BEST JAPANESE RESTAURANT 2006 | Shimogamo | Food & Drink | Phoenix
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BEST JAPANESE RESTAURANT

Shimogamo

Tirion Boan
Shimogamo is the kind of strip-mall haunt that you wouldn't likely stumble upon unless you happened to be visiting its more conspicuous neighbor, C-Fu Gourmet, or perhaps driving around looking for Lee Lee Oriental Market, located catty-cornered to the small establishment. No matter. If you love Japanese food, this jewel box of a restaurant is a more than worthy destination unto itself. Inside, the decor is modern and minimal, and the sushi bar is filled with Japanese regulars (always a good sign). The food, too, is straight outta Nippon: crisp gyoza, buttery Saikyo black cod, refreshing daikon radish salad. There are a few unusual offerings, from the simple (ochazuke rice porridge) to the complex (pork tenderloin katsu stuffed with shiso leaves, dried tomato and wasabi). For that matter, the sushi is uncommon as well so fresh you'll probably dream about it until your next visit to Shimogamo.

BEST SEAFOOD RESTAURANT

Eddie V's Edgewater Grille

Referring to DC Ranch as the edge of the water is delusion on a scale as large as, oh, filling up a ditch with H2O and calling it the "Scottsdale Waterfront." But to be fair, Eddie V's Edgewater Grille had that handle in Austin, Texas situated, as the city is, on the Colorado River before it opened up the DC Ranch location. And the Valley's desert denial certainly preceded Eddie V's. (Uh, Tempe Town Lake, anyone?) Anyway, at Eddie V's, at least when it comes to the menu, and the flavor and freshness of the fin-bearers, you might actually be able to imagine that you're in some water-bordering burg, whether that water is fresh or salt. From the colossal shrimp cocktail and Maryland-style lump crab cake to the Parmesan-crusted lemon sole and the lightly smoked salmon fillet, most every dish is memorable, inspiring revisits galore. And DC Ranch is closer than San Diego, after all, when it comes to reaching a "waterfront."

BEST GREEK RESTAURANT

Greekfest

Diana Martinez
You don't have to be Greek to yearn for the Old Country when you step through the doors of this relaxed, elegant eatery, where white stucco walls, wood-beam ceilings, and displays of folk art and pottery create a welcoming, taverna-like atmosphere. Effortless authenticity extends to the menu, too, with Hellenic favorites like taramosalata, a creamy caviar dip tinged with lemon; cheesy, gooey moussaka, with ground lamb and eggplant; and sizzling souvlaki, made with marinated lamb, chicken, or swordfish. You'll surely stuff yourself on all of this Mediterranean comfort food, but desserts are definitely worth making room for; the sticky baklava is divine, but we also love the sweet, custardy galaktoboureko. And as for the wine list, well, one of these hard-to-find bottles from Greece just might temporarily ease your insatiable wanderlust. Yasou!

BEST CAJUN/CREOLE RESTAURANT

Baby Kay's Cajun Kitchen

Feeling ravenous? Good. You'll need to bring a big appetite to Baby Kay's, or at least make room in your fridge for leftovers. This sunny, friendly joint with pale yellow walls, homey wooden furniture, and upbeat music on the stereo promises mighty fine eatin' for days when you'll happily ditch your diet to dig into something rich and filling. Start things off with some hot wings or crabcakes, or, if you'd rather guilt yourself into ordering something lighter, rest assured even the grilled chicken salad is on the spicy side, thanks to a dose of apricot-habanero Tabasco dressing. Then gear up for a big helping of creamy crawfish touffe, a plate of spicy jambalaya jammed with chunks of chicken and andouille sausage, or a steaming bowl of chicken gumbo. (If it's too much trouble to choose, get all three with the Cajun Combination dinner.) It might take some endurance to clear your plate, but feel free to take your sweet ol' time like they do in Louisiana. Goodness gracious, a food coma never felt so good!

BEST FRENCH RESTAURANT

Citrus Caf�

Cozy, candlelit Citrus Caf makes a primo date destination, or just an intimate spot to sip wine with foodie friends, nibble on something dreamy (like warm almond-crusted grilled Brie with apples), and marvel over the menu, an ever-changing list of bistro classics handwritten on a display board that waiters bring to each table. Sizzling filet au poivre, buttery lapin la moutarde, marinated lamb chops, and herb-crusted salmon are just a few of the delightful dishes that might make an appearance on any given night. As you might guess, dinner here is a splurge, but if you're expecting a smidgen of haughty Euro attitude with your French food, you'll be surprised at how attentive, discreet and (quel shock!) downright welcoming the service is at this elegant eatery. Just thinking about Citrus Caf makes us feel all warm and fuzzy.

BEST GERMAN RESTAURANT

Bavarian Point

If you're a meat-and-potatoes kind of person, Bavarian Point serves the ultimate comfort food, our favorite for German fare. The Wurst Pfanne is made for indecisive sausage lovers, with sizzling hot Polish sausage, bratwurst, and knackwurst all on one plate, and the rindsroulade offers an unusual take on steak, with vegetables rolled up in thinly pounded sirloin. Other specialties include Hühnerbrust Calbados (chicken with cream sauce and spaetzle), veal Wiener schnitzel, and several seafood options, but Bavarian Point does pork best of all. Loosen your belt and settle into a cozy booth before you dig in to the schweinebraten, a classic presentation of tender roast pork with moist dumplings and savory, not-too-salty sauerkraut. It's rich, it's filling, and it's the ultimate complement for an ice-cold glass of beer (there are a dozen on tap here). If that doesn't take care of your raging protein craving, nothing will.

BEST MEDITERRANEAN/MIDDLE EASTERN RESTAURANT

Eden's Grill Inn

Diana Martinez
What did Adam and Eve nosh in the Garden of Eden? Who the heck knows, but they probably couldn't have done any better than the rice at Eden's Grill Inn. Here the saffroned, aromatic basmati is crafted with seven different spices, and filled with sultanas and slivers of Marcona almonds, making it one of the best platters of rice we've ever inhaled in the Valley. They didn't eat meat in Eden, but fortunately we don't have to worry about that heavenly prohibition at Eden's Grill Inn, where the lamb shank is tender and soft, the chicken kebabs golden, juicy and plump, and the ground beef kebab chock-full o' spices. This Eden for Middle Eastern cuisine is run by Marcus and Shalem Narsa, Assyrian Christians originally from Iraq, but more recently from Chicago, where they owned a bakery and restaurant for some 25 years. As you might expect, their desserts are heavenly, especially the baklava, and the multi-layered caramel cake drizzled with melon sauce. Why, you'll think you've died and gone to, well, uh, Eden . . .

BEST INDIAN RESTAURANT

Tandoori Times Indian Bistro

Jamie Peachey
Valley diners have more options for Indian fare than most European cuisines, so this is a tighter race to judge than some of the other categories. And though we've rarely met an Indian spot we didn't like, Scottsdale's Tandoori Times garners the glory on taste alone. Its portions tend to be a bit smaller than at other places though reasonable prices help make up for this. And there isn't as wide of a selection as you'll come across in other Indian restaurants. But the flavor of TT's tandoori-cooked meats is more intense than elsewhere, and the quality of the curry gravies seems higher as well. As an added bonus, there's nothing dingy about the clean, airy and smart dining area. And it boasts a couple of the better sweets in town: a nice-size bowl of rice pudding (kheer) with raisins, and those large syrupy pastries known as gulab jamoon. If we pick Tandoori Times this time around, it doesn't mean we don't love the Valley's other Indian places we just love Tandoori Times a little more.

BEST TAPAS RESTAURANT

Sol y Sombra

We're not sure we're totally with this whole tapas thing. Sure, if you're some Andalusian alkie hitting the booze parlors in Granada, the quality's guaranteed. Plus, in Spain, these bar snacks often come free with the drinks. Here in Ameri-duh, they make you pay through the nose, sometimes $13, the price of an entree, for a portion of food that barely takes up the better half of the palm of your hand! But at least at DC Ranch's Sol y Sombra, you seem to get your ducat's worth most of the time. We attribute this success rate to the presence of chef Aaron May, who once worked for Food Network overachiever and obsessive clog-wearer Mario Batali. May can whip up patatas bravas that'll make you sing, and gazpacho that'll make you dance like them fools on Fuse TV's Pants-Off Dance-Off. This being Scottsdale, there's a floor show of sorts with all the MILFs showing off their new implants to one another, so you have something to watch while you nosh.

BEST VIETNAMESE RESTAURANT

Da Vang

Jacob Tyler Dunn
Got a hankering for some truly authentic Vietnamese food? Da Vang's got the real thang. On a chilly winter day, we'll go with pho (a steaming bowl of beefy rice noodle soup) or one of countless filling stir-fry dishes. And during the summer, we'll start with the obvious hello, summer rolls! and then move on to some bun (cool rice noodles topped with barbecued pork, fried spring rolls, or shrimp) or a hot-off-the-griddle banh xeo (pork and shrimp crepe with sprouts) wrapped in fresh lettuce and dunked in salty-sweet nuoc cham. Truth be told, we could eat this stuff any time of year, regardless of the season. Da Vang's the kind of no-frills neighborhood joint where we feel just as welcome stopping by for a quick solo bite as we do relaxing with a bunch of hungry friends. The price is always right, too.

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