Best Octopus 2014 | Virtù Honest Craft | Food & Drink | Phoenix
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Best Octopus

Virtù Honest Craft

Debby Wolvos

Octopus is having its moment right now. You'll see it popping up on many menus around town, but if you want to try the cephalopod in the best possible conditions, you have to eat it at Virtù. Though Chef Gio Osso's menu changes all the time, you can always find the wood-grilled octopus somewhere on it, and that's because it quickly became his signature dish. The charred chunks of buttery, soft octopus have an addictingly smoky quality balanced by the acidity, spice, and saltiness of whatever other components Osso decides to pair with the meat. The texture of the octopus itself isn't rubbery, as you might expect, rather it's more like a cross between a rare steak and a lightly seared tuna. Fifteen dollars is a small price to pay for perfection.

Best Sushi

Yasu Sushi Bistro

Sure, Yasu Sushi Bistro is no new kid on the block. This tiny North Phoenix spot has been around for more than five years. And though time has passed and trends have changed, we continue to love what chef-owner Yasu Hashino does behind the restaurant's sushi counter. Yes, the nigiri, sashimi, and maki rolls are all delicious. But what really keeps us coming back are the chef's specials.

Hashino does an excellent job of letting his fresh ingredients shine, whether it be by serving fresh-off-the-boat oysters simply on the half shell or by taking delicate blue crab meat and creating a perfectly spicy handroll made with just the right amount of fresh wasabi. Our favorite bite is almost always the nigiri salmon served Yasu-style or lightly seared with a touch of ponzu and a sprinkle of green onion. We also love that the restaurant truly is a neighborhood spot, where families and couples crowd the cozy dining room just about every night of the week.

Best Crepes

Crepe Bar

No one does crepes like Jeff Kraus. At Crepe Bar, the chef constantly looks for ways to break down the traditional notions about this classic French dish and make it something uniquely his own. It started simply enough with dishes like the Breakfast Burro, a breakfast burrito by way of France, but since has evolved into creations like the elaborate Grand Prix. The deconstructed dish features a coffee crepe made by mixing cold-brewed coffee into the crepe batter, which is then complemented with pieces of maple-glazed pork jowl and crisp pork belly.

Other unexpected ingredients found on the Crepe Bar menu include pimento cheese, candied mustard seeds, and pork chorizo, which Kraus uses to create savory crepes like you've never had before. On the sweet side, there's plenty to enjoy as well. Including the Pick Me Up, which offers a coffee crepe with espresso mascarpone and hazelnut streusel.

Best Vegetables

FnB

Debby Wolvos

They don't call her "the veggie whisperer" for nothing. Chef Charleen Badman really does have the magic touch. In fact, we once took a tomato-hating friend to her restaurant, FnB, and watched in awe as our dining companion devoured a whole roasted beef steak. "I've decided, if Charleen cooks it, I'll eat anything," she declared. And we agree. From tender eggplant and foraged mushrooms to her famous braised leeks, we have faith that Badman can turn even the most hated of vegetables into something remarkable. This year, we discovered that her vegetable thumb doesn't just work in the kitchen. At her home garden, the chef coaxes a stunning array of vegetables and spices out of the ground. We promise, you've never seen such a lush planter box in your life.

Best Vegetarian Restaurant

Bragg's Factory Diner

Heather Hoch

For some of us, life is all about the pursuit of three things: innovative vegetarian food, quirky yet cozy design, and well-crafted puns. Fortunately, all of these things can be found at Bragg's Factory Diner. Bragg's is pure Arizona goodness, from the vintage maps, knickknacks, and state postcards that adorn the walls to the subtle Southwestern influence on the food. The diner features unpretentious (but delicious) food that even the carnivores in your crowd will adore. The service is every bit as sunny as the space, and the cafe truly has something for everyone. Gluten-free? Vegan? Not a problem. Our favorite dish is the perfectly punny Nopales Like Home (jackfruit marinated in barbacoa sauce and topped with smoky grilled cactus on a freshly toasted bun) and the Beet on the Brat burger (a creative, beet-based spin on the ever-ambiguous veggie burger). Don't forget dessert — Bragg's vegan pies are made fresh in-house daily.

Best Vegan Restaurant

Green

Courtesy of Green

Damon Brasch is a genius, and if you don't believe us, consider the Taco Bell bean burrito. Both Brasch and the Taco Bell people had the same idea a long time ago: vegan comfort food. For years, Brasch has been frying tofu and potatoes and blending soy "ice cream" and candy into treats that may not make you skinny but do satisfy the requirements of a vegan diet. Yes, yes, you can also get a salad at Green, but why would you when samosas, curry, and a barbecue bacon burger beckon?

Best Gluten-Free Restaurant

Grabbagreen

Lauren Saria

If "fast casual" and "gluten-free" are the culinary buzzwords of 2014, then Grabbagreen is the perfect love child of this year's biggest trends. The restaurant offers a menu of all-natural and gluten-free eats in a bright, clean, fast-casual setting. Diners can choose from a menu of juices, salads, smoothies, and grain-based bowls, all of which feature consciously sourced ingredients — think free-range chicken raised without antibiotics and hormones, organic tofu, and locally sourced produce wherever possible. On top of all the good-for-you goodness, the restaurant offers online ordering and makes nutritional information available on the website. See? Eating well doesn't have to be hard.

Best Gluten-Free Bakery

Jewel's Bakery and Cafe

Judy Nichols

Even people who aren't concerned about whether their cupcakes contain wheat flour are flocking to this bakery, because Jewel's baked goods are so good. Not over-sugared, like so many dessert items tend to be, Jewel's gluten-free, sugar-free, corn-free, dairy-free, soy-free, vegan, and organic treats are magic on a plate.

Check out Mom Moreno's candied bacon cinnamon roll, a combination of sweet syrup and salty bacon that tastes surprisingly like the real thing. Jewel's scones offer a rare mix of dense cakiness and flaky softness, without being dry or crumbly. And pastry chef Julie Moreno's sticky buns don't taste anything-free: moist, sticky-sweet, dripped with tart icing, they're better than most made with wheat flour. We're not thinking about gluten when we eat Moreno's cheesecake, rich with toasted coconut, mini chocolate chips, and a moist, dark chocolate crust, slathered in a caramel glaze that doesn't obscure a smooth and slightly tart tower of sweet, cheesy filling. Don't leave without a carrot cake cupcake, moist and carroty and smeared with cream cheese frosting.

Best Bakery

Barb's Bakery

Diana Martinez

Normally, we reserve eating cake for special occasions. But the chocolate cake at Barb's Bakery is so good that we regularly bust out a whole one for events as mundane as Sunday night dinner. And that's not the only irresistible sweet we love from Barb's. The case is always full of the bakery's award-winning decorated iced sugar cookies and cupcakes in a diverse array of flavors including carrot, orange, and classic chocolate. Oh, and did we mention that Barb's carries bread made from local micro-bakery Noble Bread? Sure, the Central Phoenix bakery isn't the fanciest of digs, but that's only because they let the top-quality baked goods speak for themselves.

Best English Muffin

La Grande Orange

Courtesy of La Grande Orange

We've said it before and we'll say it again: There is no better English muffin this side of Great Britain — dense and sour, yet still somehow light. La Grande Orange knows how to make the baked good that's become one of its signature staples. Trends come and go (you can now get kombucha on tap or cold brew to go with your buttered bread), but we hope LGO's English muffin never goes out of style.

Best Of Phoenix®

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