Day 1
With vibrant green umbrellas providing a bit of shade on the partly-cloudy day, FEZ’s new location on Central Avenue and Portland Street had lines out the door Sunday afternoon.
Even though it was just lunch hour, I now understand why there were such lengthy lines after tasting the food.
After twenty minutes of waiting, FEZ sent a text to my dad’s phone to alert us that they had a table available for us. Just 10 minutes later, a waiter came to our table to apologize for the wait and took our order. He was friendly and got our drinks — a coffee and a Coke (both $2.95) — within a minute.
My dad ordered from the Brunch menu: the “American Breakfast” ($10.50) that featured three eggs any style, bacon strips, roasted potatoes and baguette toast.
The potatoes looked overly roasted but were well-seasoned and delightfully crispy, just like the nicely-cooked bacon. The scrambled eggs were seasoned well. The baguette was nicely toasted to a level that other toasts should aspire to.
Unlike my dad, I ordered from the Eats menu, just to review a variety of options, and got the “Duxelles Burger” with a side of salt-and-pepper fries ($11.95).
The burger featured a half-pound, grilled angus burger, topped with sauteed onions and mushrooms, swiss cheese, whole grain mustard and roma tomatoes.
From the first few bites, I knew the burger was pretty good. The burger was cut in half to show the slightly pink middle — I had asked for medium, asking for the burger more well-done than usual just in case the kitchen decided to undercook the food — and the medium-rare burger was nice to see, since that is exactly how I like it done.
Instead of a normal bun, this burger had ciabatta bread that was lightly salted to compensate for the somewhat under-seasoned mushrooms. I must also acknowledge that I am a person who likes salt, though, so I think a lot of things lack seasoning even though they may taste great for other customers. The onions were sweet, and the Swiss cheese helped the seasoning issue that I was harping on. The tomatoes added a freshness to the burger that seemed to complete the flavor.
In hindsight, I should have held off on the whole grain mustard because I am not a big fan of the condiment. My theory for keeping it on was that it would complete the burger flavor, and, without it, there would be something missing.
It wasn’t bad with the whole grain, but by the midpoint of the first half of the burger, I could not take the condiment any further. The burger was okay after scraping the mustard off, but I imagine it would have been better without it.
Overall, both were solid meals that were more than enough to eat and well-worth the cost. Though I am a college student who pinches pennies as much as possible and often orders from the kids menu to save money, the portion size and quality of food was well-worth it.
I liked the energy and feel of the restaurant that set a lively atmosphere which I think would be present at noon as well as at midnight.
My only complaint would be the slow service. After nearly two months of being open and several years at the previous location, it surprised me that they were still having staffing problems. It seems like they should know how to staff for a busy Sunday lunch rush, but there also could have been factors that they could not control that I do not know about.
With contemporary decor and music playing a little louder than I prefer in the background, FEZ brought all of its delicious food from its previous location on Central Avenue and Indian School Road to Roosevelt, and I could not be happier.
Day 2
There’s just something relaxing about watching the light rail rush by and hearing the familiar chime of its bell as it pulls to a stop.
I returned to FEZ to try out a bit of dessert. I also decided to try an appetizer to get more of a variety of the menu too.
However, as I was deciding, the waitress told me that the day’s specials (“Mad-Mex Mondays”) included a chicken dish that was reduced from $13.95 to $6.00. Because I am a sucker for deals, I knew it was something I had to try.
When the dish first arrived, its aroma made my mouth water, and I was so tempted to dive in instead of taking the picture.
My first few bites made me think I was eating a less-aromatic version of Tikka Masala. That is not necessarily a bad thing, but the menu promised a “spicy Latin tomato sauce,” and it was not really living up to anything more than chicken with vegetables in tomato sauce. The peppers and onions were tender and seasoned well. There were chunks of tomato in the sauce that melted in your mouth.
Honestly, at first I thought the food was just okay, nothing that special, but then I discovered the rice underneath the chicken. The saffron rice on its own is nice and well-cooked, but it is nothing compared to when you combine it with the sauce. The saffron in the rice with the sauce’s spices tasted great.
Just like the last time, the meal was filling, and I was unable to finish it all. But I always have room for dessert.
After struggling to decide between the tiramisu, the “silky” mascarpone cheesecake and the brownie, I decided on the brownie ($8.25).
The brownie was baked with walnuts and delicious chocolate chunks. The cool ice cream complemented the warm chocolatey brownie beautifully.
Now for the ultimate question: Is it worth it? Well, no. That price still got me. Maybe for five or six dollars but $8.25? Even if it was “prepared fresh daily” and “exclusively for FEZ” as the menu proudly states, the brownie and the ice cream were not worth the cost. Especially near the end, when the brownie got a bit crispy and overdone on one side. Not a “delicious, crunchy corner edge brownie” crunchy, but an over-baked crunchy that could only be helped with ice cream.
Also, I would like to note that the service on my second visit was better than my first, which I now must attribute to what must have been understaffing on Sunday. I also went during the lull between rushes, where it is too late for lunch but too early for dinner.
FEZ is a cool place to eat, whether it is having a nice lunch or hanging out at eleven at night, with its contemporary decor and background music to retain its urban vibe. The servers are friendly and helpful, the atmosphere is nice, the food is at a decent price, but watch out for the desserts unless you are willing to pay a bit more.
This is a great addition to the downtown food scene and a place I would recommend to any college student, even the most frugal. Decent prices, good-quality food and a friendly staff does its best to accommodate you if you ask.
FEZ is open from 10 a.m. to midnight with Happy Hour from 4 to 6:30 p.m. and 10 p.m. to midnight.
Location: 105 W. Portland St.
Star rating (0-5): ★★★★ (Downtown Devil dining reviews changed their scale from a 4-star scale rating to a 5-star scale)
Contact the reporter at Nikiana.Medansky@asu.edu
