Sierra Bonita Grill
I’ve lived down the street from Sierra Bonita Grill for four years and every time I drove by I would tell myself that I really needed to try that place. My fiancé and I finally stopped in last month. Now, it’s on our regular happy hour and dinner rotation. I should have stopped in earlier.
Located in Central Phoenix, Sierra Bonita Grill serves what can be described best as Southwestern cuisine. They take influences from many of the cultures of the Southwest and turn them into delectable dishes like the "Original" Cowboy Stew or fun happy hour snacks like the Sonoran hot dog. I’ve also heard that they have a fantastic brunch. I won’t be waiting four years to try it.
The “Orignal” Cowboy Stew made with braised beef, hominy, carrots, onions and chiles in a rich hearty broth. Garnsihed with crispy sweet potato strips and served with a warmed flour tortilla. Add a fried egg if you’re feeling like a real cowboy.
During happy hour you can snack on the Sonoran hot dog for $6. For those of you that don’t know, a Sonoran hot dog is a bacon wrapped hot dog topped with mayo, refried beans, cotija cheese, and Indian salsa served on a fresh bolillo roll.
Sierra Bonita has happy hour from 3-6pm (bar only) with $6 snack specials, $6 signature cocktails and $4 well drinks and draft beers.
Sierra Bonita is located at 6933 North 7th Street, in Phoenix.
Tutti Santi Italian Restaurant
Tutti Santi in Phoenix is a family favorite for Italian cuisine.
Italian cuisine and family just go together, which makes it no surprise to me that Tutti Santi is one my family’s favorites. I’ve been to two of the five Greater Phoenix locations, and have felt like a member of the Tutti Santi family at each one. You can taste the pride in the food and feel the pride in the service you get from their staff.
We recently celebrated my father’s birthday at the 16th Street Tutti Santi in Phoenix. Located near the Pointe at Squaw Peak, you could blink and miss Tutti Santi which is situated in the back corner of the strip mall facing 16th Street. This particular location has a great patio for a nice day and the inside of the restaurant is much bigger than you would expect from the outside. The décor is of your typical Italian restaurant with white tablecloths and wine and Italian themed imagery.
Whenever I visit Tutti Santi I have a hard time deciding on what to order. Everything on the menu sounds delicious and it is filled with seafood items along with more traditional Italian dishes like ravioli and lasagna.
We decided on two appetizers for the table after asking the waiter how fresh their mussels were. “Fresh!” He said, “We fly in our seafood three times a week.” The mussels are served in a white wine garlic sauce, and make sure to ask for extra bread to sop up the broth. We also ordered the calamari, which was perfectly crisp (not chewy!) and served with a spicy cocktail sauce.
The mussels appetizer at Tutti Santi.
Because the portions are huge at Tutti Santi, my fiancé and I split the Linguine del Marinaio that comes with fresh clams, mussels, calamari and shrimp sautéed in a light tomato sauce and served on a bed of linguine. Bravo! The seafood was fresh, perfectly cooked, and the sauce was delicious.
Linguine del Marinaio
My mother ordered her favorite, the Homemade Ravioli alla Nina. I have to tell you, this ravioli will change your life – it’s like perfect little pillows of pasta, Ricotta cheese with spinach and marinara. It’s just amazing. Try it and thank us later.
The best ravioli you will have outside of Italy.
My father ordered the lasagna and it was another hit. You just can’t lose when you order at Tutti Santi.
Tutti Santi has five locations in Greater Phoenix. The menu and happy hour specials vary on location, so check their website before you go.
More photos from our visit to Tutti Santi can be found on Flickr.
The Garage Wine and Tap
Our marketing intern extraordinaire, Michelle, is at it again. Here's her take on a recent visit to the Garage Wine and Tap.
What used to be an auto repair shop in North Central Phoenix, has now become home to the Garage Wine and Tap. The two car bays now hold tables and chairs rather than oil pits and parts, but the repair shop theme has been carried over to the restaurants décor. The brick walls hold vintage tires and a giant wooden propeller, while gas pumps can be found in the bathrooms. Concrete and dark woods make up the u-shaped bar.
But don’t let the name fool you, this hangout offers up gourmet bar items such as flatbreads, lamb chops, specialty salads, shrimp and burgers. You can also find over 20 wines and champagnes and 20 beers, including local microbrews.
For my lunchtime trip I settled in at the bar with the Caprese Salad and the flatbread simply named Meat. The salad consisted of a large slice of an heirloom tomato topped with a very thick and dense piece of buffalo mozzarella, then drizzled with an aged balsamic. Not quite a salad in the terms of a pile of leafy greens, but still delicious.
The Caprese Salad
I followed this up with the appropriately named Meat flatbread which was a thin crust pizza covered with fennel sausage, prosciutto, pepperoni and apple wood smoked bacon which had a great smoky flavor and a perfectly crisp crust.
The 'Meat' flatbread
This neighborhood pit-stop has live music every Tuesday night, weekend brunch, and weekday happy hour specials.
The Garage Wine and Tap is located at 1534 E. Bethany Home Road in Phoenix.
Hula’s Modern Tiki
Our marketing intern extraordinaire, Michelle, recently visited Hula’s Modern Tiki in Central Phoenix. She offered to write a blog post about her experience and we happily obliged.
If you have a craving for some island style food but can’t take the time to head to Hawaii, then you can feed that need at Hula’s Modern Tiki right here in Phoenix!
Hula’s takes island style and adds a modern contemporary twist which you can see not just in the food but in the décor as well. As you enter Hula’s you’ll first encounter a large outdoor patio with modern furniture, nothing that says island; that is until you walk up to the front doors where you will be greeted by a 6 foot tall wooden carved tiki. Now that’s more like it!
The restaurant itself has an unusual L-shape layout, but the bar which is the highlight is very inviting. The dark wood bar-top has built in glass display shelves that house hundreds of different tiki glassware. On most evenings a large wall serves as the backdrop for old Hawaii movies such as Blue Hawaii or South Pacific. Hawaiian hula girls and surfers can be found in framed pictures throughout the restaurant.
This particular visit was for lunch, so I chose the South Seas Fish Tacos, made with grilled Hapu, which is a Hawaiian Sea Bass. The size of the filet they put in each taco is ginormous, almost making it difficult to actually fold the taco! These tacos paired with the black beans and rice is a plate and belly-full.
My lunch buddy had the Big Sur Black Bean Burger, which she said was the best black bean burger she had ever tried, and that the grilled Maui onions were the perfect topping.
Hula’s lunch menu offers up a variety of sandwiches, burgers and salads, while the dinner menu provides more options with more island style flare. My top choices for dinner are the coconut or macadamia crusted fish, and the Duke’s Luau Pork Plate. The Duke’s Luau Pork Plate is served with traditional style slow roasted pork, rice and coleslaw and is named after the famous Hawaiian credited with spreading the sport of surfing. For the thirsty crowd, a must-try is the Scorpion Bowl, a punch bowl of brandy, rum and juices set aflame, sharing is recommended but not a restriction!
Hula’s also offers a full brunch menu on the weekends. On Mahalo Mondays, 10% of sales go to local charities.
Hula’s Modern Tiki is located at 4700 N. Central Ave. See more photos from Michelle's visit to Hula's Modern tiki on Flickr.
Cornish Pasty Co.
Don't judge a book by its cover - Cornish Pasty Co. is located in a non-descript strip mall at University and Hardy in Tempe.
Have you ever discovered a restaurant and said, “This is it. This is that hole-in-the-wall place that I am going to frequent all the time. I am going to bring everyone I know here, because this place is awesome.” Well, that’s what I said to myself when I discovered Cornish Pasty Co.
How I discovered Cornish Pasty Co. is an amusing story. I was having some after work libations at another Tempe restaurant with a few of my co-workers when the bartender there told us we were paying too much for our drinks. I’m pretty sure our faces twisted up into confused looks. “Um, you’re telling us we’re paying too much at your restaurant?” He went on to tell us about Cornish Pasty Co. It’s where he and all of the other bartenders, waiters and waitresses from that particular restaurant would go to eat and drink when their shifts were over. We promptly paid our bill and went to seek out this mystic Cornish Pasty Co. without any idea of what we were about to discover.
Cornish Pasty Co. is narrow and dark. There is one table in the back that will accommodate larger groups.
Cornish Pasty Co. is located in a non-descript strip mall at University and Hardy in Tempe. It’s a tiny, narrow and dark space. Perfect, I think, for a restaurant that serves up dishes from Cornwall inspired by the lunches of miners. So, what exactly is a pasty? (Oh, and by the way, it is pronounced PASS-TEE.) Cornish Pasty Co.’s website gives this history:
“The Cornish Pasty originates from Cornwall (Southwest England) and can be traced back as far as the 1200’s. Mining was once a thriving industry in Cornwall and at that time pasties were baked by the wives and mothers of the tin miners. Pasties were made with a thick crimped edge along one side so the miners could use the crimp as a handle to hold onto while eating. The miners’ hands would often be covered in arsenic from the mine, so the miners would discard the handle when they were done. The crusts were never wasted though, as many miners believed that ghosts, or “knockers” inhabited the mines, and the leftover crusts would keep these ghosts content. Traditionally, pasties were made with different fillings at each end. One end containing meat and vegetables, and one end with a sweet filling. The sweet end would be marked with an initial so the miners knew what side to eat first. Today, Cornish Pasties are filled with steak, potatoes, swede (rutabaga) and onions. At one time Cornwall had nearly 2,000 flourishing tin mines, but by the 1800’s tin mining had become a rapidly declining industry. Att his time, Cornish miners began immigrating to Michigan’s Upper Peninsula for copper mining bringing pasties with them throughout mining towns across America as well as the British Isles.”
Old photos of miners line the walls at Cornish Pasty Co.
So basically, the easiest way for me to explain what a pasty is that, it’s dough filled with yummy ingredients then baked to perfection, almost like a calzone, but not Italian. Cornish Pasty Co. has a long menu full of pasty options, including vegetarian options. I would recommend trying a traditional pasty on your first visit, then moving on from there. On my most recent visit I had the Chicken Tikka Masala (red curry) pasty and my fiancé had The Chicken Greek. We were both happy with our choices. The Tikka Masala pasty comes filled with marinated chicken breast, tikka masala sauce (red curry), green peppers and potatoes with a side of mint yogurt dressing and tahini. The Chicken Greek is filled with chicken breast, spinach, fresh mozzarella, feta, sun-dried tomatoes, kalamata olives, artichokes and roasted garlic with a side of tahini and tzatziki.
The Chicken Tikka Masala pasty. Yum!
One of my favorite things about Cornish Pasty Co., aside from the food, is that they have a fantastic beer selection at reasonable prices. From Boddingtons, Strongbow Hard Cider and many more on tap, to over two dozen bottled choices, you’ll be sure to find a great brew to complement your pasty. On this particular visit they had Four Peaks Pumpkin Porter on tap, win! Two things to note here, Cornish Pasty Co. has happy hour daily from 3-6pm and 10pm – close. They are also known for their $3 Car Bombs (Guinness, Bailey’s and whiskey). $3 all the time.
Four Peaks Pumpkin Porter
To finish out our meal, we ordered the Chocolate Bread and Butter Pudding, which I had not noticed on the menu before. Made with homemade bread, baked in rich chocolate brandy sauce and served with crème aglaise or ice cream, this is hands down the best dessert I have ever had anywhere. Chocolatey, warm and moist on the inside, and crispy on the outside I instantly proclaimed that for all future birthdays this would be my birthday cake. On my next visit, I may or may not order the Chocolate Bread and Butter Pudding before my dinner, it’s that good.
Best. Dessert. Ever.
Cornish Pasty Co. has two Greater Phoenix locations. Tempe (where we visited for this post) at 960 W. University, Suite 103 and Mesa, at 1941 W. Guadalupe. More photos from our visit to Cornish Pasty Co. can be found on Flickr.
El Chorro
With views of both Camelback and Mummy Mountains and its famous sticky buns, dining on the patio at El Chorro is one of those quintessential Arizona experiences. I recently visited the property to take a tour of the newly remodeled bar, restaurant and event venues. The staff was nice enough to provide a lovely spread of food and drinks, and sent me home with a box of their famous sticky buns to enjoy later.
Cool fall temps + El Chorro's patio + cheese and charcuterie plate + wine = a perfect evening.
Heaven awaits inside...
El Chorro was originally built in 1934 as the Judson School for Girls, and in 1937 it was converted to a restaurant and lodge. Since then, it has been host to some of Arizona’s most famous families and visitors such as Barry Goldwater and Frank Lloyd Wright. The recent remodel is unique in its restoration of the historical aspects of the property, but also in receiving a LEED Gold Certification by the U.S. Green Building Council. That’s pretty impressive if you ask me!
No matter where you are on the property, the views at El Chorro are fantastic.
Aside from all the technical aspects, El Chorro is a gorgeous property. Whether you are a visitor or a local, I highly recommend stopping by.
El Chorro Fall 2011 Schedule
Tuesday – Saturday
• Happy Hour 4-7pm
• Dinner 5 – 7pm
Sunday
• Brunch 9am – 3pm
• Happy Hour 4 – 7pm
• Dinner 3 – 9pm
Happy Hour
• Tuesday thru Sunday from 4 – 7pm
• Happy Hour Menu
• House wines and beer half price
• Daily martini and margarita specials
Live Entertainment
• Friday evenings from 6 – 9pm
El Chorro offers a fantastic three-course prix fixe meal prepared with seasonal and local ingredients for $30 during dinner hours.
El Chorro is located at 5550 East Lincoln Drive in Paradise Valley. Find more photos from our visit to El Chorro on Flickr.
P.S. El Chorro is also a great place to hold an event, meeting or wedding!
