The consistently excellent cocktails at this urban watering hole in Downtown Phoenix (ironically located in a historic building that once housed the Prohibition Department) come courtesy of Arizona Cocktail Week co-founder Ross Simon. In the mood for something new? The 25-page Book O' Cocktails menu has a few ideas.
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Excellent dishes, like a bracing fish ceviche, and rice and beans topped with a fragrant cilantro beef stew (frijoles con seco a nortena), make this modest spot the best — and only — Peruvian restaurant in Phoenix. It’s enough to raise a glass of Pisco Sour to.
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Stefano Fabbri of the venerated Pomo Pizzeria owns this pitch-perfect Italian market and mozzarella bar specializing in luscious cheeses, Italian wines, and top-notch small plates like Sicilian rice balls and eggplant parmigiana. Bonus: Fabbri’s pizzeria, located next door, means slices are on the menu, too.
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After spending a decade serving up top-notch fare at House of Tricks in Tempe, Chef Kelly Fletcher’s first restaurant is a thoughtful take on American cooking, starring dishes such as roasted pork belly with Asian caramel, and duck confit atop roasted corn polenta. Sweets, by dessert maven Tracy Dempsey, don’t disappoint.
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Impeccable classic and modern-minded cocktails, ambitious modern American cuisine (get the duck breast roulade), and top-notch service come together at this cozy, fun, and unpretentious spot in Scottsdale, where being located above ground level is something to brag about.
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At this spacious new Scottsdale restaurant, restaurateur German Osio and Top Chef Masters contestant Herb Wilson blend Mexican and Asian flavors into sophisticated creations like Mexican-style pho, pad thai al pastor, and wild mushroom tacos. Thank Phoenix drink master Bill DeGroot for the exquisite cocktails.
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When pastry chef Country Velador isn’t crafting heavenly desserts for some of the city’s best restaurants, she’s stocking the shelves of her bright little sweet shop in Scottsdale with handmade goodies like duck fat toffee, chocolate bacon caramel corn, and black licorice made with a splash of green chartreuse.
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Former Kai chef Michael O’Dowd brings his imaginative and playful cooking style to a former 1920s home in Central Phoenix. Less adventurous than the dishes at his former gigs, the seasonal selections still make for a fun and fantastic meal.
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