SanTan Brewery Food
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Today I knew where I wanted to go and what I wanted to feast on. Burgers baby! So I dialed up my posse (my dad and little brother) and holla'd at them to meet me at the SanTan Brewery in Chandler around 1:30 pm. Finding the place was a little bit of a problem. They key is paying attention all while avoiding a car wreck; otherwise, you'll miss it once, twice or three times like I did. For the record it's south of Chandler Blvd and just west of Arizona Ave. The parking
situation was a tad tight, so we circled around a few times and found a spot nearby. We ended up parking upfront but further down the strip which was about 4-5 businesses down wind. At the very least the parking spot was in the same complex, so that was a plus.
The moment we entered we were greeted with a complete view of their brewing tanks show cased behind glass walls. If I am not mistaken I think every seat in the house offers a decent view of them. The bar-side seating seemed like a preferred spot as every seat was filled. The place was packed as far as indoor seating goes so we opted for outdoor seating. This time of year the weather is great so outdoor seating is just plain awesome. It did take about 15 minutes before we were seated so it wasn't a very long wait. The hostess (who was very bubbly from the getgo) walked us over to our patio seats and like always we began to play musical chairs because of the draft. Since the sun did not rest upon us directly it was a bit breezy for those who have a tendency to be cold, I won't mention names. If it gets to cold for comfort they have those nice outdoor heaters to warm you right up. Not to nit pick here but their sound system did sound good on the inside, but from the outside it was a little difficult to hear. Not a big issue. The outdoor bar seating was a nice touch, but didn't seem nearly as popular as the indoor seats. I think all but two were filled. Cool nonetheless.
The SanTan Brewery is a very inviting place I enjoyed it quite a bit. The layout didn't feel or come off like a typical sports bar, if you know what I mean. I am not a sports buff so sports on TV is simply wasted on me. Yeah there may have been flat-screens tuned into sports channels but the impression definitely revolved around its intention and that is the beer. It is definitely a cool place to hang out and matter of fact I am seriously considering making it one of my favorite watering holes even though I am not a big drinker. It's just that cool. The minute you walk in you are immediately sucked in and are overtaken by urges to sample everything they have to offer. So in order to quench your sudsy curiosity I recommend trying their SanTan Beer Sampler which will run you $8. Get yourself an idea of what you fancy before diving straight in. Unless you are a beer connoisseur or an aficionado, then by all means dive away.
The service was a bit on the slow side for my taste, but our waiter ("Oscarito" is what they call him) was way cool and very helpful. Family tip: If you are thinking about bringing the smaller family members keep in mind that the bathrooms don't come equipped with changing stations.
I was completely cognizant of what I wanted the minute I decided to go to the SanTan Brewery, because I reviewed their online menu before hand. Preparation is key! So without delay I ordered the "Stuffed Kasbah Burger". The name alone immediately sent me back to the 80's: The Clash "Rock The Casbah". Needless to say that was playing in my mind most of the night. "Something don't like it. Rockin' the Casbah! Rock the Casbah!" However this version of the Kasbah is made with ground LAMB and it comes stuffed with chopped dates, pistachios, smoked Gouda and topped with Moroccan Aioli [eye-oh-lee] sauce (sounds intriguing right). As a side dish I was able to choose from: pub fries, Caesar or pub salad or the homemade soup of the day which was Chipotle Bean Soup. I of course opted for the fries, because I love fries and they make me want to break out in a ballad. Like: I love the fries, the fries love me, they taste so good, so yummy yummy yummy... now get in my belly.
It took quite a while for our order to arrive, but my wife pointed out that the menu stated something along the lines of: "If we are busy your order will take a while to complete". So there is a disclaimer right on the menu in case you're wondering. In all fairness I was caught up in the conversations and of course the beer to really pay close attention. When the hunger started to set in I decided to order the sampler. No it's not a food dish. C'mon now I mentioned it earlier on in the review that it was a beer sampler... hello! Shortly after I tossed those back our food came. Yay!
First sight I thought it was covered with what appeared to be a spicy yellow mustard substance and instantly I asked the waiter with a perplexed look on my face, "what is this yellow stuff". "Moroccan Aioli sauce", he simply explained. At this point I was a little beyond buzzing (empty stomach) and thought to myself oh yeah that's right I did read that somewhere. So I proceeded as always and piled on the red onions, lettuce, the single slice of tomato and finished off with the bun. The first bite made me think of Indian or Burmese curry. It was like I was eating a curry burger. Seriously a curry burger. I am fan of curry so to me this was good, but there was something missing. I cannot put my finger on it. Perhaps a spice or ingredient but something was off. I offered a bite to my wife who reluctantly tried it. She was not impressed, but lamb is really not her thing anyhow. Needless to say this is one of those items that won't be a hit with everyone. I did enjoy it despite the fact I could not pinpoint the missing "thingy" that would have made it better. The fries though were awesome, crispy and full of flavor. I didn't even need ketchup for the pub fries. I go there and just order the fries, that's is how good they are!
My father enjoyed his "Stuffed Mushroom Burger" and my wife enjoyed her "Brewer's Burger" which was a "Today's Special" item but not a standard menu item. My little brother loved his "Chicken Fingers" as well did my little girl. Who ended up stealing my pickle during the time I was using the facilities. Talk about seizing the opportunity at the right moment. I ate everything and left nothing but remnants on my plate. In the end we all enjoyed the setting, the food, the beer and will (beyond any doubt) visit again.
I liked the burger, the concept, the use of lamb, but something was missing from the Moroccan Aioli sauce. Even as I write this review I cannot put my finger on it. Anyhow I did dig the curry like flavor and experience of the burger. I would order it again.
P.S. Just to mention the waiter did advise us that the burgers will be prepared "medium" unless otherwise specified. Also the kids menus are located on backs of the doodle toys.
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