Lunch Out with the Guys

Today Jeff and the ragamuffin accompanied me to ASU where I interviewed for a spot in the Central Arizona Writing Project. While I was busy talking about teaching and writing, Jeff gave our son a tour of his alma mater complete with stops at two libraries. The boy was in seventh heaven! Of course all that exploring in the midday sunshine made them hungry, so we just had to find something good downtown. (Actually, we planned on eating out and doing some shopping when we left this morning, but the other story sounds better.)

We went to Mill Avenue, which is the street where all the restaurants, bars, and shops congregate around campus, hoping to find something interesting. Unfortunately, the first several places we spied down the block, including those offering Hawaiian, Vietnamese, and vegetarian fare, had all fallen prey to the bad economy. We were about to give up and eat a burger at a hopping little mom and pop joint, when we spied Z Tejas, where we haven't eaten in several years because there isn't one near the house and it is a little pricey. As we crossed the street, though, Jeff noticed Robbie Fox's Public House offering Irish fare, so we opted for that instead.

As we looked over our choices, the Irish music seemed to swell and ebb in the restaurant, which had only a few patrons. My son – ever the music aficionado - enjoyed it very much, but even he wished the volume was a little lower. The menu wasn't extensive, but we all found something to our liking. While the drink menu offered an interesting cocktail choice - a cucumber martini - I was told the establishment doesn't serve it anymore. I just hate it when I read a description, make a choice, and can't have what I ordered! Now, I'm considering trying one at home. The menu said the drink has cucumber infused vodka, simple syrup, and fresh cuke slices for garnish. Infusing vodka seems pretty easy. There are many recipes and sets of directions on Foodnetwork.com, and one of my friends at school makes her own Limón cello with fruit from her citrus tree.

After being denied my choice of beverage, I settled for water and ordered today's special - grilled mahi mahi with a cream basil sauce on a bed of spinach and coconut rice. The fish was excellently cooked - tender and moist, falling apart but seared a little on the outside. The basil sauce added a refreshing counterpoint to the smokiness of the grilled fish. However, the fresh spinach was overcooked and the coconut rice didn't really have a lot of flavor. It was slightly sweet, but lacked the distinctive coconut taste making it more like Chinese sticky rice than a flavored side dish.

Jeff opted for the cottage pie (ground beef and vegetables in a mashed potato "crust") - one of his favorites. It arrived in a large ramekin with fluffy mashed potatoes across the top browned to perfection - creamy and lovely. The dish was so hot Jeff found himself blowing on every bite before tasting it. While this selection was good, I found it a little bland. A heavy dose of pepper would have enlivened it some. In addition, Jeff didn't think it had enough veggies in the stew portion. (Can you believe it?) He ate every bite, but requested that I make a better version in the near future. After a fork full of that yummy potato topping, I agree we need to make it at home.

The ragamuffin ordered lasagna with spinach and wild mushrooms. Admittedly, this is not Irish food, however, it was tasty. The filling had plenty of mushrooms and spinach brimming out of the pasta sheets nearly covering the plate. In addition, the tomato base struck a nice balance between acidic and nondescript with plenty of fresh herbs. His dish came with some tossed greens on the side, but no crusty bread to soak up the sauce. After tasting the mahi mahi, I think he wished he had ordered the fish, but his was good and he cleaned up the plate without hesitation.

By the time we were finished with lunch, we were too full for dessert, although the fresh pear tart served warm with vanilla ice cream sounded tempting. (Perhaps we should have skipped the entrees and gone straight for the sweet endings.) Overall, the food at Robbie Fox's was good, but not great. As we left I looked wistfully across the street to Z Tejas and wondered how long it will be before I have another opportunity to eat there.