He Said: Nabers is the neighborhood spot you won’t ever skip

Just hanging at the Nabers! Next time your significant other asks where you are, this is a great place to be and a good cover story.

Seriously though, I had heard great things about this bar and grill and decided it was time to check out this Chandler/Ahwatukee hotspot. Located close to Ray Road and Interstate 10 off of 54th Street, it’s a great watering hole for residents on both sides of the 10.

Lots of parking and inside space means you won’t ever feel crowded, even when it does get busy. You will be thankful for the openness, as it will get busy with all the live music scheduled, and fun — such as trivia night (with amazing prizes by the way).

There is a nice patio to enjoy the beautiful weather, a lot of TVs to watch any game you are dying to see and fun games, such as corn hole. What you might not expect is the level of food you have waiting for you.

As is the standard for bar and grills, there is a great variety of options. However, the quality is hands-down one of the best I have ever experienced at a bar and grill.

From the appetizer section I highly recommend “When Pigs Fly” — mesquite-smoked mini pork shank “wings” fried up crispy on the outside and tender to the bone, sauced with their Nabers’ honey habanero BBQ sauce. These are indeed fall-off-the-bone, as the meat literally fell to my plate when I picked up the bone. While they are not true ribs, they look and taste like them, and they will make your previously favorite ribs taste like a McRib (no offense McRib lovers). I could easily order a few of these and call it a night.

We also tried the cheese curds and the Nabers pale ale-battered pickles, which were both fried in a very light, doughy crust that reminded me of the fry bread you get at the state fair.

Ever since my time working in Wisconsin, I have been an addict to cheese curds and these did not disappoint.

The pickles were spears, which is rare, as fried pickles are more commonly done in chip form. I think I still love the chips more than the spears but from a taste factor these were spot on. The jalapeno ranch that accompanies them was wonderful.

For the main course I chose the “Ma, The Meatloaf” — each slice wrapped in bacon and stuffed with mozzarella, Havarti, cheddar and gouda cheeses. The flavors blended together nicely and not one ingredient stood out above the rest, allowing your mouth to enjoy each bite holistically. It came accompanied by mashed potatoes and onion straws all covered with a brown gravy. It felt like going home again, only your mom took a few more cooking classes while you were away.

For desert, the clear winner was the cinnamon apple bread pudding. Not over the top with the sauce, instead letting the cinnamon and vanilla stand out on their own. It does have a house-made Fireball whiskey caramel sauce drizzled over the top which is great, but the nicely sautéed apples and perfectly moist bread pudding are the stars in this dish.

The menu contained so many great options that it was hard to make a selection. As mentioned before, this is not your run-of-the-mill bar and grill when looking at their menu. I don’t think you will ever get bored making this a go-to selection.

For more details on Nabers, check out WhereShouldWeEat.com