For retailers, the day after Thanksgiving is, quite simply, the biggest day of the year. The frenzied climax of a season of preparation. A dreaded and dreamed-about day when more shoppers descend upon this nation's malls than any other--except, of course, for the day after Christmas, when shoppers bring everything back for refunds and exchanges.
Nourishment is important on such a day of marathon consumerism. But mall food, for the most part, has a deservedly poor reputation. I should know. Once upon a time, in another life, I worked in the second-biggest mall in New Jersey.
In this former incarnation, every day, without fail, my fellow sales managers and I sashayed forth from the confines of the department store where we toiled into the mall proper to visit what I called, with a certain amount of sarcasm, the "food boutiques." There, arranged in a centralized cluster, was the frozen-yogurt dispensary, the bagel place, the slice o' pizza shop, the Dunkin' Donuts outlet and the Chinese eatery ("MSG Central"). Fortunately for today's mall employees and shoppers, things have changed--at least in the newer, swankier, more progressive malls. One visit to the Palm Court Cafes at Scottsdale Fashion Square makes this perfectly clear.
Here, captive customers are treated to a veritable cornucopia of convenience in a clean, inviting atmosphere. Franchised cafes serving destination-quality food line the perimeter of a dining area that features attractive, comfortable chairs, bud vases of fresh flowers on spacious, clean tables, a diligent busing and cleaning crew, smoking and nonsmoking sections, live palm trees and even open-air dining when the weather permits. (Sections of Scottsdale Fashion Square's skylight ceiling can be rolled back to "air out" the mall and let in the sun.) It is a most pleasant environment, a relaxed and interesting place to people-watch or chat with friends.
Nine vendor cafes currently cater to the fashionable masses at Scottsdale Fashion Square: Edo Japan, Everything Yogurt and Salad Cafe, Gill's Grill, Great Steak & Fry Company, Johnny Rockets, La Salsa, Panda Express, Paradise Bakery and Sbarro. Two more--Sam's Ice Cream Company and Z Tejas Grill--will open soon, if they aren't open already by the time you read this. Some eateries, like Gill's Grill, Johnny Rockets and La Salsa, offer in-store seating. Others are designed for takeout only; you order at the counter and collect your food when it is ready.
It takes me several visits to sample all this food court has to offer. In the process, I learn something very interesting. I learn that I like it here, enough to drop in for a quick bite to eat, even if I have no other reason to be at the mall. Believe me, coming from a cynical former mall worker, this is a big endorsement.
Johnny Rockets is one of my favorite spots. This California enterprise is like a mini-Ed Debevic's without the Fifties-hyped waitresses and all that racket. Combining the best elements of the soda fountain and short-order grill, Johnny Rockets comes complete with a counter, nickel jukeboxes, red vinyl swivel stools, lots of chrome and male employees who look eerily natural cast as post-World War II soda jerks. The food here is classic mid-20th-century American fare. Simple stuff like burgers, sandwiches (PB&J, tuna or egg salad, grilled cheese), pie, shakes and fountain drinks. I enjoy a cheeseburger (the #12) here that's so good I think about it for weeks. I'm not kidding. Prepared right in front of me and served hot-off-the-grill wrapped in white paper, it is a tasty combo of beef patty, Tillamook Cheddar and spicy ketchup, plus lettuce-pickle-onion and--most important of all--mayonnaise. A grilled breast-of-chicken sandwich is a nonred-meat version of the same, sans ketchup. A chocolate malt is thick and good, and I rate a hefty slice of apple pie with ice cream above average.
La Salsa also surprises me with the quality of its food. This attractive franchise taco stand and salsa bar, owned by Paul Fleming of Ruth's Chris Steak House, offers health-oriented, yet authentic-style, Mexican food. Beans are black and lard-free. Tacos are soft. Salsa is fresh and made daily. What a refreshing change from cutesy fast-food Mexican chains that so often serve style over substance.
Tacos el carbon are the specialty here, but my dining accomplice and I go another route. We feast on a pair of ample grilled-swordfish tacos, Mexican sodas, a yummy vegetarian "California Burrito" and La Salsa's generously portioned pollo asado. The chicken is charbroiled without its skin and served with tortillas, black beans, rice, lettuce, tomato and avocado and lime. I like it a lot. I also like that La Salsa's crew cheerfully supplies me with a container to take home what I can't finish at the mall. Now that's unusual.
Panda Express is one of the most popular vendors in the food court. There is not a time when I visit Scottsdale Fashion Square's food court that folks aren't lined up in front of this Chinese-food dispensary, trays in front of them, pointing to this dish or that.
The food here is not just above average or edible, but actually good. Combination plates come with a choice of two or three dishes, plus fried rice or chow mein. I sample several items, including chow mein, Szechuan bean curd, spicy chicken with peanuts, chicken with snow peas and fried orange chicken. The only thing I find fault with is the hot-and-sour soup, which has a distinctly odd flavor like malt vinegar. Everything else is tasty and quite satisfying. Sauces are distinguishable, nicely flavored and not gloppy. Vegetables retain a touch of crispness. No wonder this place is so busy.
