FINE DINING
Review: World Sports Grille
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WORLD SPORTS GRILLE
Address and phone: 2290 W. Ina Road, 229-0011
Hours: 11a.m. to 2 a.m. daily
Prices: Appetizers from $6.99 to $16.99; soups and salads $4.99-$9.99; burgers, sandwiches and pizza $7.99-$14.99; entrees $8.99-$17.99; desserts and shakes $4.99-$5.79.
Bar: Full
Vegetarian options: Many, including Asian Vegetable Noodle Bowl with Red Pesto Sauce ($9.59); Pomodoro Vegetables ($10.99); and Vegetable Tagine ($10.99)
Desserts: Many, including Warm Banana Fudge Sundae ($4.99); Tiramisu ($4.99); and Vanilla and Chocolate Ice Cream Sandwich ($5.79)
Latest health inspection: A "good" rating Nov. 19. Critical violations were reported for potentially hazardous foods not held at proper cooling temperature and for employees' hands and exposed arms not clean and properly washed.
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If you're a sports fan and/or gaming enthusiast, this is the Taj Mahal.
It's a sports bar/arcade on steroids, with a state-of-the-art arcade, upscale bar and 25 high-definition televisions in slick, comfortable surroundings.
But this chain concept developed by Sega Entertainment, which plopped the very first of 200 planned locations right here in Tucson, is also trying pretty hard to distinguish itself as as worldly restaurant. The extensive menu features the standard assortment of sports-bar burgers, sandwiches and appetizers, but also does some considerable reaching with "dishes inspired by the flavors of Asia, Europe, the Mediterranean and even North Africa."
I don't know how American football would fare in North Africa, but I can tell you that World Sports Grille's take on North Africa didn't fare well in America, at least not with us.
An entire page of the nine-page menu is devoted to Moroccan-style tagine, meals slow-cooked in heavy clay vessels featuring a plate topped with a cone-shaped cover, which is designed to retain and imbue foods cooked in them with aromatic herbs and spices. We neither smelled nor tasted anything the least bit exotic in the Seafood Tagine with Potatoes and Peppers ($11.99). Upon peeling the pair of shrimp in the dish, the meat disintegrated like canned tuna and imparted zero flavor. The four nugget-sized portions of white fish were dry and similarly flavor-challenged, as were the potatoes and peppers. The bed of couscous was clumpy and overcooked. The dish was sided with a confusing trio of accents - "Orange and Black Olive Salad," "Moroccan Carrot Salad" and a weak cucumber yogurt sauce. None of the three complemented the tagine in any appreciable way and the accompanying "authentic flatbread" came off as a stiff and crusty cross of Indian naan and Middle Eastern pita.
We contrasted the "exotic" tagine with a sports bar staple - BBQ Baby Back Ribs ($16.99). The generous rack of ribs was well-prepared, though it lacked any noticeable pay-off of smokiness. The rack was "triple-basted in World Sports Grille's classic BBQ sauce", which was more than sweet enough, but lacked even the tiniest level of spicy heat. As a result, the overall effect was almost candylike. The ribs were accompanied by sides of rice and steamed vegetables that were strictly pedestrian.
Somewhat more pleasing was the start of the meal. The Sampler Platter ($16.99) allows you to pick four items. We chose Tex-Mex Rolls, mini Kobe beef hot dogs, bruschetta and vegetable spring rolls. The fried Tex-Mex rolls had a largely agreeable stuffing of chicken breast, black beans, cheese and vegetables.
This whole "Kobe" thing has gotten ridiculous at this restaurant and others, as actual Kobe beef would be priced so high that this pair of mini hot dogs would have run $50 or so. Why restaurants label such offerings as Kobe when at best, they're a cross of American Wagyu and domestic cattle is a question more and more people are asking. Even more perplexing is the idea that a restaurant would take a type of high-priced beef prized for its intricate composition of rich marbling and grind it up into hot dog meat. They were, nonetheless, excellent tasting hot dogs and the best part of the platter.
The pair of bruschetta planks were sadly uninspired, the ciabatta bread barely toasted and topped with parmesan that was left cold and unmelted, though the accompanying tomatoes, basil and drizzle of balsamic glaze would have worked well had the bruschetta been better prepared. The pair of vegetable spring rolls essentially were fried egg rolls that were scantily stuffed with vegetables to the point that their insides came off as gummy and flavorless.
Desserts were consistently chain-like. The Lemon Tart ($4.99) had me hearing the particular sound of someone pulling that little rip cord that unleashes a frozen object from its cardboard container. The tart was devoid of any distinct sweetness or citric zing. The Cookie Crunch ($5.99) smelled promising, but the enormous chocolate cookie had been over-baked, as it was crusty and burnt-tasting around the edges.
Considering the unimpressive offerings, we came away with a surprisingly tolerant assessment of World Sports Grille, not the least of which was due to excellent service, as our server was notably attentive, friendly and efficient. Coupled with the impressive surroundings, it had us thinking that had we come in for nothing more than burgers, we might have left satisfied.
But a place that starts its menu with the phrase "Bringing a Taste of the World to Our Corner of the World," is raising its own bar on sports-bar fare, and it's a bar that World Sports Grille is not going to clear until it can enliven its offerings - domestic and international - with some sorely needed flavor, seasoning, and attention to detail.
I counted 10 different vegetable entrees/salads/sandwiches. I know that's not synonymous with heart-healthy, but it shows a decent commitment on their part to offer stuff beyond the standard sports-bar ilk.
Am I missing something with Eurofresh? You're going to have me going through all their press releases now. I'll get back to you on that.
Tom Stauffer
Tucson Citizen