The 4 most delicious bites and sips we tasted in October

For the Phoenix New Times food team, October was a delicious and varied month. During our travels around the Valley, we fell in love with a lamb dish in Glendale, sipped a superb cocktail in downtown Phoenix and tasted something called “Dirt Candy.” Yes, really.

If you’re keen to retrace our steps — and we strongly suggest you do — here’s where to get a taste of the most delicious bites and sips we tried at Phoenix restaurants last month.

Tellicherry Lamb Fry at Haldi Indian Cuisine

18561 N. 59th Ave., #122, Glendale
13761 W. Bell Road, #213, Surprise
The Glendale location of Haldi Indian Cuisine is welcoming, warm and modern. Friendly servers joke with regulars, and kids giggle at the food-delivering robot that wheels around the dining room. The menu is packed with fragrant, flavorful dishes and on a recent visit, we tucked into the Tellicherry Lamb Fry. This unique dish uses Tellicherry peppercorns, a variety grown on the Malabar Coast in southwestern India. The high-quality peppercorns are larger than most other varieties and are prized for their mild, peppery heat and citrus notes. At Haldi, the peppercorns are used to season tender cubes of lamb, which are served with wedges of lemon and lemon-scented rice, to amp up the citrus flavor. The rich, earthy lamb contrasts the tart lemon, creating an exciting dish that left us going back for bite after bite.

New Jack City cocktail at Little Rituals

Fourth Floor, Residence Inn by Marriott Phoenix Downtown
132 S. Central Ave.
Described on the novel-like menu as “buttery, rich, decadent, smooth,” the New Jack City at Little Rituals is all of those things and more. Served in a rocks glass with an oblong shortbread cookie topped with sticky, sweet caramel and white and black sesame seeds, this treat is dessert in a glass. Start with a bite of the buttery shortbread before swooning over a sip of the whiskey-based tipple. In total, the drink includes Jack Daniel’s triple mash whiskey, brown butter, cardamaro, Oloroso sherry, Meletti amaro and salted black sesame bitters. It’s rich, with a perfect balance of bitter and sweet, and is the ideal treat for a chilly fall or winter evening.

Cardamom Bun at Moxie Coffee Co.

4626 N. 16th St., #101
Moxie Coffee Co. is adding a bakery to its midtown Phoenix cafe. While construction is underway, baker Ryne Spracale is piloting Scandinavian-inspired morning buns and cookies at the coffee shop. An early standout is a Swedish-style cardamom bun. This pastry is intricately twisted, glossy and bursting with the warm and citrusy spice of cardamom. The pillowy sweet bread sparkles with a citrus-forward glaze and cardamom-flecked sugar. The combination of bright, floral flavors with comforting, warm spices keeps this pastry from feeling too heavy or sugary. We can’t wait to try more from Spracale once the bakery is fully operational.

Dirt Candy pizza at Goat and Ram

150 W. Main St., Mesa
When it comes to pizza toppings, pepperoni and sausage reign supreme, but Goat and Ram’s veggie-forward pies regularly make the case for plants over protein. The pizzeria is tucked inside downtown Mesa’s Phantom Fox Beer Co. and during a recent visit, we tried the Dirt Candy pie. It’s topped with a black pepper cream sauce, cubes of golden beet, goat cheese, mozzarella and parmesan. The whole thing is then drizzled with habanero honey and arugula pesto. Those ingredients offer savory, spicy, sweet, bitter and fresh notes that can change a bit with each bite. Goat and Ram’s dough is an exceptional canvas that bakes up airy and crisp. Don’t be surprised if you find yourself fighting over the last slice of this well-balanced pie. To really up the ante, add a side of the pizzeria’s smoked tomato sauce, perfect for adding a hit of umami to your crust.