Food Editor Exclusive: My Favorite Valley Restaurants, and a Farewell
By Brian Garrido
For ten months, I’ve been honored to write for Arizona Latinos. I never took the position lightly, treating it as an opportunity to do something I loved doing – writing about food. While in this position, I also was able to learn about Arizona food history, which I honestly knew nothing about. In researching some of the stories, I was learned some fascinating facts on how the state’s forefathers sustained themselves when the 48th state was still a Mexican territory. Who knew that baseball played such an important part in the creation of the Sonoran hot dog? The Arizona crisp – which I’ve only seen here – is derived from a century old tlayuda, an Oaxacan street food made with roasted chicken, chiles and mashed black beans? Even the much derided chimichanga, a deep-fried burrito, was born under the ledges of the Grand Canyon (and definitely not created by Taco Bell).
Upon our first meeting, publisher of AZLatinos.com Diane Prieto-Bernal, and the site’s editor-in-chief, Cindy Castillo said to me, “We don’t want anything negative.” I believe I’ve upheld that request. Truthfully, though, how can I ever make a negative remark about someone who is an entrepreneurial cook? I applaud anyone who wants to make a living from cooking – whether that’s a taco stand, a catering business or a full-blown restaurant, even if they are employed by a company. There’s always something delicious to eat, even if it’s just the fries or the chips and salsa.
One of the most important things I’ve learned about eating in restaurants is that the most delicious food doesn’t come from only a garden or the freshest farm. Nor does it originate from the technically brilliant cook or the most sophisticated restaurant. It also doesn’t come from a small stand or a push-car, either. For me, great food comes from the heart. It sounds trite, but it’s true. It’s from the “welcome” as soon as you walk through the door, to when someone says, “Goodnight! Thank you for coming!” or with a humble bow as they present their best carne asada taco, wrapped to go. And, they mean it when they say, “Thank you.”
Therefore, my final list isn’t just about the food or the ambiance, but about dining experiencing through the chef’s eyes and their dining room. All the food was great and the atmosphere stellar.
Jennifer Russo at The Market by Jennifer: Owned by a caterer turned restaurant owner Jennifer Russo and her friend Richard Fiero, the food and atmosphere is belly-filling and comforting. With locally sourced ingredients – some of which you can buy (like Hayden Mills flour) on site – Russo crafts home-oriented dishes such as the delightful house made potato and sweet potato chips with three dips, or the bacon wrapped shrimp – a lighter take on pigs in a blanket. My recommendation is to go wild dining on appetizers and snacks from a menu including the locally sourced breads and charcuterie. Order up a bottle of wine, it’s a meal. The Market by Jennifer offers up comfort and yumminess. More importantly, Russo is a caterer – therefore her talents can be brought to your home for special occasions and events. She will do it with a lovely smile and graciousness.
3603 E. Indian School Rd, Ste A, Phoenix, AZ 85018
(602) 626-5050
Chef Silvana Salcido Esparza at Barrio Café, Barrio Urbano & Barrio Café Grand Reserva: Arizona Culinary Hall of Fame inductee Esparza is a Grand Canyon State treasure. Select any one of her restaurants – which are Mexican with a dash of European techniques – and you just can’t go wrong. Yes, Esparza crafts scrumptious South of the Border meals and appetizers; but more importantly, she is a minority woman who created not one, but five restaurants in a politically conservative state. That alone speaks volumes about her cooking. Lastly, she champions much of the Chicano and Latin culture throughout the Valley, commissioning local artists and muralists to decorate her cafes. Food and community outreach? You can’t go wrong. Recently, Barrio Café – which has been open since 2002 – was named by Tabelog as the number one Mexican restaurant in the country. I would say that Esparza is one of the best chefs in the country.
2814 N. 16th St., Phoenix, AZ 85006
(602) 636-0240
In Arizona, Nobuo Fukuda at Nobuo at Teeter House is of the few Asian restaurants I’ve loved. Located in a beautifully restored Victorian home in old town Phoenix’s Heritage Square, it’s mind-boggling that any chef envisioned an establishment in it’s warren of rooms, much less an izakaya – a Japanese bar with food – in the century old historical manor. Yet, it’s an inventive use of space, which speaks volumes about the character and creativity of James Beard-winning chef Nobuo Fukuda. Dining delights are the grapefruit and hamachi, a balance of tanginess and richness, and a house-cured salmon which is dusted with a pecorino Romano. My personal favorite is the pork belly which is served differently during lunch then at dinner. The meat has brined for almost a week and then slow-cooked for a day, before being seared and crisped on the outside. At the mid-day repast, Chef Fukuda serves this delectable melting lushness wrapped in a steamed bun (my personal fave). In the evening, wrapped in a banana leaf, he balances the meat’s fattiness with rice and mushrooms. Heaven.
622 E. Adams St., Phoenix, AZ 85004
(602) 254-0600
Chef Mel Mecinas at Talavera and Proof, Four Seasons Resorts, Scottsdale at Troon North: I’ve written about Mel, a 2016 Arizona Culinary Hall of Fame Inductee, and some of his staff – lauding them to the Aztec gods. Talavera diners are eating brilliantly conceived Mexican food hidden in essentially American eats. There are some French-inspired and American steakhouse dishes, such as a lustful lobster mac-and-cheese and a foie gras dish that should not be missed. Mecinas excels with his luxuriously dark molé Oaxaqueño served under a bacon-wrapped tenderloin, which I named last week as one of my favorite dishes in the Valley. Let us not forget the kurobata pork chop with a peppery achiote glaze – a Latin condiment made from the annatto seed – or, the octopus appetizer served with aji amarillo. Dazzling food, a remarkable staff supervised by the charming General Manager Karma Tsepal, and an unsurpassed breathtaking view of the Sonoran desert.
Proof, whose daily chef is Joey Cavaretta – overseen by Mecinas, is a testament to road house food. If you’ve taken a lot of car trips – my favorite kind – throughout the United States, it’s hard not to encounter a variety of independent eateries dishing out beer can chicken or fish frys. Sadly, I think they are slowly disappearing the way of the dinosaur, replaced with nostalgic counterparts like Proof. However, Proof is actually better than the restaurants to which they are paying homage. Trust me, they were greasy, overcooked, coated in butter and Cheese Whiz was a vegetable. It’s better to wishfully eat the past but dine with wholesomeness like you do at Proof.
10600 E Crescent Moon Dr, Scottsdale, AZ 85262
(480) 515-5700
Chris Bianco at Tratto: James Beard award-winning Chris Bianco became synonymous with making artisanal pizza at the turn of the century. Called the best pizza maker in the country by international food critics changed how generations of Italian pie lovers now perceive their wood-fired eats. Bianco’s cooking skills came at a time when pizza was only served two ways: deep dish or New York-style. Thankfully, he was one of the first adapters of the now basic restaurant tenant of using local ingredients – for him that meant Arizona growers – to create some of his internationally known pies. Think of Chez Panisse’s Alice Waters as a straight man living in Phoenix and you get the idea. Earlier this year, I had the pleasure of dining several times at his new intimate Tratto, which opened early spring. To me, the restaurant is a reflection of a very happy man. Smiling servers bustle around in an all-white interior and Bianco’s father painted all the fruits and vegetables adorning the walls. At Tratto, the food is simple and rustic. Of course, everything is seasonal and Bianco oversees it all, from his central location in the kitchen. My favorite bites were the simple roasted beets in a fig leaf with a bleu cheese. The sugariness of the red bulb with the salty creaminess of the dairy product was perfection. I could have had that for dessert for the rest of my life, and that was just an appetizer. Oh, and definitely eat the pasta. It’s handmade daily.
4743 N. 20th St., Phoenix, AZ 85016
(602) 296-7761
Chef Azucena Tovar at Los Sombreros reveals the delicious eats of her Mexican hometown of San Miguel de Allende. If you’ve never been to this appealing and idyllic mountain area known for wonderful food and beautiful art and crafts, it’s a travelers’ paradise. Centrally located in the heart of Mexico, her childhood home is displayed on her Scottsdale menu offering indigenous area ingredients such as chicarrones, picadillo (sweetened beef), huitalacoche and hibiscus. The place is cozy and the drinks are stiff but this is as close to central Mexico you’re going to get without flying. Order anything with huitalacoche, also known as “corn smut” in the United States. Essentially, it’s a fungus that grows between the kernels of corn while still ripening. On this side of the border, we have wrongly eradicated it from budding. In Mexico though, it’s cultivated and used in a variety of ways, add it to butter and it’s a spread. Quesadilla and tamale fillings. It’s has wonderful, earthy quality and Ms. Tovar appreciatively uses it with great abundance.
2534 North Scottsdale Rd, Scottsdale, AZ 85257
(480) 994-1799
Cullen Campbell at Okra does a mighty good job of bringing southern cooking to an area proliferating with South of the Border cuisine. It’s not the food of my Oklahoma-born grandmother, who lived in South Carolina and Georgia her entire life cooking downhome eats. Pork fat. Butter. Flour. Scrumptious. Campbell brings a refinement to it such southern stalwarts as the smoke ham hock and black-eyed peas with braised greens. In the low country, it’s called Hoppin’ John and served up with collards. Campbell plates it up prettily, but it’s still rustic and lip-smacking. He makes a mean potpie that even my Grandma would have loved, if she were still around. Good place and fabulous eats. I highly recommend Micah Olson’s cocktails too. None prettier. My group was so taken by the beauty of the champagne julep, we thought it looked like a museum piece.
5813 N 7th St, Phoenix, AZ 85014
(602) 296-4147
Special shout outs to the Original Breakfast House, Matt’s Big Breakfast and Perk Eatery as well. The egg dishes at these three places are wonderful.
Finally, I want to say thank you to editor in chief, Cindy Castillo – who let me write whatever I wanted; Anthony Hernandez, who copyedited everything, removing all my more political statements, which always made me chuckle – and to the publisher of AZLatinos, the beautiful and talented Diana Prieto Bernal, you are the best. Thank you for patience, kindness and unwavering faith in me.
Adios, and remember to always comer bien.