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| Review: New menu mostly fails to impress at Pischke’s Blue Ribbon | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| By Jess Harter, Get Out | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| March 26, 2008 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
“This has been the menu since we changed last fall,” the server says. Without another word, the woman gets up and walks out the door. “That’s the old Pischke’s crowd for you,” the server says with a shrug when she notices I’m watching. “If they’d just try the food, they’d see it’s much better than it was before.” But change apparently doesn’t come easy for Pischke’s legions of longtime fans who adored its quirky beach-themed décor, sprawling menu of eclectic dishes and Hawaiian-shirt-and-flip-flops-clad owner Chris Pischke. After Pischke’s untimely death in 2006, his Old Town Scottsdale institution was taken over by friend Robert McGrath, the James Beard Award-winning chef who sold his share in well-regarded Roaring Fork and is preparing to open his own place, REM, this year. Goodbye, palm trees, fishing nets and “No Sniveling” signs. Hello, white tableclothes and contemporary Western art. The menu also has received an overhaul. One hundred-plus items have been replaced by a single page of Western-inspired comfort foods. Breakfast service has been dropped, except for a weekend brunch. If you’ve been to Roaring Fork, you’ll see several recognizable dishes and might be tempted to think the new Pischke’s, which still retains a casual vibe, is simply offering more budget-friendly versions. You’d be right and wrong. Appetizers of green chile macaroni and cheese ($8.50) and green chile pork ($9) are both flavorfully familiar, although neither has the wow factor of their previous McGrath incarnations. The eerily greener mac now includes small slices of somewhat bland Italian sausage. No bread is offered, but on one visit I get an amuse-bouche of cold pea soup. If you prefer a more substantial starter, go with the delicious chicken-and-mushroom crepes with cotija cheese ($9.50). Be careful with appetizers, though. They’re huge portions, and so are the entrees, such as a dinner-plate-sized chicken fried steak ($16) and the buttermilk fried chicken ($14), which includes two boneless pieces of white meat and two boned pieces of dark. Neither entrée, both served with the same unremarkable Tabasco gravy, is memorable — in either a postive or negative way. You basically can get the same thing at a Claim Jumper or Cheesecake Factory. The same goes for the Blue Ribbon Burger ($12), a half-pound behemoth with bacon and grilled onion and pepper; its similarly sized patty melt ($11) cousin; the Cuban sandwich ($12.50), which does comes with a tasty black bean soup; and the lackluster barbecue brisket sandwich ($11). Ditto for desserts, such as a maple-glazed crème brulee ($7) or chocolate-drizzled pieces of deep-fried dough called beignets ($7). Besides the crepes, the only thing that really excites me is a wonderful bouillabaisse ($18), which is a daily special on one of my visits. The aromatic seafood stew is loaded with fresh whitefish, salmon, clams, mussels and squid. It’s a reminder of the magic McGrath once created at Roaring Fork, and a glimpse of what could be at Pischke’s Blue Ribbon. Pischke’s Blue Ribbon Where: 7217 E. First St., Scottsdale (just east of Scottsdale Road) Open: 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday Prices: Appetizers $8.50-$11, soups and salads $4-$13, burgers and sandwiches $10-$14, dinner entrees $14-$22, desserts $7 Info: (480) 481-0067 or www.pischkes.com Contact Jess Harter by email, or phone (480) 898-5690 |
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