Ingo’s Tasty Food — Restaurant in Phoenix

Sometimes, under the universe’s benevolent grin, a hungry fool encounters a special sauce. I’m not talking about mayo, ketchup, and a finger-sprinkled secret. I mean a sauce for the ages, one that pulls down dusty memories off the back shelf & embraces you in a fleeting euphoria.

I met such a mixture at Ingo’s Tasty Foods in Phoenix, Arizona. Three, actually. In stark contrast to the sun-dappled suburban hedonism around it, Ingo’s offers wholesome farm-to-table fare that’s easy on the beanbag.

I started off with the deviled eggs, a whipped & coddled affair saddled with pickled beet preserves. 3 eggs for 5 beans. Not bad. Next came the house potato chips: thick-cut, rough-shod & home-hewn. They giddily plunged into a southwest green chili chimichurri before submitting to my indomitable whites. & finally, the farmer’s daughter burger. Mmm! Rather than the fledgling of a farmer’s brood, this sandwich was a maiden of the alpine meadows, clutching a wildflower bouquet & waving me on. Dijonnaise & baby swiss gripped me in a serafic squeeze as I eagerly mined rubies of rarity beneath the patty’s griddle-kissed mantle. Nestled under house labneh & tartar sauce, the sour kraut supplied a vinegral denouement. In the loving arms of the tartar-labneh-green-chile triptych, Ingo’s can do no wrong.

On the whole, I’d liken this southern belle to an Ikea living room display. Meandering amidst soft surfaces & modern flavors, I could easily imagine a life in that burger, if only for a moment as I passed through. To say the least, it left me fat & happy. My best to you &...

May 23, 2018

Tasty food indeed! Great service, too! (Ask for Martin!) I definitely am returning to try other tasty-sounding items on the menu. Ordered half-portions of two appetizers and the "seasonal 'rita" since I had a YEE (Yelp elite event) to attend after the meal. Strange that I was charged full-priced for the drink after I was told that the cocktails were $2 off during HH... Oh, well.

I like that I was able to order half-orders on almost everything on the menu, except the Crispy chicken sandwich. And to be able to change my mind and do full orders mid-meal is even better! I tried the special salad of the day, which was the Orange-Fennel salad, minus the orange (allergy), and the Shattered Chips-- deep-fried slices of potato chips dusted with cracked salt and garnished with lebni and homemade jalapeno sauce. Both were fabulous! The salad came with goat cheese and almonds. I was not aware that it also came with avocado (allergy), so I had to fish the pieces out.

No dessert, as Ingo's Tasty Food is part of the LGO restaurant concept, and the idea is to have people experience deconstructed dining by eating food here and then crossing the street to have dessert at LGO. There was a footed stand of complimentary salted chocolate chips, which I was told I could help myself to, which I did, but the cookies were too salty and too hard/dry. I'd suggest to pass on these, unless you like over-salted and rock-hard cookies...

Hope to...

Chicken sandwich: (4.0)Sorry no photos. I regret it, but I wish I could show how underwhelming it looked when it was handed to me. The relatively thin chicken breast was engulfed by the medium sized bun. It didn’t give that bite-down-into a meal satisfaction. BUT the flavors and execution was on-point. No flavors are too strong but it’s got enough. The bun is so soft and chewy; you can’t find anything like that in a store. The chicken was cooked perfectly and had a good crispy outside and juicy inside. TDLR: Looked meh, tasted good, chicken could be much thicker though. Way overpriced for that little bitty chicken.

Fresh shattered potato chips: (5/5) Fire!!!! the sauce, the texture. The chips are not fully dried throughout. You get a pleasant taste of soft spud in a chip that is like a french fry/potato chip hybrid. My new favorite potato appetizer.

Toni’s Deviled eggs: (2/5) They look great but they were salty with nothing but my grapefruit vodka to counter the very strong, one note flavor. They need to rethink the recipe on this one. I was super hungry so I ate it all anyway. Maybe if they would have sweet beer pickled the eggs and topped it with bacon, but less salt in the filling?! I don’t know, at least it’s edible. Was definitely disappointed in them though.

Service/vibe: (3/5) Meh… I mean I had no complaints but they didn’t feel welcoming or friendly. Nothing to comment about really here.

Not excited to go back...