I’m always game for broadening my horizons. When I heard that renowned chef Nobuo Fukuda was opening a place in Heritage Square, I knew that I had my chance to try some food that would be epicly good and out of my comfort zone.
I took a sweaty walk through Heritage Square on a journey to end my growing hunger. The Teeter House used to just sit as a beacon of Phoenix’s historical past. Now, it serves as a welcomed light for those of us who hunger for sweet Japanese cuisine.
Upon even walking onto the deck, I noticed that this place had been gussied up for the privilege of becoming an iconic restaurant. Inside, Nobuo subtly harkened to its cuisine with its décor. Freshly revitalized walls and a sweet, dark, moody bar set this place off and seemed to remove me from any notion of the hellacious desert heat just beyond the door.
Once seated, I began my usual ritual of scouring the menu looking for each and everything that I wanted to try. The unfortunate problem this menu presented was that I literally wanted to order everything. I settled on the Tonkatsu sandwich, and I had fun attempting to say it. (My Japanese is less than stellar for some reason.)
Once this glorious gem was presented ever so sweetly to me, I was instantly in love. The Tonkastu sandwich consists of pork cutlets on toasted shoku pan (which has an amazing and surprising flavor), heirloom tomatoes and sprinklings of wasabi. Whew son, this stuff is an all-out assault on your senses. Its aroma invades your sinuses from the get-go and each bite increasingly dances on your tongue with a mix of sweet and spice that is unmatched. The pork holds a magnificent consistency and tastes ever so delicious. The dabbling of wasabi caught me off-guard at first, but set the sandwich ablaze with flavor. You will not forget the bevy of tastes that you experience in this one dish.
Fortunately, this is just the beginning for Nobuo, and they are only open for lunch right now. I am anxious to try the dishes that Nobuo rolls out for the upcoming dinner menu. Until then, I will be more than content packing Tonkatsu sandwiches into my Dukes of Hazzard lunchbox.
Nobuo at Teeter House is located in Heritage Square at 622 E. Adams St (light rail station at 3rd Street and Washington/Jefferson) — 602.254.0600
