Listen, not every meal can be a glamorous night out. Sometimes, you want to eat well but not leave the house. This is precisely why delivery exists in my mind. And on this occasion, it was Yama Sushi House in Chandler, Arizona.



I went with these two:

Caterpillar Roll - crab mix, avocado and cucumber wrapped inside, topped with avocado and eel sauce

Godzilla Roll - crab mix deep-fried with yum sauce and eel sauce

Both were decent, but nothing mindblowing. The crab mixture could be a bit more flavorful, the fried part could be crisper, but the avocado was fresh and layered in a lovely way.



Grade: B

My favorite Bloody Marys are full meals. Not simply a brunch beverage. There are so many garnishes that the drink itself is secondary. That is my kind of Bloody Mary. So, when I learned about a build-your-own Bloody Mary bar, I was in.



Hash Kitchen in Chandler, Arizona, specializes in brunch and claims to have the original build-your-own Bloody Mary bar. From hashes and scrambled to benedicts and waffles - there are endless options here that all sound amazing.



I ordered the herb fried chicken benedict with two buttermilk biscuits, fried leeks, warm, maple reduction, hollandaise, two poached eggs, and served with hash potatoes. My favorite part of this dish was the fried leeks that gave it a little bit of a pungent flavor on top of what is otherwise a pretty standard flavor combo. I enjoyed the touch of sweetness, but this is a pretty heavy dish, so I put most aside in favor of the main event.



At the Bloody Mary bar, you start with a celery salt or bacon salt rim. Then, you get to choose what type of vodka: cucumber, jalapeño, celery, cilantro lime, dirty vodka or bacon. Next, it's the spice level of the mix: classic, tomatillo, chili, pepper or habanero. Finally, you can choose to upgrade from the house vodka and then it's on to the toppings.



There are over 50 craft toppings to create the ultimate Bloody Mary: Calabrian chilis, pickled red pepper, pickled jalapeno, cocktail onions, spicy pineapple, artichokes, pickled fennel, pickled green beans, celery, bacon, raviolis, meatballs, oysters, spicy mango, pickled eggs, blue cheese-stuffed olives, cheese cubes, beef jerky, pickles and more.



I tried to fit as many different toppings onto various skewers as I could. It was like an amusement park full of pickled and spicy goodies. I almost used the Bloody Mary itself as a dipping sauce for all of these fun, savory toppings. Plus, some were pretty creative. I love a fun, delicious, new way to enjoy a meal. This checked all those boxes.



Grade: A

Nanay's Filipino Restaurant is my friends' go-to Filipino spot in Arizona. I love the Filipino food I've tried it the past, so I was excited to try this homestyle restaurant.



The restaurant is fairly spacious, and the food is served in a cafeteria style. In order to place my order, I did a mix of listing items from the menu on the wall and pointing at options behind the case.



They had lechon (suckling pig), pancit (stir-fried noodles), pork BBQ, adobo (stew), lumpia (eggrolls-ish) and more.



I almost wish I would have taken a sample of everything they had to offer so I could explore some other dishes I've never had before.



But, everything I did select was delicious. Deeply flavorful and everything seems to have veggies incorporated. So, that gave a little bit of a crunchy texture. I enjoyed the marinated and vinegary flavors most.



Lumpia, though, may be my favorite eggroll-esque vehicle. I like them a bit crispier than these year, but still so good.



What is your favorite Filipino dish?



Grade: A

Chou's Kitchen offers authentic northeastern Chinese cuisine. Unlike in southern China, the staple crop in northern China is wheat, which supplies the majority of the starch found in northern Chinese diets, found in the form of noodles and steamed buns. Popular dishes include pork and chive dumplings, suan cai clay pot, and cumin & caraway lamb. Due to the environment, northeastern Chinese people also like to eat spicy and preserved vegetables, according to their website.



My friends and I tried a few different dishes. First for me was kung pao chicken, which is a spicy, stir-fried dish made with chicken, peanuts, vegetables, and chili peppers. It was a far cry from the super saucy and sweet Chinese dishes I usually order. A bit too spicy and dry for my preference.



Next up were dumplings, which I cannot get enough of. The Pan-Fried Chives Egg Pockets were super savory with that slight pungent onion flavor that I love. I also went for some pork dumplings, which always hit the spot. A little chewy, a lot satisfying. I love sinking my teeth into the thick dumpling dough.



Overall, a new and slightly different Chinese dining experience than I've had in the past. These dishes definitely pack some more heat than my typical tolerance, but they also bring the flavor.



Grade: B

How can you not be intrigued by a restaurant named "Fruit Daddy"? Their Facebook reads: "We serve Authentic Mexican Cravings or as we call them 'Antojitos.'"



I've mentioned previously how Arizona opened my eyes to fruity Mexican treats. And they're one of my new favorite discoveries. They have frozen, fruity treats that are refreshing but have a little bit of a kick, too. Raspados are shaved ice treats; they can come with chamoy, which gives it a spicy and salty flavor that rounds out all the sweetness.



When you have a raspado that does have the chamoy, it's then referred to as aa chamoyada. And then, if the flavor is mango, it can be called a mangonada. Got all that? I'm trying to keep up. And, that's exactly what I ordered here at Fruit Daddy. 



The mangonada has chunks of mango fruit, shaved ice, chamoy sauce, tajin, mango syrup, chili powder, spicy peanuts and a drinking straw with tamarind candy on the outside. Despite being someone who is a wimp when it comes to spicy food, this was a deliciously complex combination of flavors that was so, so tasty. 



You know how when you eat the same flavor over and over again, it loses any actual taste? You need a reprieve from that flavor to break it up, and when you go back to it, you get that good flavor again? That's how I can describe this. The fruity sweetness is delicious. But then you get a tangy bite of the tamarind, and it tingles your taste buds. Then when you go back to the. shaved ice, it's almost even sweeter. I'm obsessed with these flavors. Not spicy, just exciting enough to keep it fun.



Grade: A

"Rewind ... is a where ice cream meets cereal to create cereal infused ice cream. During our childhood, we would spend most of our Saturday mornings watching Saturday morning cartoons and eating cereal for breakfast. As we grew older, our time in front of the TV steadily declined and so too did our consumption of cereal... Our guests are able to drill their favorite childhood cereals such as Fruity Pebbles, Cinnamon Toast Crunch or Oreos mixed together with super premium 16% butter fat ice cream and topped off with graham cracker crumbs, gummy bears, chocolate or caramel drizzle and teddy grahams among others!" according to their website.

I ordered Rewind to be delivered when I was staying in Arizona with a friend. I ordered a vanilla milkshake with cookie dough, Oreos, and marshmallow. I almost wish I would've done a chocolate base, just out of curiosity. But the milkshake I made was pretty delicious. There's always that point when the cookie pieces are a little bit too big and they kind of get mushy but they were fairly small so it all just blended well together. A pretty good milkshake overall - no complaints.

Grade: B

A "paleta" is a Mexican fresh fruit and cream pop from Michoacán, Mexico. It's similar to a popsicle - but fresher. 
   

Paletas Betty has been making Mexican ice and cream pops since 2010, so they know a thing or two.



In addition to the paletas, they offer fruit salads, fruit drinks and cold brew coffee. 



Paletas come in a number of flavors: mocha (coffee and chocolate), Mexican hot chocolate (cinnamon and chocolate), arroz con leche (rice and cinnamon), and the one that caught my eye: fresca con crema - strawberries & cream. 



Side note: I think this photo of Josh & Kaitee is album cover worthy. 



I think ice cold desserts are necessary in a place like Arizona, because everything feels like it's on fire all the time. So the desserts help cool things down. And these paletas hit the spot. It was so cool and sweet and refreshing. The creamy ones are a bit more decadent, but still fresh. I also love that these have some chunks of fruit so the texture adds a little something-something.



Grade: A