Best Mediterranean Restaurant 2012 | Eden's Grill | Food & Drink | Phoenix
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Best Mediterranean Restaurant

Eden's Grill

Diana Martinez

This friendly, family-owned strip-mall eatery near Paradise Valley just may have some of the best baba ganoush in the Valley — hellooo, grilled eggplant — and that includes the stuff our Syrian uncle used to make for us whenever we'd visit him. Made from family recipes, the flavorful Middle Eastern fare is served in portions aplenty and includes several vegetarian selections as well as perfectly prepared meats including juicy beef, tender lamb, and high-quality chicken, featured in numerous kebab platters. Most dishes include a generous side of delectable saffron basmati with bright golden raisins and slivers of almonds. And that old Mediterranean standby, the gyro, gets high marks as well, served with warm and pillowy housemade pita bread and a lightly seasoned lamb mixture.

Best Greek Restaurant

Greektown

Lauren Cusimano

In business for more than four decades, this longtime favorite of the Phoenix dining scene knows a thing or two about boldly flavored Greek cuisine. Thanks to its affable owner George Vassilou, the fine-tuned menu, along with a host of daily specials, is based on recipes from his grandmother, who originally ran the restaurant, and they stand up to this day. From top-notch starters such as lightly breaded calamari and meaty dolmades (stuffed grape leaves) to wonderfully flavorful entrees such as pasticio (think Greek lasagna, featuring creamy béchamel instead of ricotta) and tomatoey lamb with orzo to desserts (including a sinful, Mt. Olympus-size baklava/cheesecake concoction), everything is textured, colorful, and well prepared. Add a selection of Greek beers, nearly two dozen kinds of ouzo, and a convivial (but laid-back and inviting) atmosphere, and it's a Greek taverna worth visiting.

Best French Restaurant

Christopher's and Crush Lounge

Lauren Saria

Valley tastemaker, James Beard Award winner, and foie gras fanatic chef Christopher Gross continues to bring top-notch French fare to his comfortable yet chic bistro inside Biltmore Fashion Park. From stellar staples like wild mushroom soup with foie gras, hanger steak with sautéed shallots, or the decadent Chocolate Tower, featured in Julia Child's cookbook, to new dishes like sea bass in a saffron cream sauce and exceptional pied de cochon (the pretty French word for pig feet), fans of French cuisine can swoon in the restaurant's contemporary dining room or take a seat around the bustling open kitchen. A selection from co-owner and sommelier Paola Embry's extensive wine list should not be missed.

Best Scandinavian Restaurant

Beaver Choice

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This quirky little eatery in Tempe — a little Polish, a little Canadian, and a whole lot Swedish — may have a funny name, but the food is seriously delicious. Featuring hearty dishes that, chances are, you've never heard of, let alone tasted, owner and chef Hanna Gabrielsson uses no more than five fresh ingredients and around three pounds of fresh dill each day to create a menu of (mostly) Swedish fare, featuring fish, chicken, hamburgers, and a category simply called "Meat." Standouts include the chunky Swedish meatballs; laxpudding, featuring salmon Gabrielsson has cured herself; and the exotic casserole called the Flying Jacob. And don't miss Scandinavian sweet treats like Beaver Balls and a layered creation called the Beaver Supreme — yeah, we know, you can laugh now.

Best German Restaurant

Zur Kate

Timur Guseynov

For a restaurant that's been around since 1983, this cozy little spot of authentic German cuisine must have something up its schnitzel. Re-creating the gasthaus (small inn) atmosphere of the country, German-born Horst Schlembach and wife Elena serve up all manner of sausages, schnitzels, signature items, and daily and weekend specials alongside a solid selection of German beer, wine, and spirits — and at prices that won't break the cuckoo clock. We like the spicy zigeuner schnitzel with hot pepper gravy and red cabbage, and leberkase with onions, the German version of meatloaf, that tastes like a slice of hot dog, especially with forkfuls of housemade kraut and a squirt or two of mustard. Along with an interior covered in memorabilia from the Old Country, expect German music, over the speakers or from a live band, and friendly service.

Best Italian Restaurant

Italian Restaurant

Legendary pizza master Chris Bianco opened this tiny neighborhood trattoria serving approachable yet stellar Italian fare in Central Phoenix in the same shopping center that, in 1994, served as the original home of his award-winning Pizzeria Bianco. Featuring a small and daily-changing menu of traditional Italian favorites, as well as Italian-American creations, the knockout flavors come courtesy of seasonal and first-rate ingredients: Breads, pasta, and cheeses are made in-house, vegetables and fruits are purchased only when in season, seafood is caught wild, and top-notch meat is free-range and natural. (Even the premium olive oil, from Pacific Sun, can be sipped like fine wine to cleanse the palate.) Bustling chefs who can be watched through an outside window, make sure the fare is unforgettable and Bianco's mother, Francesca, occasionally lends a hand with the restaurant's delectable desserts.

Best Corner Italian Restaurant

Andreoli Italian Grocer

Jackie Mercandetti Photo

Sure, there's a counter and the walls are lined with shelves sporting imported Italian specialties, but this cozy and casual Italian eatery in Scottsdale, from chef-owner Giovanni Scorzo, serves a show-stopping selection of Old World eats comparable (if not better than) many fine-dining Italian establishments in the Valley. An impressive selection of breads, cheeses, salami, sausage — even desserts, including the chocolates — are housemade, laying the groundwork for exceptional menu items and must-try daily specials. Join the gaggle of Italian regulars with a stellar arancino siculo (Sicilian-style rice ball) filled with veal meat sauce and peas, marinated grilled calamari, or a top-notch classic sandwich packed with homemade sausage, peppers, and onions. Or, better yet, look to the daily specials board for Tuscan-style steak, housemade pasta dishes, and premium seafood selections like luscious seafood risotto with crab, sea bass, and shrimp that, while best enjoyed slowly, may be a difficult task, indeed.

Best Gourmet Pizza

Pizzeria Bianco

Jacob Tyler Dunn

This year, celebrated pie master Chris Bianco's award-winning Heritage Square eatery continued to secure its place in history as a pilgrimage-worthy destination with a nod from Food + Wine magazine as one of its 25 best pizza spots in the United States. No surprise there. The lovely, wood-fired crusts, made with organic flour, are chewy and blistered in all the right places and come with crave-worthy toppings like fresh mozzarella and homemade sausage. Yes, the lines to score primo pies like the Wiseguy or Sonny Boy are just as long, but at least there are additional lunch hours to ease our gourmet pizza pangs.

Best Slice of Pizza

Pino's Pizza Al Centro

It's lunchtime, you're in CenPho, and you need a slice. Stat. There is no shortage of choices, but if you ask us, there really is only one choice: this bustling little bistro at First Ave and Thomas, brought to you by one Pino Martnino, an Italian émigré who came to the Valley several years ago. Martnino features a nice array of signature pizzas — and they are excellent — but what brings us back again and again is the build-your-own slice option. At about $2.50 a slice, you can top your piece of pie with just about anything you'd like: tomatoes, basil, fragrant garlic, onions, peppers, pepperoni, and the list goes on. The crust is doughy, chewy, and crispy on the outside, the red sauce is tangy and a little sweet, and the toppings are high-quality and fresh. One slice is big enough to feed us for lunch, but who are we kidding? We can never stop at just one of these hot-out-of-the-oven gems.

Best Neighborhood Pizza, Central Phoenix

The Parlor Pizzeria

Heather Hoch

Hard to believe this stylish joint has been around for four years already. In a town with so much good pizza, that's a testament to the quality of Dan and Aric Mei's food. And it's still one of the coolest places in this area of the Valley in which to hang out. The former mid-century beauty parlor features a wide-open but intimate dining room, a casual bar area with a few high-top tables and sports on the TV, and a pleasant patio situated next to the Parlor's herb garden, which is regularly utilized in the Meis' (who also own Ahwatukee favorite Nello's) rustic, wood-fired pies. Twelve varieties of signature pizzas come in eight-inch ($10) and 12-inch ($14) sizes, which means you and your dining companions can, and should, try a couple of different kinds. You can't go wrong with the traditional Margherita or the pepperoni, but we suggest some of the less-conventional pizzas, including the roasted corn (with its interesting corn puree, zippy crema, roasted chiles, and cilantro) or the spicy puttanesca (topped with calamari, juicy rock shrimp, capers, olives, and fennel). This place also features a nice selection of red and white wines, craft beers, and cocktails to help you make your dining experience complete.

Best Of Phoenix®

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