Triple Threat: These Are the 3 Best Bites We’ve Eaten in Scottsdale Recently

Whether you’re staying in Scottsdale for the Super Bowl or the Waste Management Phoenix Open, or you’re looking for the perfect place to enjoy an exceptional meal on Valentine’s Day, good food is always a good idea.

When eating around the Valley, sometimes a restaurant’s decor stands out, and other times outstanding service makes a lasting memory. But our favorite way to be wowed at a restaurant is by a dish that makes you stop in your tracks, close your eyes, and savor an amazing flavor that awakens your senses and simply put, hits really right.

Those moments don’t happen often. But when they do, they are worth celebrating. Recently, while eating around Scottsdale, three specific dishes elicited that reaction. Here are the dishes not to miss in Scottsdale right now.

Fair Trade Short Ribs at Citizen Public House

7111 East Fifth Avenue, Suite E, Scottsdale
480-398-4208Citizen Public House doesn’t have the flashiest menu in town. But the secret to success at this award-winning restaurant is taking familiar dishes and doing them exceptionally well. And that holds especially true for the Fair Trade Short Ribs ($39). Tender chunks of meat are generously rubbed with coffee from local roaster Press. Don’t fret, the ribs don’t taste like a latte. Instead, the coffee brings out the flavor of the meat and gives the savory factor a level up. A cherry barbecue sauce brings an element of sticky sweetness that is reflected in the floral parsnip puree on which the ribs gently rest. Sauteed greens round out the plate, but it’s the pull-apart tender short ribs that will leave you coming back for more.

Creekstone Beef Anitcuchos at The Mission

3815 North Brown Avenue, Scottsdale
480-636-5005Anticuchos are a favorite street snack in South America. In Chile, the skewers of grilled beef are traditionally eaten during the Independence Day Fiestas Patrias on September 18. In Chile and Peru, where anticuchos are thought to have originated, the meat of choice is beef heart. But in Old Town Scottsdale, they land on the plate at Latin restaurant The Mission. Two skewers of Creekstone beef ($16.50) are served with a smoked Oaxacan pasilla glaze with sesame and soy sauce and plated with dollops of chimichurri and mayo. Chunks of beef slide off the skewer stand on their own, but when dipped in a mixture of the sauces, the flavors really sing. The beef is sweet, salty, and warm. The chimichurri is bright, fresh, and tangy. And the mayo offers a cool, creamy element to round out the perfect bite.

Rosso Creste di Gallo at Fat Ox

6316 North Scottsdale Road, Scottsdale
480-307-6900We enjoyed this dish just before the holidays, and it made it onto our list of the best things we ate in 2022. Nearly three months later, the Rosso Creste di Gallo ($26) at Fat Ox still fills daydreams and causes cravings. When the plate arrives at the table, the first thing that strikes you is the color. The homemade pieces of pasta are a dark, wine-shade of purple. A relatively thin sauce lets the hue shine through and the unusual appearance is a visual hint at the explosion of flavor within the dish. A scattering of earthy mushrooms provides a rich contrast against the bright pops of huckleberries and herbaceous dandelion greens. Thin slices of decadent duck sausage compete for the spotlight with the perfectly al dente pasta. If you’re sharing – which we highly recommend at Fat Ox – prepare to battle over the last scoop.