Review: Sam Hughes Place Championship Dining
by Tom Stauffer on Feb. 06, 2008, under Taste
Cook Bill Brent works in the kitchen at Sam Hughes Place Championship Dining, 446 N. Campbell Ave.
This is a winner of a sports bar.
It’s home to most things related to University of Arizona sports, from sports-talk radio shows to fundraisers, alumni gatherings and the like.
Sam Hughes Place Championship Dining has some attractive features, not the least of which is a 70-foot, serpentine, honey onyx bar that’s lit from underneath. The dining room is loaded with rich wood and pleasant and comfortable accents. Were it not for the giant-screen televisions in just about every direction (and even in the restrooms), you could easily lull yourself into thinking you’re in for fine dining.
Then the food arrives, and you remember that you’re in a sports bar, albeit a really nice one.
Sam Hughes offers an ample variety of what it touts as “American Favorites,” ranging from salads to “overstuffed sandwiches” to steaks, seafood and pasta. It’s a menu that makes an effort to be imaginative. Unfortunately, the actual dishes came up a little short.
The Crab Rangoons ($9), though elegantly fried and presented, were too short on crab to stand out from the won ton wrappers, and the dipping sauce had a fruity overtone that was downright goofy, with a melted-candy flavor. The pair of Lump Crab Cakes ($12) were much more mature, sporting a sophisticated, crispy breading and a mildly spicy dipping sauce. The cakes also contained ample amounts of crab, but unfortunately, the crab meat itself was a little short on flavor.
Equally disappointing were two entrees off the Mid-Day Menu. The lobster in the Lobster Tacos ($10) suffered the same flavor-challenged fate as the crab in the cakes, as there was no real signature lobster payoff, even when we isolated the lobster chunks from the rest of the taco. Though the tenderloin in the Stroganoff ($9) was nicely portioned and prepared, the sauce was uninspired and the pasta was overcooked.
On a second visit, I recruited a friend who grew up on a farm and opts for steak over any other menu option. My 10-ounce Filet Mignon ($29) proved worthy, as the cut was nicely seared, lean, and as my companion noted, an excellent cut of beef. He could not say the same thing about his 23-ounce Porterhouse ($32).
“This came from an animal that was starved in the last month of its life to make the meat more lean,” he said, after getting about two-thirds of the way through the steak, leaving most of the New York Strip portion. “What would have been marbling has been reduced to harder pieces of fat and veining.”
He said it with the same assuredness that the title character in “Napoleon Dynamite” showed when proclaiming that the milk he sampled at the 4-H Club fair had come from a cow that had gotten into an onion field. I’ve learned not to mess with these farm boys when it comes to things like this, and I did notice quite a bit of stubborn fat in the bites or Porterhouse I sampled.
Farm Boy and I both agreed that the garlic mashed potatoes and vegetables that came with both steaks were excellent. The potatoes were pleasingly heterogenous, even clumpy in spots, and the roasted garlic brought a homey, well-measured sweetness to the spuds.
We weren’t expecting much out of dessert, and weren’t overly surprised or disappointed by the Crème Brûlée ($6), which was pedestrian in quality and presentation.
Despite the culinary miscues, my recent experiences at Sam Hughes Place were favorable, due in large part to the excellent service. This posh sports bar may have some shortcomings as a restaurant destination, but service is not one of them. A good majority of the top-rated restaurants in town could learn a thing or two about how to hire and train help to be as professional and courteous as the staff at Sam Hughes Place.
If that level of attention and focus can be applied in the back of the house, this could be a lot more than a sports bar, albeit a really nice one.
Henry Caudillo and his wife Phyllis have lunch at Sam Hughes Place Championship Dining. They eat here about once a month.
Sam Hughes Place serves an ahi tuna appetizer.
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AT A GLANCE
What: SAM HUGHES PLACE CHAMPIONSHIP DINING
Address and phone: 446 N. Campbell Ave., 747-5223
Prices: Appetizers from $9 to $16; soups and salads $4 to $16; entrees $12 to $32; desserts $6 to $9.
Bar: Full
Vegetarian options: Yes, including Spinach Salad ($9) and Vegetarian Gyro Sandwich ($10).
Desserts: Several, including Berry Crisp ($8), Sam Hughes Mud Pie ($9) and S’mores Bread Pudding Tower ($9).
Currency: cash and credit
Latest health inspection: An “excellent” rating May 1. No critical violations were reported.
