The 5 best bites we tasted at Phoenix restaurants in September

The Phoenix New Times dining team constantly travels around the Valley, visiting local restaurants on the hunt for the best bites in town. In September, those journeys took us to downtown Phoenix for a stellar deal, out to Paradise Valley to visit an iconic bar and over to Tempe to try a newcomer to the Valley’s Indian food scene. 

Salmon-topped sushi, velvety hummus and a party of an appetizer all left us planning our next visits. Here are the best bites we tasted at Phoenix restaurants in September.

Lion King Roll at King Salmon Sushi

2825 N. Central Ave.
4041 E. Thomas Road, #115
The original midtown Phoenix location of King Salmon Sushi is a mashup of a sushi restaurant and a diner. Shining, stainless steel walls display Japanese artwork and old advertisements. Lanterns hang overhead, and a beer fridge is stocked with imported brews. The menu is packed with Korean and Japanese dishes and a long list of sushi rolls. A standout on a recent visit was the Lion King Roll. Served in an aluminum foil boat, this roll is baked, giving the mountain of spicy salmon on top a kiss of char. Underneath the large cubes of fresh fish hides an eight-piece crab roll, and the whole thing is topped with roe and sweet, tangy eel sauce.

‘Girl Dinner’ at Industry Standard

128 E. Roosevelt St.
It’s not one dish that stood out at Industry Standard, but rather a whole meal. On Tuesday and Wednesday nights, the downtown Phoenix restaurant offers a deal dubbed “girl dinner,” a multi-course meal that anyone can enjoy. The experience starts with a glass of bubbles or a martini of your choice. Then, a seafood snack arrives, sometimes a couple of oysters, other times caviar. Next up is a salty and satisfying Caesar salad, followed by the restaurant’s popular spicy vodka pasta on a bed of sweet honey whipped ricotta. Everything, including the drinks, costs $25, making it arguably the best deal in town.

Miso Hummus from Jade Bar

5700 E. McDonald Dr., Paradise Valley
The mountain views from Jade Bar are reason enough to visit the cocktail lounge at Paradise Valley’s luxe Sanctuary Camelback Mountain resort. The bar has a history of being a proving ground for venerable drinkmakers, including Jason Asher, so it’s no surprise that most folks visit in search of a well-made tipple. But the bar bites at Jade Bar are equally impressive. The miso hummus is a fusion dish that’s perfect for noshing. The velvety savory dip is studded with a spicy chickpea chile crunch and big leaves of Thai basil. We scooped up every ounce in the bowl with square, fried wonton chips dusted with herbs and sesame seeds. Infusing Asian ingredients into the dish added depth to the ho-hum mezze, along with plenty of heat and crunch.

Yum Het Tod from Glai Baan

2333 E. Osborn Road
It’s no secret that Glai Baan serves outstanding Thai street food and snacks. Any of the dishes we had during a recent visit could have made this list. When we swapped out a different dish for the Yum Het Tod, a fried oyster mushroom salad, our server approvingly nodded and remarked at how much he enjoyed it. The fan-like mushrooms are battered in tempura, creating a light, crispy shell. Those mushrooms are dressed and topped with a bounty of fresh herbs and slivers of shallot. The dressing packed a sweet, savory, sour punch that didn’t sog up the mushrooms, and instead kept us coming back for bite after bite.

Aloo Tikki Chaat from Bahaara Indian Kitchen

9920 S. Rural Road, #A105, Tempe
Bahaara Indian Kitchen opened in Tempe in May, specializing in northern Indian cuisine. The aloo tikki chaat was recommended to us as an appetizer to wake up our tastebuds and set the stage for the ensuing meal. The potato street food snack was an ideal recommendation. Patties of mashed potatoes are topped with chickpeas, healthy drizzles of mint and tamarind chutneys and yogurt. The chutneys are vibrant on the plate and at first bite. There are bursts of fresh herbs, the sweet but sharp punch of tamarind and tang of yogurt, lifted by a bit of earthy coriander. These sauces add a brightness and lightness to a bite that could easily lean heavy. The chaat worked just as intended, leaving us hungry for more.