Food Editor Exclusive: “My Favorite Arizona Dishes”
By Brian Garrido
When I moved to Arizona last year, I wondered what kind of culinary treats I would find. I knew – no, expected — to find extraordinary food from people of Mexican descent. Yet, the question was what else would be on the menu? Phoenix and its communities compile the sixth largest city in the country; and I knew I would find something really good, just based on the population alone.
While in San Miguel de Allende, I cooked skirt steak and learned how to make tamales. (I buy them now, leaving the crafting up to the pros.) Once, camping on a small island in the Republic of Palau, we feasted on freshly caught fish, spit-roasted over an open fire. We sipped sake between bites and sang American campfire songs while listening to the waves lap the white sand beaches.
These are my experiences – and because of them, I feel that I can select a few dishes knowing that the dish is fairly unique and defining. Therefore, every time I come back to the Valley, I feel the need to rush back to the same establishment and order the one same item every time.
Now that I’m heading back to California, these are the dishes that will make me want to come back to the Grand Canyon State, time and again.
Sonoran Hot Dog
Made in Mexico, refined in Tucson and gifted to the Valley; essentially, a concoction of a grilled bacon-wrapped hot dog, stuffed into a homemade bolillo is da’ bomb. Sprinkled with crushed potato chips, grilled onions and pinto beans, it’s then topped with the spicy condiments of your choice – from salsa to habaneros. Spread some mustard or south of the border crema. Go at it. Created in the later part of the 20th Century, a Sonoran hot dog is why Mexico and the United States have a deep and abiding friendship. They make great food; we eat their great food. Keep it coming.
Photo Credit: El Guero Canelo
El Guero Canelo
(602) 278-8560
5131 West McDowell Road, Phoenix
Hoja Sante Stuffed with Cheese
At Barrio Café Gran Reserva, Chef Silvana Salcido Esparza wraps a hefty and creamy slice of Chihuahua blanco queso with a large hoja sante leaf. She then toasts the cheese, wrapped in the frond and toasts it on a very hot flattop. The cheese gets melty and gooey on the inside; on the outside the hoja sante becomes a crackling, licorice-flavored crust. Then, she drizzles a house-made, hellfire cascabel sauce over the dish, before it’s brought to the table. Cascabel peppers are cultivated throughout Sonora and when eaten are like French kissing a dragon from “Game of Thrones”. (Yep, that hot.) However, when paired with the milky dairy she found on a Mennonite farm, the heat is snuffed out and becomes smoky and earthy. Pure deliciousness.
Barrio Café Gran Reserva
(602) 252-2777
1301 W. Grand Avenue, Phoenix
Sno-Cone Margaritas
On our second weekend in the Valley, we were walking through downtown Scottsdale taking in the sights of the area. It was mid-afternoon in July and the temperatures climbed into the three digits. We found ourselves a little hungry and parched. If Lucy and Ricky lived in the desert, we imagine it would look like Diego Pops, a stylishly mid-century establishment with humor. Settling in with the misters cooling us down we had a birds-eye view of a sno-cone margarita being made at the bar. That was it. Having traveled to Vegas, New York and San Francisco, never had we witnessed our favorite beat-the-heat treat served with alcohol in a glass. We were smashed.
Facebook Photo: Diego Pops
Diego Pops
(480) 970-1007
4338 North Scottsdale Road, Scottsdale
Molé Oaxaqueno
Mexican molé is one of the most complicated sauces man ever created – and certainly one of the most delicious. With nearly two dozen ingredients, pulverized and crushed into a velvety smoothness, Four Seasons Scottsdale Executive Chef Mel Mecinas drizzles his version over a bacon wrapped tenderloin. Born in Oaxaca, Mecinas, knows his stuff and it doesn’t get better than this. It’s as if a Mayan cooking god, came down and said, “This is it.” Seriously, there is no need to go to Oaxaca unless you want cultural enrichment – eat out on the terrace and watch the sunset set over the Sonoran Desert. No restaurant in the Valley has a view like the Four Seasons or a chef making molé like Mecinas.
Talavera
Photo Credit: talaverarestaurant.com
(480) 515 – 5700
10600 E. Crescent Moon Drive, Scottsdale
Chicken & Waffles
Chef Julie (Jewel) Moreno started making gluten free baked goods when her daughter, Sophia, was diagnosed with celiac disease. Truly, a debilitating condition which prevents one from eating anything that has gluten, such as wheat and barley. For Jewel, as a mother, she wanted her daughter and the rest of the family to enjoy baked goods without the pain and agony from eating gluten products. Hence, she built a thriving business on this simple and healthy concept. However, eat the chicken and waffle and you will wonder why people eat wheat at all. Crispy fried chicken – a large thigh in my case — was served over a gluten-free, crunchy on the outside and airy on the inside waffle. Her proprietary blend of a variety of flours is what creates the taste bud magic. It’s astonishing.
Photo Credit: Facebook Jewel’s Bakery & Cafe
Tacos
Longtime resident and creator of the Arizona Taco Festival, David Tyda, said, “Whenever someone came to visit me, they always asked, ‘Where can we get really great tacos?’” And truthfully, the tacos are without parallel in Arizona. The roasted meats, fall of the bone stewed puerco or the pollo grilled on an open rotisserie, then simmered in sauces for days are made right in Valley of the Sun. Served on house-made flour or corn tortillas with masa made right in the restaurant or at the taco stand. The only place you are going to find better tacos in the United States – is going to Mexico.
Anywhere in Arizona.
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