Angels Trumpet Ale House
Downtown Phoenix has been having a renaissance for restaurants in the past half decade. In 2012, the Englehorn couple of Mat and Sharry opened a unique spot that has been growing in popularity every month. The name is derived from the translation of their surname. Angels trumpet is the German translation for Englehorn. The unique atmosphere and many craft beers available on tap are one draw, but the food is what makes me want to inform you of this great spot.
They serve unique takes on many favorites, including a Tuesday TV dinner nights. Every Tuesday a different special is served for a nominal fee in the same TV dinner style of yester year. You can visit their website to see the upcoming TV dinner. Outside on the patio there are fun games to play as well as being dog friendly, weather permitting of course. The restaurant is full of patrons from different walks of life, but if you are looking for a quiet spot to have a drink, you may want to reconsider. This place is friendly and welcoming, but not quiet.
After reviewing the menu, we decided to start with the Hot Pretzel ($9) appetizer. This is four crisp on the outside, yet doughy on the inside pretzel sticks. They are served with a spicy Dijon mustard and local micro brew Four Peaks beer cheese for dipping. We also requested ranch dressing, which is their house-made Southwest ranch dressing. I am a huge fan of the center of a pretzel, so their four thick pretzel sticks were perfect for me. They were almost like four perfect centers of a pretzel twist. They each had a dusting of salt on the outside and to me were delicious even without the dipping sauces.
The next starting item we ordered was the Crispy Spam Sliders ($8.50). So I know the sheer mention of Spam is going to get most of you to skip over this section, but you really should read about it first. The Spam is marinated in a sauce prior to being seared over heat. So the consistency and taste is so far from what you have in your mind. They come on a nice sturdy sweet roll with a bunch of flavorful toppings. They start with some Sriracha Mayonnaise and drizzled with some sweet Oyster sauce. It is then finished off with some of their cranberry Cole slaw and some Feta cheese crumbles. It comes with three in an order and they are hearty little sliders. The combination of flavors all play off each other perfectly with a little salty, a little sweet, a little spicy and a lot of flavor.
Then the entrees arrived to the table. The first entrée was the Outlaw Burger ($12). This ground beef patty is perfectly crafted and seasoned. It is cooked to the requested temperature and they hit the preferred medium in this instance. The bun is a larger version of the slider buns from earlier appetizer dish. The beef patty is topped with Cheddar cheese and Peppered bacon. It then has Crispy Onions and a smoky BBQ sauce to finish the creation. All of the burger combinations are served with your choice of the Cranberry Cole slaw, French Fries, or a side salad. You can also do any of their creations as grilled chicken instead of a beef patty. We decided on the Cole Slaw as the side item to have a fresher element to the plate.
The last item was the one item that I was most excited by. We ordered the BBQ Brisket Grilled Cheese sandwich ($11). The process of the brisket is done by braising it or cooking slowly in liquid. But the liquid they use to do the braising is Root Beer! So you get a little extra Root Beer sweetness infused into the meat during the cooking process. They then layer in between some slices of smoked Mozzarella and Fontina Cheese. They then added pickled onions and sliced tomatoes and some of the house BBQ sauce before grilling it altogether. This is a grilled cheese sandwich to the 100thdegree. We selected French Fries for the side item on this one and if you are a fan of crispy French Fries, you will be in heaven. The sandwich was very filling with all the cheese and meat, so be prepared to have trouble finishing.
The meal options were fantastic and our server Brooke was so friendly and knowledgeable and was a tremendous help in deciding which items to order. The whole vibe of the restaurant is funky and fun and it has become so popular that another location is already in the works. Coming in August of 2018, the Acadia location is scheduled to open. They are currently renovating an older building to incorporate some of the character of the neighborhood while still bringing in a modernized spin. I look forward to this couple expanding their culinary empire and will listen for the melodic call of the Angel’s Trumpet again soon.
Location and website – 810 N 2nd St, Phoenix, AZ 85004, http://angelstrumpetalehouse.com