Audio By Carbonatix
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.
Gill’s Grill is Big 4 Restaurants’ first foray into the fast-food, mall-court business. Big 4 also operates several other Valley “theme” restaurants, like Steamers at Biltmore Fashion Square and Aldo Baldo, a full-service sit-down restaurant located just outside the south doors of Palm Court at Scottsdale Fashion Square. Gill’s Grill varies slightly from the rest of the food-court cafes in its seating off the mall, inside the restaurant. Seafood is the star here and the decor, accordingly, uses an underwater motif–large carved fish float from the ceiling and walls are painted Caribbean blue. The food is ambitious, but most of what I sample works. Gill’s New England-style clam chowder is striking: peppery and creamy and warming. I also like Gill’s impressively large shrimp on a skewer, which, for an extra 95 cents, comes with colorful coleslaw and sourdough roll. Too bad the saffron-yellow rice pilaf is too soggy for me to enjoy wholeheartedly. Still, this doesn’t seem like mall food. It looks and tastes way too good. Big 4 may be onto something.
Edo Japan serves fairly typical Japanese fast food. The difference is that it’s in the mall. Offerings include rice bowls, sushi, udon-noodle soup and items cooked on the teppan grill. I sample two ready-to-go sushi trays and some beef-and-shrimp yakisoba. The sushi is simple (cucumber rolls, shrimp, California rolls) but satisfying. What a fun pick-me-up this would make during a long shopping expedition, what a good, quick bite before the movies. I will keep it in mind.
My yakisoba noodles with teppan-grilled beef and shrimp are prepared right before me by Edo’s teppan chefs. Actually, they’re more like teppan chefs-in-training, as this eatery hasn’t been open more than two days. Their coach offers encouragement: “Now flip the beef . . . add sauce . . . good . . . divide into two and put on plates.” They do a fine job. I like it.
The Great Steak & Fry Company is, again, better than expected. I wait until my last visit to eat here. Frankly, Philadelphia-style steak-and-cheese sandwiches simply aren’t my first choice in fast food. But this clean, white takeout stand fools me. I thoroughly enjoy my supersteak sandwich, gooey with provolone cheese, spiked with grilled green peppers, mushrooms, onions and topped with lettuce and tomato. Ditto for the Turkey Philadelphia with melted Swiss cheese on a soft, white sub roll. Fries here are a treat: They’re hand-cut and cooked in peanut oil, which results in greater potato flavor.
Sbarro needs no introduction to many of you. It is a highly successful mall vendor of Italian foods and pizza. Whether you select a simple (and economical) slice or something more hearty, like baked ziti, I doubt you’ll be disappointed. I advocate Sbarro’s plain cheese pizza slices. They’re large, thin-crusted and remind me of home.
Paradise Bakery probably does its biggest business in cookies and other baked goods. I have to summon all my will power not to take a few cinnamon-sugar cookies home with me every time I exit the mall. (Smart of them to put this business right by the south doors, huh?)
Paradise Bakery also sells soup and salads. While I appreciate the high quality of its ingredients, the three salads I try are unspectacular. I probably wouldn’t get one here again. But for cookies and muffins? Paradise Bakery has my vote.
Lighter dessert options are available at Everything Yogurt and Salad Cafe. Here you’ll find nonfat Columbo frozen yogurt in four flavors, including one diet, as well as fruit shakes. If you don’t have a big appetite, or want something not too damaging, keep this place in mind.
Oh, and happy shopping! Palm Court Cafes, Scottsdale Fashion Square, 7014 East Camelback, Scottsdale, 941-2140 (concierge). Access hours: 6:30 a.m. to 9 p.m., Monday through Saturday; 6:30 a.m. to 6 p.m., Sunday.
Edo Japan, 941-8789. Hours: 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., Monday through Saturday; 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Sunday.
Everything Yogurt and Salad Cafe, 423-8249. Hours: 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., Monday through Thursday; 9 a.m. to 9:30 p.m., Friday and Saturday; 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., Sunday.
Gill’s Grill, 970-8155. Hours: 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., Monday through Saturday; 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., Sunday.
Great Steak & Fry Company, 423-1278. Hours: 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., Monday through Saturday; 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., Sunday.
Johnny Rockets, 423-1505. Hours: 10:30 a.m. to 9 p.m., Monday through Thursday; 10:30 a.m. to 10 p.m., Friday and Saturday; 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., Sunday.
La Salsa, 994-4112. Hours: 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., Monday through Thursday; 9 a.m. to 10 p.m., Friday and Saturday; noon to 6 p.m., Sunday.
Panda Express, 423-5526. Hours: 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., Monday through Saturday; 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., Sunday.
Paradise Bakery, 423-9233. Hours: 7 a.m. to 9 p.m., Monday through Thursday; 7 a.m. to 10 p.m., Friday and Saturday; 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., Sunday.
Sbarro, 941-8863. Hours: 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., Monday through Saturday; 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., Sunday.
Mall food, for the most part, has a deservedly poor reputation. Johnny Rockets comes complete with a counter, nickel jukeboxes, red vinyl swivel stools, lots of chrome and post-World War II soda jerks.
Fries at the Great Steak & Fry Company are a treat: They’re hand-cut and cooked in peanut oil, which results in greater potato flavor.
I have to summon all my will power not to take a few of Paradise Bakery’s cinnamon-sugar cookies home with me every time I exit the mall.
