My suitcase had broken on the trip in, so I knew had to replace it. So we made a trip to TJ Maxx and I did buy a SwissGear suitcase for about $80. It's a spinner, a nice feature I'd never had before. It might be a tad smaller than the other one I had been using, but I think with the expansion option and the inside straps and three internal storage compartments, I'll get by.
Then it was lunchtime and we went to Pappadeaux. Always a favorite, and it's a shame that it's been relegated to 4 states now, with the vast majority in Texas. We started off with the free hot crusty French bread. And then for the app, some fried alligator, which ain't cheap, but it's so good. It came with a citrus chipotle sort of dressing, it was really thin. We didn't want that, so we asked for some remoulade and the staff had to make it from scratch! So good!
The tableside Greek salad has always been a favorite of mine, and it's prepared tableside. Mom had snuck an extra avocado in, so we diced that up and scooped in on our salad plate. I'm sure the waiter was wondering how the hell an avocado skin was in our salad plate.
Then we split the mixed seafood grill with shrimp, scallops, salmon, and vegetables, and served over a plate of dirty rice. Everything was fantastic.
We explored the Glendale and Sun City areas for a while and then headed back to the room to cool down and I watched football for a little while until it was time to go to church. Now we went to CCV downtown, which is one of their many, many locations in the Phoenix area. We had to park off sites and then we got a ride in a pedi-bike to the site of the Church. They had a lot going on; there was a smores station, hot cocoa, and coffee, all for free. Me, I just settled for a bottle of water.
Christmas service was quite nice, the pastor gave a message on the topic of worship. It was a somewhat basic message, but it would be a good place to attend regularly. After that was dinner at Mancuso's, which is the restaurant Leah's family owns. Parking was a nightmare, it's right across the street from the basketball arena, so space is limited. We eventually found the correct underground garage though. Then we had to walk outside and up two flight of stairs to get there.
We started off with some free garlic bread, very nice. Crispy outside, soft on the inside. For dipping, they had this cool jug with two pour spouts: one side was for the extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar. I wouldn't mind one of those in my kitchen! The lump crab salad was quite nice with mixed greens, hearts of palm, artichoke hearts,
tomatoes, avocados, asparagus, and the basil dressing. The crab meat was nice size, good lumps.
Unfortunately, the entrees did not impress us. The NY strip steak was ordinary at best. It needed more seasoning, needed to be cooked a little better. The menu said it was Argentine beef. I've been to Argentina, and this tasted a like a steak I would get at at a casual restaurant. We did ask for medium rare, and this was closer to rare. It wasn't worth the $36, it was worth maybe half that price. The Milanese pork chop was better, with a nice bread crumb coating on the outside. The vegetables were undercooked and they had a load of garlic. I mean I love garlic, but it was really pronounced. The gorgonzola mashed potatoes were fine as well. We were able to get a nice bottle of Malbec for $42 though, they do have a nice variety of wines for different prices as well.
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