Best Of Phoenix® 2011 Winners
Food & Drink
This longtime fixture on the Camelback Corridor does just about everything right: top-notch service by a seasoned waitstaff, great wine, comfortable atmosphere that's classy but not over-the-top decadent, and, most important, primo Italian food. Start with a beautifully displayed antipasto or the wonderful Caprese appetizer before moving on to one of Tomaso's house-made pasta dishes or finely prepared meat and seafood entrées. Our favorite, the Pasta Trio (featuring porcini ravioli, spinach ricotta truffle ravioli, and gnocchi) is a stunning creation that will have everyone at your table ogling your plate with envy. That is, if they can keep their eyes off the Tuscan mixed grill (featuring a bursting-with-flavor house-made sausage, juicy petite filet mignon, lamb chop, and a bed of divine truffle risotto). Seafood lovers certainly won't be disappointed with their plate of lemon prawns and the wonderful lobster saffron ravioli. Before you know it, you'll have killed a couple of hours and a bottle or three of vino, and you and your dining companions will be asking each other: "When are we coming back?" Yeah, there's a reason Tomaso's still remains a go-to on this restaurant-heavy stretch of road.
Don't let the name and the address fool you. Citizen Public House, from former Cowboy Ciao culinary master chef Bernie Kantak, may sound pretentious, but its stylish yet relaxed atmosphere and offerings of classic American fare with a delicious kick in the ass are nothing short of modest classiness. From picture-perfect scallops and standout starters like the luscious pork belly pastrami to the Original Chopped Salad (so popular it has its own Facebook page) and dreamy desserts courtesy of Tracy Dempsey — at Citizen Public House, deliciousness is in every detail. Partner and mixologist Richie Moe (also a Cowboy Ciao alum) devotes as much attention to the libations as Kantak does to the food. So whether it's an evening out, a pairing dinner, happy hour fun, or late-night noshing all with the added enjoyment of a team that's as comfortable to be around as your dining companions Citizen Public House deserves to be in heavy rotation on your restaurant playlist.
There's a trend that we're crazy about. All the cool kids are doing it, and it's where you can catch the best eats — and the hottest gossip about the food world, which lately has us wishing we'd produced a reality show called The Real Chefs of Scottsdale.
Late-night menus are being offered at a handful of local restaurants, and at some of the best ones, too. Usually called "Staff Menus," these late-night dinners often feature a single meal selected by the chef or the waiters, and often on an off-night, like Monday, and made available to a limited number of diners.
At Posh — where you literally never know what's on the menu — you can dine Wednesdays at 10 p.m. on Chef Josh Hebert's improvisational cuisine. FnB's Saturday late-night "industry" menu features Chef Charleen Badman's fine take on street food — pho, mac 'n' cheese, Sonoran hot dogs, or ramen — and, typically, a celeb-chef-spotting or two, while a recent late-night Sunday supper at Noca featured BBQ, with a deviled egg as amuse bouche, cupcakes for dessert, and plenty of brisket, hot links, and baby back ribs in between. (And just to give you an idea of how gourmet these guys roll, the salad that evening at Noca was watermelon with Benton's Country ham, arugula, pickled rind, feta, croutons and a red wine reduction.)
Citizen Public House now stays lit 'til 1:30 a.m. Thursday, Friday and Saturday, offering pub-grub favorites like its chicken-fried Wagyu burger, chopped salad and bacon-fat heirloom popcorn. Or sup on mussels, escargot and crispy French fries Saturday nights after 10 at Petite Maison.
Have a good time, just don't blame your late-night indigestion on us.
Payton Curry called his pop-up restaurant at The Welcome Diner a therapy project. His therapy became culinary-inspired healing for the 2,800-plus diners who showed up between April 1 and a cosmic final cleanup on July 5 — fittingly, the day of the now-famous haboob. Curry created his daily menu based on what was fresh and available each morning from local purveyors. Scoring a spot inside the nine-seat diner ensured a dream eating experience: watching the chef and his dessert-creating wife, Shantal, prep, cook, and banter with guests. At the outdoor picnic tables, the collegial atmosphere was extended by an attentive, knowledgeable staff, something often missing from a pop-up. The FB&J sandwich is now legendary — lightly seared foie gras with a hint of rosemary and strawberry jam on toasted brioche. Handmade fettuccini appeared one night with lamb, sheep's milk cheese, chickpeas, and golden raisins. It appeared on another as the foundation for a vegetarian dish topped with tomatoes, sweet corn, squash, and sorrel.Bacon-wrapped rabbit on a bed of pickled zucchini, radish, cherry tomatoes, and golden raisins, and squab with morel ravioli, greens, and pecans were one-night stands, savored for the moment and longed for until Payton pops up again we hear you can catch him these days at FnB in Scottsdale.
Phoenix went food-truck-crazy in 2011, with no fewer than half a dozen of them tooling around town at any given moment. The granddaddy of them all is still Short Leash, the "mobile hot dog" eatery that appears at such disparate locations/events as the Downtown Phoenix Public Market, Stinkweeds, First Fridays, and various gallery openings and private functions. In other words, Short Leash is in high demand. The hot dogs (provided by local fave Schreiner's) are uniformly excellent, and the creations that Short Leash has come up with (all named after the owners' favorite dogs) are clever and delicious (our favorite: Moki — with green chiles, pinto beans, cheese, and mayo). To boot, Short Leash lets customers submit pictures of their dogs, who may just get a special named after them. Be sure to follow these guys on Twitter and Facebook to find where they are at all times, because that is where Short Leash also excels: its expert utilization of social media. While your lame friends are clogging up Facebook and Twitter with superfluous information about how they're hungover or how they just cleaned their refrigerator or how they cried during the last Harry Potter film, Short Leash is updating its status with the kind of info we really need, like where can we get a hot dog — now! We're glad to have Short Leash on the prowl.
Some of the best chefs in town popped up this summer in downtown Phoenix — thanks to Cycle. With the worn-out Lexington Hotel in flux (not quite ready for renovations, but also not ready to shut its doors entirely), a nothing-fancy old bar and restaurant was sitting empty. 'Til Cycle. Every weekend (and sometimes during the week, at its peak), local chefs and a mixologist or two set up shop and wowed us with everything from Andrea White's South African cooking to Josh Hebert's take on ramen. The New Times editorial staff (full disclosure here) even took over for a night or two, finding it the perfect spot to scarf La Tolteca's caramel churros and brainstorm ideas for the Best Of issue you're reading right now. In a city where thinking outside the box is far too rare, it's nice to see a creative concept in play. And even nicer to hear that the Lexington's put its renovations on hold a little longer — meaning Cycle will now run through at least December.
Growing produce in Phoenix has become a hot topic of late — this summer, Twitter was, well, atwitter with local farmers and foodies battling over the relative merits of trying to grow anything here in the dog days. Meanwhile, the Valley of the Sun is lapping up the idea of eating local, and every week, it seems, a new farmers market emerges.
So just how tough is it to get your garden to grow here in Phoenix? We asked the kind folks at the Roosevelt Growhouse to explain. Three years ago, local artists Kenny Barrett and Kelly Placke were living in a large but shabby house on the corner of Garfield and Sixth streets, in the Roosevelt Row neighborhood. For years, the home had been run down by previous owners, and the yard that surrounded it was used as a parking lot.
Barrett and Placke had other plans for the barren corner lot. "We just started digging," Barrett recalls. "We came out here every Sunday, we picked a day and it was Sunday, 10 to 2, to come out here, friends started joining us, volunteers started joining us and we just started working the ground little by little."
"The great thing about Phoenix soil, desert soil, is that this soil in particular holds water really well," Barrett says. "However, it lacks any type of organic matter which you need — you need that nitrogen to feed your plants."
The Roosevelt farmers combined the absorbent desert dirt with composted manure and — voilá — it was time to plant.
Since 2008, the Growhouse has experimented with growing different varieties of lettuce, beets, chard, kale, cauliflower, arugula, carrots, spinach, broccoli, corn, watermelon, and wheat. While the operation started out small at the front of the house, it's taken over the entire front, back, and side yards in subsequent years — even the patches of earth nestled between the sidewalk and the road.
The growing cycle usually begins in August, when the volunteers come together to fertilize the soil, then use a ditch planting method for the seeds.
Harvesting begins as early as mid-October and continues throughout the winter, especially with leafy plants like lettuce and chard that will keep sprouting new shoots.
As the year wears on and temperatures climb, the gardening begins to wind down. The last crop to be planted to grow through the summer is corn, which adds some much- appreciated greenery to the Roosevelt Row landscape and fares well even in the heat. The soil has to be watered continuously even through the summer months and covered with mulch to maintain its moisture and protect the delicate microorganisms that begin to flourish from the fertilizer.
The garden has grown — and spread, as Barrett and Co. are working with Roosevelt Row to encourage others in the area to plant community gardens. As for the Growhouse, they've bought a tiller — and they know what to do with it. Another plan in the works: vermicomposting, a big bag full of compost and worms through which a watering tube is fed and which can then be thrown anywhere; seeds are planted right into the bag and need no contact with external soil to grow.
Look for Growhouse produce at the Downtown Phoenix Public Market.
Have you been to a secret supper club? And we don't mean one of those quasi-secret-but-everyone-on-Twitter-knows-about-it events that keep popping up like, well, pop-ups. We mean really secret. Like, don't-tell-the-health-department secret.
If not, you might want to try to hook up with Chef Woody (a.k.a. Forrest Rosh), who's been throwing dinner parties in his mother's North Phoenix backyard since last November.
Rosh, 22, is a graduate of Cordon Bleu in Scottsdale. He's worked at the Wrigley Mansion and the House at Secret Garden. He knows his way around a professional kitchen. But one day he decided to go basic. He made a web site and put up some flyers. No specifics about the menu were given. Through word of mouth, 25 people made a "suggested donation" of $40 on PayPal, BYOB'd it, and found their way to a seven-course meal in Eduarda's backyard. The place settings came from Goodwill, but no one skimped on the food. That first menu included cold and hot soup shooters, pork belly cilantro salad, a cheese board, warm butternut squash and arugula salad, sorbet intermezzo, salmon cakes, hanger steak with mac 'n' cheese and Brussels sprouts, and finally a semifreddo for dessert. The meal went on for three hours.
Since Woody's Underground is not a restaurant, Rosh cannot charge money, tax, or tip for the experience, and he and his family do not have any relationships with health inspectors, fire marshals, or PR agencies. Think of it as a dinner party for strangers. At the end of the first evening, the family broke even. They considered it a smashing success.
Preparation and service is a family affair. Rosh uses nothing more than the standard fridge and sink, a four-burner stove, and a lot of organization to pull it all off. His sister helps with the management, and a slew of teenage cousins are brought in to bus, plate, and clean. While space is a challenge at times, careful planning has made everything work so far.
The second event was a brunch, which attracted more guests, followed by an all-you-can-eat pasta supper designed to reach a broader demographic. But with space for just 40 in Mom's backyard, Chef Woody's going to have to get creative.He's been thinking ahead. For his meals, Rosh relies on local farms and retailers as much as possible and presents a list of his suppliers to the guests in hopes of promoting their businesses. He also is hoping to start a vegan line of baked goods to sell at local small business and farmers markets — Woody's Goodies.
As fall approaches and the temperature cools, Rosh is beginning to plan the next backyard events, and considering hosting events at other private homes. Instead of planning bigger parties, the goal for the moment is to keep things small. You know, underground.
Choosing among the many, many world-class steak houses in the Valley is a darn-near impossible task (yeah, we know — cue the pity party). So this year, we're giving the Best Of to the one upscale steak joint that made us feel we were actually somebody — and this in a roomful of real somebodies. In other words, a trip to Donovan's is a glimpse into the world of high-rolling lawyers, doctors, CEOs, athletes, and, yes, the occasional celebrity. You can almost feel the deals going down as you look around while cutting into your exquisitely prepared, prime-grade $42 cut of beef. The windowless restaurant is dimly lit, beyond tastefully appointed, quiet, comfortable, and exudes class all the way. The servers (and their seemingly endless parade of assistants) are simply pros — helpful, courteous, and attentive. If you're like us, you probably can't afford to eat at a place like this more than once every year or two. So, save up for that special occasion (if you do it right, we estimate you'll drop about $100 per person) and, when it arrives, treat yourself to a night at Donovan's. For at least one day, you'll feel like somebody, too.
Perched atop a mountain ridge hundreds of feet above the Valley, Rustler's Rooste is hardly underground. But follow the winding road up to this cowboy-themed chophouse, wave at "Horny" the live bull standing in his outdoor pen, and ease open the massive wooden door. Suddenly, you'll find yourself inside a cramped, rock-lined mineshaft literally hacked into the side of South Mountain. Wrapping around the corner, guests emerge into a massive two-story dining space brimming with kitschy-cute charm, including a waterfall streaming down one entire rock wall and a metal slide leading down to the second floor. Yes, a slide. No wonder this 30-year-old landmark has hosted everyone from Clint Eastwood and former President George H.W. Bush, to, um, Ice-T and Coco. Sadly, only two of those people rode the slide, and it wasn't Dirty Harry or the commander in chief.
Ask a Mormon family to see their pantry and you might get a tour of the kitchen, but ask to see their "year's supply" and given the house's floor plan, you'll probably end up in the basement.
A year's supply is an LDS tradition, heavily encouraged by church leaders, in which individuals and families carefully plan, can, jar, and store basic items (water, flour, rice, salt) in ratios per person in the house and per month of expected storage.
Church members say a year's supply is never something purchased at once or backed into the garage with a truck. The collection (of what could easily be mistaken for a quick fix for 2012 or total wipeout) is a stash of long term storage with a rotating "three month's" supply of more perishable food items in case of community disaster, a sanitation issue — hell, even a crappy economy.
It's all about preparedness, church documents, and food preparation pamphlets, and it's often hard to do (especially in the desert and in houses without pantries — or basements). But individuals and families have adapted and thank modern-day solutions (read: The Container Store) for tubs easily disguised as hallway benches and false shelves that rotate to reveal hand-jarred preserves and tightly packed grains.
When you think of old Arizona charm, the first thing that comes to mind is likely the Wild West and the kitschy cowboy aesthetic. Fair enough. But in its ninth decade of existence, the Biltmore resort — and its Frank Lloyd Wright-inspired architecture — is inextricably linked to old Phoenix, too. It truly is a jewel in this desert city, one worth visiting every now and then to appreciate the beauty and history of the Biltmore's environs. For excellent food without sky-high prices, Frank & Albert's is a worthy addition to the fine Biltmore tradition. Wright's understanding of design and lighting carry over in this comfortable restaurant, where diners can enjoy the Biltmore's longstanding tortilla soup, Mexican grouper, dry-rubbed pork spare ribs, and such comfort foods as grass-fed burgers, steak and potatoes, meatloaf, barbecued pork, and a couple of different pizzas. The meats and produce are locally grown and cooked with an attention to detail that one would come to expect from a restaurant with Wright's legacy attached to it. We recommend saving enough room for dessert, specifically the Tableside S'Mores, billed as "a Biltmore tradition." You'll receive a plate full of graham crackers, marshmallows, and two Hershey bars, along with a miniature grill, complete with open flame and two skewers. Go ahead, roast your own marshmallows, build your s'more, and just try not to have a smile on your face as you eat it. You'll remember what makes the Biltmore still one of the all-around coolest places to go in the Valley.
Enough with the Mad Men stuff, already. When it comes to real retro style dining — big booths, red velvet wallpaper, and lavish décor — Arizonans in the know go to Durant's (through the back door, thank you). Servin' up slabs of perfectly prepared New York strip steaks and a hell of a good martini or two, this Phoenix landmark and classic chophouse — alive and well for more than half a century — has likely served your dad, or even your dad's dad, on more than one occasion. Go vintage-vogue in the lounge area with fresh oysters on the half shell or booth it up with friends and family for a feast of broiled steaks, chops, or Durant's famous liver specials. Old school? Yup. Old hat? Not a chance.
If you like your pizza served with heaping piles of cheese, then you'll love this iconic concert hall/dinner theater. A Mesa tradition since 1975, the star attraction at this 600-seat supper club is a historic Wurlitzer pipe organ that rises dramatically out of the basement — organist and all — to kick off each show. Originally built in the 1920s to provide musical accompaniment for silent movies, the massive organ has been expanded and reconfigured to include nearly 6,000 individual pipes, plus 57 individual instruments such as snare drums and sleigh bells, all controlled by a single musician. In fact, you really haven't lived until you've seen organist Lew Williams rock out to "Bohemian Rhapsody," using both hands (and feet) to manipulate all the keys and pedals. Somewhere, a shirtless Freddie Mercury is smiling.
Located in the creaky old basement of the Arizona State Capitol's Executive Tower, the Capitol Café serves up surprisingly good (and crazy-affordable) grub, as well as all the latest political gossip. Open weekdays for breakfast and lunch, everyone from office drones to the big-time politicians we all love to hate can be spotted bellying up to the salad bar or chowing down on all-American meals such as the rib-stickin' meatloaf. Run by a former Marine named Robert E. Smith, Capitol Café also is a great example of public-private enterprise, as it's operated under a federal act created in the 1930s to help blinded military veterans find gainful employment. According to Smith, who lost his sight 35 years ago, this program has led to the creation of more than 5,000 privately owned restaurants and snack bars that serve federal and state properties nationwide. No wonder why they call politicians "fat cats."
With little more than a door and a few blue awnings visible, this long-running restaurant looks less like the upscale seafood joint it claims to be and more like the kind of fast-food joint where disinterested, college-aged servers wearing eye patches would dish up greasy fish and chips. That's because most of The Salt Cellar is hidden underground in a cavernous dining room with no windows and only a skylight for natural light. The effect is a little eerie, but the chef's dedication to importing fresh seasonal catches such as Georges Bank sea scallops, New Zealand Bluenose sea bass and mussels from Maine makes us willing to overlook any claustrophobic discomfort.
Café Monarch is untraditional in terms of restaurants, in that it's a one-man show that's as much an experience as it is a fine-dining restaurant. That one man is Chef Christopher Van Arsdale, and his mission is to create fresh and innovative American cuisine that caters to the needs of each guest. He's your chef, your waiter, and your busboy all wrapped up in a gracious package. Enjoy your meal on the garden patio or inside the small dining room, where you can watch him bustle around the kitchen. During brunch, you'll get one of two choices: sweet or savory. Like candied ginger atop baked almond French toast with almond butter and fresh blueberry sauce. Or a goat cheese-packed egg strata with spinach, roasted artichoke hearts, and basil-chicken sausage on the side. Light lunches make use of seasonal produce, with dishes like baked goat cheese and berries, turkey breast panini with orange cranberry relish, and chicken basil salads with heirloom tomatoes. The main event, though, is family-style dinner, like chutney-dressed lamb chops, garlic rosemary braised short ribs, and smoky barbecue pork tenderloin. Be forewarned, it's BYOB, and you might want to make sure you take advantage of this, because a one-man show tends to move at a slower clip than a fully staffed kitchen. Go, at first, for the experience, but we guarantee it's the food that will have you returning for more.
We're not sure why more people don't know that there's a new-ish restaurant at the Secret Garden, but this is a secret we think should get out. This casual eatery, located in the shadow of South Mountain and housed in a restored 1929 Spanish-style mansion, is a real treasure. A New American menu featuring mostly locally grown foods, posted in the window, lured us in when we attended a wedding at the Secret Garden, a favorite place for matrimony over the past several years. We ventured back and were glad we did, because this still-largely-undiscovered "secret place" is unlike any other restaurant in town, and well worth the drive to 24th Street and Baseline.
We started with a drink under a massive carob tree, then moved onto the patio, where we enjoyed hors d'oeuvres and a glass of wine before moving indoors to the barrel-ceiling dining room for some sophisticated dining —and the discovery of another secret worth sharing: shrimp and grits, a taste sensation that's both down-home comfort food and light, fresh dinner fare. Also worth shouting about is the handmade papardelle with local sausages, cherry tomatoes, basil and shaved Pecorino. For dessert, don't miss ricotta fritters with fig and balsamic syrup.
Owners Pat Christofolo (formerly of the Farm at South Mountain) and her son, Dustin, have brought together some of the best local purveyors to make each menu item that much more special. Fossil Creek Creamery, Queen Creek Olive Mill, McClendon's Select, Power Ranches, and Black Mesa Ranch are among the names that make us feel like we're part of a special club of local food fans when we eat here. But forgive us for not wanting this to be an exclusive club — we're shouting out loud about this great place, hoping to make the House at Secret Garden not so secret any more.
We're still surprised whenever we hear someone say they've never heard of Tuck Shop, one of the best casual-dining spots in town. Opened about three years ago, Tuck Shop (named after snack stands popular in the UK, where one "tucks in" for a quick bite) offers tapas-style dining with a delicious menu designed by restaurant consultant Mitch Hoverman. We love the mac and cheese with prosciutto and lobster, the skirt steak, and especially the citrus-brined chicken and white cheddar waffles. And, seriously, where else in Phoenix can one go to get beer-battered cheese curds? We always start with those, and then move on to a plate of the dates stuffed with chorizo and Gruyère, washed down by a gin and tonic (with a paper-thin slice of cucumber as garnish!), because Tuck Shop makes its own tonic water, a slightly tart, lightly syrupy concoction that makes everything we eat while drinking it taste even better.
On weekends, there can sometimes be a wait for a table, but we love cozying up to strangers at the big communal table in the middle of the room — or eating at the bar. Tell a friend about Tuck Shop, which is tucked away at 12th and Oak streets, smack dab in the center of the Coronado historic neighborhood.
Technically, Mi Comida is an Ecuadorean restaurant, but you also can find dishes from Bolivia, Venezuela, and Peru at this homey little storefront. More familiar dishes such as tamales, empanadas, and ceviche share the menu with lesser-known entrées, like lomo fino saltado (filet mignon sauté), sango de camarones (delicious shrimp stew), and sudado de pesado (banana leaf-wrapped fish). We recommend you try the chicha morada (a fruity Incan beverage, jam-packed with vitamins) and the guanabana batido, a sweet and frothy "shake." For dessert, there are traditional flan and torte dishes, as well as quinoa cookies. If you're looking for something with south-of-the-border (south of the Mexican border, that is) flavors, it's worth a trip up to the northwest side of town to sample Mi Comida's flavorful wares.
Looking for a tasty Vietnamese spin on your next meatless meal? Get to Fresh Mint, the easy-going vegetarian, vegan, and certified kosher eatery in Scottsdale, where owner and executive chef Mai Ly, with a dream to "create beautiful, good, healthy food for people," works her magic to create fresh, made-to-order dishes packed with flavor. Summer rolls, spicy lemongrass noodle soup, or green papaya salad are nice places to start; then jump into more "meaty" dishes like vegetarian citrus "spare ribs," five-spice pho with marinated soy beef, or the guest favorite and flavor-filled kung pao soy chicken, with veggies, crunchy peanuts, and classic kung pao sauce. The entrées are quite big, but, hey, if there are leftovers, who's complaining?
We love meat. A lot. Meat on the bone. Beef ribs dripping with fat, Southern-fried chicken with the skin on, lamb chops, pork chops — you get the idea. But we'd give it all up — and toss milk and eggs in there, too — if you could promise us that every meal we'd eat would be as good as what we get at Green. From the edamame to the tsoynamis (the latter is a soy-based shake with mix-ins, like a Blizzard), everything at Green is good. Not good for you, necessarily, but probably better than a beef rib. The pizza's top-notch and so are the faux wings. We drive across town for the deep-fried samosas. If you're into fake meat, you'll be in heaven. Green's slated to open a Phoenix location soon — and we can't wait.
Supreme Master Ching Hai is a wacky gal. She believes there were once four planets called Venus, that crop circles are road signs for UFOs, and that the world's coming to an end unless you go vegan.The New Age guru may at least have the vegan thing pegged. That is, if you believe climatologists who argue that factory farming of animals for human consumption creates more greenhouse gases than all the world's cars, planes, trains, and buses combined.You don't have to buy all of Hai's teachings, or even revere her as the living Buddha, to enjoy her followers' vegan dishes at the restaurant chain she founded, Loving Hut, which has two locations in the Valley and serves up tasty Asian-fusion fare using faux shrimp, beef, and chicken made of soy or yam. The vegan carrot cake may even make a convert out of ya. Why, just by noshing it, you're helping to end global warming. Who knew going green would taste so sweet?
It ain't much to look at and the hours are sketchy, but Wahsun is a secret worth discovering for those in search of platefuls of authentic Chinese fare at crazy-low prices. In a sparsely decorated room filled with Chinese regulars from the neighborhood, Wahsun's steaming dishes arrive as if they'd been cooked in a bustling home kitchen, packed with fresh ingredients and zero frills. Start with the mammoth, must-have egg rolls, then move on to Mongolian beef or the house chow mein. Those in the know can ask for the Chinese menu and open the door to more "daring" fare like roasted half duck, crispy-skin pork, and a seafood tofu hot pot. Whatever your adventure, make sure to bring the green in this cash-only establishment, not that you'll need much to get an authentic, exceptional Chinese meal — plus you'll leave with leftovers in tow.
James Beard Award-winning chef Nobuo Fukuda proves that delicious Japanese cuisine is eagerly awaiting your hungry mouths right here in the Valley. Teahouse by day and self-described funky izakaya (drinking place) by night, Nobuo at Teeter House transports you to the Land of the Rising Sun with elevated versions of Japanese snack foods such as pork belly buns and panko-fried soft-shell crab sandwiches. The menu is constantly evolving and ready to lead your taste buds on a journey to the Far East, whether you're looking for an extravagant lunch or a nosh over sake.
You know the dried ramen that comes with flavor pouches? Toss that garbage in the trash. Real ramen requires a broth injected with meaty flavors and spices over hours. The noodles form a base on top of which succulent toppings like fatty pork, hard-boiled eggs, naruto fish paste, and bean sprouts are added. Republic Ramen in Tempe is the real deal. In fact, Republic Ramen pays tribute to the Japanese noodle soup standard with miso, shoyu, and shio broth varieties as well as branching out with its spicy Republic Ramen broth. If you prefer udon or soba noodles, Republic Ramen has those, too.
Swing a dead cat in some parts of this town, and you'll hit a Thai restaurant or three. Or nine. There's no shortage of tom yum in these parts, and damned if we can figure out why — but we'll take it. If you want a really special Thai experience, though, head to a part of town where the pickings are slim — east Phoenix. Housed in an old Wendy's (drive-thru still operable for to-go orders!) Sa Bai Modern Thai lives up to its name, offering some new twists on old favorites co-owner Atchara "Holly" Willis enjoyed growing up. Holly is Thai. Her husband is not, but he's got a decade of restaurant management experience, and it shows in the attention to detail in both the food and décor at this sweet little cafe. We are particularly partial to the spicy fried jasmine rice, the pad Thai, and the seafood green curry. Oh, and the tom yum's not to be missed.
As delicious as it is inexpensive, Pho Thanh has become our go-to spot for a quick and easy bite of Vietnamese food. It's pretty obvious that we're not alone, either, because this summer, Pho Thanh doubled in size — taking over the adjacent storefront on the Viet-centric northwest corner of 17th Avenue and Camelback Road. And every time we're in the restaurant, nearly all the tables are full of diners slurping down big bowls of meat-filled pho, diving into tasty servings of bun (vermicelli noodles), or munching on $2.50 (not a typo — they really are that cheap) bahn mi sandwiches that rival, yes, those served at a decidedly more famous Vietnamese sandwich shop in the Southeast Valley. For taste, value ($20 will fill up two hungry people and send them home with leftovers), and cleanliness, Pho Thanh is quickly setting the standard for Vietnamese food in Phoenix.
Your quest for kimchee stops here. Tucked away in a Chandler strip mall, Takamatsu has been serving authentic Korean eats for more than a decade. Watch sweet marinated strips of bulgogi (barbecued beef), pork belly, or tongue cook right at your table or try something a little more challenging, like black goat soup or kimchee bokeum (highly recommended). No worries if you're a Korean food virgin; the staff will walk you through the menu and answer any and all questions. Each entrée is served with an array of Korean sides, including delicious little morsels of mung bean and marinated cucumbers. After you have polished off dinner, your meal is completed with a tiny cup of hot cinnamon tea. It's like dessert without the guilt!
About 10 months ago, the restaurant formerly known as Copper Kettle resurfaced along the light-rail tracks, in the form of Curry Corner. Situated a couple of blocks west of the station at Dorsey Lane and Apache Boulevard, Curry Corner has become one of our favorite new eateries. This mom 'n' pop joint serves bursting-with-flavor Indian-Pakistani food. We love to grab a few friends and order up a whole mess of dishes to share. The last time we were there, we had four entrées, two appetizers, tons of naan, and a couple of drinks. The total? Just about $40. An unbelievable deal, especially when you consider how good the food is. Here's hoping this joint is still around in 2045, when Valley Metro might get around to laying some tracks in your neighborhood.
Oh, how we love Mediterranean/Middle Eastern food. The flavors, the colors, the freshness — the varieties of spelling! We like to make Mideast staples such as hummus and tabbouleh at home, but they never taste quite as good as they do when made by the pros at the Valley's several fine Middle Eastern joints. And that goes double for the great food at Cafe Istanbul. This longstanding restaurant gets it right every time, from its ever-popular chicken shawarma sandwiches to its fine lamb and beef kebabs. Really, though, when we hit up Cafe Istanbul, we want to try a little bit of everything, so we have to choose the two-person Al Amir Combo, an expansive and beautifully arranged platter of all that's good about this particular cuisine. Check it: There's creamy hummus, minty tabbouleh, dolmas (stuffed grape leaves), chunks of feta, baba ghanouj, mujadara, loubieh, moist falafel, chunks of medium-rare lamb, outstanding chicken, possibly the best kefta kebab in the Valley, and all the soft, warm pita bread you want. At $29.95, this generous plate will fill you up just enough that you'll have a little bit of room left to make you want to peruse Cafe Istanbul's lovely dessert case.
Our romance with Greekfest began with a craving for rack of lamb, and it got messy — in a good way — when we also fell in love with this wonderful Greek restaurant's mousaka. And its pastitsio. And its youvetsi! But back to that lamb: You can have it in any number of Greek configurations exohiko, arni psito, or just a simple, lemony rack of lamb, with the robust spices of this gourmet palace. Fresh seafood (the best halibut, swordfish, and salmon) and superb Greek fare served in steaming ceramic pots vie for attention with the delicious aroma of chicken souvlakis turning over crackling fires. Greekfest offers a long list of Greek wine and a wide variety of appetizers, and if you're there on the right night, live music played on the big, gorgeous grand piano will accompany your entrée.
Flavorful, filling, and amazingly affordable cuisine makes for a winning combination at Blue Nile Café. Vegans and carnivores can happily coexist while using moist, tangy injera (a spongy flatbread) in lieu of utensils to scoop up the menu's delectable offerings. We recommend taking in the experience while dining around the colorful woven basket tables called mesobs. There's a multitude of appetizers to choose from, such as the tasty fried samossas (vegetable- or meat-filled fried dough) and vegan Red Sea hummus. After restraining ourselves from licking the hummus bowl clean, we were more than happy to devour our meal of doro wat (tender chicken cooked in a thick, hot berbere sauce) and Blue Nile tebbs (lean beef expertly sautéed in a mixture of onion, green chili, butter, and herbs). The vegetarian dishes are equally alluring, with bean and vegetable dishes infused with aromatic sauces. Be sure to save room for a delicious dessert such as the vegan orange coffee cake and (in true Ethiopian tradition) a drink from the full service espresso bar.
The decadence of French food is unrivaled, but at Petite Maison, they take that real-butter, full-fat approach to gourmet dining. The garden bistro atmosphere is perfect for a romantic night out, and the menu also is dressed to impress. Classic escargot and foie gras share menu space with delicate salads, velvety soups, and rich custards. If it's your first time, you may want to opt for the Staff Meal. Late nights on Thursday through Saturday, the chefs whip up an impromptu menu of their favorite dishes at a discounted price. Whatever you do, don't neglect to end with something sweet!
Spaetzle and schnitzel and sauerbraten! When we're craving sauerkraut and sausages galore, we head to Haus Murphy to satisfy our craving for German food. We recommend the Jager Schnitzel, a tender breaded pork loin that is pan-fried to a golden brown and topped with a luscious brown gravy packed with mushrooms. (The gravy is equally good on the spaetzle.) And whatever you do, save room for dessert. The strudels are fruit-packed pastry perfection, and the German chocolate cake always satisfies, but it's the sauerkraut cake that has us coming back again for seconds. Check Haus Murphy out on Saturdays for the in-house accordion and tuba players.
Granted, this isn't exactly front-page news, but the word is out: Lo-Lo's is one of the must-try restaurants in Phoenix. Neighborhood peeps, tourists, fans of the novel, hangover-nursing hipsters, and, really, just about anybody who understands this concept: fried chicken + waffles = Heaven on Earth. We'll be the first to admit that, years ago, when we first heard of this joint, it seemed an odd combo. Once you try it, though, it instantly becomes as obvious as peanut butter and jelly, Oreos and milk, or biscuits and gravy. Syrup, hot sauce, butter . . . it's all part of the equation. Wash it down with a glass or three of red Kool-Aid, and hasten the onset of your Sunday afternoon food coma with a slice of Lo-Lo's transcendent red velvet cake — and you'll know why Phoenicians have begun calling this place an institution.
If you're looking for Texas barbecue — and nothin' but Texas barbecue — in Phoenix, then Texas BBQ House in South Phoenix is your new favorite 'cue. Armed with family rub recipes, owner (and Texan) Mike Pitt is all about the meat — brisket, barbecued chicken, pork ribs, pork loin, chopped beef, sausage, and turkey — cooked low and slow, smoked over oak wood, and sold deli-style. Dinnerware? Only if it's Texas 'cue style. Your "plate" is a scrap of butcher paper, your "tray" a shallow plastic Pepsi crate — and your "utensils"? Unless we're talking about eating a side dish or dessert, they're hands. Start with the heavenly brisket, then move on to plump and peppery sausages, a sinfully good sandwich of chopped beef, and turkey breast that, thanks to a rosemary rub, tastes like Thanksgiving Day. Stellar sides include mustard-y potato salad, Texas creamed corn with sweet kernels bathed in butter and cream, and pinto beans that taste like the veggie version of the 'cue. Pitt's homemade sauce, if you need it (you probably won't), is on the tables. And make sure to bring the green — this cash-only 'cue joint keeps costs down that way.
When you walk into DeFalco's, you see it and you smell it. We're talking about the love that goes into the homemade hot and cold sandwiches, pasta, and pizza at this mom-and-pop Italian grocery-slash-deli-slash-restaurant. The DeFalcos immigrated to North America from Abruzzi, Italy, in 1903 and passed down generations of recipes for their awesome meatballs and tangy tomato sauce. There's no table service here, but that gives you an opportunity to gaze at the racks of imported Italian goodies as you stand in line (and, at lunch, there certainly is a line). And you'll surely enjoy looking at the deli counter, filled with amazing-looking cheeses, cured meats, and side dishes. When it's time to order off the extensive menu, we like to let the folks behind the counter steer us toward what's good, which might be a mouthwatering meatball sub one day or, as one DeFalco told us, "the best cheesesteak anywhere" the next day. Rest assured, we're already plotting our next visit to DeFalco's, because we have a hunch just about everything on that menu is going to make us happy eaters.
We might have trouble finding a good Jewish deli in these parts (hence the absence of the category in this year's Best of Phoenix) but we have no trouble choosing our favorite Italian deli — Romanelli's, the family-owned Italian deli, grocery, and novelty purveyor that's been on Phoenix's northwest side for more than 25 years. Tearing your eyes away from cases packed with salami, pepperoni, and other classic meats and cheeses and chafing dishes filled with steaming homemade sausages, chicken Parmesan, and spaghetti and meatballs means tackling the menu of over 20 hot, cold, and specialty-style subs, in addition to an array of sandwiches, salads, and sides. Not to worry — friendly Romanelli's staff can guide you to a new favorite. On the way out, make sure to stop by the dessert counter for a chocolate chip cannoli and pick up some fresh-baked Italian bread to take home.
Grandma used to say, "Don't talk with your mouth full." When we're at Il Posto, we're constantly shoving food into our pie holes, because, well, everything they serve there tastes so great. And so, with our faces full of pizza and pasta, we've never gotten around to asking for the ingredients in these and other amazing Italian delicacies served at the former Our Gang diner.
It's just as well. We've been told that the recipes at this North Central Phoenix gem were all handed down from Grandma Brescia, the matriarch of the New York family that founded Il Posto nearly 20 years ago. The Brescia family's quality menu, rustic décor, neighborly feel, and mouthwatering dishes are made all the more appetizing by the warm, friendly patio, a red brick replica of the Manhattan neighborhood where owner Dino Brescia's father grew up.
Sure, a lot of restaurants serve stuffed mushroom caps, but Il Posto's are stuffed with a seasoned mushroom stuffing served in a brandy cream sauce. Brandy cream sauce? That sounds like something Grandma — at least a nice Italian Grandma — might come up with. And spicy corkscrew pasta with Italian sausage, prosciutto, peppers, mushrooms, and onions in a marinara sauce topped with shaved Parmesan — that one hollers "Grandma!" too. In an Italian accent, that is.
Is that red chili we taste in the rigatoni pomodori? Can it be blue cheese in the cream sauce Il Posto ladles over its fluffy, potato-y gnocchi? The Brescias aren't saying. Family recipes are a secret worth keeping, we suppose, especially when they lead to the kind of amazing dishes that come from the secrets that this nice Italian family are keeping.
Somewhere along the way, Phoenix became known as a great pizza town (specifically if you're talking about the gourmet stuff), so it's no easy task to pinpoint the best. This year, though, we have to acknowledge what's become one of our faves, The Parlor. The former beauty salon is simply one of the most comfortable and cool places to eat in a region of Phoenix that's full of them. And the cleverly conceived pizzas are uniformly delicious, with their thin, bubbly crusts, locally raised and processed meats, and fresh produce (many of the herbs and spices are grown on the property). But what tips the scales toward The Parlor in this category this year is what keeps us coming back time and again: the eight-inch pizza for $10. A table of four can order four or five of these dandies, giving everybody a chance to sample, sample, sample without breaking the bank. See you at The Parlor.
When you're a pizzeria that can win the hearts of native New Yorkers, you know that you're serving the perfect slice of Sicily. And Mamma Mia has definitely won its share of Big Apple acolytes. The crust is thin and crispy but still flavorful, and it has the perfect amount of floppiness so it can be folded in half and consumed with gusto. The sauce is tangy and sweet, and the cheese and toppings are always added fresh so you can customize your slice. Two slices and a drink ring in at just under four bucks, so you can afford to add as many toppings as your non-native New Yorker heart desires. We recommend the classic pepperoni, mushroom, and black olive. Mamma Mia, that's a good slice.
Best Neighborhood Pizzeria, Central Phoenix
Pino's Pizza Al Centro
Lucky for us, Pino Martnino, owner and prince of pies at Pino's Pizza Al Centro, left his home in Basilicata, Italy, and came to the Valley to find (and marry) his true love, Lucia. If it weren't for her, we'd be missing out on this friendly neighborhood pizza joint (which the two of them own and run) and on Pino's tight but tasty menu of Italian- and New York-style pies featuring his thin, flaky, and deliciously sweet crust. Choose from specialties like the garlicky white pizza, pasta pizza with signature marinara sauce, the Carnivori (meat lovers) pizza with homemade sausage, or make your own from a list of fresh ingredients. Can't commit to a whole pie? Grab a slice instead — at around three bucks, it's easy to fall in love with a new favorite.
Best Neighborhood Pizzeria, Downtown Phoenix
Cibo Urban Wine Cafe & Pizzeria
For so long, people have loved to loathe downtown Phoenix. Working downtown is bad enough, they scoff, but actually living in the center of the city? Perish the thought! Why, there's no decent grocery store, nowhere to park, you have to step around crackheads to get into Circle K to pay for gas. (Gee, sounds like a real city to us.) But there's one thing downtown Phoenix has that your neighborhood doesn't: Cibo. Not only does this sweet old house have a gorgeous bar and a twinkle-lit brick patio, Cibo's chef serves up some of the best wood-fired pizza this side of Naples. We'd put Cibo's thin, tasty crust up against anyone's. Top it with fresh mozzarella and off-the-vine tomato sauce — and take that, suburbia. Because Cibo serves pizza only at night (meaning if you commuters come at lunch), you'll be greeted with a salad/sandwich menu.
The best Italian food is made with love, something the owners of Amano's know all about. In their 30-year love affair with South Mountain, Eric and Kathy Bower have watched agriculture-heavy Baseline go the way of tract housing, but they embraced the blossoming neighborhood by opening Amano in 2004. This South Phoenix neighborhood haunt offers fresh Italian fare in a relaxing environment. Start with the rajas gratin, a creamy poblano chile-packed dish loaded with onions, garlic, mushrooms and bacon, served with toast points. Then move on to the semolina crust Margherita pizza, eggplant rollatini, or sage-butter gnocchi. Just make sure to save room for their amazing desserts like balsamic-glazed strawberries, hazelnut pot de crème, or the Italian classic, tiramisu.
When you step into Santisi Brothers, you are greeted not by a hostess, but by the electric glow of hundreds of televisions. Don't let the electric wonderland deter you. Delicious pizza awaits those who enter. Thin and floppy NY-style pies are hand-tossed and then topped with cheese and are sauced perfectly. The crust is crisp and slightly buttery, and you can order it an extra-thin or thick Sicilian-style pie. Snag an order of the garlic knots, a tankard of brew, and the hand-tossed White Pizza. While you're waiting, simultaneously enjoy televised golf, football, police procedurals, and the Shake Weight infomercial. Bonus!
At La Piazza al Forno, pizza means two things — Neapolitan and wood-fired. Thanks to homemade mozzarella and dough, San Marzano tomatoes imported from Italy, and recipes from the old country, chef Justin Piazza and his family have been servin' up a tight selection of phenomenal Neapolitans courtesy of a wood-fueled brick oven since they opened their neighborhood eatery in downtown Glendale over three years ago. With plenty of pies to choose from, each on a crispy and thin, but hearty crust with a hint of wood-fired smokiness, the classic margherita or the meaty Italian Stallion are solid standouts, but the star of this pizza show is The Bianca — a wonderfully flavorful white pizza and a garlic lover's dream come true. Like the Piazza family says, "While the square, round, extra thick, or stuffed dough may be what you're used to, it's just not pizza."
With so many pizzerias in the Valley, it takes a certain something special to set your pies apart from the crowd. Floridino's does this in two ways: bargain-basement lunch deals and a little something they like to call pizza muffins. The pizza muffins are a crowd favorite, even if they are a bit more like pizza rolls. Wheels of pizza-dough goodness are packed with ooey, gooey cheese and ham and are more than filling enough to make a meal. Or swing by for their daily lunch specials, which start at just $3.50 and go up to $6. Choose from personalized pastas, pizzas, salads, and antipasta platters that smother your hunger in cheese and leave you enough dough left over to buy dinner.
Venezia's has been around since only the mid-'90s, but this is a college town where restaurant turnover is so high that it's hard to stay on the map through the semester, let alone for well over a decade. Is it Venezia's party pizza, a 24-inch behemoth of a pie? The hot wings, which live up to their name because they're dipped in Frank's Red Hot sauce? Or the killer lunch specials, which ensure starving students can still afford a slice of the good life? Whatever it is, Venezia's has figured out the perfect equation and earns top marks in our grade book.
Most pizzerias claim their secret to the perfect pie lies in the wood-fired oven, but not at Grimaldi's, where they prefer hotter, cleaner-burning coal. Heck, they even claim to tweak the chemistry of the water used to make the flavor more like that found in old NYC. Whatever the secret is, it makes all the difference in creating a mighty fine pie. Grimaldi's is perfect for an intimate dinner for two, a large family-style affair, or a full-on banquet. Regardless of the size of the event, every slice of pizza is loaded with flavor, and the thin crust is some of the best in the Valley. And do yourself a favor — save room for a slice of cheesecake or cannoli at the end of the meal.
Local celebrity chef Aaron May thinks there's a lot to like about downtown Phoenix, and he's putting his money where his boca is by placing his latest restaurant concept, Vitamin T, smack dab in the middle of it. Located in the new CityScape complex along with neighbors Stand Up Live and Oakville Grocery Co., Vitamin T (T is for tacos, tortas, tamales, and tequila) serves up affordable and tasty Mexican street food (including breakfast, a recent addition) to hungry folks grabbing food to go or in need of a place to hang before or after an event. Try anything with the pibil (tender, slow-cooked pork shoulder) in it, and make sure to stop by for happy hour — Vitamin T's tequilas know how to celebrate a comeback. Or an arrival, depending on your position on downtown Phoenix.
News flash: Most restaurants in the Valley are trapped in aesthetically challenged strip malls. Many of these restaurants are very, very good. Still, they are in strip malls, which, by definition, are soul-sucking paeans to crass consumerism and ugly land development. Not House of Tricks, an excellent bistro in the heart of Tempe. Situated in two vintage bungalows just blocks away from busy Mill Avenue, House of Tricks is a welcome respite from so much of what defines the Valley architecturally. That alone would make it a romantic destination, but then there's the cozy, candlelit ambiance, the excellent service, and, of course, the food. The contemporary American menu changes with the season, but like any true classic, the quality never changes. Whether you're looking to impress a date, getting a long-overdue night alone with the spouse, celebrating an anniversary, or, hell, even getting ready to pop the proverbial question, House of Tricks knows how to set the mood for romance.
It's not until you're sitting on the cozy balcony of Cave & Ives Portico Grill watching the cars whiz by on Indian School Road that you realize how few second-story eateries there are in the Valley. Not that there's anything wrong with that. But a meal at the new restaurant from the owners of Sacks the Art of Sandwicherie reminds us of all the elevated streetside dining we enjoyed when we lived back east. An indoor-outdoor bar (stocked with numerous local beers) and balcony fireplace (complete with comfy couch and chairs from which to take in the fire) mean this place will be one of our favorite go-to places when the weather's pleasant. The Mediterranean and Italian influence shows up in the décor and tasty food, which includes charcuterie, an artisan cheese plate, several salads, flatbreads, pizzas, pasta dishes, and a wonderful bowl of steamed clams, garlic, and tomato in a white wine sauce. The way we see it, this place is destined to be an Arcadia favorite for years to come.
Not many restaurants boast a patio as inviting as the interior, but Chelsea's Kitchen, the Central Phoenix eatery of comfort foods and the occasional creative dish, manages to do so. On the bank of a canal, the cozy, foliage-heavy outdoor scene makes you forget that busy Camelback Road is just a block away. Spacious yet intimate, the patio nearly as large as the indoor dining area features a wood-burning fireplace, a bustling indoor-outdoor bar, cushion-topped benches, and clusters of tables and chairs. Enjoy an outdoor lunch with friends or, just before the bistro lights turn on, grab a cocktail and take in a swoon-worthy sunset while Sinatra croons an evening lullaby.
The Pointe Hilton Tapatio Cliffs is perched on high, looking down on Phoenix below, and A Different Pointe of View lets you soak up the desert vibes in a fine-dining atmosphere. Although we recommend sunset for some of the most stunning vistas, there isn't a bad seat in the house any time of day. The outside patio also is a lovely option, provided you aren't afraid of heights, with a huge fire pit and fountain for a bit of extra ambiance. If you want to catch the unforgettable vistas without emptying your pockets — the five-star view comes with five-star prices — order a couple of glasses of wine and an appetizer and feel like a thrifty king.Readers' Choice:
Brunch, that magical pairing of breakfast and lunch, is an underrated meal often flippantly associated with the word "buffet." Eye-rollers may want to direct their attention to the Mediterranean Market Buffet at T. Cook's, the cozy restaurant located inside the Royal Palms Resort and Spa. Every Sunday, in an elegant room done up in colonial Spanish architecture — with palm trees literally growing through the roof — patrons pick up an empty plate and make their way to tables laden with fresh fare and custom creations. Breakfast types will enjoy housemade breads and tasty omelets (Hint: Let the chef surprise you with his own creation), while the lunch set will appreciate fresh seafood, grilled veggies, and marinated cheeses. But hey, at $33 a person, who says you need to pick a side? Just make sure you save room for a treat or two from Executive Pastry Chef Travis Watson's tempting dessert selection.
Late last year, Aaron May's happenin' breakfast place moved out of its old digs in a refurbed Taco Bell on 40th Street to a considerably bigger spot in a Safeway-anchored strip mall about a mile east on Indian School Road. Even with a bigger space, there still are lines out the door on the weekends. No wonder. Over Easy is one of the best breakfast joints in this part of town — or any part of town, for that matter. Whether you're with the family (the kids will dig the bright and whimsical interior, replete with framed pictures of old-school Disney characters) or nursing a hangover with your buddies, it's tough to go wrong with the cheese and jalapeño biscuits and gravy, housemade corned beef hash, outstanding breakfast sandwiches, gut-busting pancakes and waffles, and our personal favorite, the spicy (and filling) chilaquiles. You're going to pay a little more than you might at a mom 'n' pop bacon-and-egger, but for morning munchies this good, it's worth it.
If coffee's not enough to wake you up in the morning, try a pop of color — in the form of the hot-pink furniture and shocking green wall of moss at Province, the restaurant in the brand-new Downtown Westin. When the Sheraton opened down the block a couple of years ago, there was a lot of hoopla, but no one said much when the Westin quietly opened its doors a few months back. We'll say it: This place is way cool! And a great way to start your day. We love the airy lobby (and the airy rooms — we hear the place was originally designed as an office building, meaning higher ceilings) and the funky style, which begins with cool green glass tiles where we stop to valet (free, if you're there to eat) and continues on, particularly in the restaurant. We also love the breakfast menu at Province, which features a mix of old and new favorites, including whole wheat waffles, a Spanish tortilla scramble, and crispy turkey sausage. A friend swooned over housemade cherry scones with whipped butter. Best of all? The coffee kept on coming.
Tucked at the back of The Farm at South Mountain, Morning Glory is our favorite way to start the day when we're in this part of town. You can go with the light fruit and granola or pig out on anything from a down-home "cowboy" breakfast of chili and eggs (with griddled bread!) or white truffle scrambled eggs with fresh local veggies. Best of all (except maybe for mimosas with fresh-squeezed orange juice) is the casual, red-and-white-checked tablecloth atmosphere. Morning Glory bills itself as "Phoenix's only breakfast on a farm," and, come to think of it, they might be right. Just be sure not to visit in the summertime. These folks are civilized — they close for the hottest months of the year.
Sweet potato tots for breakfast? We must be at Tryst Café. We love this place. Everything is reasonably priced, there are plenty of vegetarian and gluten-free options, and they offer organic mimosas and bloodies. We like the buttermilk flapjacks and Belgian waffles, and if it's a decadent kind of day, Tryst lets you smother them in bananas foster, strawberry cheesecake, or candied walnuts. The Hawaiian breakfast with smoked kalua pork is also a welcome twist on traditional breakfast. Just don't forget that side of tots!
Glendalians have it good. It's not easy to find a consistently excellent breakfast joint in the West Valley, but these folks have one right in their backyard. Kiss the Cook is a down-home nod to the prototypical old-fashioned country kitchen: hardwood floors, knickknacks, wicker baskets everywhere you look, retro prices, and a bright, airy atmosphere (thanks to the huge windows overlooking Glendale Avenue). Kindly servers are eager to bring bountiful plates of eggs Benedict (try the crab cake Benny, if you get a chance), huge omelets, waffles and pancakes, and that old stick-to-your-ribs staple: homemade biscuits (soft and fluffy) and gravy (just a kick of pepper and smooth consistency). And most entrees come with a cute little basket holding a variety of tasty mini-muffins. It's that kind of extra touch that truly makes you want to, um, kiss the cook.
Those living near downtown Gilbert are lucky to have Liberty Market, one of the best breakfast spots in the Valley. Come to think of it, even residents outside Gilbert should make the trek for this caliber of good eats. They've got pancakes, scrambles, and all-American B-fasts aplenty, in addition to a fully stocked coffee bar. We recommend the grilled bread pudding, a decadent twist on boring old French toast, with a prosecco-spiked mimosa or a whiskey-laced Irish coffee. Also, make sure to try the grilled flattened meatballs, a breakfast addition that will make you forget all about bacon — at least for the day.
True story: A friend was in town from back east, staying at a Tempe hotel. Went to the front desk, asked for advice about where to grab breakfast. The clerk recommended a place we won't name here, but if you've lived in Tempe for more than five minutes, you are familiar with it — it's been around forever, a little grimy, attracts the natives like flies. An okay post-hangover standby, but not the place you'd send your fancy friend. As our friend tells it, he set off down University, in search of eggs. Luckily, he was headed west, and he's observant. "What's this cute-looking place?" he asked himself. "Maybe I'll stop in."Our friend was lucky, because that cute place was Essence — about as different from that other place as you can get. Essence is a real treat, and we're not just talking about the pastry case, though if you like, we could talk about the pastry case (namely, Essence's famous French macarons) all day. No, we're here to discuss breakfast. From the housemade granola to the hot breakfast cereal to the Quiche Lorraine, every dish is exquisite. Not so hungry? Grab one of Eugenia Theodosopolous' croissants, which are quickly giving the macarons a run for their money, reputation-wise. Really, you can't go wrong here, whatever you order. Just go.
Hidden between SMoCA and a parking garage, the hungry breakfast masses find their way to this cheerful eatery for Orange Table's out-of-this world breakfast and killer sandwiches. Now under new ownership and new management, the service is finally just as good as the food! Known for outstanding green flannel hash, insanely good jalapeño pecan pancakes, and fancy breakfast cocktails that will cure that next-day headache in a heartbeat, this place is well worth a trip off the beaten path. And if for some reason you miss breakfast, the burgers and thick-cut BLT sandwiches will make you forget about that oh-so-most-important meal of the day.
Workday lunches can be a hassle. You've got a gaggle of colleagues all hot and bothered and hungry, with different food tastes and a unified desire to keep costs down. Where to go? If you're lucky enough to have made it to the end of the week, it's a no-brainer: Head to the Downtown Phoenix Market for Food Truck Friday. There, your co-workers can munch on a Short Leash Hot Dog or grilled cheese from Paradise Melts while you get adventurous with Hey Joe's Filipino cuisine — and you can all get crème brûlée (really!) for dessert, thanks to the kind folks at Torched Goodness. The list of options goes on — so now you know where you're having lunch next Friday, too. Now to figure out where to go Monday through Thursday . . .
The Ritz-Carlton often requests the pleasure of our company at its afternoon tea, served in the Lobby Lounge from noon 'til 3 Wednesday through Saturday. And we're eager to oblige! For a meager $36 per person, a full-on, super-elegant English tea hosted by Tea Maitre d' Jeffrey Hattrick is ours. Three courses are served — finger sandwiches, fresh-baked scones, and French pastries — all prepared right at the Ritz and all designed to make one feel ever-so-British Royal. Exclusive tea blends, like White Peach and Provençal, are offered alongside soothing black and green standards like Afternoon Darjeeling, all perfect accompaniments for those tiny tea sandwiches of egg salad, smoked salmon tartare, and cucumber with chive cream cheese. A child's tea offers smaller portions at a lower price point, so bring the kids and get them acquainted with the delightful and rare treat of a real-life tea party.
Beaver Choice. The name may elicit a few giggles, but this fairly new funky Scandinavian eatery is a serious culinary adventure, with hearty ethnic dishes that, chances are, you've never heard of, let alone tasted. Owner and chef Hanna Gabrielsson, who came to the Valley by way of Ontario, by way of Sweden, by way of Poland, uses no more than five fresh ingredients in most dishes — and around three pounds of fresh dill each day — to create a menu of (mostly) Swedish fare, all made-to-order, featuring fish, chicken, hamburgers, and a category simply called "Meat." Dive in to scrumptious schnitzels with a creamy mushroom sauce, melt-in-your-mouth peirogies topped with bacon, traditional cabbage rolls, haddock fillets simmered in heavy cream, and laxpudding (featuring cured salmon, buttery and smooth, served atop a mixture of eggs and potatoes). More daring diners should opt for tins of baked delights such as Jansson's Temptation, made with sweet Swedish anchovies, potatoes and onions, and the exotic Flygande Jakob (Flying Jacob), a Swedish casserole of marinated chicken, bananas, peanuts, and a chili cream sauce with a flavor so surprisingly unique and enjoyable, you'll be glad you got to Beaver Choice before everyone else did.
John Sagasta gave new meaning to the term "kick it up a notch" when he ditched Conspire (the anarchist, vegan doughnut-shilling commune) down the street to open his own joint, Jobot. Jobot's nothing fancy, just a narrow coffee bar with a shaded, misted patio. But with peeling paint, concert fliers, a chalkboard menu, and the best crêpes and coffee in town, it's got all the elements necessary to satisfy even your friends who've upped and moved to Portland (but who somehow show up back in town all the time). Come by for a nutella/banana crêpe, or maybe chorizo (meat lovers are welcome here), or go whole hog and wait for Beats and Brunch, Jobot's Sunday brunch event soon to make a comeback (details on Jobot's website). And keep an eye out for Nachobot, the nacho bar Sagasta plans to open next door.
The next time you just feel the need to get out of the Valley, consider trekking up Scottsdale Road into the tiny burg of Carefree, a genteel, upscale outpost where, as they say, "cowboy meets caviar." This comfortable restaurant is all about Southwestern look and feel, with a spacious tree-lined patio as well as a covered porch with a fireplace in the corner, perfect for outdoor dining on a beautiful fall or spring evening. The impressive wine and beer list complements a menu heavy on sandwiches, burgers, salads, and a number of Southwestern dishes that, despite the aging population of this little town, don't skimp on flavor or spice. For starters, try the Desert Tears, four jalapeño peppers hollowed out and filled with either crab meat and cheese or chorizo. The dish's name is appropriate, as its heat had our eyes watering. The carnitas taco, topped with guacamole and salsa verde, surprised us with its bold taste and juicy pork. And the chilaquiles were honestly among the best we've tried in the Valley. So, the next time your out-of-town family members invade, and they want to go shopping for kokopellis, turquoise, and cowboy art, you could do worse than a trip up to pretty Carefree and a Southwestern meal at Carefree Station.
Smell something delicious amid the Beanie Babies and back issues of Time magazine?Chances are you've stumbled onto Pittsburgh Willy's, hidden home of gourmet hot dogs and Pittsburgh favorites, courtesy of Randy (a.k.a. "Willy") Walters. Located inside the Merchant Square Antique Mall in Chandler, Willy's occupies a small nook and sports an ordering counter, a few tables, and Steelers memorabilia covering every inch of available space. Gourmet hot dogs like the Wild Willy, an all-beef dog topped with butter-drenched ham and melted cheddar piled into a sesame seed bun, make up much of the menu, along with specialty sandwiches, signature "Willy Chili," and Steel City Sliders. Those in the know, including transplanted Pittsburghers, line up for Willy's homemade pierogis, cushioned orbs of dumplings stuffed smothered in butter and onion. They're a secret within a secret, and a delicious one at that.
A few bucks flipped on the table? Adding a percentage to the sales receipt? Borrr-ing. When it comes to creativity in the gratuity department, Kitchen 56, the new Arcadia restaurant serving up everyday American comfort food and a few Italian favorites, asks that tips come in the form of beers and a bell. Whether it's delicious pan borracho (drunk bread), a tasty salami and sopresatta sandwich, or a lip-smacking bowl of slow-roasted pork with pasta, if you like what you're eating (and there's a good chance you will) send the kitchen a six-pack of PBR for 10 bucks. When you do, a bell will ring, letting you know your gesture was appreciated and that, for all its casual class, Kitchen 56 hasn't lost its sense of humor.
Part pop culture museum, part photo scrapbook, and all in good fun, Captain Bills Subs has been entertaining the eyes of neighborhood locals hungry for a sub and a smile for 30 years — most even grew up with the old-school grinder joint. From Ronald McDonald hanging from a noose to oversize household items on the walls to hundreds of nearly-naughty bumper stickers and photos of customers and employees covering whatever space remains in a jam-packed room with a few tables and booths, patrons can be seen ogling the décor while munching on cheap subs like the Famous Italian and the New York Beef and Cheese. Captain Bills may have been "putting the meat between the buns since 1981," but it's the kitsch that makes us crave it.
Frybread is a staple of Native American cuisine, so it makes sense that even Kai, a Native American fusion restaurant that's one of the Valley's top upscale eateries, would make a version. Kai's up-market take on the humble dessert doesn't disappoint. Chef Michael O'Dowd's "Traditional Frybread from the Teachings of the Elders" (long, flowery names are part of the Kai experience) comes with goat's milk ice cream, berries, and candied nuts. It's $12 — that's on top of the $49 you'll spend for the buffalo tenderloin entrée — but it won't disappoint. Like everything else we've had at Kai, it's absolutely perfect. Crisp, golden dough is paradoxically light yet substantial, and the tart ice cream and sweet toppings blend to create the best frybread you'll ever eat. Just don't tell the nice lady at your favorite little roadside frybread stand about this — she'd be justified in jacking up the price on your bourgeois ass.
When it comes to bread, master baker Michael John sure knows what he's doing. Sharing space with his gifted wife, Tammie Coe, MJ cranks out beautiful loaves of sourdough, rye, and wheat. As a testament to his quality, you can find his bread at Phoenix favorites such as the Breadfruit, Postino, and Bertha's Café, to name a few. Or just pay a visit to the little shop on Roosevelt Row and pick up a perfectly crusty baguette for your next dinner party or one of their amazing turkey sandwiches on a tender ciabatta roll.
There's nothing fancy about Back East Bagels — and that's what we love. Just bagels in wire baskets and kind folks to serve them. Yes, you can get espresso drinks and pastries, but this is the only place in town we've found that knows how to make a bagel just right. The secret's out, because we've found ourselves more than once in a long line on a Sunday morning, craning and wincing, waiting to see if the person in line will order that last everything bagel and relegate our morning to mere poppy seeds or a cinnamon raisin. No worries, more will be out of the oven soon — warm and fresh, just as a bagel should be. And with 21 bagel flavors, chances are you'll find a few you can live with.
Got a hankerin' for some gyro euphoria? George Salvaridis of George's Famous Gyros understands. A first-generation Greek growing up in Chicago, Salvaridis pimped pitas in his father's eateries from the age of 8, then moved to Greece for a spell before landing his own gyro eatery in Scottsdale. Made with choice ingredients (including a 20-year-old tzatziki recipe) and soft, puffy pita bread, try the original stacked with seriously good seasoned meat, or kick it up a notch with the Gyro Picado. Like a kick to the Greek groin, the Picado serves up flavorful meat with a spicy helping of grilled onions, peppers, and jalapeños. And don't forget the crazy-addictive French fries — they're almost as famous as George's gyros.
James Beard Award-winning chef Christopher Gross, of Christopher's Restaurant and Crush Lounge in Central Phoenix, may be best known for his command of French cuisine, but what most folks may not know is that he makes a damn fine hamburger, too. Sit at a table or belly up to the kitchen bar and start with the eight-ounce patty of perfectly prepared Angus chuck, then choose from toppings of Gruyère, Mimolette, cheddar, or blue cheese, mushrooms, shallots, and crispy bacon on a soft, delicate bun for a sumptuous flavor sensation — just don't call it a "cheeseburger."
The hot dog is a wonder of utilitarian food work. Its simplicity is one of the reasons it has endured for years. But sometimes you get a wild urge, and dousing bun and meat tube with ketchup and mustard just won't cut it. That's when you go to Maui Dog, where culinary daredevil John Stamatakis pays tribute to the island flavors that inspired him, piling coconut, spicy mayo, and pineapple on his signature Maui Dog. It may sound like a strange proposition, but the combination of sweet, savory, and spicy works. Stamatakis' secret is the bun: slightly tangy bread that recalls the best elements of classic Hawaiian rolls. Grub-on-the-go hot dogs are fine, but sometimes a messy wonder like the Maui Dog is worth sitting down for.
In a tiny storefront on McDowell Road, they're making a whole bunch of sausage — and, boy, is it good. In fact, they've been making sausage at Stanley's for damn-near 50 years, and it was the first Polish deli in Phoenix. Today, Polish is just one ethnicity represented. Also hanging behind the two middle-aged Polish women running the joint are links of Hungarian, Yugoslavian, Swedish, and Italian sausage. And then there's ham, hot dogs, capiccola, prosciutto, bologna, bratwurst, salami, and at least a dozen kinds of cheese. Oh, and there's meatloaf, roast beef, and, of course, pierogis. It's a meat lover's dream. You can buy the stuff and run or stick around to nosh on one of Stanley's 21 different sub sandwiches. We've had more than a few of them, and we're here to say that you won't be disappointed if sausage is your thing. And if sausage isn't your thing, well, we're not sure we can be friends anymore. Sorry.
Restaurants often give a nod to charcuterie with a single entry; Mbar's tapas menu is a standout with its range of choice bits. First, we'll explain the tapas. Three categories of small plates are listed on the tapas menu at Mbar: pinchos (snacks), tapas de pescado (seafood), and caza menor, which means "small hunt." The dishes listed here include a variety of nose-to-tail treats: offal, small game, salumi, and charcuterie. Guided by Prado chef de cuisine Peter DeRuvo's commitment to carefully sourced ingredients and delivering delectable flavors, each dish is accented with fresh, local vegetables, house-brined giardiniera, heirloom legumes, or wild greens. The variety of dishes inspires sharing. Try the surprise flavor of "Zoe" salumi decocoa or more traditional "Redondo Inglesia's" Serrano ham, and follow with the Merguez lamb sausage, heirloom legumes, and wild oregano. The beef heart with pickled radish, arugula, and aged balsamic is as tender as the beef tongue and unctuous headcheese on the house charcuterie plate. Tripe lovers will treasure DeRuvo's treatment — "Fiorentina" style served with sofrito, polenta, and duck egg. In the tradition of the house, the menu changes with the seasons. In other words, you'll be back.
Aaron May's now-defunct Sol y Sombra barely registers as a blip on our nostalgia radar anymore, in large part to the fact that his equally ambitious Iruña has dandily filled the tapas gap in this town. Iruña offers the same stellar cornerstone tapas that put May on the map, including patatas bravas, tortilla española, and pollo colonial. Iruña has also updated the menu with a variety of fresh seafood, including Pulpo Escabeche (tender, marinated baby octopus) and artichokes with clams, which features a broth we could literally drink by the tankard. Whatever tapas you choose, grab a specialty cocktail or a tall glass of sangria to wash it down.
In 1985, Dave Taylor of Taylor's Chowder House started dipping Alaskan coldwater cod in his signature batter of tempura and "regular" batter (a concoction he got from a friend in Utah) for his fish and chips, a menu item that quickly became a best seller. Dave's no longer a part of the west-side seafood staple he established, but his Alaskan cod dinner (a.k.a. fish and chips) is no less popular. Lightly battered and seasoned, deep-fried, and tender and flaky, these scrumptious swimmers arrive with tips pointing heavenward. And if you like a little kitsch with your fish, there's no end to the nautical-themed eye candy — it hasn't changed since it washed up at Taylor's over 20 years ago.
The name Ingrid Bengis may not ring a bell for some, but for many of the nation's top restaurants like The French Laundry in Yountville, California, and Le Bernardin in New York her company, Ingrid Bengis Seafood, sets the standard for the highest quality in fishy fare. Lucky for us, Noca, a modern American cuisine establishment in Central Phoenix, counts Ingrid Bengis among its suppliers. From tastings to simple suppers to featured dishes, Noca may not bill itself as a seafood restaurant — but who cares when you're feasting on fresh crab salad, mussels, and herb-crusted halibut? Those in the seafood know get to Noca on Wednesdays, where a buttery, gourmet version of the lobster roll is truly a delicious catch.
Usually, we stay fairly close to home when we're heading out for sushi. That is, until we tried Shimogamo. Now, we have no problem driving out to the southwest corner of the Asian-centric intersection of Warner and Ray in Chandler. This tiny storefront, connected to C-Fu Gourmet, won us over immediately — from the talkative and friendly sushi chef and the ever-gracious owner and his wife (they are Japanese immigrants, unlike many owners of Valley sushi joints, who tend to be from South Korea or China) to the beautiful and classic sashimi, nigiri, and maki. Try the buttery salmon and escolar sashimi. We especially enjoyed the mackerel, presented as sashimi, but with the rest of the body flash-cooked and sculpted with a torch and placed in a bed of daikon to make it appear as though it were jumping out of the water. We gobbled it all up. Gimmicky sushi rolls are not Shimogamo's game, as the restaurant focuses on the traditional. That's okay with us. That just tells us Shimogamo is the real deal.
Bring a group of friends to Phoenix Palace to experience the ultimate in Chinese brunches — dim sum. Har gow, shu mai, char siu bao, dan tat. To the uninitiated, this list may just look like a jumble of syllables. To those who enjoy good dim sum, that list is anything but unintelligible. Delicate har gow rice-wrapped shrimp balls, steamed shu mai dumplings, snowy char siu bao buns filled with tender barbecued pork, and eggy custard-filled dan tat tarts are all pitched by ladies pushing carts loaded to the max with these delights and more. Enjoy the hot tea, engage in a good amount of pointing (to bridge the language barrier), and don't be afraid to try new things, because most dishes on the menu are about three bucks. Before you know it, you'll be ready to tackle the chicken feet.
What the heck is a hot pot? Remember that little craze in the '70s called fondue? Well it's back, only this time with an Asian twist. Chef Johnny Chu (formerly of Lucky Dragon and Fate, currently of Sens) brought this L.A. trend to Chandler last year. Like most ethnic joints in this town, Tien Wong resides in an easily overlooked strip mall in Chandler. But step through the doors of this sleek eatery, and the aroma of spicy broth will help you forget where you are. Sit down, choose your broth (watch out for the spicy one, it's no joke), meats, veggie, noodles, and then cook everything yourself. It's great fun. Bring your friends, so you can try all the fun stuff, like cuttlefish, black pork (it's not actually black), razor clams, Korean pumpkin, and spicy tofu. Save room for dessert — the green tea cheesecake is delish!
What Noodles Ranch lacks in the rustic, no-frills, cheap-as-dirt charm you'll find at some of the Valley's pho joints, it makes up for in bold flavors and a classy but casual setting befitting its South Scottsdale address. We crave the fragrant bowls of pho (we're partial to the pho ga va rau xanh, containing high-quality chicken chunks, broccoli, and baby bok choy), tastefully presented plates of bun (try the bun ba xao, with stir-fried beef, zesty lemongrass, and peanuts), or the Viet spin on that old standby pad Thai. Of course, the foundation for all these dishes (and the reason for this Best Of) is the stellar noodles, freshly made and cooked consistently well every time. Sure, the zingy spices and fresh meat and veggies might be the attention grabbers, but it's the soft and wide rice noodles, slurp-worthy vermicelli, and flavorful egg noodles that do the heavy lifting at Noodles Ranch. And for that, we must recognize their contributions to our happy dining.
There is just one restaurant's phone number stored in our smartphone, and it is that of Arcadia institution La Grande Orange. And there is just one reason that number is on speed-dial: LGO's chicken wings. Yeah, we really do love these things that much. If it's Sunday night, there's a good chance we're ordering two dozen wings (hey, they're awesome cold the next day, too) and a salad to take home and chow down in front of a baseball game or a disc from Netflix. If we're hosting a party, we're ordering seven or eight dozen (and that never seems to be enough, by the way; our guests scarf 'em down like there's no tomorrow). We're hard-pressed to think of a local joint whose wings are as big and meaty as LGO's, and we love that they're baked, not fried, and tossed in a peppery sauce that boasts tang and spice in equal measure. Okay, we know what you're thinking: We've totally over-hyped these babies — and we'll admit that they aren't cheap ($14 for a dozen) — but we stand by our proclamation that LGO's wings are the very best in Phoenix.
At Rock-N-Roll Fingers, there's only one thing you need to ask yourself: "Do I want the big box of chicken fingers or the small box of chicken fingers?" Because at Rock-N-Roll Fingers, they raise the kids' menu classic to new heights of deliciousness. The all-white chicken fingers are fresh, never frozen, breaded by hand and golden-fried to order. A big pile of waffle fries on the side, a slice of buttery Texas toast, and a couple of special sauces are the perfect accompaniments. If you're feeling brave, get your fingers buffalo-style and let them take a dip in Frank's Red Hot. With this much juicy fried chicken and all the classic rock tunes you can handle, lunch will never be the same.
If ever there was a time for comfort food, this is the year, and when it comes to the simple satisfaction of consuming a hot plate of delicious Southern-fried chicken, Mrs. White's Golden Rule Cafe, the soul food eatery in downtown Phoenix, is the place to do it. Name your preference for dark or white meat, then wait for your plate of succulent fried fare to arrive — steaming, golden brown, and coated in a crispy, lightly seasoned batter. With a choice of two sides including red beans, mac and cheese, and cabbage, and a chunk of homemade corn bread, this plateful of pleasure is nothing short of feel-better goodness.
Debate about Big Earl's all you want — but pork ribs are one thing this Scottsdale-ified faux smokehouse does right. Tender with a pleasant gnawability and great flavor, these racks of pretty pink pork are the first thing chef and owner James Porter should haul to safety if the joint ever catches fire. We recommend you order a rack to go with an extra piece of cornbread on the side. Whatever you do, don't add any extra sauce. Enjoy.
Stacy Phipps, owner and chef of Stacy's Smokehouse, makes some crowd-pleasing 'cue — no wonder he recently opened a second location in Scottsdale. What makes it so drool-worthy? In part, the signature sauce. Rich and sugary sweet, we like it slathered on ribs, beef brisket, and rib tips, the tender smoked meat flavor coming courtesy of almond and hickory woods. Good thing there's homemade cornbread for soppin' once you've crushed the 'cue. We'd better hope that Phipps has plans to bottle and sell his signature sauce in the near future so we can savor it anytime.
Okay, you're right: Guy Fieri did not go to Matt's Big Breakfast for a salad. But, hey, we know way more about this town than that bleached-blond douchebag, and we're here to tell you that the thing to get at Matt's (particularly if you're not a fan of breakfast-for-lunch or your doctor's cut you off from burgers cooked in butter) is the Cobb. This is the best Cobb salad we've ever had: Fresh romaine is tossed in a giant white bowl, then drowned in hunks of tomato, blue cheese, chicken, scrambled egg, and bacon (because, yes, Matt's bacon is so thick it slices into hunks) and tossed in your choice of dressing. We prefer the non-traditional balsamic, but go for ranch if you're feeling rich. If the Food Network ever does a show featuring just salads, we bet they'll be back at Matt's door.
Chris Bianco, owner of Pizzeria Bianco and Pane Bianco, has spent years putting good food on the table. Now, he's putting it in cans — big, honkin' yellow cans. The James Beard Award-winning chef has teamed up with California cannery expert Rob DiNapoli to create Bianco DiNapoli tomatoes. Organically grown, harvested, and hand-selected on a family farm in Yolo, California, the plum-shaped beauties are steam-peeled before being packed into their jumbo 102-ounce homes with organic basil and a touch of sea salt. Offload one from the artisanal product shelves at Pane Bianco and use it to make everything from marinara sauce to salsa, then display the empty container — its label, like its contents, is artistic goodness.
Chef Charleen Badman is such a good girl when it comes to making us want to eat our vegetables. Last year, her leeks put Scottsdale on the culinary map and in the pages of Bon Appetit magazine. She has a way with spinach and, this spring, got an entire school to eat cauliflower. Over the past year, weve gobbled her fried green tomatoes, spicy broccoli, and her famed leeks, and her latest menu features dishes including corn, okra, and half of a grilled eggplant. We cant wait.
"You'd better eat your vegetables." How many times have you heard that in your life? Yeah, too many to count. We happen to love the green stuff, but we sure do know plenty of folks who aren't crazy about veggies. Of course, most of those people might change their minds after trying Tryst Cafe's beer-battered green beans. Even after a dip in the fryer, these babies (locally grown and organic, like most of Tryst's food) keep their snappy crispness and brilliant green color. The light beer batter is flavorful and crunchy and, most important, used sparingly enough that you see plenty of the bean and you don't feel weighted down with the grease-and-batter overload you get with so many deep-fried appetizers. The plate of beans comes with a quartet of dipping sauces, but you know what? You don't really need these accessories. In fact, the time it takes to choose a sauce and then dip your bean in it is time lost in the scramble to eat as many of these treats as possible before your friends beat you to it.
We can't think of another beer more anticipated then Four Peaks' seasonal Pumpkin Porter. In fact, we know people who actually plan their Arizona vacations around its release. Every year, we count down the days 'til the outstanding blend of sweet pumpkins, roasted malt, and a touch of cinnamon and nutmeg shows up on the towering blackboard of beers at this popular Tempe brew house. Not only does it taste amazing, but it has the power to turn just about everybody in town into lovers of craft beer. The Pumpkin Porter shows up right around Halloween and, to our dismay, disappears much more early than we would like.
Instead of chancing an errant thorn in the thumb, let Flancer's Café in Gilbert take the ouch out of harvesting and preparing prickly pear fruit. The sweet, red fruit has a flavor almost like kiwi-strawberry and goes great with chicken. Try Flancer's crispy sweet-and-spicy chicken wings doused in sticky prickly pear sauce. Or snag a Caesar salad with a twist: a sweet and tangy prickly pear-glazed chicken breast to balance the salty Cesar dressing. The same prickly pear-marinated chicken breast also makes a mean sandwich slathered with green chile mayonnaise. If you haven't overdosed on prickly pear yet, order fresh squeezed prickly pear lemonade spiked with vodka to wash it all down.
It's a staple of dining in the Valley, and when it's done well, it makes you thrilled to be a resident of the Southwest. At Casa Reynoso, the pork chile verde is done just right, whether it's in a burrito, on a plate of cheese enchiladas, in a chimichanga, or simply served in a steaming bowl with a side of fresh flour tortillas. This old-school joint has been around for decades, part of an empire of Mexican restaurants that became famous in the Globe-Miami area (many locals say these cities east of the Valley are among the best places in Arizona to get Southwest-inspired Mexican grub). Sizable chunks of pork, slices of jalapeño, and an aromatic blend of spices in a green sauce (not too spicy, but not too mild, either) are what has made the homey, traditional Casa Reynoso a longtime destination for generations of Tempe residents.
We've tried several of the ice cream flavors at this sweet new little shop adjacent to hip gastropub Windsor, but the peanut butter ice cream is truly a transcendent experience. We don't know what they put in this ice cream — and don't tell us, or we'd be making it at home and consuming it by the gallon. Better it require a trip across town and interaction with another human being to get our fix. Rich, creamy, flavorful — it's your best peanut butter dream come true. Order it in a pretzel cone and try not to swoon in public. Or weep.
Like it or not (and we like it), the bacon trend isn't going away anytime soon. Helen Yung and Jan Wichayanuparp, owners of Sweet Republic, one of the best ice cream shops in the Valley and, according to Bon Appetit magazine, the entire U.S. of A., have a fondness for the meat candy as well. Made in small batches and available when it's available, Sweet Republic's "I Heart Bacon" is a cool creation made with addictive bits of caramelized smoked bacon and crazy-fresh ingredients. And if snagging a scoop or picking up a pint isn't an option that day, a bag of Sweet Republic's chocolate bacon brittle is a satisfying substitute.
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We're salted caramel fanatics. There's something magical about how a pinch of sea salt adds new dimensions to our sweet and tacky caramel favorites. Bite Me Brownie realizes the harmony of this pairing and offers up one of the best choco-caramel nibbles we've had in ages. Crispy, crunchy chocolate brownie batter is topped with a luscious caramel spread and a sprinkling of fancy sea salt. Every bite is the ideal combination of sweet, salty chocolate. Plus, each brownie comes in its own cute little tin. Portion control and freshness all wrapped up in a ready-to-go container.
We're salted caramel fanatics. There's something magical about how a pinch of sea salt adds new dimensions to our sweet and tacky caramel favorites. Bite Me Brownie realizes the harmony of this pairing and offers up one of the best choco-caramel nibbles we've had in ages. Crispy, crunchy chocolate brownie batter is topped with a luscious caramel spread and a sprinkling of fancy sea salt. Every bite is the ideal combination of sweet, salty chocolate. Plus, each brownie comes in its own cute little tin. Portion control and freshness all wrapped up in a ready-to-go container.
Like many of our favorite finds in the Valley, El Coquito is located in a nondescript strip mall, which masks the soulful Puerto Rican food within. Indulge all you want, but make sure to leave room for a bit of something sweet to end it right. At El Coquito, the vanilla flan is that perfect end, a light and eggy custard surrounded by a dark caramel sauce that's not too sweet and has a slightly burnt, nutty flavor. We suggest you pair the flan with the house café con leche, which will truly help push you into sugar-high territory. If you were smart enough to BYOB, you could even add a nip of something special to your coffee to accentuate an already delightful flan.
Dunkin and the Kreme are well and good, but when we're looking for more than just a fried lump of dough, we look to LaMar's. At LaMar's, they have perfected doughnut artistry with gigantic 'nuts that are bready, soft, and doughy, with a slight crisp and a liberal coating of glaze. Apple fritters, chocolate iced crullers, raspberry-filled Bismarcks, glazed cake doughnuts, buttermilk bars, or the original glazed — whatever your donut of choice is, they've got it. Our favorite is the maple bar, a perfectly sweetened pillow of dough coated in the best maple glaze outside Vermont. We also recommend the cinnamon bun, a pastry so huge you should split it with someone else. That way you can justify a second doughnut (fairly) guilt-free. Variety is the spice of life, after all!
We like them fruit-filled; we like them filled with nuts or cream. We just like pie. Chow Bella, New Times' food blog, likes pie so much we sponsored a Pie Social last November on Roosevelt Row. A last-minute entry in the social's celebrity chef contest was Chef Justin Beckett's fig and pecan pie. His combination of fruit and nut filling took the prize for best taste, most creative, and most memorable. We liked Justin Beckett's pie so much we had to mention it again. Turns out, Southern, Cajun, and Texas bakers have led the way, dressing up pecan pie with an addition of figs for some time. Now, Arizona has a place on the pie map — specifically, at Beckett's Table, where Beckett adds a scoop of cream cheese and citrus zest ice cream, enhancing the balanced texture of the smooth and crunchy slice, which already was a winner.
Forget about their awesome sandwiches — we'll make a special trip to Bertha's just for the homemade cookies. Beth Goldwater and her team are busy baking up rich chocolate chip, peanut butter, and — our personal favorite — the Sinfully Good cookies. The mix of oatmeal, chocolate, and other deliciousness will make you crave them just as much as we do. Okay, so every sandwich does come with a tiny chocolate chip cookie — but that will only make you want to spring for the full-size version or grab a bag of the miniature white chocolate double chocolate cookies to cram in your face on the drive home.
Smartly located next to Michael Pollack's discount movie theater at Elliot and McClintock, this little bakery is churning out some of the most beautiful cupcakes we have ever seen — and they taste as good as they look. It's run by a husband-and-wife team as sweet as their treats, and the pretty-in-pink décor can be overwhelming, but we will happily ignore it when we're dying for one of their Pink Cadillac cupcakes: moist pink champagne cake with just a touch of sugary buttercream frosting — pure yum. They also make pretty cake pops for those of you who can't handle the entire cupcake experience.
Honey Moon Sweets makes custom pies, cakes, and pastries for any occasion. They also have their fingers on the pulse of our sugar-laced arteries, from the cupcake fad to pies galore. Even the latest trend, cake pops, have their tasty place at the dessert table. There's no need to place a special order, either. (Unless you want something along the lines of a custom wedding cake, of course.) Just swing by their storefront to pick up an assortment of sweets. Hit up Honey Moon Sweets before work to snag an assortment of pastries to woo your colleagues, and if those same folks just made your life hell, hit them up after work for a couple of cookies, bars, or pick-me-up pastries. You deserve it.
We've been known to sup at one end of town, hop in the jalopy, and cruise over to the other end of town just to finish off the night with one or two of Cowboy Ciao's deservedly famous meal-enders. And thanks to pastry chef and dessert diva Country Velador, there isn't a clunker on the menu. The Bread Pudding Overboard gets a lot of buzz (with its brown sugar streusel and American Oak ice cream), but what really knocked us out was the Spumoni Americano — a delicious twist on the classic Italian ice cream topped with strawberry cake batter semifreddo, pistachio marshmallow fluff, and, for good measure, a chocolate pretzel. If that weren't enough, the whole creation sits atop a chocolate shortbread cookie. And that's not all. The White Chocolate Blondie (served with brown butter ice cream), crème fraîche cheesecake (with, gulp, banana butterscotch sauce), house-made doughnuts, ever-changing flavors of birthday cake, and pie! (their exclamation point, not ours) round out what is the best dessert menu in town — if not the galaxy.
If you don't like cookie dough, you can move along. Go on to the next Best of Phoenix entry. Otherwise, come sit next to us. Check it out: a skillet brimming with sizzling hot, half-baked chocolate chip cookie dough, smothered in vanilla ice cream. On second thought, what are you doing sitting so close? Go get your own pizza cookie. Just kidding — this thing will feed a whole tableful of folks, whether you've chosen to indulge first in Oregano's savory offerings or you're just here to drink and snack. In either case, the combination of hot, soft cookie and cold, hard ice cream is not to be missed.
Editor's note: The content of this Best of Phoenix award has changed since its original version.
Shaved-ice treats on a mobile cart — how very Phoenix. The gals of Double D Lite quit their day jobs in the corporate grind to spend more time outside in their cute traveling cart, serving up flavored shaved ice. They also take it up a notch and pour cream on the ice to make it a rich treat that will have you asking, "Did I really eat all of that?" They'll travel anywhere in town to share their icy confections with a crowd. Thinking outside the box? They'll work with you and make you something cold and dreamy.
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There's ice cream and then there's Crave ice cream. With an artist's flair for flavors and a purist's position on using only natural and fresh ingredients, Crave owner and founder Shannon Dufresne, who worked under celebrated local sweet-treat queen Tracy Dempsey is all about homemade, stone-cold goodness from start to finish. Starting with a homemade base (something most ice cream joints buy pre-made), Dufresne whips up signature flavors like fresh mint chip, ripe strawberries and cream, roasted banana toffee, and her favorite, salted caramel, then uses a gelato machine for a dense texture that holds the goodness together. Pick up a pint at the Phoenix Public Market or Luci's Healthy Marketplace, or ask for Crave at your favorite restaurant — Dufresne works with several in the Valley.
There's ice cream and then there's Crave ice cream. With an artist's flair for flavors and a purist's position on using only natural and fresh ingredients, Crave owner and founder Shannon Dufresne, who worked under celebrated local sweet-treat queen Tracy Dempsey is all about homemade, stone-cold goodness from start to finish. Starting with a homemade base (something most ice cream joints buy pre-made), Dufresne whips up signature flavors like fresh mint chip, ripe strawberries and cream, roasted banana toffee, and her favorite, salted caramel, then uses a gelato machine for a dense texture that holds the goodness together. Pick up a pint at the Phoenix Public Market or Luci's Healthy Marketplace, or ask for Crave at your favorite restaurant — Dufresne works with several in the Valley.
This quaint little indie ice cream shop has weathered the corporate abandonment of Mill Ave and has even stayed afloat with a Cold Stone (now Sparky's) Creamery right next door. One bite of the perfectly baked, thin-yet-chewy cookies (made from scratch from the owner's family recipes and baked on-site), and you'll understand how this little shop comes out on top. Pick your favorite cookie, then choose one of the premium ice creams, and squish it all together for an unbeatable treat. We love the cinnamon goodness of the snickerdoodles paired with creamy vanilla ice cream or the chocolate chip cookie dough overload — cookie dough ice cream between two chocolate chip cookies. Cookiez on Mill even has soy-based treats for you crazy vegans. Yum!
You're an adult. You drive your own car, you pay for your own place, you go out to bars — but you still use root beer in your floats? Shameful. Grow up and splosh your ice cream in a mug of Inebriator, a thick, rich, chewy stout from Sonoran Brewing Company. With mighty flavors of peanut, molasses, milk chocolate, and hot cocoa, the beer's a perfect pair to vanilla ice cream. Plus, it's, you know, inebriating. Yay, adulthood!
If there are two things on Earth that should elope and never look back, it's ice cream and booze. A true match made in Heaven. Lee's Cream Liqueur has brought Heaven to Earth (Old Town Scottsdale, to be exact) with its boozy concoctions of ice cream and your favorite hard liquors. All your favorites from your, um, drinking days are here: Black Russian with Kahlua, Alabama Slammer with Southern Comfort, Mai-Tai, and even a prickly pear ice cream spiked with tequila. The liquor-laced ice creams are strictly for the 21-and-over crowd but Lee's also offers non-booze-filled flavors, too, like banana Oreo cookie.
When Richardson's, one of our favorite Valley restaurants, went up in flames a couple of summers ago, we were heartbroken — not only because we loved Richardson Browne's spicy New Mexican food so much, but because we figured his tiny sister restaurant, Dick's Hideaway, was destroyed, too, as they share the same strip mall on the northwest corner of 16th Street and Bethany Home Road. Thankfully, Dick's was spared, and we found ourselves right back at the copper-plated bar once again, ordering up all our favorites — the wonderful fish tacos, the delicious shrimp quesadillas, the roasted Anaheim chiles filled with twice-baked potato, the bountiful off-the-menu serving of chips, salsa, and guac — that were on Dick's and Richardson's common menu. We love grabbing one of the handful of seats at the bar, sipping on a Tecate with lime, and feeling the heat from the grill (which is just feet in front of you) while talking about the day's events or just zoning out while watching a game on the high-def flat-screen hanging above the grill. When visitors come to town, we take them to Dick's. When we need a dose of Southwestern flavors, we go to Dick's. When we're looking for something tried and true, we go to — you got it — Dick's. See you there.
Grub and suds and a bit of bullshit best describe JT's Bar & Grill, the neighborhood Arcadia hideaway of owner John Taylor. The tiny, dimly lit room filled with tributes to the owner's three loves — sports, Marilyn Monroe, and the Rolling Stones — boasts a solid selection of standard bar fare that doesn't disappoint. The tongue-in-cheek menu features south-of-the-(Canadian)-border specialties like beef "ques-a-ma-dias," "chicken feet" (fried chicken strips), and ABS appetizers (JT's way of saying you won't have nice abs if you eat these) like Awesome Onion Rings and spicy meat tater skins. Our favorites are the Yes-Wings, fried, tossed in "suicide hot sauce," then grilled, and the mushroom burger packed with fresh 'shrooms with a melted layer of Swiss cheese. Daily deals on the grub mean extra green for another cold one to wash it all down with — and that ain't no BS.
We'll be honest: The whole "gastropub" thing has kinda fizzled with us as a trend. Give us a food truck or a pop-up any day. Maybe that's because, until recently, there hasn't been a good gastropub in town. Welcome, Windsor. Named for its 'hood, Windsor Square, this hip, charming spot is just what the real estate doctor ordered (remember what Postino did for the area just west of Arcadia?!). Windsor Square doesn't really need anyone's help in that department, but it was in need of another spot for a nosh and a drink, and that's just what Windsor offers, in a rehabbed old building with a charming patio and complimentary valet parking. The drink selection is fantastic, and the food is basic but good — we're partial to the corndog poppers and the picnic kebabs. Don't miss the crabcake sandwich. Be sure to save room for ice cream at Churn right next door, and don't forget to check out the wall of cassette tapes. Genius!
Rose and Crown offers all the ambiance of an English pub without shelling out for a ticket to fly over the pond. The historic former house adds instant atmosphere for your evening out on the town, be it a drink before dining at Pizzeria Bianco, a bite after visiting the Arizona Science Center, or just because it's Wednesday. There's also plenty of outside seating for the seven months out of the year that Arizona has nigh-on perfect weather. The grub is solid enough to lay the groundwork for a good evening, and both American offerings and British fare play nice on the menu. We recommend the bangers and mash or fish and chips. Add an imperial pint of Guinness or Boddingtons and you'll soon be shouting, "God save the Queen!"
Rosie McCaffrey's comes about as close to knocking back a pint in true Irish style as can be had in the middle of the desert. Dark and glossy aged wood, exposed cobblestones, and Irish bric-a-brac characterize the pub's homey, cave-like interior. Rosie's offers just about every major UK draft our little sandrat hearts could desire, with a draft Guinness so thick — and with such a heavy head — that it left behind a respectable beer 'stache upon first swig. A helpful guide is offered at each table for those who can't decide between two brews — next time, we're getting the Velvet Hammer, Guinness with a shot of vanilla Stoli. That's enough to get our Irish eyes a-smilin'. Well, maybe that with a side of boxty or corned beef.
The food served at Atlas is amazing, thanks to Chef Carlos Manriquez and his decade of culinary experience. But what makes this place so special is that it's attached to Arizona Wine Company, the best wine store in the Valley, where one can browse for wonderful vino while waiting for a table in the cozy, adjacent dining room. And thanks to some fair-minded corkage fees, any bottle you bring from home will be greeted warmly by the friendly staff here. Don't miss the chance to sample Manriquez's pheasant breast roulade, or, if he's serving it, the special Australian lamb rack with tomato fennel jam. For dessert, pair a dessert wine with something called Enough Chocolate to Make Your Teeth Hurt, and you'll be all in. Stop by the wine shop on your way out and check out the big board of new arrivals and tasty specialty wines, then bring that bottle back sometime soon for more tasty vittles.
Yeah, yeah, you'll pick up all kinds of helpful kitchen tips at Sanctuary's "Lunch & Learn" series — which celebrated its 10th anniversary this year — but the truth is, if you're going to shell out $125 for a cooking lesson, it'd better be from the likes of Robert Irvine. And it just might be. Each summer, Sanctuary executive chef Beau MacMillan invites a few of his Food Network pals out for a posh little summer vacay and a lap around the kitchen — and you're invited, too. This past summer, Irvine hit town, along with Marcus Samuelsson, and the lineup always includes cream-of-the-crop local chefs, as well. The 2012 schedule will show up on Sanctuary's website next spring — and space is limited.
We are of the firm opinion that you're never too old to play with your food, and the kind folks at Le Chalet are in complete agreement. Le Chalet is known for its rich French menu, with drool-worthy crêpes and ooey, gooey fondue. It's more fun than a run-of-the-mill dinner date and a bit quainter than that other fondue chain. Try the Swiss cheese fondue with Gruyère, white wine, and kirschwasser (a sour cherry liqueur), served with crusty bread cubes. If a dipping dessert is more your style, enjoy a rich chocolate ganache or salted butter caramel fondues, each served with fruit, brownie bites, and cream puffs. At Le Chalet you can dunk, swirl, submerge, and dip to the delight of your inner child.
Back in the day — read: pre-kids — we came to the Camelback Inn for long, luxurious visits to the hotel spa. We love that spa. Hot rock massages, thick white robes, and a crystal-blue pool with the prettiest view of Camelback Mountain. We sat outside and ate the hotel's signature yellow gazpacho. And we were happy. Then we had kids. And we were happy, but in a much more, um, complicated way. To say the least. So now, when we need to steal back a tranquil moment or two, we pack the whole family in the station wagon and head to the Camelback Inn. The spa is definitely out, which is why we're so glad to have Rita's Kitchen. This place reminds us of the hotel coffee shops of our own youth, casual outposts in fancy-pants places where the waitstaff is patient and the menu's kid-friendly, but the sweet life's still on display. We can have that same cup of gazpacho while our kids frolic on the nearby grass hills, dance to live music, and munch chicken strips (with healthy veggies and fruit on the side, if you can wrestle the fries out of their grubby paws). Add a glass of sangria, a roaring fire (when seasonally appropriate), and that view of Camelback Mountain — and we are happy.Readers' Choice:
We don't know about you, but we could happily end our days on this planet without another trip to IHOP. Or Red Robin. Or any of the other places people with kids are expected to eat. Frankly, we'd rather stay home and cry in our Top Ramen. But now we don't have to, thanks to the kind folks at St. Francis, who understand our plight. Who would have thought that the hippest restaurant in town would be so gracious? Just the other day, they posted their kids' lunch menu, which includes seasonal veggies with buttermilk dressing dip; "big" hamburger and fries; cheese pizza with salad; and "li'l" turkey sandwich with fries. Better check their website before you pack the kids in the car, to be sure the deal's still good; in researching this piece, we noticed quite a debate on Facebook over whether St. Francis was making the right move in being so kid-friendly . . .
We always arrive at Vincent Market Bistro with the best of intentions. The Organic Vegetable Medley salad is a wonderful, seasonal mix of super-fresh veggies, tossed in a light vinaigrette — so tasty we forget we're eating so light. And if it were only that salad that passed our lips, we'd look like Heidi Klum. Alas, that evil Vincent Guerithault has other plans. Each and every lunch at his sweet little bistro begins with a plateful of fresh-baked croissants. Even if we are able to keep our paws off the bread, you can be guaranteed that, at meal's end, the waiter will arrive with dessert — maybe a lemon bar with housemade raspberry sorbet or some decadent chocolate thing. If you didn't actually order it, it doesn't have calories, right? That's what we'll keep telling ourselves, because amazingly, the croissants and the dessert are free; we can manage to get out of this ritzy place at lunchtime for just a bit over $10. Now if we could just get into our jeans.
Order these cupcakes for your next gathering and your guests will think you are a big fat liar. As the deliciousness goes down, they will never believe these gems are totally vegan and, if you ask, gluten-free. You'll hear "How?" over and over. Rikki Hale of Rikki Cupcakes serves up other gluten-free treats as well, and welcomes the challenge of any other allergy issues. Rikki's motto is, "I don't need a soapbox; I just need a box of cookies." And with that, she'll prove that sweet and gluten-free do go together.
Want an unusual venue to go along with your tasty breakfast? Pop this address in your iPhone's map app and venture out to Chandler Municipal Airport for a down-home breakfast at the bustling Hangar Cafe. Sit at the counter and you'll likely find yourself scarfing down steak 'n' eggs next to sky jockeys fortifying themselves before they take their Cessnas for a spin. (In our case, we spotted Los Angeles Dodger and former ASU star Andre Ethier noshing the morning after his team spanked the D-Backs.) Huevos rancheros, omelets, chicken-fried steak, biscuits and gravy, breakfast burritos, and sweet stuff like pancakes and waffles make up the Hangar's expansive menu. And just as you'd expect from an inexpensive, no-frills breakfast joint, the serving sizes are generous, to say the least. Make sure you get sautéed green pepper and onions on your hash browns, because they really hit the spot. After you've loaded up for a hard day of work (or just a hard day doin' nothing at all), go upstairs and sit a spell on the Hangar's carpeted and covered observation deck for your daily moment of Zen watching the single-prop planes glide toward Earth and touch down safely.
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Chase Field
Time was, hot dogs, peanuts, Cracker Jack, and a cold beer would about do it at a ballgame. But that was then, and this is now. We are always on the prowl for different fare, even at the yard. We are very fond of Chase Field. No, it's not Wrigley Field or Fenway Park, and it doesn't look like much from the outside, but the place is quite inviting once you step through the turnstiles. And we absolutely love the green corn and beef tamales that East Valley chef Rey Cota and his friendly staff serve up for five bucks apiece at each of the Diamondbacks' 81 home games. Located way down the left-field line, the little tamale stand is popular with both locals and out-of-towners eager to sample local fare. Unlike the home team, these tamales simply can't be beaten.
Chase Field
Time was, hot dogs, peanuts, Cracker Jack, and a cold beer would about do it at a ballgame. But that was then, and this is now. We are always on the prowl for different fare, even at the yard. We are very fond of Chase Field. No, it's not Wrigley Field or Fenway Park, and it doesn't look like much from the outside, but the place is quite inviting once you step through the turnstiles. And we absolutely love the green corn and beef tamales that East Valley chef Rey Cota and his friendly staff serve up for five bucks apiece at each of the Diamondbacks' 81 home games. Located way down the left-field line, the little tamale stand is popular with both locals and out-of-towners eager to sample local fare. Unlike the home team, these tamales simply can't be beaten.
Maui Dog's food challenge is unique, featuring two "shaggy"-style Kahuna Lava Dogs (half-pound beef dogs bathed in chili, Maui cole slaw, and Monterey jack cheese), two more dogs of your choice, two double-beef sliders, and one small basket each of French fries and tater tots. It's also a good deal — finish in 30 minutes and the $35 meal is free, plus you get a special T-shirt that gets you 15 percent off any future purchases you make while wearing it. You get a little punch card fully stamped and good for one free future meal, even if you fail. Cowabunga.
Best Food Challenge You'll Never Want to Do Again
Hot Chili Pepper Eating Contest, The Arizona Taco Festival (October 15)
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Normally, finishing a few chili peppers would be no problem, but the eating challenge at this annual festival of tacos and tequila consists of seven rounds of increasingly hot peppers — the last of which is the dreaded ghost chili, a pepper so hot that the Indian military recently approved its use in hand grenades. If mind-numbing oral pain and the loss of control of all facial functions sound fun to you, go for it. Finish each pepper within the three-minute time limit and you win a sizable cash prize, the respect of the crowd, and an almost certain case of the lava shits. Hooray?
Normally, finishing a few chili peppers would be no problem, but the eating challenge at this annual festival of tacos and tequila consists of seven rounds of increasingly hot peppers — the last of which is the dreaded ghost chili, a pepper so hot that the Indian military recently approved its use in hand grenades. If mind-numbing oral pain and the loss of control of all facial functions sound fun to you, go for it. Finish each pepper within the three-minute time limit and you win a sizable cash prize, the respect of the crowd, and an almost certain case of the lava shits. Hooray?
Four years ago, Phoenix's dining scene joined the ranks of those in San Francisco, Manhattan, and Chicago with an annual week of three-course dining specials at participating upscale eateries around the Valley. It was so popular that, this year, a new spring version popped up, giving us a double dose of meal deals at favorite Valley hotspots including Beckett's Table, Citizen Public House, and Noca. Thirty to 40 bucks per person might not seem like a huge deal if you're used to chain fare, but then again, we're not talking 49-cent tacos or Big Macs here. We love that a dozen or so of the menus included wine pairings this time around, and that there was no shortage of gluten-free or vegetarian dishes for our picky friends. Not that we need an excuse to hit up Beckett's or Cowboy Ciao, but having twice the opportunity to get a top-notch meal on the cheap makes us — and our wallets — extra happy.
Just opened in July, Taco Migo is more than just another taquería in the Valley. So, what sets it apart, you ask? Its hours of operation — as in, it's always operating. Yes, this place is open 24-7, meaning you can set down a base before going out for a night of drinking or settle in for a much-needed burrito, tacos, chips and salsa, or Sonoran hot dog after you've closed down your favorite bar. And if you feel you just haven't pumped quite enough booze in your veins (and you're not the designated driver, of course), you can keep drinking here, because Taco Migo serves beer and margaritas, too. Conveniently located in the shadow of Interstate 10 on Baseline Road, Taco Migo is just the sort of place that Tempe partiers and night owls were born to frequent. After last call, Taco Migo beckons.
Editor's note: As of late October 2011, Taco Migo is no longer open 24 hours a day.
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