The White Chocolate Grill (5 Plates)

It has been 7 years since I last visited The White Chocolate Grill at Scottsdale, AZ. Back then, I was dating a good friend of mine. I guess the date went so well and the food was really good, she ended up marrying me 4 years after. After dating for 4 years and married for 3 years, my now wife and I decided to revisit The White Chocolate Grill.

Now in our casual attire instead of a dress and a suit, we got a chance to enjoy and focus on the food, the service and the ambience of the place. I did remember one particular appetizer from their menu. They still had the Grilled Artichoke. I loved it so much back then that I tried to eat everything on the plate. Even the choke and the leaves ( just to be honest, I didn't know which part to eat. So I ate everything. I was trying to be cool. I WAS ON A DATE!!! Note: only eat the heart).

The Food: We had the Ahi Tuna Salad and the Grilled Chicken Madeira for dinner and the White Chocolate Brownie for dessert. Everything was fantastic! 

The Ahi Tuna salad was very light and refreshing. The sesame crusted Ahi Tuna was seared rare to perfection and served with field greens, mango, avocado, cherry tomatoes and cucumbers then lightly dressed with a champagne vinaigrette. The combination of the tangy and sweet vinaigrette complemented the salt water freshness of the ahi tuna. The sesame crust and avocado gave texture to each bite. The mango and cherry tomatoes gave balance to the dish while the greens and cucumber gave the fresh taste in your mouth that makes you believe that you are actually eating something healthy.

The Grilled Chicken Madeira was hearty and satisfying. A serving plate had 3 pieces of marinated chicken breasts grilled to order and then served in a savory mushroom sauce with a hint of tarragon and a choice of side. We decided to go with the Israeli Couscous topped with roasted pistachios. The chicken breast was very tender and juicy. It was also seasoned well enough to stand on its own even without the mushroom sauce. I did find the mushroom sauce a tad on the salty side (it can be overlooked since it compliments with the couscous).  The couscous was a winner! It was al dente to the bite and was seasoned well. The chopped mint leaves and apple slices cuts through the savory mushroom sauce that just complimented each other so well. The dried cranberry and toasted pistachio provided texture, contrast and balance for the dish. I wouldn't hesitate to order this again on my next visit. 

The White Chocolate Brownie was a warm blonde brownie with white chocolate shavings and topped with French Vanilla Ice Cream, chocolate sauce and whipped cream. It is sweet! Literally! I guess theres a reason why the menu says "Desserts for Two". Because the dessert is meant to be shared. It would be overwhelmingly sweet for one person to finish the whole plate. Just imagine the combination of the blonde brownie, chocolate sauce and chocolate shavings. Even the vanilla ice cream and whipped cream is not enough to cut through the sweetness. Don't get me wrong. It's not bad. I actually think it's a good way to end your meal while enjoying a cup of coffee and a good (or maybe sweet) conversation. Just take time enjoying the dessert.

The Service: Our server for the night was Angel. She was an angel. She recommended the Israeli Couscous over the Mardi Gras Rice for our Grilled Chicken Madeira. I think it was the perfect side for the savory mushroom sauce. She also kept our glass full. Which means she kept track of our meal the whole time. Since we mentioned that my wife and I were sharing everything, extra plates and utensils were always provided as each order was served. We never felt rushed and we never felt unattended. It is worth noting that it was a busy dinner service at the time we were there. Kudos to Angel!

The Ambience: The whole place was very cozy and relaxed. There was an area with a bar and the latest sporting event for the night on TV. There was also an area where you enjoy your meal with a good conversation. It is both classic and sophisticated.

Overall, it was a great meal experience. Good food, good service and overall nice and relax place. Now, why did I to wait for 7 years before the second visit? With this kind of a quality restaurant, maybe the third visit should be anytime soon.

Visit their site at http://whitechocolategrill.com

Tiki Mon Hawaiian Ice Cream and Cafe (1 Plate)

Good Service is better than Good Food! Bad service will always... again, always... outweigh good food. 

The ice cream was Ok. The coffee was above average. If the service was only a little bit better, maybe I would recommend it to Yelp users. Since the service was as bad as the servers mood... I would say STAY AWAY!!!!

The attendant on may 10 2014 (Alexa), 8:43 pm was very rude. Smile is the easiest service you can offer. How expensive could a smile be? We got no smile from her at all. She threw the ice cream scoops in the sink like kid throwing a tantrum. Hmmm... maybe it's that time of month.

There were many ice cream choices. That's a pro for them. They let you taste and choose before you order. Another pro. The cons, that night... Alexa wasn't very accommodating. We wanted to try out some more samples but maybe she just wanted us to order and just leave. 

She did let us try some samples but also told us in an irrate manner if there is anyone else who knows what they want? In the first place, the reason why you try out samples so u could decide what u want. She also kept us waiting at the counter and did not serve us at once because we were still discussing what we want and we stood at the counter long. We were also in a line but another customer came in whom she knows and she served that first even if we were lined up.VERY RUDE!!!! Will not be coming back to this place again!!!!!ice cream is ok but not worth it with this service.

After a quick dessert and coffee, I left the place feeling disappointed with not just the service but also how different Alexa treated my race. No smiles for asians but all smiles and good service for everyone else???

Oh and I left her a tip... something far better than a few dollars... a tip she can bring with her everyday... SMILE =)