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Pischkes Restaurant & Bar
7217 E. First Street | 480-481-0067
www.pischkes.com

             Upon first glance at Pischkes’ menu, you realize this place is much more than your average local diner. Sure, the tropical island décor is cute with its funky mix of surfboards, tikis and palm trees, but ever since chef renown Robert McGrath sold The Roaring Fork and took over the reins of Pischkes, this downtown Scottsdale eatery is definitely the place to eat.
                The extensive menu is the first clue that patrons are in for some interesting choices. Yes, there are plenty of standby favorites like the Chef Salad ($10.50); French Dip Sandwich ($9); burgers ($7-9); quesadillas ($7-12); sandwiches ($8.50-12) and good old American dinners ($14-25), but everything on the menu comes with a gourmet twist.
                Hamburger patties are 8 ounces of McGrath’s own blend of Angus sirloin and chuck steak. Salads are huge and chock full of goodies with dressing choices that are anything but mundane, such as a Green Chile Ranch.
                On a recent visit for dinner on a Friday night, plenty of patrons were seated at the bar that divides the restaurant space. The convivial host quickly seated us at a comfy booth.
                The servers at Pischkes are sincerely friendly and our red-headed waiter that night was quick to take our order, then return with a crock full of fresh crudite—celery stalks, crunchy carrot sticks and spears of raw asparagus.
                A metal basket held an interesting array of fresh breads, including a delicious dark variety studded with raisins and a dense stick of soft pretzel. A small plate held an appetizing dip for the vegetables along with olive oil and soft butter for the breads.
                I was in the mood for something refreshing and cool, so started off with a serving of Crabmeat Louie Louie ($10). This generous mix of real crab chunks, mayo and sweet pickle relish came speared with a nice piece of crunchy lahvosh stuck in the mound to spread the delectable crab on.
                Companion was more in the mood for some heat, so went for the Blonde Chile con Queso ($6.50). The warm white cheese mix had just enough fire to balance it all and was served with more than enough tortilla rounds for dipping.
                For a main course, I couldn’t resist the traditional Beef Pot Roast ($18) dinner. Served in a huge bowl full of tender chunks of meat, roasted carrots, potatoes, shallots and parsnips, the yummy combination came swimming in plenty of perfect gravy.
                My dining partner’s Northern Walleye Pike ($20) came lightly fried in a crunchy coating of seasoned Bisquick crust, two generous moist filets resting atop a mound of vegetable seasoned rice.
                He picked from a choice of sides such as roasted garlic mushrooms, chile cheese grits and McGrath’s signature Mac & Cheese. The mushrooms were good, but the macaroni and cheese was amazing. Toothsome elbow macaroni in a bright green sauce made from white cheese and Poblano chiles turns this old time comfort food into a modern mix of many flavors.
                I don’t know if Pischkes offers dessert; portions are so plentiful that even the hungriest diner will have enough leftovers to take home for a luscious lunch the next day.