we had to try them too. I've tried making it several times at home but never like this. They use sweet Italian sausage which takes on a different flavor profile than traditional souther B&G and we both loved it. Good thing it was just a small order.

Next up is Diane's Ham & Eggs - Thick cut Ham Steak, 2 eggs your way, deli Potatoes, Ciabatta toast. My wife loves ham but ham doesn't also like Diane because of migraines. She was willing to risk her health for this breakfast ... what a trooper. Look how thick that ham steak is. High quality, not too salty and goes great with the choices of mustard you can ask for. Needless to say her plate was near empty when we left. Mainly because she like desserts and got a peek at the homemade carrot cake starring at her in the cooler. 

Kudo's to Chef Blake's wife Nicole who makes the cake. It has a rich, dense, and moist taste and feel, not overly sweet. I wonder how many farm-fresh carrots volunteered for this mission. The icing was a cream cheese frosting not too sweet that just tasted like you wanted more.

Great food, great service from Jackie and the rest of the staff. Can't wait to try something from the lunch menu and their new venture The Bistro, a Coffee & Wine Bar serving food opening soon near downtown Queen Creek. If it's anything like The Deli ... we have another great restaurant in our area.

THE DELI

18914 E. San Tan Blvd.

Queen Creek, AZ 85242

480-279-3546

Hours of Operation:Open 7AM to 3PM Wednesday through Sunday.Closed Monday & Tuesday.

Dave's Homerun Burgers

It took me awhile to get the guts to go into a gas station for a burger. But, after hearing for months, maybe even a couple years that you've got to try Dave's hamburgers I finally gave in. So, for awhile now I have been sneaking over to Dave's because his burgers are the bomb. Recently, my wife said " I wish there was a place that had greasy-old fashioned burgers from a flat-top". That's all she need to say and I told her to get dressed ... we're going to Dave's.

We get there and Diane says "You're kidding". I replied "Give it a chance". So we order a #1 and a #2 get some pop from the fountain and wait. "#1 and #2 up" says the cook. You should see the look on Diane's face."OMG ... how do I eat this thing" With love I say.

Then quiet for at least 10 minutes. Smiling, wiping the juice from her face.

I think I hit a home run!

Dave's Original Hamburgers

2528 E. Copper Mine Road, Queen Creek, AZ 85143

It's Not Just Greek To Me

I had a dream once to open a hot dog stand. Coming from Chicago where the hot dog business is thriving I thought this is the kind of place for me. Well, that never happened. I watched and enjoyed others successfully build a nice business around the "classic" hot dog and thought why try to reinvent the wheel. I said I can be more successful eating and reviewing other peoples food and still get home at a reasonable hour. 

So, this is a tribute to Nick Tsalikis who followed his dream to have a restaurant of his own,  Greek Islands Grill, in San Tan Valley. After working his way into the business and learning the Greek way of food, he finally opened his own place in 2008. As you may or may not know, Greeks have an affinity for running successful restaurants. They care about the food and their customers. Nick is no exception.

Again, coming from Chicago where the competition for great food is all over the place, I have a high expectation for a meal I'm going to pay for. Greek food in Chicago is plentiful and really good. So when I moved out here to San Tan Valley, I thought I'd given up on ever having a Gyro's again. I'm happy to say that's not the case. 

I've been a big fan of the gyro's at Nick's Greek Islands Grill. Have had it a few times as a matter of fact and never been disappointed. He knows how to make really good Greek food. The pita bread is so good I buy some to bring home. The fries are amazing. Even the tzaziki sauce is homemade and good. I had a recent occasion to visit Greek Islands Grill with a local business friend, Larry Messinger from Unique Marketing Concepts. This time I wanted to try something different so I ordered a Greek Salad with Gyro's meat on top. Then Nick asked me if I ever had his Philly Steak Sandwich which I have not. He said you've got to try it. Who am I to say no? 

Greek Salad with feta, olives, tomatoes dressing and gyro's meat is hard to beat. Side of pita bread. Great. Then comes the "Greek" Philly Steak Sandwich served on pita bread. WOW! Melt in your mouth goodness. I can understand why it's the second best seller next to Gyro's. Nick uses the right ingredients ... bell pepper, onions, seasoning, and real Midwestern Rib Eye beef with a cheese blend of swiss and white american. Awesome! 

Nick's on the right track to success. Great food! Great service! What else can you ask for? I can't wait to explore the rest of his menu if I can get past my obsession with his gyro's.

Greek Islands Grill | 270 E. Hunt Highway | San Tan Valley, 85143 (480) 655-5454. Open Monday - Saturday from 11am to 8pmDelivery 4:00 to 8:00pm