Comments (0) BEST MAKEOVER - 2007

Wright's at the Biltmore

We never gave much thought to the fine-dining restaurant at the Arizona Biltmore, but a year ago, after it was renovated and reopened as "Wright's at the Biltmore," we took notice. Along with the fresh new digs — moody lighting and Art Deco-inspired décor create visual drama in the elegant dining room — the menu got an overhaul as well. Executive chef Michael Cairns and chef de cuisine Matt Alleshouse call their concept "American Lodge Cuisine," which revels in boutique ingredients and exquisite preparations of hearty meats like aged buffalo loin (with creamy arugula and rosemary jus), beef tenderloin (in a sweet onion and blue cheese crust), and Colorado lamb (with a rich chickpea ragout). They even have seared red trout, done up with chardonnay butter and caviar. For dessert, the kitchen turns out heavenly soufflés with crème anglaise. Nope, you won't have to worry about roughing it at this lodge.