Angels Trumpet Ale House

[Skillet Doux]

Wellllllllll, I guess I'll get this one started.

We had a good crowd for Foodnik Friday this past week! All of the usual "just opened" caveats apply, and they definitely need to tighten things up in the kitchen a bit, but this is a nice space and I think there's some potential here. Very modern, very clean, very noisy... it's a cool room. I'll let those who are better versed in the beer list comment on the booze, but we collectively managed to try a good number of items off the menu.

Crispy Spam Sliders

You wouldn't think that feta cheese, cranberry slaw and sriracha mayonnaise would get lost, but somehow they did. The one that I had, at least, just didn't come together. For better or worse, I got spam and bread, and though I know the prospect frightens and saddens Meleyna, I think the other elements needed to come out more.

Warm Sausage Platter

Simple and good! A solid brat and game sausage (precise provenance not identified) were both nicely browned, juicy and delicious, and accompaniments like mustard, horseradish and onion relish didn't gild the lily. I'm not sure why the chorizo was there. It just seemed weirdly out of place, both next to the other sausages and the beer. A little bit of overreach, I think. Just pick another Eastern European sausage, keep it simple and call it a day, I say. But this was good.

Hankey on a Shingle

The name's a play on SOS, but I'm not sure how beef : sh*t :: lamb : hankey. Perhaps I'm missing something. In any case, this had some nice flavor... sliced lamb pastrami with a mushroom gravy over Texas toast. It needs a little more gravy, and the meat needs to be uniformly warm, but if they tighten it up I think this could be a nice dish.

Southwest Pork Burger

The burgers are all essentially your choice of protein (beef, pork, chicken, egg) with a few sets of toppings to pick from. Mike and I shared this one, and it needs a little work. The flavor's nice, but the pork patty came off as kind of tough and overcooked. I'm sure there's a way to get it to work, and I hope they figure it out, because it's a nice sandwich with grilled chiles, cheese and adobo. It's just not there yet.

The Nutter

This was all there. It's so absurd that somebody had to try it, I'm glad that themis stepped up, and that I got to steal a wedge. By default, The Nutter is just peanut butter and raspberry chipotle preserves on toast, but I'm not sure why they even bother with the upsell, because who isn't going to add house-made marshmallow fluff and bacon? Just commit, I say. This was so wrong, and so, so awesome. Standout winner of the day for me, and I only had one beer. Two or three more and this could've been a spiritual experience.

Strawberry Rhubarb Pop Tart

The seasonal pop tarts are kind of a fun idea (though I'm not sure how seasonal rhubarb is at this point). Basically, it's preserves sandwiched between layers of crisp puff pastry and iced. It isn't rocket science, and there's really nothing not to like here. It's a fun idea with some good branding, and I'd absolutely get it again.

I think this could be a fun spot once they've had a little more time to get some things ironed out. What did the rest of you think?

Angels Trumpet Ale House
www.angelstrumpetalehouse.com
810 N. 2nd Street
Phoenix, AZ 85004
602-252-2630

[The Cosmic Jester]

As far as Hankey, just a guess, but... watch much South Park?

[Skillet Doux]

As far as Hankey, just a guess, but... watch much South Park?

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh..........

I'm kind of shocked I missed that, actually.

[themis]

My spam sliders are better than theirs , although I did appreciate their slaw. Good balance of sweet and sour with little pops of dried cranberry in there; just right.

I thought the Nutter was another disappointment. The pepper bacon is terrific; but there just wasn't enough of the peanut butter or jelly to stand up to that much bread. It was sliced thickly and aggressively toasted, really tough to bite into, and the fluff too runny to stay in the sandwich. And when I hear raspberry chipotle, I want some smoky heat to come out of the jam, not just sweetness. Room to improve, here. As a late night crave after a pub crawl, though, definitely an appealing option.

I thought the chorizo was the best sausage on the plate and they did well to include it. This one wasn't smooth and rubbery like the others; it had dense spice and the soft texture from the right balance of filler and fat. Reminded me a little of morcilla or cajun mojo, texture-wise. Maybe didn't fit with the plate-o-wurst theme, but I liked it.

I really want to mention that they had five good wines on tap and the beer list ranged from American standards to more esoteric brews; all $5-7 a glass. Something for everyone, an appealing space, and I'm sure the kitchen's still making tweaks. I'll be back.

Oh yeah, the pop tart -! Mmmm, loved it. I'm still seeing rhubarb in the stores, who knows where they're getting it, though.

[Lunchbox]

Those tin plates with water spots have got to go... They make the food so unappetizing...

[M_L]

I had the Grilled Cheese and it was pretty solid, not the best I have ever had but good. I would agree that their bacon was the highlight it is pretty excellent.
The parts of the sausage plate I tried were good nothing super outstanding but good.
The slider was tasty, I would not get them again but it was interesting.
I would have to agree with their beer selection even though I only got a cider, but it was pretty good, especially if you like sweet.

All in all I enjoyed the trip even if things were a bit slow getting out.

[olllllo]

The beer list is indeed the highlight, but it's hard to quantify as several taps turn over in a day or two and the entire list has probably turned over 3 times with nary a repeat.

At out get-together, I had the Nutter and I found it to be a bit much on the marshmallow fluff end. Sadly, it appealed to a sweetness zone that I often do not succumb to and I ate it--hard. No regrets, but I'll probably not have it unless it's Elvis' birthday or they are already calling me a cab.

I had the St Louis Gueuze Fond Tradition yesterday, a fairly acceptable exemplar of the style. I can tell you I've seen it perhaps 5 times on tap in Phoenix, though I know it will be on at Taste of Tops on Thursday.

I had their 810 Turkey Sandwich yesterday.

[cactuschowdah]

Does anyone who's been here recall what the TV situation is? We're going to the baseball game Saturday night, and post-game, I'd like to try to run up here and catch the second half of the ASU-Mizzou game. Am I barking up the wrong tree?

[Skillet Doux]

I don't recall seeing any, actually... though I had my back to the bar. Don't count on my memory, though.

[lily]

They have two tv's if I recall correctly. On Sunday afternoon they were tuned to two different sporting events.

[andrewknoc]

I've been a few times, but have yet to try any food. It's loud all the time. For the record, they raised the the flights are now $9 for six tastings. I watched them turn two kegs on a relatively slow Saturday eveternoon this past weekend. I wouldn't go there to watch a specific game unless I were arriving early with at least a few other people - with only two TVs, I'm not sure how they handle it, but I bet they'd give preference to larger parties.

With my caveats out of the way, I see myself spending some quality time on that patio this fall. The beer list has options for just about everybody, and there are wines for everyone else. I wish a few things were different, but in general I'm thrilled to have this place in the neighborhood.

[azhotdish]

The beer list has options for just about everybody, and there are wines for everyone else. I wish a few things were different, but in general I'm thrilled to have this place in the neighborhood.

So it's beer and wine only, no booze?

[andrewknoc]

Correct, AZHotdish.