When a new spot opens in town, we're eager to check it out, let you know our initial impressions, share photos and dish about menu items. First Taste, as the name implies, is not a full-blown review but instead a peek inside restaurants that have just opened — an occasion to sample a few items and satisfy curiosities (both yours and ours).
There are chic neighborhood restaurants aplenty in Phoenix. Places that are open all day, have a beautiful bar and patio, and allow you to easily shop a market or order takeout when you’re ready to eat but not to cook.
Have we reached the capacity of these familiar, do-it-all places like The Henry and La Grande Orange? George & Gather, the new all-day restaurant and market in downtown Chandler, makes it clear East Valley residents are hungry for a spot to call their own.
The restaurant opened in March and is the brainchild of hospitality newcomers Amber and Mike Kovarik. Like its forebears, George & Gather is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner and boasts a charming Art Deco-inspired dining room. Its market offers a curated selection of stationery, books and travel mugs, grab-and-go food and drinks, a pantry of local foods and wine and coolers stocked with raw milk and bone broth.
A grubbing-and-gathering place like this was missing from downtown Chandler, Amber shared before the restaurant opened its doors. After a recent visit, it's clear the owner’s hunch was spot on.
When visiting on a Tuesday – typically a slow night – the host apologized that there would be a 30-minute wait. From the humming dining room to the bar and the patio, the place was packed.
Once seated, we got comfortable on the resort-like patio in black woven chairs pulled up to marbled stone tables. The ficuses and cypress encircling the outdoor space swayed in a gentle breeze. Light and shadows of the rattan pendant lights danced across the walls. It was well-appointed but comfortable.
The restaurant’s dinner menu reads de rigueur of New American neighborhood spots: Meatballs or truffle fries for the table to start. Caesar salad and pizzas. Entrees of roasted salmon and a double cheeseburger. Despite the menu's predictability, this restaurant offers big flavors and some surprises.
We started with the Wagyu meatballs and Caesar salad. The former caught our attention when server after server dropped this shareable board at tables all around the restaurant.
The dish arrived in lightning speed. Two grilled pieces of flatbread were neatly crossed next to a small cast iron skillet filled with four meatballs sprinkled with Grana Padano cheese and chiffonaded basil. The pomodoro sauce – sweet and silky, with bits of tender tomato – anchors the dish well. The meatballs, while full of the assertive beefy flavor Wagyu is known for, tasted dry. Although the meat’s exceptional fat marbling makes it buttery and juicy, it can also easily be overcooked. It seems our starter suffered that fate.
It’s almost more shocking not to see a Caesar salad on a restaurant menu, so the bigger question is, will the kitchen go classic or not? George & Gather’s rendition amps up the bright notes of lemon, topping the salad with zest, along with saved cheese, crumbles of baked parmesan crisps and sourdough croutons. Lemon punches hard in this salad and was at times a bit overwhelming, but a peppery, garlicky housemade dressing packs umami that softens the blow.
For the main event, we shared a pizza and one of the restaurant’s family-style side dishes. George & Gather’s pizzas are unique in that they’re built on a sourdough crust made with a 130-year-old starter. Diners can also opt for a gluten-free crust. There are nine pies to choose from, sauced with marinara, basil pesto or olive oil.
There are chic neighborhood restaurants aplenty in Phoenix. Places that are open all day, have a beautiful bar and patio, and allow you to easily shop a market or order takeout when you’re ready to eat but not to cook.
Have we reached the capacity of these familiar, do-it-all places like The Henry and La Grande Orange? George & Gather, the new all-day restaurant and market in downtown Chandler, makes it clear East Valley residents are hungry for a spot to call their own.
The restaurant opened in March and is the brainchild of hospitality newcomers Amber and Mike Kovarik. Like its forebears, George & Gather is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner and boasts a charming Art Deco-inspired dining room. Its market offers a curated selection of stationery, books and travel mugs, grab-and-go food and drinks, a pantry of local foods and wine and coolers stocked with raw milk and bone broth.
A grubbing-and-gathering place like this was missing from downtown Chandler, Amber shared before the restaurant opened its doors. After a recent visit, it's clear the owner’s hunch was spot on.
When visiting on a Tuesday – typically a slow night – the host apologized that there would be a 30-minute wait. From the humming dining room to the bar and the patio, the place was packed.
Once seated, we got comfortable on the resort-like patio in black woven chairs pulled up to marbled stone tables. The ficuses and cypress encircling the outdoor space swayed in a gentle breeze. Light and shadows of the rattan pendant lights danced across the walls. It was well-appointed but comfortable.
The restaurant’s dinner menu reads de rigueur of New American neighborhood spots: Meatballs or truffle fries for the table to start. Caesar salad and pizzas. Entrees of roasted salmon and a double cheeseburger. Despite the menu's predictability, this restaurant offers big flavors and some surprises.
We started with the Wagyu meatballs and Caesar salad. The former caught our attention when server after server dropped this shareable board at tables all around the restaurant.
The dish arrived in lightning speed. Two grilled pieces of flatbread were neatly crossed next to a small cast iron skillet filled with four meatballs sprinkled with Grana Padano cheese and chiffonaded basil. The pomodoro sauce – sweet and silky, with bits of tender tomato – anchors the dish well. The meatballs, while full of the assertive beefy flavor Wagyu is known for, tasted dry. Although the meat’s exceptional fat marbling makes it buttery and juicy, it can also easily be overcooked. It seems our starter suffered that fate.
It’s almost more shocking not to see a Caesar salad on a restaurant menu, so the bigger question is, will the kitchen go classic or not? George & Gather’s rendition amps up the bright notes of lemon, topping the salad with zest, along with saved cheese, crumbles of baked parmesan crisps and sourdough croutons. Lemon punches hard in this salad and was at times a bit overwhelming, but a peppery, garlicky housemade dressing packs umami that softens the blow.
For the main event, we shared a pizza and one of the restaurant’s family-style side dishes. George & Gather’s pizzas are unique in that they’re built on a sourdough crust made with a 130-year-old starter. Diners can also opt for a gluten-free crust. There are nine pies to choose from, sauced with marinara, basil pesto or olive oil.
We selected Rosemary Potato, a white pie that, in addition to its named ingredients, is topped with red onion, mozzarella and gorgonzola. The potatoes offer a playful fake-out, using slices of not only golden but also red-hued spuds that look like discs of pepperoni. The pizza has the comforting flavors of a scalloped potato but with more bite thanks to the tangy cheese and red onion. The sourdough flavor was subtle and the crust was exceptional – crisp, bubbly and able to stand up to its toppings.
Along with our pizza, a side of roasted beets arrived. The dish leans classic, pairing the root veg with herby goat cheese, supremed oranges, a drizzle of honey, pistachios and microgreens. This supporting dish immediately dazzled on the table with a stunning rainbow of color. The creamy cheese was generously spiked with earthy rosemary, an apt partner for both the vibrant citrus and the warm, sweet beets. The hot-and-cold, earthy-and-bright dish was our favorite of the night.
The cocktail menu offers some of George & Gather’s most complex offerings. It was crafted by Pour Form Consulting, the drinks business helmed by James Beard Award semifinalist Jax Donahue. This year’s reigning Last Slinger Standing, Ruben Fernandez, III, led the menu development.
The cocktail called Babe arrives in a short glass with a bubble gum pink foam made from beets. The tipple is made with gin, spiced pear liqueur, green tea, apple cider vinegar, bergamot and lemon. At first sip, the pear pops out, its warm earthiness is reinforced by the green tea. As the foam melts into the drink, the sweet beets add a new, quaffable layer.
Negroni fans should try the Gorgeous. The cocktail features pistachio-infused gin, chocolate bitters and apricot. Despite those additions, the bitter Campari and vermouth keep this sipper balanced.
An undercurrent at George & Gather is that it is a hub for clean eating — eschewing seed oils, for example. Regardless of your opinion on that or other buzzy health food trends, what is clear is that the Kovariks want the kitchen to make as much as it can from scratch.
They also source high-quality local ingredients from standouts such as Barrio Bread, Sonoran Pasta Co., Culture Clash Greek Yogurt and Queen Creek Olive Mill.
Multihyphenate spaces like George & Gather can, on their face, appear predictable, but the restaurant has some aces up its sleeve. And the owners are serving exactly what their neighbors are craving.
Starters and salads $13.50-21, Sides $8-11, Pizzas $17 to $22, Entrees $17-37, Cocktails $14-17
George & Gather serves a simple but sumptuous side of roasted beets. The dish was our favorite of the night.
Sara Crocker
The cocktail menu offers some of George & Gather’s most complex offerings. It was crafted by Pour Form Consulting, the drinks business helmed by James Beard Award semifinalist Jax Donahue. This year’s reigning Last Slinger Standing, Ruben Fernandez, III, led the menu development.
The cocktail called Babe arrives in a short glass with a bubble gum pink foam made from beets. The tipple is made with gin, spiced pear liqueur, green tea, apple cider vinegar, bergamot and lemon. At first sip, the pear pops out, its warm earthiness is reinforced by the green tea. As the foam melts into the drink, the sweet beets add a new, quaffable layer.
Negroni fans should try the Gorgeous. The cocktail features pistachio-infused gin, chocolate bitters and apricot. Despite those additions, the bitter Campari and vermouth keep this sipper balanced.
An undercurrent at George & Gather is that it is a hub for clean eating — eschewing seed oils, for example. Regardless of your opinion on that or other buzzy health food trends, what is clear is that the Kovariks want the kitchen to make as much as it can from scratch.
They also source high-quality local ingredients from standouts such as Barrio Bread, Sonoran Pasta Co., Culture Clash Greek Yogurt and Queen Creek Olive Mill.
Multihyphenate spaces like George & Gather can, on their face, appear predictable, but the restaurant has some aces up its sleeve. And the owners are serving exactly what their neighbors are craving.
George & Gather
336 S. Washington St., ChandlerStarters and salads $13.50-21, Sides $8-11, Pizzas $17 to $22, Entrees $17-37, Cocktails $14-17
