My first time covering Spring Training for Comcast was back in 2008. The first restaurant I tried that trip was Oregano's. It's definitely a Phoenix favorite for visitors and locals alike. I've had everything from salad to pasta to different kinds of pizza. On this visit, the seven of us ordered two types of thin crust: Margherita and BBQ Chicken. We also got a Chicago-style deep pan pizza with sausage, pepperoni and mushrooms. If you're in to thin crust pizza, I actually prefer Grimaldi's (described above). But if you're more of a deep dish person, then Oregano's is your spot. Whatever you order, save room for their famous Pizza Cookie (Pizookie). It's a half pound of cookie dough, slightly baked (so it's still gooey inside) in a small pizza pan and topped with vanilla bean ice cream and more chocolate chips. It's heaven in a pizza pan.
The Mission
Cuisine: Latin American
Price Range: Tacos $12-$16, Entrees $24-$32
Address: 3815 N Brown Ave, Scottsdale, AZ 85251
Phone Number: (480) 636-5005
Saturday night was definitely in the running for one of my favorite Scottsdale restaurants. If you want a fabulous dining experience with top-notch food, drinks, and service...then definitely check out The Mission while you are here. It's on the pricier side, so like FnB, this would be one of your nicer dinners out in Scottsdale.
My
favorite "bite" of the night was the 1.) Tostadas...crispy
handmade corn tortillas are topped with chicken thigh, black beans, ham hocks,
cotija cheese and aji rocoto, which is a Peruvian hot pepper, and these
definitely had some kick to them. 2.) As we sat down, we were greeted with a shot
of tequila courtesy of the manager, Brian and Kevin, who helped get us the reservation. This wasn't just any tequila
though...it was sipping tequila that was a blend of reposado and two añejo tequilas filtered over diamonds. I'm not joking.
Smoothest tequila I've ever had. 3.) We also ordered the pork belly pibil as
another starter. This was crispy pork belly, roast garlic black bean
puree, pickled red onion, orange, oregano, achiote, avocado crema &
banana habanero aioli. Also fantastic. For drinks, I tried the 4.) blood orange
margarita and the 5.) Aguacate
Margarita. If you know your Spanish, you know that aguacate means avocado. It
was fabulous and not weird-green-smoothy-tasting at all. For dinner, Colvin and Steve both ordered 6.) Chimichuri Marinated Hanger
Steak, which came with charred leek and scallion soubise (a version of a béchamel sauce), and a tomatillo salad and pan
de bono, which is a Columbian cheese bread. Amy G and I split the 7.) Pork Shoulder Tacos (which serve two). They come with a pineapple glaze, red onions, cilantro, and cotija cheese so you can make your own tacos with the 8.) handmade corn tortillas they bring out on a heated rock. We were way too stuffed for dessert, but they were nice enough to bring us a creme tequila for something sweet to finish off the meal. So good! It was like a mix between Bailey's and tequila...I want some for my coffee on the weekends!
Overall, this was a unique dining experience, unlike anything you would get elsewhere. Everything was high quality, well thought out, and most importantly, very delicious. Highly recommended!
Don & Charlie's
Cuisine: Classic American
Price Range: Burgers $11 to Steaks $30+
Address: 7501 E Camelback Rd, Scottsdale, AZ 85251
Phone Number: (480) 990-0900
I'll admit it. I'm more of a new-school gal rather than an old school girl when it comes to restaurants. (i.e. why I loved FnB and The Mission so much). So I wasn't expected to be blown away at Don & Charlie's. I knew it would be solid, but I had no expectations beyond that. My expectations were exceeded thanks to some solid food and a fabulous waiter (Hershy is the BEST!) There's a reason why this place is a favorite of players, coaches, and fans alike (Giants Clubhouse Mainstay "Murph" is a regular). As these people know, sometimes you just need a damn good steak and ribs or a fatty baked potato and some banana cream pie. You can get exactly that at Don & Charlie's. For me, it's the ultimate comfort food because it reminds me of the types of things I ate growing up in Montana. Not to mention, if you're a baseball fan (which, if you're still reading this blog post, I assume you are) the walls are plastered wall-to-wall with photos and memorabilia. (Pst...check out who we spotted on the wall...)
Onto the food. We got: 1.) Fried calamari 2.) Wedge salad 3.) Loaded baked potato 4.) Cheeseburger 5.) New York Strip Steak 6.) Filet Medallion Trio 7.) Award winning BBQ Baby Back Ribs 8.) Cheesecake 9.) Vanilla Creme Brulee with Dark Chocolate center 10.) Banana Cream Pie with a side of hot fudge (recommendation and desserts, courtesy of Hershy!)
Arcadia Farms Cafe
Cuisine: American (Breakfast, Lunch)
Price Range: $9-$15
Address: 7014 E 1st Ave, Scottsdale, AZ 85251
Phone Number: (480) 941-5665
Sunday was my lone off day of the trip, and I took advantage by meeting up with one of my very good friends, Melissa. Mel is about a week away from giving birth to her first child, so we decided to add a short walk to our brunch plans and go to Arcadia Farms Cafe. (She is doing anything to get that baby moving!) What a cute little spot. They have a lovely back patio area that was perfect for the warm Arizona day. I got an egg white omelet with goat cheese, spinach and mushrooms. Mel ordered the French Toast. Everything was great...and the lunch menu looked yummy as well.
Cowboy Ciao
Cuisine: New American
Price Range: Appetizers $7-$15, Entrees $24-$35
Address: 7133 E Stetson Dr Ste 1, Scottsdale, AZ 85251
Phone Number: (480) 946-3111
On Monday evening, my friend and co-worker, Devon, was also in Arizona. The original plan was to all go AZ88, but as we were walking out the door, the boys started dropping like flies. Devon and I called an audible and went to Cowboy Ciao instead. Since she was in a hurry, we sat at the bar and immediately informed our bartender, Cameron, that we needed to eat and drink quickly. We also needed a rundown of the gluten-free items on the menu. Cameron was on it. We had our food in no time, and he even brought us a complimentary glass of wine to go with our mushroom dish. We were in and out in less than 30 minutes. Cameron was awesome!
Also, all week, I had been under the impression that Cowboy Ciao and Citizen Public House (above) were owned by the same people. What we learned from Cameron is the chef at CPH actually started at Cowboy Ciao...which is why they both have identical chopped salads. From left to right we ordered: 1.) My delicious drink...which I cannot find the name for and didn't write down. (Rookie move!) It had gin in it and it was very refreshing. 2.) Burrata Bonanza...no, that's not a fried egg in the photo. It's the creamiest burrata ever, served with avocado, arugula, radish, and fried shallots. 3.) Stetson Chopped Salad...exact same as the one I gushed over at CPH. We got ours without the cous cous for the gluten free girl. :) and 2.) Exotic Mushroom Pan Fry...this is one of their signature dishes, but they offer a smaller portion, which was perfect for us. It was a mixture of 9 different types of mushrooms in an ancho cream sauce over double-cooked polenta, topped with grilled portabellini, avocado, tomato and cotija cheese.
1.) Echo Coffee: Go for the coffee, where each cup is brewed
individually, but stay for the small food offerings. The Turkey and Brie Panini
was awesome.
2.) Chik-fil-a: I’m not one to frequent fast food joints, but
Chik-fil-a is different. They offer delicious and healthy options like the
grilled chicken sandwich on a whole wheat bun with a side of fresh fruit.
3.) Frashers: Another good option for steak in Scottsdale,
though I can only vouch for the peppercorn steak soup and the toasted ravioli
(half cheese/jalapeno, half meat). Both hit the spot after a long day.
4.) Blue 32 Sports Grill: The food is nothing special, but this is a great
sports bar if you’re looking for a place to watch March Madness games. I did
particularly enjoy the fried pickles and the Buffalo chicken flatbread.
I received a lot of other restaurant recommendations, but we
ran out of time. Here are some of
the other options in the area that people recommended: Carlsbad Tavern,
Culinary Dropout, Hakana Sushi, House of Tricks (Tempe), Italian Grotto,
Italian Restaurant (Phoenix), Jave Me Crazy, Lola, Los Dos Molinos (Mesa), Lux, Modern Steak, Olive & Ivy, Pizzeria Bianco (Downtown
Phoenix), Windsor.
And...just for fun, I included a few photos from our "wrap party" which was held at Andy's rental house. Finally! After two weeks of eating out, I got to get back in the kitchen. It was a joint effort, but we made jello shots, blood orange mojitos, Greek salad, shaved brussels sprouts salad, lamb sliders stuffed with feta and topped with a mint-cucumber sauce, and chicken skewers with mint and red onion.
For those heading to Spring Training, I hope you have a
great time and get a chance to sample some of these great restaurants. Feel
free to comment below on what you thought of them, or if you have other
recommendations I may have missed. Go Giants!