Another year, another move. This time, the year was split between LA (Pasadena) and Phoenix (Scottsdale). While LA is certainly more of a melting pot of cultures, Phoenix certainly has its fair share of good food driven by transplants from all over the country, if not the world. And what year would be complete without a bit of travel as well? As is usual, I’m keeping the travel out of the Best of, but you can see it all here (including some amazing food from a trip to Malaysia, Vietnam and Taiwan). So without further adieu, bring on 2017.

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Best Burger

B.S. Taqueria – Downtown Los Angeles

You had me at Chorizo Cheeseburger, but then you took it a step further by adding a cheese skirt to this beast. Sure, B.S. Taqueria is supposed to be a taco place, but this burger shines above the tacos and above any other burgers I got my hands around in 2017.

Honorable nod goes to Rehab Burger Therapy in Old Town Scottsdale for turning the peanut butter and jelly burger into art.

Best BBQ

Naked BBQ – Scottsdale

Holy cow. Literally. I could build a religion out of the beef ribs that Naked BBQ churns out as a special. But their regular menu isn’t too shabby either. At first it was a bit of struggle to realize truly great BBQ could come out of a building in the parking lot of a Scottsdale strip mall, but it didn’t take long to get over it.

Honorable nod goes to Bootleggers BBQ in Phoenix for taking the best of a gastropub and dropping it into a BBQ joint.

Best Steak

Compass Arizona Grill – Downtown Phoenix

Steak is inherently not your everyday restaurant food. So, for the duration of 2017 I really only went out for steak once, at Compass. But, that should not prevent me from highlighting the deliciousness of this steak topped with black garlic, even if the whole concept of a rotating restaurant is super gimmicky.

Best Wings

House of Wings – La Verne, California

So many wings, so little time. But what really made House of Wings the best wings in 2017 was the happy hour special that allowed me to try out a couple of different flavors. It’s not easy to find the right balance of spicy and BBQ, but House of Wings nailed it with plenty more options for the next round.

Best Hot Dog

Detroit Coney Grill – Mesa, Arizona

This was probably the toughest category of all, with both the winner and the honorable nod serving up a heavy dose of nostalgia. Yet, it’s just hard to beat the comfort of Detroit-style coney dog with perfect wet chili, a steamed bun and that snappy dog.

Honorable nod goes to Wimpy’s Paradise in Chandler, Arizona for bringing a taste of Pittsburgh to the Valley of the Sun.

Best Sandwich

Ugly Drum Pastrami – Downtown Los Angeles/Mobile

Sometimes a sandwich is composed of a number of ingredients all working in harmony to create a symphony of flavor. Not Ugly Drum, whose pastrami is almost paired with bread out of necessity. The pastrami in this sandwich even challenges the great Langer’s Deli, but the jury is still out on that.

Honorable nod goes to La Grande Orange in Pasadena for churning out an impressive French Dip where the bread almost takes the front stage.

Best Pizza

Humble Pie – Phoenix

I don’t care if it’s 2017, I still love pretty much anything more when you put an egg on it. So, despite the semi-burnt crust Humble Pie put together some pretty tasty pizza and impressively maintains a small pizza place feel despite having locations all over.

Best ‘Merican

Tokyo Fried Chicken – Alhambra, California

It doesn’t get much more ‘Merican than an American-style fried chicken place with Japanese influences. And there may not be any better fried chicken anywhere, regardless of the influences. This was the juiciest, flakiest, crunchiest fried chicken I’d ever had and if that isn’t deserving of best ‘Merican food, I don’t know what is.

Honorable nod goes to Citizen Public House in Old Town Scottsdale for having the audacity to stuff a Jucy Lucy with Velveeta.

Best Mexican

Burritos La Palma – El Monte, California

I love the diversity of Mexican food and Burritos La Palma leads me to believe I’ve hardly scratched the surface. Here, the burritos look more like enchiladas, but they are no less delicious – being filled with all sorts of good meats and topped with cheese and green chile sauce with pork.

Honorable nod goes to Chino Bandido in Phoenix because I truly could not figure out where to put this restaurant that combines Chinese, Japanese, Mexican and Caribbean flavors into one greasy, delicious mess, but I knew it had to go somewhere on this list.

Best Breakfast/Brunch

Breakfast Kitchen Bar – Scottsdale

This place took the concept of breakfast pizza and completely flipped it on its head in the best of ways. It almost made up for having the least creative name of any breakfast restaurant with a bar. Almost.

Honorable nod goes to Eggstasy in Scottsdale for their delicious and well-executed twist on eggs benedict.

Best Asian

Borneo Kalimantan – Alhambra, California

No offense to Phoenix, but this was just a race among restaurants in LA’s San Gabriel Valley. The winner is Borneo Kalimantan, partially because I went to actual Borneo shortly after this, partly because the dishes are super unique and partly because of the great execution. There are all kinds of new and exciting things happening in the San Gabriel Valley and Borneo Kalimantan challenges all others to step it up.

Honorable nod goes to Mian in San Gabriel for its delicious and deliciously cheap Chinese noodle bowls.

Best Middle Eastern

Persian Room – Scottsdale

Tah dig is pretty much all it takes to win me over, which is a crispy rice that’s pretty special to Persian cuisine. But the fact that Persian Room also churns out some amazing meats is enough to make it into the Best of 2017.

Honorable nod goes to Pita Jungle throughout the Phoenix area for not being willing to settle for plain old classic Mediterranean.

You can find all these restaurants on Google Maps here, and you can check out years past below:

2016

2015

2014

2013

2012

2011

Melt It! in Pasadena refers to itself as “A Grilled Cheese Co.” I’m not sure what else would have been expected from a place called Melt It! (except maybe like fondue or a ton of patty melt options, which are basically just grilled cheeses with burgers in them anyway), but I was eager to see what kind of twists this place would make on the old standby.

There were plenty of options, including specials and some non-grilled cheese options, but I went with something called The Lar. The Lar is what happens when you try to turn jalapeno poppers into a grilled cheese and throw bacon in for good measure. Seriously, it’s cheddar, cream cheese, jalapenos and bacon on white bread.

You really can’t screw a sandwich like this up, and Melt It! did not. However, it was surprisingly light on the cream cheese. I know I’m used to bagels loaded up on the stuff with no other toppings, but this went beyond that. Fortunately there was cheddar for backup.

A little bit more shmear would have gone a long way, but it was the slightest complaint. Melt It! did a solid job of changing up grilled cheese and one of my favorite appetizers so I left a happy unvegan.

Restaurants come and restaurants go. But I’m not sure I’ve ever seen a restaurant come and go as fast as TLT in Pasadena’s Playhouse District. Fortunately, there was almost no delay in replacing it with The Stand, a burger concept that already had a few locations around LA and Orange County. The burger options were pretty unique and at a reasonable price, so I had a hard time choosing.

But I ended up getting the French Onion Soup Burger. This comes topped with gruyere cheese, fried onions and red wine onions in a parmesan crusted bun with some onion soup au jus for dipping. I ordered mine medium rare and without the red wine onions because they sounded terrible. I also had a side of fire fries (loaded with their wing spice and a side of blue cheese dressing) because clearly a stack of fried onions on my burger would not be enough.

Everything about the food was delicious. From the amount of crispiness in the onions to the meltiness in the cheese to the fieriness in the fries. And as I ate, I couldn’t help but feel like I was getting a gourmet burger experience at a fast-casual price. Sure, the patty may not have been as thick as some of the gourmet spots, but I’ve also had my fair share of annoying un-filling gourmet burgers out there. Most importantly, interesting toppings that seem to be well-balanced at The Stand are not just limited to the French Onion Soup, but to a variety of options, including a rotation of specials.

As you can tell, I was a fan of The Stand and wouldn’t be surprised at all if it continued to expand its mini Southern Californian empire.

When I found out that a Taiwanese fried chicken place had opened next door to my office, I knew I had to stop by, especially because I would soon be paying a visit to Taiwan. It’s called Hot Star, and for some reason it specializes in flattening the fried chicken to make it look massive. I don’t know if this is meant to make it taste or look better, but I was ready to find out.

I ordered my chicken spicy which, in this case, is spicy with powder and not a sauce. I was then handed a giant piece of chicken along with a single glove to hold the thing. I dug in and found one juicy, tender and crispy chicken. Clearly, Hot Star had perfected this concept at some point or else they would not have grown from the Shilin Night Market to a global footprint. Plus, the spicy flavor was tasty without overwhelming.

However, things got kind of weird down towards the bottom of the piece of chicken because the bones were still in there. This probably helped for the juiciness, but was strange and made it harder to eat than your typical bone-in chicken breast. Moreover, it seemed a bit pricey for just a fried chicken breast.

But, it was tasty and a unique spin on fried chicken, and I would highly recommend paying a visit. It’s a whole lot easier then heading to Taiwan.

Hotels aren’t exactly known for their food. Yet, there has been a trend to try to get better restaurants into hotels and I give those hotels major props for trying. In Pasadena the dusitD2 Constance Hotel has a spot called Constance Perry’s. It’s kind of Asian, kind of American, but definitely not fusion because those dishes kind of stand out on their own.

Thus, we began with their Pork Soup Dumplings, or as I like to call them, xiaolongbao. I was amazed to find that when the bamboo steamer was opened to reveal these dumplings they were black instead of the traditional off-white color. Unfortunately, it turned out that black xialongbao did not necessarily translate into better xiaolongbao. The dough was kind of spongy and the soup didn’t boast too much flavor.

But then there was the main course. I split the Short Ribs and Flat Iron Steak because that’s just the kind of person I am. Both were beyond my expectations and made me quickly forget about the dark side of xiaolongbao. The Short Ribs were perfectly tender and had been braised in a sauce worthy of many flavors, while the Flat Iron Steak had been cooked to a perfect medium-rare and was accompanied by truffle fries that felt just right. I would have been happy with either one of these, but was certainly glad to have both.

If I were to return to Constance Perry’s, I would skip right over the appetizers and head to the main courses. They change seasonally, so you can never really be sure what will be available. Yet, if the Short Ribs and Flat Iron Steak are any indication of what regularly appears, it will be difficult to walk away disappointed.

Ah, the fabled Rose Bowl. Host of UCLA football games, THE Rose Bowl, a monthly flea market and now the annual Masters of Taste. As a blogger extraordinaire, I was invited to cover the event, which took place on May 7th and I found it a much easier way to set foot on the Rose Bowl field than winning the Big Ten Championship (and some might say it was much harder than winning the Pac-12 Championship, huzzah!). Food and drink vendors appeared from all over LA to help bring in money for Union Station Homeless Services. It’s a good cause, and surely the now two-year old event is doing a much better job of drawing in money than the annual gala did before it. But enough, let’s talk food.

Belly Bombz – Spicy Garlic Parmesan Wing

If I had more time, I would have eaten all of their wings. As it was, all I could do was try out the Spicy Garlic Parmesan wing, which is Korean-inspired like the other wings they offered. It certainly inspired my belly to want more.

Nerano – La Polpetta

This is described as a “grass-fed meatball slider” but I will still refuse to call such a thing a slider. Yet, this meatball mini sandwich was delicious enough to make up for the misnomer. The cheese was all melty-like, the meatball was juicy and you can’t ask for much more.

The Raymond – Raclette

The Raymond decided to test the theory that everything is better with melted cheese. Uh, dude, yes. But while it seems obvious that their chorizo taco and Moroccan sausage would be better with melted cheese, the Fire Chicken (fried, topped with gochujang, and rice cakes) was just the right kind of experiment and proved well worth it.

Milk and Honey – Wellness Bowl

I know this isn’t what you expect, but I seriously love fruit and this Wellness Bowl was packed with it. The base was pureed dragonfruit (or pitaya if you’re being fancy) and the toppings were sliced fruit, a chunk of honeycomb, maybe chia seeds and some ridiculous edible flowers. No joke, this was incredibly refreshing with all the gluttony going on.

Cafe Dulce – Bacon Donut Hole

That’s more like it, right?

And that’s a wrap (at least of the food I thought worthy of highlighting)! Despite a brief period of torrential downpour and game delay due to lightning, the event was undoubtedly delicious and, more importantly, brought it more than 500k for Union Station. Good food and a good cause? Don’t mind if I do.

The Original Tops is a classic countertop-style diner in Pasadena that would probably evoke nostalgic memories if you were from the area. As someone who is not from Pasadena, I at least get excited over the prospect of a new burger spot, especially a no-frills type of place that has stood the test of time like The Original Tops.

Yet, when it came to ordering, I didn’t get some old-school menu item and instead opted for their Featured Burger Special: The Morning Glory. I’m not sure if this burger is only available in the morning, but I like to think it may have staying power into the afternoon. It was a half-pound of burger topped with pastrami, swiss, yellow mustard, a dill pickle and an over easy egg. I ordered without the mustard and pickle, and while the burger ended up looking nowhere near as intense as the picture that portrayed it, it was no slouch. These are the best weight loss pills for women.

I dug in and was met with a delicious mix of meat on meat, egg on cheese and bun all around it. As far as pastrami goes, The Original Tops’s version isn’t exactly great, but it’s acceptable. The burger was the right amount of greasy and the rest was as you would expect. For a countertop-style diner, The Original Tops gave me exactly what I could have guessed before walking through the doors.

No more, no less.

Right next to perhaps my favorite restaurant in Pasadena (The Luggage Room) and owned by the same people is a spot called La Grande Orange. The menu is very American, French and Mexican, being filled with sandwiches, tacos and, most importantly, a Prime Rib French dip (you know, the most French food of all).

Yet, before we could eat anything else, we began with the Deviled Eggs. We went with the option bacon because you would have to be stupid not to and they came out looking like a beauty. Or, more precisely, six beauties. There’s really not much more than can be said for these deviled eggs except that they just perfectly executed. Nothing flashy, but if you’re going with a classic it should be done like this.

As for the Prime Rib French Dip, it was just about the sexiest sandwich you’ve ever seen. The prime rib was so perfectly medium rare and on one delicious baguette that had learned a thing or two about how to be crunchy, moist and fluffy at the same time. The au jus added a nice element of moisture, fat and salt to round the whole thing out. The fries weren’t too shabby either.

La Grande Orange knows exactly what a French Dip (and Devilied Eggs for that matter) should be. Nothing groundbreaking here in terms of creativity, but perfect execution seems to be the norm.

The Eatery in Pasadena is undoubtedly one of the city’s hidden gems. It’s off the beaten path and in a building that seems much more likely to house a Mexican grocery store than a fancy restaurant (in fact it does share the building with such a store). But once inside the candles, dim lighting and intimate ambiance scream non-pretentious fanciness. Of course, none of this would matter to me if the food didn’t satisfy my unvegan desires.

Fortunately, it started out well with an amuse bouche that was essentially a miniaturized version of a stuffed baked potato, using fingerling potatoes, shredded cheese, cream and bacon. This was the start of something good.

Throughout the meal we got to know the head chef of the place and he dropped a few insights for us. Probably the craziest insight of all is that the menu literally changes every month. No, not everything, but almost all of it. I can’t even imagine how hard that must be, because I’ve been making the same stir fry for the past 12 years.

Nonetheless, we moved onto a cheese and charcuterie plate which, at the time, included coppa, capicola, speck, cheddar, buffalo gorgonzola and goat cheese. Each bite was awesome, and I feel like a lot of the credit for how good the meat was goes to how thinly it was sliced. There is a time and place for thick-cut cured meats, but this was not it and we were all the better for it.

Midway through the meal, the chef brought out a concept he had been working on for us. It was essentially a “deconstructed” French onion soup, where the broth is poured into a bowl containing all of the random ingredients right at the table while you watch. Conceptually, it was awesome and of course I loved the cheese, but it was overly salty for my taste and I was glad to be a part of the test. Hopefully it will be on the menu soon (if it hasn’t been slotted already), but with a little less salt.

Finally, for my main course I went with the Braised Short Ribs. I liked the idea of the whipped horseradish potatoes and charred parsnip puree, but they also came with braised red cabbage. I didn’t have the heart to order without because the chef had been so damn nice, but as soon as the dish came out I scraped those suckers off. Regardless of the cabbage, this was one heck of a short rib dish. The meat was incredibly tender, moist and flavorful. The potatoes and puree played a nice second fiddle and were welcome in every bite. I could have stopped there, but of course we had to try dessert.

Against my better judgment, we got the Squash-Bread French Toast. Obviously I don’t like squash, but my wife wanted it, the chef said it was good, and frankly I was too full of food to disagree. So we got it. And it didn’t taste like squash, so that was a win. In fact, it tasted pretty good, but I would have traded it in for more thin-sliced speck with that mascarpone any day.

As far as the Winter Wonderland menu of December 2016 (I know, I’m stupidly behind on these posts) goes, I was a big fan of The Eatery. And from what I could tell, I would be a fan of pretty much any other monthly menu that gets churned out.

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