Best Seafood Restaurant 2008 | Eddie V's | Food & Drink | Phoenix
Navigation
Support Us
Search

Best Seafood Restaurant

Eddie V's

For being the best seafood spot in town, it's a little bit surprising that Eddie V's doesn't really scream "ocean." Yeah, there's a giant fish sculpture over near the kitchen, but besides that, the place is pretty quiet about its top-rung status. Instead, this classy restaurant lets the seafood speak for itself: sweet, briny oysters on the half-shell, crab cakes full of tender lump crab meat, and expertly prepared fish dishes, like melt-in-your-mouth sautéed lemon sole in a Parmesan crust. Prime steaks and generous side dishes like truffled macaroni and cheese are worth a look as well, although if you're really craving the catch of the day, you'll be plenty occupied with the seafood selections. The atmosphere is suitably refined, with waiters in white jackets and black ties gliding through the serene dining room, which glows from smooth, cream-colored ceiling lamps. And if all of that doesn't make you float away in sheer bliss, then be sure to order the molten chocolate cake, just to be safe.

Best Upscale Steakhouse

Bourbon Steak

Heather Hoch

Since it opened earlier this year, celebrity chef Michael Mina's Scottsdale outpost has certainly raised the bar on luxury dining in the Valley. Located at the posh Fairmont Scottsdale resort, Bourbon Steak takes premium ingredients and serves them up in the most decadent way possible, whether it's crisp French fries sizzled in duck fat, Colorado rack of lamb poached in olive oil, or prime steak poached in butter before it hits the wood-fired grill. Rich, melt-on-your-tongue A5 Kobe beef — the real deal, imported from Japan — will run you nearly two hundred bucks, but it'll also blow your mind. Truffles, bacon, and foie gras round out the savory options, while molten chocolate cake and mascarpone cheesecake are a couple of sumptuous desserts that you shouldn't resist. If all that leaves you too stuffed to move, don't worry — the surroundings are so glamorous that you won't want to leave, anyway.

Best Upscale Italian Restaurant

Sassi

Courtesy of Sassi

Just glancing at Sassi's dramatic entranceway, with its gurgling fountains, elegant lighting, and rustic courtyard leading to a heavy wooden door, you'd be forgiven for thinking this was an over-the-top private estate or, perhaps, even a resort.

Indeed, this restaurant takes "destination dining" quite literally, not only because it's located in the most scenic northern stretch of Scottsdale, with lovely views of Pinnacle Peak, but also because the property itself transports customers to the Mediterranean. Inside, luxurious furnishings in a series of rooms only add to the feeling that this might not be a restaurant at all, but perhaps a mansion belonging to some aristocratic gourmand who happens to enjoy 24-month gran reserve prosciutto, handmade orechiette with sausage, grilled free-range veal chops, and nice bottles of Italian wine whenever the mood strikes.

Yes, this place is pure fantasy fodder, but luckily folks with a taste for artisanal cheeses, fresh pasta, local produce, and premium meats can live the dream, too — as long as they're willing to spend real money for it.

Best Corner Italian Restaurant

Pizza A Metro

This category doesn't literally have to mean an Italian restaurant that's on a corner, but in the case of Pizza A Metro, it's exactly that: nestled alongside a Circle K in a tiny corner strip. Really, it's an unlikely location for such a cool restaurant; walking through the door into this 20-seat spot is a revelation. One whole wall is painted with a mellow coastal scene, and you can see right into the kitchen, where meter-long pizzas (hence the name, which means "pizza by the meter") are baked in a wood-fired oven. Owner Maurizio Benforte, who often mans the dining room single-handedly, is as gracious as they come, while the homey Italian food is delicious. Besides pizzas, there are several notable starters (including tender grilled calamari), a handful of secondi, and a long list of pastas. We're partial to the homemade gnocchi with pink vodka sauce, and fresh ravioli with Bolognese. As if that weren't enough to make us smile, there's crisp, cream-filled cannoli and homemade tiramisu for dessert. Considering how reasonably priced this place is, we're always up for a splurge.

Best French Restaurant

Sophie's Bistro

Jackie Mercandetti

We're completely aware of the stuffy reputation that French restaurants have, and we're certain that the folks at Sophie's are, too. In fact, it seems like they're trying to completely defy that snooty stereotype. The service is warm and welcoming, and the setting — with wood floors, rustic wooden ceiling beams, colorful abstract art, and a little piano jazz in the background — is stylishly cozy. Meanwhile, the bistro-style menu is both sophisticated and comforting, a roundup of French greatest hits, from tender, garlicky escargots and velvety pâté du chef (made with Madeira, Cognac, and lavender honey), to crispy frites à la Parisienne. Pan-seared coquilles Saint-Jacques (scallops served with ricotta gnocchi) is hard to resist, while the magret de canard aux peches is one of this city's tastiest preparations of duck. Here, Maple Leaf Farm duck breast is perfectly seared, glazed with saba and cinnamon. Desserts are seductive as well, from lemon-honey crème brûlée to the decadent chocolate-hazelnut pyramid. You don't have to be a Francophile to visit Sophie's, but it's hard not to be one after eating here.

Best German Restaurant

Black Forest Mill

There aren't too many restaurants that put us into party mode, but we have to smile whenever we think of Black Forest Mill. No matter what month it is, it feels like Oktoberfest as soon as we set foot in this place. Crisp, golden wiener schnitzel, potato pancakes, grilled beer-soaked bratwurst, gulasch made with braised beef and veal, and toothsome homemade spaetzle are just of the few of the hearty dishes we like to feast on as we soak up the cheerful German atmosphere — and the ice-cold German beer. Friendly waitresses clad in traditional Alpine dirndls give us another reason to celebrate, and once the band starts playing the oom-pah-pah music, we're ready to roll out the barrel. At Black Forest Mill, it's the best of times and the wurst of times.

Best Greek Restaurant

GreekTown Restaurant

Lauren Cusimano

It's remarkable that the folks behind GreekTown Restaurant have managed to capture the pleasurable atmosphere of a Greek taverna, but they've really pulled it off. The music is distinctively Greek, and the service — as welcoming as if you were a member of the family — is true to the way they treat you back in the old country. Decorated in a crisp blue and white color scheme (the colors of the Greek flag, of course), it has that leisurely Mediterranean vibe that's perfect for nibbling on flaming cheese and dolmades, sinking your teeth into tender souvlaki, and maybe even knocking back a shot or two of ouzo.

The sprawling menu includes casual items, such as salads and pita sandwiches, as well as more upscale dishes, including rack of lamb, scallops piccata, and veal sautéed in white wine sauce. The next time you've spent too much time ogling travel magazines, come to GreekTown to soothe your wanderlust. It's the next best thing to a flight to Athens.

Best Middle Eastern Restaurant

Sabuddy

Wow, do they serve anything at Sabuddy that isn't completely scrumptious? Not that we can tell. It seems hard to go wrong at this friendly, casual north Scottsdale spot, where the menu is chock-full of made-from-scratch Middle Eastern treats. Smooth hummus, drizzled with tahini, is lightly garlicky, while grilled eggplant salad mingles smoky and lemony flavors. Sabuddy's falafel is top-notch, fried to a crisp but still light inside.

Ground beef kebabs come perfectly seasoned, and curry-flecked shawarma is delicious, too. There are also Israeli specialties that set this place apart, from deep-fried schnitzel, sprinkled with sesame seeds, to knockout Jerusalem meatballs that give Italian meatballs a run for their money. See, what did we tell you? At Sabuddy, it's all good.

Best Afghan Restaurant

Kabab Palace

Just because Kabab Palace happens to be the only Afghan restaurant in town doesn't mean it's any less worthy of "Best Afghan Restaurant." For one thing, after such a long dry spell with no Afghan cuisine to speak of in these parts (Chopandaz, the first and last Afghan restaurant in this area, closed in the early '90s), the food at Kabab Palace is a vivid reminder of the delicious flavors we've been missing all these years.

Owners Haroon Sherzai and Jalal Achakzai, who moved to the Valley from San Francisco, have dressed up an inconspicuous strip-mall space and rolled out a menu full of traditional specialties, from aushak (paper-thin ravioli filled with leeks and scallions, topped with ground beef, mint, and yogurt sauce) and kaddo (baked then pan-fried baby pumpkin served with garlic-yogurt sauce and savory ground beef sauce) to several kinds of juicy charbroiled kebabs.

Homemade mango ice cream and dense, silky rice pudding perfumed with cardamom are just a couple of reasons to keep eating when you think your stomach's ready to burst. Finish off with a strong Turkish coffee, and you'll bounce right back from that looming food coma.

Best Indian Restaurant

The Dhaba

The Dhaba

What is it that makes Indian food so craveable? We're not sure whether it's the fragrance of raisin-studded biryani, the tenderness of marinated meats, the complex, exotic seasonings, or the mouthwatering yin-yang of spicy heat and creamy coolness. Whatever it is, it's something that no other cuisine can match — how else to explain our shameless pigging out whenever we set foot in an Indian restaurant? Usually, we head to The Dhaba, where we inevitably soothe our cravings but set ourselves up for even more hunger pangs when we see what our friends are eating. Anything from the tandoor (clay oven) is good here, from outstanding naan (especially the green chile version) to a plethora of meat dishes.

We're huge fans of gosh rogan josh, tender chunks of lamb in a buttery sauce of dried chiles and yogurt that makes us want to lick our platters clean. There's also great nawabi murgh tikka (chicken marinated in yogurt and spices), fresh sole in a golden curry sauce, and quite a few chaat (scrumptious street snacks smothered in chutneys, yogurt sauce, fresh cilantro, and chile powder).

If you want something sweet, there's milky rice pudding, Punjabi ice cream, and a sweet Indian confection nicknamed "carrot fudge." You might find yourself too stuffed for any of it, but if there happens to be a Bollywood-style dance performance during dinner, dessert is a good excuse to hang out and enjoy the show a little longer.

Best Of Phoenix®

Best Of

Use of this website constitutes acceptance of our terms of use, our cookies policy, and our privacy policy The Phoenix New Times may earn a portion of sales from products & services purchased through links on our site from our affiliate partners. ©2024 Phoenix New Times, LLC. All rights reserved.
Do Not Sell or Share My Information
Powered By Foundation