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!
Carly’s Bistro
I had always walked by Carly’s Bistro during First Friday, and said to myself, “Hmm I should try that place sometime.” So finally, at the suggestion of a friend I tried Carly’s for lunch, and was glad that I did.
Usually packed during First Friday, Carly's has a completely different atmosphere during lunch.
You can expect a completely different atmosphere at Carly’s during lunch than during First Friday. In fact, during the day Carly’s would be the perfect place for a lunch meeting. I arrived a few minutes before my friend so I had some extra time to peruse the menu. Carly’s has quite the selection of sandwiches, wraps, and salads to choose from. The menu has a Mediterranean feel with items like hummus, and tapenade included on many of the sandwiches.
The bar at Carly's with a mural painted by local artist Steven Yazzie.
After much deliberation, I decided on a lavosh wrap with turkey, red pepper hummus, spinach and sun-dried tomatoes. My friend ordered the Southwest Chicken sandwich, grilled chicken breast with cilantro pesto, chipotle mayo and pepper jack cheese on cibatta. With a sandwich you get a choice of chips or an orzo salad. My wrap was delicious. Light, and made with fresh quality ingredients I didn’t feel overstuffed at the end of my meal.
My lavosh turkey wrap was fresh, delicious and just the right amount of food.
On my way out I noticed a sign on the sidewalk that listed Carly’s happy hour specials. With half off appetizers like; pita pizza, artichoke dip and an antipasto plate, I’ll be visiting Carly’s again soon.
I'll be back for happy hour soon!
Carly's Bistro is located at 128 East Roosevelt Street in downtown Phoenix. You can find more photos of our visit to Carly's Bistro on Flickr.
Downtown Phoenix Tasting
The Downtown Phoenix Partnership was kind enough to invite me to their annual blogger lunch and launch of their 2011 Downtown Dining Guide. During the lunch, I was able to try small dishes from six downtown restaurants and was given some exciting news about new restaurants opening at CityScape this fall/winter.
The 2011 Downtown Dining Guide from the Downtown Phoenix Partnership.
First up, we were given a choice of an iced vanilla latte or cinnamon spice ice tea from One Coffee Company. Since it was later in the day, I went with the cinnamon spice ice tea. What a surprise! If you are a cinnamon fan, you must try this tea. It almost tastes like someone dropped a few red hot candies into a cold refreshing glass of iced tea. It was a refreshing and interesting mix. The owner spoke to us for a few minutes about his passion for coffee and downtown Phoenix. He said he wanted to create a space where not only those who work downtown stop in to for their daily coffee, but where those that live downtown can come and hang out.
Cinnamon Spice Tea from One Coffee Company
Next, Brick Pizzeria & Wine Bar served their house-made hummus with vegetables, feta and olives; and an also homemade virgin margarita. Yum! What a perfect combination for a hot day. The ingredients were so fresh and the owner stressed that they make everything from scratch. I really enjoyed both of these items, and since my office is in the same complex as Brick, I will be stopping in for lunch and happy hour!
Hummus with vegetables, feta and olives from Brick Pizzeria
I have to admit, when I walked into the room I was star struck to see James Beard Award winner, Chef Nobuo Fukuda. I have been to his one-year-old restaurant, Nobuo at Teeter House, and was blown away then, so I was very excited to see what he had in store for us to taste. He didn’t disappoint. Chef Fukuda prepared a tasting trio to be eaten in order. First, a melon salad with goat cheese and mint to cleanse the palate; then, yellowtail sashimi with avocado; and to finish, tomatoes with honey and pepper. Wow. Fresh, flavorful, unique. Chef Fukuda impresses again.
Tasting trio from Nobuo at Teeter House
Province, located inside The Westin Phoenix Downtown, also served a tasting trio with a chicken Cuban bocadillo; a goat cheese tortellini with vegetables in broth; a squash muffin with molasses frosting; and a cucumber, basil, ginger, and Serrano chile aqua fresca served with chopped strawberries. The aqua fresca was refreshing and sweet with a slow burn from the Serrano chile in the finish. It definitely inspired me to try some interesting aqua fresca combinations at home.
Cucumber basil aqua fresca from Province
For some reason, I always forget that downtown Phoenix has a rotating restaurant, The Compass Arizona Grill at the Hyatt. I was glad that they participated in this event to remind me! I really enjoyed their Ancho Chorizo Shrimp and raspberry lemonade infused with rosemary. The chef also announced that the restaurant has a reverse happy hour everyday of the week, from 9-11pm with $5 desserts, $5 house wine, $5 well drinks, and a $7 cocktail special.
Raspberry lemonade infused with rosemary from The Compass Arizona Grill
So maybe you are like me, or maybe not, but every once in awhile I get a mad craving for cobbler. It’s not like cobbler is an easy thing to find either, and no pie is a good enough substitute when this craving hits. So imagine my delight to learn that there is a restaurant called Karim’s Cobbler Shop & Deli right in downtown Phoenix! Karim’s not only specializes in cobbler, but southern-style soul food like fried catfish, fried chicken and more. So cobbler cravers unite, we have found our mecca.
Peach and cherry cobbler from Karim's Cobbler Shop & Deli
Ok, so now you’ve made it all the way through this blog post and are probably starving so I’ll make this quick. At the end of the lunch we were given the inside scoop on what’s next for CityScape. Jimmy Carlin of Maven Hospitality Group is working on two new concepts, a fast casual Italian restaurant called The Strand (get it, like a strand of spaghetti?) and an Asian chop house and sushi lounge called Silk. The Strand is scheduled for an October 1st opening and Silk is to follow in December. Good stuff!
Brunch at Dick’s Hideaway
Dick’s Hideaway encompasses all of my favorite things in a restaurant; spicy food, brunch, and an intimate setting. As a speakeasy, there is no sign on or near the door giving Dick’s Hideaway an exclusive vibe.
Dick's Hideaway is a speakeasy, so there is no sign identifying the entrance.
When you walk through the door at Dick’s Hideaway the first thing that hits you is the smell of smoke, but not the bad kind, the campfire kind that produces the delicious flavors in their meats and chile. You can seat yourself in the bar area or if it’s crowded ask if there is available seating in the side room.
Dick's Hideaway is small, so get there early if you want a seat and be open to sitting at the bar.
My favorite dish at Dick’s Hideaway is the Carne Adovada - pork slowly simmered in red chile sauce with the perfect balance of spiciness and smokiness. At brunch it’s served with a tortilla, two eggs, beans and potatoes. The Carne Adovada and Eggs is a huge portion, large enough for two diners with healthy appetites. ( I recommend asking for a second tortilla if you are sharing.)
Carne Adovada and Eggs
The best part about brunch at Dick’s Hideaway? It’s served seven days a week from 7am – 4pm! If you get there between 7am – 11am, bloody mary’s and mimosas are only $5.
Dick's Chile Policy: You order it, you own it.
Dick’s Hideaway also has a great happy hour Monday – Friday from 3 – 6pm with drink specials ranging in price from $2 – 5 and a complementary appetizer of the day with your drink (at the bar top only).
Dick’s Hideaway is located at 6008 N. 16th Street in Phoenix. See more photos of Dick's Hideaway on Flickr.
CityScape Update
Since our last post about CityScape in downtown Phoenix, several new places have opened, so we wanted to share. There are still more scheduled to open in the next several months. We'll keep you posted.
The Arrogant Butcher
Urban grill meets updated comfort food
charming CHARLIE
Unique fashion accessories boutique
Jimmy John's
Gourmet sandwiches
Republic of Couture
Boutique offering high-end designer brands
Urban Outfitters
Fashion, art and music for urban-minded men and women
Zinburger
I was so happy to finally check out Zinburger at Biltmore Fashion Park. My husband had a friend visiting from out of town, so we used that as an excuse (not that we really needed one) to give it a try. Anything that's called a "Wine & Burger Bar" is off to a good start in my book. The interior is cool and comtemporary and there's a great outdoor dining area. It's not a big restaurant, so we did have a bit of a wait, but it was totally worth it.
Zinburger with Manchego Cheese and Zinfandel Braised Onions
As I've confessed here before, I'm a vegetarian, so it may seem a little weird that I was eager to try out a buger joint. The thing is, I love a good veggie burger and a gourmet burger spot is the best place to try one. I don't always love 'em, but this one was really, really good. They call it Clint's "Amost Famous" Vegetable Burger and serve it with Smoked Mozzarella and Tomato Marmalade. My husband had the Zinburger (pictured above) which he loved. To be honest, though, our favorites of the evening were the Zucchini Fries and the S'more Shake (that night's special). In a word, they were DEE-licious!
Zucchini Fries
S'more Shake (the half version)
For more photos, visit our Flickr stream.
Zinburger
2502 E Camelback Rd. #127
Phoenix, AZ 85016
602-424-9500
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