A friend and I had just been talking about Shabu Shabu.

“You know what I want?” she questioned. “Shabu shabu.”
“Too bad they don’t sell it anywhere in Phoenix, ” I told her.

Which I believed until I saw a Twitter from Hana pimping their Shabu Shabu. “We must go!” I told my husband upon viewing aforementioned Tweet.

I gave them a call and made reservations for that very night.

Upon arrival they ushered us to a 4-person table and then pulled another one along side, “There’s going to be a lot of food. You’ll need this,” our server explained.

Oh really?

Soon we had edamame and a crab/cucumber appetizer in front of us.

We set out our giant beer and sake (it’s BYOB) and settled in for an adventure.

Soon they set up a hot plate and brought out a big boiling pot of water along with a plate of veggies and noodles and a platter of raw meat.

Then came dipping sauces (ponzu and shabu shabu) and sides of chopped green onion and grated daikon.

After systematically dunking and eating a plate of veggies and 1/2 a platter of meat, we’re stuffed.

“We had a table of 3 come in an polish off 3 plates of meat,” noted our server eyeing our still-half-full plate. There’s no way.

There is, however, a little room for dessert, which is included in the meal. I’ve got dairy problems, so my husband and I were given the non-dairy option you see below. An airy and light ending to a full dinner.

Shabu shabu isn’t cheap; It’s $40 per person and you must call ahead of time to order. But it is an adventure.

Hana Japanese Eatery
5524 North 7th Ave
Phoenix, AZ 85013
(602) 973-1238

It really wasn’t that difficult once the ingredients were gathered — and they were DELICIOUS.

1) Start with a good baguette. These came from Lee’s Sandwiches. 1 baguette for $1 makes about 3 sandwiches.

2) Slice the baguette in half and slather on some butter or mayo.

3) Add in no particular order:

• Cilantro
• Jalapeno
• Onion
• Pickled daikon and carrot

4) Add the meat. She picked up the BBQ pork at Phoenix Palace in Chandler, which she also claims to have delicious dim sum. (We had enough left over to freeze for future noodle soups).

Tip: For vegetarians, we substituted baked tofu, which they said was pretty good.

Best gyro: Haji Baba

Haji Baba, which I affectionately refer to as “Haji’s,” is nothing fancy.

Really.

The restaurant shares a building with a middle eastern market. Upon walking in, one of the waitstaff will waive you in the direction of one of their woodgrain formica tables. Order middle eastern faves such as falafel, shawarma and hummus. But the reason I continue to drive the 20 minutes it takes from my home in Phoenix to Tempe: the Gyro Plate ($6.99).

This giant combination plate includes a pile of gyros meat covered in yogurt sauce, fluffy rice, a simple salad and a piece of pita bread. I  like to liberally shake sumac, a purple powder available at the table, over my dish. The taste is subtle, but it looks pretty. A more zippy addition, Sriracha.

Tip: The plates are enormous. Consider sharing.

1513 E. Apache Boulevard
Tempe, AZ
(480) 894-1905

Best hangover meal: Torta Del Rey + Aqua Fresca @ Los Reyes de la Torta

The morning following a night of excessive drinking, there are probably a few thoughts going through your head:
Did I really need that last drink?
Am I going to barf?
Why didn’t I drink more water and take an Advil last night?
I need something greasy.

That something greasy could be — no SHOULD be — a Del Rey Torta ($7.99) from Los Reyes del Torta. Imagine a sandwich bun filled with 6 or 7 different types of meat (including chorizo and mini hot-dogs), eggs, avocado, cheese and jalapenos. Visions of a heart attack will completely replace any thoughts of a hangover.

To complement this meat explosion, order an Aqua Fresca ($3.25. I like lime), a frosty fruit drink that tastes like a fruity cool breeze in a glass.

Tip: If hung over, don’t make the mistake of ordering the healthy-sounding Vampiro. While a medley of blended veggies might sound like a good idea, “it’s about as refreshing as the contents of a garbage disposal, ” noted one friend as he ogled the Aqua Fresca.

Los Reyes de la Torta
9230 N. 7th St.
Phoenix, AZ

Maizie’s Cafe & Bistro
4750 North Central Ave.
Phoenix AZ 85012
(
602) 274-2828

***

$20 bruschetta board and bottle of wine @ Postino
Put a nice glow on the beginning of the week with a good selection of wines and your choice of 4 bruschetta (view the menu) from a variety of of flavors. Deal available after 8 p.m.

Postino Central
5144 N. Central Ave.
Phoenix, AZ
On the SW corner of Central and Colter
(602) 274-5144

Postino Arcadia
3939 E. Campbell Ave.
Phoenix, AZ
Just west of 40th Street facing Campbell
(602) 852-3939

***

Reverse happy hour @ Los Sombreros
From 9-10 p.m. choose from a variety of cocktails and appetizers like Black bean fundido served with chips and 3 carnitas tacos, all for just $5.

Los Sombreros
2534 N. Scottsdale Rd.
Scottsdale, AZ 85257
(480) 994-1799

***

All you can eat Taro Fries @ The Mission
Mention Tuesday’s Twitter Special (and follow them on Twitter, just to make it legit), and get all the Taro (yam) Fries you can eat.

The Mission
3815 North Brown Avenue
Scottsdale, AZ 85251-4407
(480) 636-5005

***
$13.00 Complete Top Sirloin Steak Dinner (choice of soup or salad bar) @ Feeney’s

Feeney’s
6314 North 12th Street
Phoenix, AZ 85014
(602) 274-9700

Got more deals? Let me know…

Flank Steak or Chicken & Dumplings @ Texaz

Texaz Grill
6003 N. 16th Street
Phoenix, AZ 85014

***

$20 bruschetta board and bottle of wine @ Postino
Put a nice glow on the beginning of the week with a good selection of wines and your choice of 4 bruschetta (view the menu) from a variety of of flavors. Deal available after 8 p.m.

Postino Central
5144 N. Central Ave.
Phoenix, AZ
On the SW corner of Central and Colter
(602) 274-5144

Postino Arcadia
3939 E. Campbell Ave.
Phoenix, AZ
Just west of 40th Street facing Campbell
(602) 852-3939

***

$3 hamburgers & fries every Monday after 4 p.m. @ Maizie’s
My friend and frequenter of Maizie’s Mondays raves about their “legitimate burgers,” which I’m assuming has more to do with the half-pound angus beef…and not the marital status of the cows.

Another bonus, $10 off all bottles of wine!

Maizie’s Cafe & Bistro
4750 North Central Ave.
Phoenix AZ 85012
(
602) 274-2828

***

$4 hamburgers @ Feeney’s
This old school neighborhood steak joint has $4 burgers and fries after 4 p.m. on Mondays.

Feeney’s
6314 North 12th Street
Phoenix, AZ 85014
(602) 274-9700

What’s Cracking Good — Dim sum

“I’d imagine going to dim sum on Chinese New Year is probably like going to a restaurant on Christmas,” says a friend who actually celebrates the Chinese New Year in earnest.
It’s been awhile since I’ve had dim sum…I’m hoping she’s right.

Here are few places I’m considering for a Sunday feast:

Great Wall Cuisine
3446 W Camelback Rd # 155, Phoenix, AZ
(602) 973-1112

C-Fu Gourmet
2051 W. Warner Rd., Chandler, AZ 85244
(480) 899-3888

I’ve heard with China King is good
1050 W. Ray Rd., Chandler, AZ
(480) 899-8099

Any suggestions?

Kind of a bust.

The market where the festival took place, however, was a treasure of cool spots.

What we found:

• An Asian supermarket
• A cafe with boba tea
• A delicious and friendly pho spot — appropriately titled, UnPHOgettable
• A Vietnamese restaurant with a line going out the door (someplace to revisit)?

The Mekong Supermarket

New Year gift baskets and fake fruit trees

More sauces than you can shake a stick at

Crazy, bumpy fruit (I forgot to write down the name. Anyone?)

Mmmm, corned beef crackers.

Delicious pho-broth and super-friendly service at UnPHOgettable.

Mekong Plaza
66 S. Dobson Road
Mesa, AZ

We have a food truck! A bona fide flippin’ food truck!

It seems like all the cool cities have some sort of mobile delicacy that roams around town. Seattle has a cart that sells organic foods. LA has a Korean taco truck. I saw an artisan ice cream truck multiple times while in Brooklyn.

Well now  Phoenix has a truck of its own, this one serving…crepes!

Phoenix Truckin’ Good Food cooks up 2 kinds of fresh crepes from their mobile food stand (see menu). They have some set times and places — or you can follow them on Twitter to find out where they are — or where they’re heading.

I’ll gladly drive the 25 minutes to Chandler to get a Lee’s Sandwich. Delicious French bread baked in-house plus the combination of tangy pickled veggies, fresh cilantro, spicy jalepenos and sweet barbecued meat equals enjoyable sandwich.

Cool down the heat with some iced tea, made even better with some chewy gelatin balls. “Drinks aren’t supposed to be chewed!” says my sister of all boba teas. If that echos your sentiments, then you can get the tea sans balls…but I think they’re amazing.

According to Lee’s Website, the sandwich is only 340 calories — not a bad tally for something that feels nothing like a healthy lunch…and rings in for under $3.

Suggestion: As a sauce-y girl and like to put a touch of mayo on my sandwich for a little more
moisture — but it does add a few more calories and fat grams.

Lee’s Sandwiches
1901 W Warner Rd
Chandler, AZ 85224
(480) 855-1778
Open Daily 8:00 a.m. – 9:00 p.m.