8608 E. Shea Blvd., Scottsdale, Ariz.(NW corner of Shea Blvd. and the Loop 101)
480-609-0100
Big Daddy’s BBQ is a new restaurant in Scottsdale featuring authentic, smoked meats and several delicious sides. All 10 TasteCasters were ready to dig in as our host – Oliver Badgio – welcomed us to the restaurant.
With a request for beverages, several of us opted for the Big Daddy’s Honey Ale. We were ensured that it would be a perfect complement to the BBQ feast and it was – smooth and slightly sweet. Others tried wine, which has been carefully selected to match well with BBQ. And for those going the nostalgic route, the cream sodas hit the spot, available in vanilla and blue.
Equipped with drinks, the first food item to hit the table was the smoked wings. New on their menu, they were a spicy, smoky treat. Several of us commented that the side car of celery would probably be the only cold veggie we’d eat on this trip of meat and tasty sides.
Next up, fried pickles. If you’ve never tried a fried pickle, this is the spot to do so. Listed on the menu under “Favorites,” it quickly became one of ours. Still crunchy and served with a mustard/ranch dipping sauce, the pickles were great.
Tri-tip, Medium Rare and Tender
We were quickly overwhelmed with the main attraction at Big Daddy’s BBQ – the meat. Brisket, tri-tip, ribs and pulled pork were shared among us all. With various recipes for success, each takes a lengthy visit to the ‘Ole Hickory smoker and is paid quite a bit of attention by the Pit Master (basically the General Manager of the meat).
While the delicious details are too many to provide here, one phrase was common among the Tasters… “This is the best [INSERT MEAT] I’ve ever had.” With onions, pickles, BBQ sauce and corn bread (light, sweet and delicious), they had all the great flavors of a quality BBQ joint.
The sides were varied and all great accompaniments to the smoked meats. They included baked beans (which include bits of brisket and tri-tip), cole slaw, decadent creamed corn, sweet potato fries with a dusting of cinnamon sugar, and the centerpiece of the sides – the Mac and Cheese. A customer favorite, they go through 50 lbs. of dry pasta a day to have enough for guests. The bite of Vermont sharp cheddar cheese to this dish will keep us coming back for more.
Pulled Pork with the "Fixins"
With very full bellies, we took a stroll through the restaurant to see the Pit Master in action with the smoker and to check out some of the fun touches we’d missed with the parade of food in front of us. A General Store features dozens of childhood candy treats; the bar area (full bar) has bathtubs filled with brew; and the fire truck parked up front actually doubles as a catering-mobile for parties of 20 to 2,000.
Big Daddy’s BBQ is a great spot for families, first dates, and casual gatherings – with a menu of items under $20. After each of us plows through the leftovers we took home (literally bags full), we’ll be sure to visit again. What a great experience!
On Twitter: @bigdaddysbbqaz, Facebook and YouTube.
knows what I’m talking about. Wrapped in foil, just like the real thing, this sweet treat was a far cry from the original. It was BETTER! Encased in a rich, chocolate coating and creamy inside, I had the urge to stuff a dozen in my handbag and run.
The Smoked Salmon Bruschetta from 
One of our favorites was from 
By Dana Arnold, Phoenix TasteCasting Co-Captain
We learned that 
al courses, each explained by our wonderful host Chef Siao. Twist our arms, we continued. The first offering was a Pan Seared Sea Scallop with ruby red grapefruit and a caper brown butter sauce. This was a crowd favorite. The scallops were perfectly cooked and the flavors were amazing.
The next course was what the restaurant planned to feature at the popular annual Phoenix event Devoured – the Crab Ravioli with sweet corn, spinach and porcini butter. This dish was simple, delicate, and gave us a reason to want to call friends to join us at Devoured the following weekend.
Dessert
Avalon Restaurant 
For our first course, we were served Chilled Hawaiian Ahi Tuna Tartare and Carpaccio with Ponzu and sesame. Both were raw, fresh and full of subtle flavor. The Carpaccio was served with ponzu and seaweed which complemented each other amazingly. The Tartare was served in minimalist form on an enlarged serving spoon to highlight the quality cuts Avalon is fortunate to serve. 
rest of us were not. It had all the textural qualities of a bread pudding, yet it was composed of a balance between decadent, savory and surprisingly comfortable. We were blown away! Chef included this on the Valentine’s Day Prix Fixe menu as well. Eclectic and non-conforming, this dish was the star of the show!
The third dish in the entrée course was a Butter Poached Maine Lobster with ricotta gnocchi, tomato confit, asparagus and lobster butter. This is also on the current menu. And yes, the gnocchi, small little pillows of heavenly pasta, are handmade by the chef team. As expected from the description, the dish had a rich creamy flavor without over-powering amounts of ricotta. The tomato confit gave enough tang to the dish to keep it exciting and the buttery lobster was absolutely mouth-watering!
h was presented like a cupcake with the red velvet cake serving as the bottom and the cheesecake serving as the “muffin top” in place of frosting. The outcome: not too sweet, yet sweet enough and an absolutely perfect arrangement of flavors.
This is where the food tramp hopped on for the ride and it was a great one!! After being seated our server and their general manager came out and greeted us. We were served warm bread with fresh olive oil and garlic and offered a drink. I started with their ginger press ($9.0) which coincidentally tasted exactly like my favorite martini at Metro!! A gin based lemony ginger cocktail that included ginger ale as well, mmm mmm tasty.
Next we were bombarded by almost every appetizer on the menu. Deviled eggs ($5.0), shattered potato chips ($6.0), crispy calamari ($9.0), celery Caesar ($9.0), and the caprese salad ($10.0). I was utterly stunned when I saw the deviled eggs as I have never seen them in a restaurant and they were out of this world! The calamari was probably my favorite, nice and lightly crispy.
rst glance I wanted to order the house made parpadelle ($17.0) but then, I saw the cowboy ribeye steak ($25.0) which is my favorite cut of meat on earth so I chose that. I’m glad I wasn’t shy because that was one major cut of meat, wholly moly!! The taste was also better than any steak I have had in a restaurant this year. They cook it over mesquite wood chips and wow, you can really taste the smoky flavor. It was so juicy and delicious. It needed no accompaniment at all. It was so humongous that I saved half for my husband and will soon be taking him there so he can have his own!
Dessert…oh Radio Milano, you’ve spoiled my sweet tooth with your amazing treats. I was excited to try the olive oil cake ($7.0) as it stood out and was a different concept that struck my curiosity. We also received three scoops of amazing gelato from 
Three Miniature Crab Cakes served with mustard mayonnaise sauce
Three Mini Prime Cheeseburgers were served next. These burgers served on silver dollar rolls with lettuce, tomato and purple onion and melted cheddar cheese were a group favorite. But there was something about the patty that we couldn’t quite make out – it was juicy and super savory. That something, as John our host told us, is tomato juice, one of Morton’s special ingredients that they add to the beef. We recommend you try it next time you make hamburgers at home.
The end to a great evening of tasting: Dessert.
Fiery Butternut Squash Salad was next on the list. Showcasing a great autumn ingredient – butternut squash – it had a slow heat that was cooled by the sweet maple glaze. The squash was served on field greens and complemented by gorgonzola, dried sweet corn and spicy pecans with cranberry-balsamic vinaigrette. Yum!
meal at The Wildflower. Many of us planned to place an order for one for our upcoming holiday parties.
And then came the salad. We had two kinds – the Chelsea and Antipasto. 
