Kirk is on a special adventure, Cathy is really busy, so Ed (from Yuma) talks about two restaurants in Phoenix today.
Buck & Rider
Just as they were opening at 11 AM, Tina and I drove up, parked the car, and came in through the side entrance: 
The restaurant is a large, festively decorated space with high open ceilings: 
but the weather was so nice we sat outside in the patio area: 
As we were looking over the menu, we ordered a glass of white wine to share and were very pleased that our helpful young server brought it out in two glasses: 
In fact, we were thoroughly happy with the service at Buck & Rider even though our waitress confessed it was her first day on the job. She smiled a lot, worked hard to do well, and kept our water glasses filled.
The fried calamari with Thai dipping sauce showed up first: 
This was good. The tender rings of baby squid were nicely crunchy and went well with the sauce. A pleasant amount of chili heat. At first I thought that came from the dipping sauce, but as we worked our way down to the bottom, we discovered a bunch of deep-fried jalapeno slices: 
The gumbo followed the calamari, and the server split it into two bowls, so this is a half portion: 
There is a lot to like here. Look at the thick dark roux, which was redolent with the flavor of filé. The sausage was excellent. In fact there was really only one shortcoming – a couple of my shrimp tasted off. They weren't terrible, and Tina said hers were okay, but still . . .
The meal ended on a better note with the smoked trout salad (again, this is a half portion): 
Good stuff. The trout was nice and smoky, the lettuce fresh and crisp, and the avocado sweet and creamy. Pieces of olives and fennel added some complexity to the excellent preserved lemon vinaigrette. Tart enough, but not acidic. A good lunch overall.
After lunch, we were reminded that we were in the big city. We had parked adjacent to an area that said "FREE CHARGE." It took me a few seconds of puzzlement (if you're charged, how can it be free?) before I figured out what that meant. Anyway, when we came out, we found our RAV4 parked next to 2 Teslas on one side and a Bentley on the other. "Toto I don't think we're in Yuma anymore."
Buck & Rider, 4225 E. Camelback Rd., Phoenix, AZ 85018, (602) 346-0110.
Crudo
For dinner that evening, we went to Crudo, a place with a contemporary approach to Italian food. It fronts on the backside of a shopping area and presents a green and rustic exterior: 
Inside, it is spacious, clean, modern, and well lit: 
The seating along the sides of the room, where we sat, combined booth and chairs in a way that allowed for large groups or couples like us: 
Upbeat 60s, 70s, and 80s soul tunes played in the background adding to the ambience. Tina and I chuckled because Buck & Rider had virtually identical music. Pleasant and friendly.
Our server, likewise, was pleasant and friendly as well as extremely competent and helpful. She brought us glasses of ice water, which were kept filled throughout the dinner, and Tina and I split a glass of vermentino while we looked over the menu: 
The entrée items are divided into four categories, crudo (raw), mozzo (cheese), cotto (cooked), and griglia (grilled). While you could just order one or two entrées by themselves, any three choices per person were available for $35, four for $45, and five for $55. And it made no difference which categories.
As we were trying to sort things out, our server told us that the restaurant was offering a charcuterie plate as an appetizer, so of course, that's where we started: 
And what a good start it was. Closest to the camera was a mild chicken liver mousse topped with the dice of pickled vegetables. Smooth and crunchy with a nice balance. On the right side of the plate, pork rillettes lay on apple marmalade. Again a pleasant combination. On the left, rustic pork pâté was covered with mustard sauce. A garlic aïoli and pickled peppercini slices sat on either side. Very tasty and enjoyable. The sauces complexified but did not overwhelm. Of course, the crunchy toasted slices of Italian bread went well with everything.
Speaking of going well with everything, we selected an unusual white wine to accompany dinner: 
Luisa from the Friuli region of northeastern Italy is made with the rare ribolla gialla varietal native to the region. It tasted smooth and fresh, its fruit flavors and minerality going with the entire dinner.
Our two raw plates showed up at the table next. This is the albacore: 
The tomato, cucumber, citrus and olive oil topping highlighted the freshness of the fish.
But the rich slices yellowtail were even better – controne, a flavorful Italian dried chile, gave some spice, bits of bottarga added a fishy saltiness, and chopped chives provided color: 
After eating sushi and sashimi for over 30 years, these presentations were delightful.
The squid ink risotto tasted much better than it looked: 
The dish had a good spicy seafood flavor, chunks of tuna adding taste and texture to the slightly al dente rice.
The house-made gargati pasta and mussels were served in a sauce made from uni and tomatoes and topped with basil and mint leaves: 
Another unusual preparation that worked.
The semolina gnocchi was next: 
The dumplings themselves were like little soft pillows, and the main flavors came from the topping of braised lamb neck and nectarine. Again an unusual flavor combination that enchanted my palate.
The dinner concluded with pork belly with smoked tomato agrodolce along with creamy polenta: 
Another amazing plate. The richness of the polenta and pork contrasted with the sour/sweet spicy agrodolce that reminded both Tina and I – with our German backgrounds – of well prepared blaukraut.
We were stuffed and we were delighted. Overall a great meal. At a fair price: 
Crudo, 3603 E. Indian School Rd., Suite B, Phoenix AZ 85018, (602) 358-8666.
I've written about Tobey's 19th Hole, the coffee shop/diner located at the start and finish of the Balboa Park Golf Course since 1934, only two times, even though it's where we have a regular stop for breakfast, the occasional lunch and where we take out of town guests for a small meal and 
great view of downtown, even on overcast days. 
The delightfully simple breakfast of 2 French toast with 2 eggs (over easy) and 2 sausage ($9) is filling and tasty.
Alternately, you can ask for a 1-1-2 with a pancake ($ 6) and still be satisfied because the pancake is so large and the one ( if scrambled) egg is fluffy and light.
The breakfast sandwich (toasted English muffin with sausage, egg and cheese, $5.50; substitute ham for an additional 50¢) is a tasty, filling $6 meal. 
There was a day last week when we saw the sandwich board and each of us knew what we would order. 
We briefly thought of sitting at the counter, but since it was a weekday and not crowded, stuck with a 'view' seat.
The $10.50 option came with soup or salad and the Navy Bean soup (house made, of course) was filled with chunks of bacon and so very tasty. The salad was fresh and crisp and standard. 
The house made meatloaf is a favorite. It's juicy, soft and two slices makes it a plentiful meal. Instead of doing (either choice) as a 'sandwich' with top and bottom breads covered with gravy) we each opted for the toasty garlic cheese bread rolls-seen in the background. 
The hot beef sandwich is filled with a lot of tender roast beef. Of note, the mashed potatoes are real and the fresh vegetables of the day were wonderful. 
