DINE AROUND TOWN How to eat your way through Arizona Restaurant Week like a pro
Pick a Prix Fixe That Fits Each restaurant offers a prix fixe menu – usually three to four courses with traditional, vegetarian and even gluten-free options – but there are two price points: $33 or $44. If you’re looking for a tasty $33 option, try SumoMaya Mexican-Asian Kitchen, which was recently one of only two restaurants in the Valley that made it onto OpenTable’s list of “100 Hottest Restaurants in America for 2016.” With their menu, you can have the best of both worlds as they are offering a more Asian-inspired option alongside a highend Mexican menu. Highlights include baconwrapped dates, ceviche of the day, street corn, sushi rolls and street-style tacos. For a $44 option, look no further than Binkley’s. Since James Beard darling Kevin Binkley will be closing this flagship location sometime this summer as he reimagines his Bink’s Midtown space to take over as the flagship in the fall, this will be Binkley’s – as we know it today – last Arizona Restaurant Week menu. And they are going out with a bang, offering fried okra with ranch foam, teriyaki eggplant with pickled Fresno chili, apricot bomb with anise oil, slow-cooked, whey-fed pork, and about a dozen other courses and amuses you won’t soon forget.
INDE FUSION: PHOTO BY CHANELLE SINCLAIR
LA BOCCA: PHOTO BY HANNA LEEKE
BY ALISON BAILIN BATZ
SUMOMAYA: PHOTO BY GRACE STUFKOSKY
out
T
he most edible time of the year, Arizona Restaurant Week, is making its return Friday, May 20 through Monday, May 29, sending diners on a 10-day tasting tour of the state. But with more than 100 participating restaurants including Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar, POSH Improvisational Cuisine, Fogo de Chao, Tavern Americana and Drexyl Modern American each offering taste bud tickling prix fixe menus, how does one even begin to fork – er, forge – ahead? Allow us to help!
SO SCOTTSDALE! |
SS_78_83Outs_May16.indd 82
The Dish on Drinks Planning on beer, wine or a cocktail with dinner? Several restaurant partners are actually offer a glass of wine, beer or a cocktail pairing with their menus as part of the $33 or $44 price point. Simply look for a drink icon next to each posted online menu to see who is offering what.
82
Take Note of Newbies After more than a decade, every restaurant that is part of the event already signed on years ago, right? Wrong! Each year, at least a dozen venues sign on for their inaugural chance at wowing the Valley. This year, there are several newbies of note to consider. La Bocca Urban Kitchen & Wine Bar: The cozy, High Street wine bar that brings together Mediterranean and Italian ingredients will offer everything from freshly made pastas and creamy hummus to savory seasonal bruschetta and made-from-scratch pizzas. Inde Fusion Restaurant and Lounge: Recently opened in Gainey Ranch, Inde Fusion focuses on marrying the rich flavors, sauces and spices of the Far East with American favorites like tacos, shrimp and grits, and baby back ribs. Their Arizona Restaurant Week menu includes crispy falafels, Thai noodles, pumpkin nut ravioli and even an Indian-infused twist on creme brulee. Restaurants fill up quickly, so reservations are recommended. For all the dining details, visit www.arizonarestaurantweek.com.
| MAY 2016
4/22/16 11:46 AM