Best Afternoon Tea 2011 | The Ritz-Carlton | Food & Drink | Phoenix
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Best Afternoon Tea

The Ritz-Carlton

Courtesy of Bistro 24
The Ritz-Carlton often requests the pleasure of our company at its afternoon tea, served in the Lobby Lounge from noon 'til 3 Wednesday through Saturday. And we're eager to oblige! For a meager $36 per person, a full-on, super-elegant English tea hosted by Tea Maitre d' Jeffrey Hattrick is ours. Three courses are served — finger sandwiches, fresh-baked scones, and French pastries — all prepared right at the Ritz and all designed to make one feel ever-so-British Royal. Exclusive tea blends, like White Peach and Provençal, are offered alongside soothing black and green standards like Afternoon Darjeeling, all perfect accompaniments for those tiny tea sandwiches of egg salad, smoked salmon tartare, and cucumber with chive cream cheese. A child's tea offers smaller portions at a lower price point, so bring the kids and get them acquainted with the delightful and rare treat of a real-life tea party.

Best Place to Take a Foodie

Beaver Choice

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Beaver Choice. The name may elicit a few giggles, but this fairly new funky Scandinavian eatery is a serious culinary adventure, with hearty ethnic dishes that, chances are, you've never heard of, let alone tasted. Owner and chef Hanna Gabrielsson, who came to the Valley by way of Ontario, by way of Sweden, by way of Poland, uses no more than five fresh ingredients in most dishes — and around three pounds of fresh dill each day — to create a menu of (mostly) Swedish fare, all made-to-order, featuring fish, chicken, hamburgers, and a category simply called "Meat." Dive in to scrumptious schnitzels with a creamy mushroom sauce, melt-in-your-mouth peirogies topped with bacon, traditional cabbage rolls, haddock fillets simmered in heavy cream, and laxpudding (featuring cured salmon, buttery and smooth, served atop a mixture of eggs and potatoes). More daring diners should opt for tins of baked delights such as Jansson's Temptation, made with sweet Swedish anchovies, potatoes and onions, and the exotic Flygande Jakob (Flying Jacob), a Swedish casserole of marinated chicken, bananas, peanuts, and a chili cream sauce with a flavor so surprisingly unique and enjoyable, you'll be glad you got to Beaver Choice before everyone else did.

Best Place to Take a Scenester

Jobot Coffee Shop

Heather Hoch
John Sagasta gave new meaning to the term "kick it up a notch" when he ditched Conspire (the anarchist, vegan doughnut-shilling commune) down the street to open his own joint, Jobot. Jobot's nothing fancy, just a narrow coffee bar with a shaded, misted patio. But with peeling paint, concert fliers, a chalkboard menu, and the best crêpes and coffee in town, it's got all the elements necessary to satisfy even your friends who've upped and moved to Portland (but who somehow show up back in town all the time). Come by for a nutella/banana crêpe, or maybe chorizo (meat lovers are welcome here), or go whole hog and wait for Beats and Brunch, Jobot's Sunday brunch event soon to make a comeback (details on Jobot's website). And keep an eye out for Nachobot, the nacho bar Sagasta plans to open next door.

Best Place to Take an Out-of-Towner

Carefree Station

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The next time you just feel the need to get out of the Valley, consider trekking up Scottsdale Road into the tiny burg of Carefree, a genteel, upscale outpost where, as they say, "cowboy meets caviar." This comfortable restaurant is all about Southwestern look and feel, with a spacious tree-lined patio as well as a covered porch with a fireplace in the corner, perfect for outdoor dining on a beautiful fall or spring evening. The impressive wine and beer list complements a menu heavy on sandwiches, burgers, salads, and a number of Southwestern dishes that, despite the aging population of this little town, don't skimp on flavor or spice. For starters, try the Desert Tears, four jalapeño peppers hollowed out and filled with either crab meat and cheese or chorizo. The dish's name is appropriate, as its heat had our eyes watering. The carnitas taco, topped with guacamole and salsa verde, surprised us with its bold taste and juicy pork. And the chilaquiles were honestly among the best we've tried in the Valley. So, the next time your out-of-town family members invade, and they want to go shopping for kokopellis, turquoise, and cowboy art, you could do worse than a trip up to pretty Carefree and a Southwestern meal at Carefree Station.

Best Place to Take Someone from Pittsburgh

Pittsburgh Willy's

Smell something delicious amid the Beanie Babies and back issues of Time magazine?Chances are you've stumbled onto Pittsburgh Willy's, hidden home of gourmet hot dogs and Pittsburgh favorites, courtesy of Randy (a.k.a. "Willy") Walters. Located inside the Merchant Square Antique Mall in Chandler, Willy's occupies a small nook and sports an ordering counter, a few tables, and Steelers memorabilia covering every inch of available space. Gourmet hot dogs like the Wild Willy, an all-beef dog topped with butter-drenched ham and melted cheddar piled into a sesame seed bun, make up much of the menu, along with specialty sandwiches, signature "Willy Chili," and Steel City Sliders. Those in the know, including transplanted Pittsburghers, line up for Willy's homemade pierogis, cushioned orbs of dumplings stuffed smothered in butter and onion. They're a secret within a secret, and a delicious one at that.

Best Way to Tip

Kitchen 56

A few bucks flipped on the table? Adding a percentage to the sales receipt? Borrr-ing. When it comes to creativity in the gratuity department, Kitchen 56, the new Arcadia restaurant serving up everyday American comfort food and a few Italian favorites, asks that tips come in the form of beers and a bell. Whether it's delicious pan borracho (drunk bread), a tasty salami and sopresatta sandwich, or a lip-smacking bowl of slow-roasted pork with pasta, if you like what you're eating (and there's a good chance you will) send the kitchen a six-pack of PBR for 10 bucks. When you do, a bell will ring, letting you know your gesture was appreciated and that, for all its casual class, Kitchen 56 hasn't lost its sense of humor.

Best Eye Candy

Captain Bills Subs

Part pop culture museum, part photo scrapbook, and all in good fun, Captain Bills Subs has been entertaining the eyes of neighborhood locals hungry for a sub and a smile for 30 years — most even grew up with the old-school grinder joint. From Ronald McDonald hanging from a noose to oversize household items on the walls to hundreds of nearly-naughty bumper stickers and photos of customers and employees covering whatever space remains in a jam-packed room with a few tables and booths, patrons can be seen ogling the décor while munching on cheap subs like the Famous Italian and the New York Beef and Cheese. Captain Bills may have been "putting the meat between the buns since 1981," but it's the kitsch that makes us crave it.

Best Fancy Frybread

Kai

Jackie Mercandetti Photo
Frybread is a staple of Native American cuisine, so it makes sense that even Kai, a Native American fusion restaurant that's one of the Valley's top upscale eateries, would make a version. Kai's up-market take on the humble dessert doesn't disappoint. Chef Michael O'Dowd's "Traditional Frybread from the Teachings of the Elders" (long, flowery names are part of the Kai experience) comes with goat's milk ice cream, berries, and candied nuts. It's $12 — that's on top of the $49 you'll spend for the buffalo tenderloin entrée — but it won't disappoint. Like everything else we've had at Kai, it's absolutely perfect. Crisp, golden dough is paradoxically light yet substantial, and the tart ice cream and sweet toppings blend to create the best frybread you'll ever eat. Just don't tell the nice lady at your favorite little roadside frybread stand about this — she'd be justified in jacking up the price on your bourgeois ass.

Best Bread

MJ Breads

When it comes to bread, master baker Michael John sure knows what he's doing. Sharing space with his gifted wife, Tammie Coe, MJ cranks out beautiful loaves of sourdough, rye, and wheat. As a testament to his quality, you can find his bread at Phoenix favorites such as the Breadfruit, Postino, and Bertha's Café, to name a few. Or just pay a visit to the little shop on Roosevelt Row and pick up a perfectly crusty baguette for your next dinner party or one of their amazing turkey sandwiches on a tender ciabatta roll.

Best Bagels

Back East Bagels

There's nothing fancy about Back East Bagels — and that's what we love. Just bagels in wire baskets and kind folks to serve them. Yes, you can get espresso drinks and pastries, but this is the only place in town we've found that knows how to make a bagel just right. The secret's out, because we've found ourselves more than once in a long line on a Sunday morning, craning and wincing, waiting to see if the person in line will order that last everything bagel and relegate our morning to mere poppy seeds or a cinnamon raisin. No worries, more will be out of the oven soon — warm and fresh, just as a bagel should be. And with 21 bagel flavors, chances are you'll find a few you can live with.

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