Food Stop: My Big Fat Greek Restaurant

My Big Fat Greek Restaurant
Wednesday to Saturday, April 30 - May 2, 2008
Approximately 6:30 to 9:00 P.M.

After being disappointed with the Phoenix Public Farmer's Market, Tina and I scooted to the Arizona Center after picking up necessities at Trader Joe's. We were hoping to find something interesting and different for dinner. And then there it was, My Big Fat Greek Restaurant. We knew having seen the restaurant earlier, this meant that we must dine there TONIGHT. We noted that they were still having HAPPY HOUR. Not being one to drink but only an occasional glass of wine, I was actually eyeing the fact that between 2-7 p.m. on weekdays if you sit in the bar or patio you'll get your appetizers for HALF OFF. What a bargain!

With 8 locations in Arizona, you're bound to find one close you. The menu is full of mouthwatering deliciousness. This is how they describe themselves and their cooking. "A Mediterranean flair of cooking created by the gods. Only virgin olive oil, fresh ingredients, selected herbs and just the right amount of spices are used. Secrets cherished and kept for thousands of years are now yours to enjoy. After Zeus released these great recipes to his children, we were finally blessed with great health and a long, prosperous life. Enjoy our warm hospitality along with your dining experience. Yasou!"

So Tina and I couldn't help ourselves. We went a bit crazy with the appetizers not realizing that they were actually a meal in themselves. After ordering 5 appetizers, we had no room for dinner. We will make up for that in future days! But more on that later.

Dolmades, homemade ground beef and rice rolled in grape leaves topped with a lemon cream sauce. DELICOUS. Everything is served with slices of toasted pita bread.

Keftedes, tender spiced meat balls "the Greek way" served with diced tomatoes and onions. More pita bread too! This was YUMMY when hot so eat this one quickly or the meat will taste dry when cool.

Zucchini cakes, filo dough stuffed with feta cheese and spices served on a bed of julienne veggies and tomatoes. This was good but not the best zucchini cakes this girl has had.

Spanikopita, filo dough filled with spinach, feta and fresh herbs. I love FILO anything, just about. It's fun eating the different layers of flaky goodness until you reach the center. The feta topping was so rich so I suggest eating that with some of the meal as it can tend towards being too salty otherwise. And, unfortunately I can't have much Baklava which is made with filo, honey and nuts, but that is one dessert you should have if you can have SUGAR and love LOTS of it!

Because sometimes you can't have too much of a good thing, on Friday night I took Rajeev and Paul, my buddies from Miami back to the MBFG Restaurant. I was surprised to hear Paul tell me he never had real Greek food. Being from NYC, I thought he had most foods. We'll I guess that is where I come in to help the fellow out. We also just had appetizers and that was enough for a full meal. It was good company but Tina had to go back to study for her presentation (for school). I had a good time catching up with my friends but they were too tired to keep the conversation going past 9:30 p.m. I wore them out or maybe just the crazy drive from New York to Phoenix is what finally caught up to them.

*****

When Nick flew in on Saturday, we decided to treat him to MBFG also for lunch, since he is a fan of Greek food. We had more deliciousness at the booth and then that evening, because all the local restaurants were not all that appealing, we took Nick's Uncle Joe and Aunt Dee with family to MBFG Restaurant also. So all I can say is that MBFG Restaurant holds many memories for me now. It was a good fun time.

Saturday night, we had to order the Flaming Saganaki since I was dying to see fire put to good use in creating delicious food. This dish contains imported kefalograviera cheese flamed with ouzo and metaxa. Okay, all that was hard to pronounce but I can tell you it was an interesting flavor of saltiness and you MUST subdue the flavors with the pita bread. It was good!

Here is the waiter finishing up preparing the Saganaki and taming the flame. We also had some Greek fries which were very delicious. The dinner was all around YUMMY. I give the MBFG Restaurant. three YUMS and definitely I will return, if in Phoenix.

YUM, YUM, YUM
Lisa

The Arizona Center

The Arizona Center is at the center of downtown Phoenix. There are many tourist type shops, restaurants and movie house on the premises.

Palm tree lined skyline

At center court, right outside the MBFG Restaurant, there are these tall palms trees with spiraling lights. As the sky darkens and night falls, the lights brighten the court with a water sprouting spiral to entertain the guests. Little twinkles of light, sparkling in the dark.

On the side adjacent to the restaurant is a nice waterfall. The sounds of water, is so serene amidst the human chatter of jovial celebrations.

Then further down some steps there is a lovely pond garden


Another view of the water ponds and garden

The Leaping Frog Sculptures

Mr. Frog sees something in the horizon and being the curious inquisitive one, he wants a closer look

He eyes the next lily pad and thinks to himself "I can make it", he starts jumping towards it.

He has his sight a little beyond the lily pad. Oh, the drama, will he make it? Oh what the heck, he just GOES FOR IT! Go, Mr. Frog, Go! You can do it!

Here's to Beautiful and Delicious Food

with Fond Memories Shared with Love Ones
Lisa

A View of Phoenix: The Day Before the Setup

The Day Before the Setup

My sister Tina and I were on the way to Phoenix a day early for some sister time, but also to explore Phoenix a bit, before setting up for the show. I usually like to drive at the crack of dawn to avoid the Los Angeles morning traffic, so poor sis' had to endure leaving at 5:30 a.m. I actually enjoy these long drives now because it allows me time to think and reflect upon many things. Normally my days are so focused in the bead world, in one aspect or another, that I don't have time to just sit and not do anything. When you are driving 6+ hours, well not much is done during that time. Maybe I drove Tina a bit crazy, but I had Marty Casey cycling over and over again in the the background, while we caught up on things in our lives. It was a good break and time well spent catching up with my sister. We stopped off at Denny's for some much needed COFFEE and then I was fully awake to drive the remainder of the way.

I drove the entire way to Phoenix with only two small breaks. Egads! Yes, it was exhausting but once we arrived, we had an interesting time finding our hotel. While looking, we spotted an antique store and I just had to stop to check it out. Oooh little tiny treasures everywhere in dusty corners and in secret cabinets. I looked at everything, sometimes twice, and found interesting things (I'm keeping them a secret) for some possible future projects. I love visiting antique stores to find those elusive bargains from yesteryear. I imagined who could have owned the pieces that I now own. We visited another antique shop but they were way too expensive for this bargain shopper to relinquish any more money so we moved on to discover more of Phoenix.

We hadn't eaten all day but decided we'll try our chances in checking in early at the Central Phoenix Best Western so we could unload our luggage and freshen up a bit. Last minute I decided to leave for Phoenix one day early so I had to make reservations elsewhere than the host hotel, Wyndham. I'm like that. I do somethings spontaneously, spur of the moment, even though most of the time I plan things well in advance. It's fun to just have fun for the fun of it. Well the hotel was right across from Channel 12 NBC News Studios. (Interesting, Friday I would appear on Channel 15 ABC Studios (KNXV) on the Sonoran Living Live.)

After we checked in, we thought we would go check out the Phoenix Public Farmer's Market down the street. However, it was a disappointment, so disappointing that I didn't even want to waste my digital "film" and Canon's power on snapping a photo for prosperity. I think many people were either on vacation or maybe the Wednesday event is just smaller. We were looking forward to picking up some fresh veggies for snacks! There were a few booths but it was not the standard farmers market that I am used to attending. We were STARVING by this point. So, Tina and I decided to drive up to Camelback Blvd. to the Biltmore Fashion Park, an outdoor shopping center. We had hooked up with a nice map from the Best Western so was on our way.

When we arrived, I went to pick up some necessities for my TV appearance (more on that in a future post), such as real makeup from MAC Cosmetics. They fixed me up perfectly and made me look pretty for the evening too. While there we noticed a scent of SMOKE in the air. Someone came into MAC and said there was a fire at California Pizza Kitchen. Whoa. I'm all for playing with fire but this was not what I had in mind for my first night in Phoenix.

The Phoenix fire department had things handled and interestingly enough, they parked their fire engine right next to my CRV! So I figured while Tina (yes I gave her the car keys - only because of pure exhaustion of driving from California - otherwise generally no one touches my car... hahah) would figure out how to get us out of there and to dinner. The firemen were very nice so I thought to snap a photo to show you! YES, Do "Watch Your Kids!" Hopefully, no one got hurt in the CPK fire.

We left the Biltmore Fashion Park and returned back on Camelback Blvd. We had spotted a Trader Joe's and you know me withTJ's. I had to go get some snacks and water for the show anyways. After parking we saw a Pizzeria named "Pie Zanos". I thought it was funny because Nick's last name is Pisano. So the photo below is more for him as a good laugh.

Before we found our way to TJ's, I spotted a bookstore. I ALWAYS have to enter a bookstore in whatever town/city I am visiting, if it is within eye's view. Bookstar is also know in some cities as "Barnes and Noble". Aaaah, guess what? I belong to the frequent book buyers club so we waltz in. I found a few books to add to my library in the bargain section. I love looking in the bargain section of bookstores.

Then an idea came to mind. Hmmmm.... I wonder if Bead Romantique would be here. And then, there it was. Ah! It was so cool to find my book in a bookstore. I had also found the book in the Pasadena Barnes and Noble but didn't have my Canon there to capture it. A sense of joy came over me. How cool is this? It's way cool to a first time author!

The Bookstar employee, helped us with some directions on getting to the Arizona Center (where we headed to after TJ's) According to Wikipedia and this knowledgeable Bookstar employee, the street system in Phoenix is laid out in a traditional grid system, with most roads oriented either North-South or East-West. The zero point is the intersection of Central Avenue and Washington Street. Numbered Avenues run north–south west of Central; numbered Streets run north–south east of Central. Then somewhere in there, there are streets named after Presidents in downtown Phoenix.

So we finished our TJ's run and while driving out saw My Big Fat Greek Restaurant as we were leaving the shopping complex. Boy, we were STARVING but the restaurant didn't looked like it was opened and we both wanted to see the Arizona Center. But seeing the MBFG Restaurant was a premonition to a fantastic meal later that evening. Hold on... one moment folks... I will tell you all about it in the NEXT post.

The Valley of the Sun

I love living
Never the dull life
Full of adventures
Full of sights
Full of the things
That makes me alive

Blue skies up above
Sun in my face
Walking here and there
Soaking in the city
The life that is
Within and without

Watching the people
In their everyday living
The singular and multiples
Dancing through life
Me as their visitor
In the Valley of the Sun

Shine on Phoenix, shine on
As I walk through your city
In the streets and alleys
Seeking, looking, and finding
Visions of today and tomorrow
Smiling secretly

Be HAPPY as happiness is ME
Right now, this instant
As time stands still
Enjoying the moment
Enjoying the memories
Enjoying the telling

Stories of my travels
Stories of my discoveries
Stories of my life
Read, listen and enjoy
My what a wonderful life
To just breathe in this JOY

Peace, JOY and Happiness,
Lisa