Scottsdale-recs wanted near Shea&Hwy 101

[clarence6ybr]

The missus is having some testing done at the Mayo clinic; we'll be staying nearby off Shea Blvd and Hwy 101. In case she isn't up to long drives, I'd appreciate knowing of any good places close by.

I've already scoured the board for what's best in the whole metro area in case we have the energy to travel for dinner, so no overall PHX area recs are needed.

[travelchow]

Razz's at Shea & scottsdale for a nice evening out. Razz and his wife are wonderful and fun. For casual food try Oregano's also at Shea & Scottsdale.

[ciaogal]

I second Razz....had dinnner there last Thursday evening .
If it is just you and your wife sit @ the Bar and let Razz create his magic. He will put together a tasting menu for you of his classic dishes....taking in to consideration any dietary needs you may have. Razz is a very interesting, well traveled man. He just came back from China this past summer and his stories and his inspired dishes reflect his travels

You can also order off the menu of entrees and small plates....

Some of his classics are duck cakes in a nopalito sauce, braised short ribs, stuffed squash blossoms, sweetbreads......

http://www.razzsrestaurant.com/

Be sure to call ahead for seating......

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Razz's Restaurant & Bar
10315 N. Scottsdale Road, Scottsdale, AZ 85253

[travelchow]

Definitely the duck cakes! We had a private party there and those went first.

[hollyeve]

Oh, and don't forget about Centro Paninoteca (Scottsdale Rd & Shea)! I still haven't been, but it is first on my list in that area.

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Centro Paninoteca
7120 E Becker Ln, Scottsdale, AZ 85254

[ciaogal]

One more restaurant for consistently good Chinese Food....Jade Palace.
@ 92nd St. and Shea (North/West corner)
They offer the standard fare...but all is prepared and presented well.
Great Steak Kew, Chow Fun noodles, shrimp in Black Bean sauce...and roast/Peking Duck.

If you are in the area on a Sunday, Jade offers a nice Dim Sum selection starting @ 11am.

[neville nosher]

BLue Adobe @ Frank Lloyd Wright and Via Linda is dependable. El Paso BBQ is at Hayden and Via de Ventura and ha excellent ribs. If yu want to drive west for an excellent Japanese meal, try Yasu Sushi Bistro at Cactus and 44th. Not your average Sushi Joint.
Chompies is quite good for deli, and don't forget the Cheesecake Factory which is failry decent for a corporate joint. Stick to the more casual items such as salads,sandwiches and burgers. I had the crab has for brunch recently and it was quite tasty.
Remember, the Phoenix food scene is dominated by corporate food, so it is hard to find truly memorable restos. The one outstanding place is Binkleys in Cave Creek, but it is a schlepp from the Mayo. Definitely worth the trip.

[winedubar]

"Remember, the Phoenix food scene is dominated by corporate food, so it is hard to find truly memorable restos."

uh, no offense mr nosher, but ive had at least 3 memorable meals this week, none of which were chains. where exactly are you eating?

honestly, i've never had a meal at cheesecake factory i'd call memorable. at least not in a positive sense ;)

[neville nosher]

3 memorable meals in one week is astounding. Where did you eat?
BTW I did not suggest that Cheesecake was memorable. It is a cut above acceptable.
The only truly memorable place is Binkleys. I did have an excellent meal at Yasu last week and I have enjoyed Roaring Fork many times.
Pls share your memorable restos.

[winedubar]

three memorable meals in a week is hardly astounding. its part of being a chowhound, thats all. there are fantastic restaurants in every corner of metro phoenix. that you've been unable to find them says less about the local culinary landscape and more about your unfortunate dining choices.

clearly you've never been to sea saw, where chef nobu won a james beard award, or cowboy ciao, or kai, or t cooks, or rancho pinot or pizzeria bianco the only pizzialo to ever win a james beard award, or quiessence or madelyns or durants or taggia or any of the other amazing places that dot the landscape.

and we haven't even begun to discuss the smaller independant places (richardsons, cibo, hana) or the dives or the mom and pops. fry bread house, carolina's, ritos, mrs whites, lolo's, pita jungle, baiz mktplace, shish kabob house, au petit four, where 10 bucks is more than enough to practically blow your mind with the freshest ingredients and portions and leave you counting down the days until your next visit.

my memorable meals - exquisitely smoked chicken at the only creole bbq in town, fantastic classic french at voltaire for their return after from summer holiday, and the best sandwich at pane bianco, made with fresh bread, fresh mozzarella, both made by the chef, and topped with locally sourced basil and tomatoes. washed down with fantastically smooth coffee next door made from beans roasted on site that morning. all truly memorable..

if you want to say the only memorable place you've tried is binkley's, that's fine. but its not what you've said and keep saying. you're saying its the only spot, and clearly thats not true.

[travelchow]

winedubar, I see that you have mentioned pita jungle and sabuddy, both I think are okay not great. If you want great middle eastern food, visit Yusef's on Cave Creek Road & Greenway. Yusef is a great guy, the food has a ton more flavor and he has a great little market. His falafel and babba ganoush is much better then both of the other places. Similar to what you get on the streets of Tel Aviv. (I used to frequent both places you mentioned when working in Scottsdale, glad to be back in the Phoenix area again)

[winedubar]

just pita jungle ;) i don't think pita jungle is going for the full throttle middle eastern experience tho..

but the best middle eastern experience in town is by FAR baiz market place, with the restaurant called Al-Hana and grocery store. fantastic selection, a huge bakery, fresh flat bread and pita. it was just like being in istanbul again :) fresh figs, pistachios, saffron, teas, it was GREAT

http://restaurants.phoenixnewtimes.co...

[travelchow]

I Have not tried Baiz market, will have to get over there. Thanks for the tip.

[silverbear]

Yusef's -- Haven't been there in years. It was always good, but it's too far north to be aligned with my usual travel patterns. I'll have to give it another try sometime. Thanks for reminding me of it.

And I agree that Pita Jungle, as much as I love it, does not purport to be an authentic Middle Eastern restaurant.

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Yusef's
15236 N Cave Creek Rd, Phoenix, AZ 85032

[Seth Chadwick]

I think I would say that the Phoenix food scene is "hidden" by corporate food instead of dominated. There are plenty of excellent restaurants in the Valley that have no corporate connection. In just the area the OP requested, I can name a dozen restaurants of various price ranges and flavors that are not corporate including Sabuddy, Osha, etc.

[ciaogal]

A few more Gems in between Mayo and the 101 are:

Pars Persian Cuisine @ Shea and 114th St, large portions, everything comes w/ a salad....and well prepared.
http://www.parspersiancuisine.com/
Some cute sushi places w/ consistanly good food.
Hiro Sushi http://www.hirosushiaz.com/
and
Sushi Ko @ 9301 E Shea Blvd ...in the same strip mall as Chompies.

Also:Casa Mia @ 136th Street and Shea for Home'y Italian
11675 N 136th St
and
Inza Coffee for a light lunch
http://www.inzacoffee.com/

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Pars Persian Cuisine
11144 N Frank Lloyd Wright Blvd, Scottsdale, AZ 85259

Hiro Sushi
9393 N 90th St, Scottsdale, AZ 85258

Inza Coffee
8658 E Shea Blvd, Scottsdale, AZ 85260

[rxenergie]

I would also second Sushi Ko and Pars. I haven't been to Pars yet, but I have read good things about it. It's tucked in a strip mall on the SWC of Frank Lloyd Wright and Via Linda, which is just north of Shea/FLW. There are more options to your west around Scottsdale & Shea, like Pita Jungle and Sabuddy. These are excellent choices as well.

[themis]

Thanks for pointing that out, Seth. I hear all that time that this or that area of the valley has nothing but chains. Sure -- if you're just driving by the freeway exit and inventorying the big box stores, I can see how people wind up with that impression. But drive a block off the highway and there are a ton of good finds. I'm hard pressed to name any region in the Valley without great food, and it doesn't take any great effort to dig those spots up. Just a sense of adventure, is all.

[silverbear]

I don't usually second guess the recommendations of others, but I think that the Cheescake Factory is the epitome of corporate food. Moreover, there's probably one near where the OP lives since corprorate food is ubiquitous throughout much of North America, rather than being a uniquely Phoenician phenomenon. Fortunately, the participants in this thread have provided about a dozen good, locally-based selections, so I think the OP will eat well.

Adding place links for a few mentioned above:

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Yasu Sushi Bistro
4316 E Cactus Rd, Phoenix, AZ 85032

[rxenergie]

Clarence-

Do you have any cuisines that you wish to try in this part of Scottsdale; how far are you willing to travel?

[clarence6ybr]

We're open to all types of cuisine. The fact that some people have already posted Middle Eastern recs so far is great because that is something tough to find in Reno (where we live). In general, though, we're just looking for good food of any sort.

For purposes of this thread, I'd say keeping it to about a 10 mile radius from Shea&101 would be ideal. As I mentioned, I've already looked through other threads to find 'best' places for nights my wife feels up to a longer trip; I'd just like to have a list of nearby places in case we don't feel up to a longer drive. Thanks to all for their responses so far!

[silverbear]

Two miles west at Shea and Scottsdale Road, you have two good choices if you like Middle Eastern food:

Pita Jungle -- Not strictly Middle Eastern, but a strong Mediterranean influence.
http://www.pitajungle.com

Sabuddy -- Israeli cuisine. Excellent falafel, shawarma, hummus, etc.
http://www.sabuddyrestaurant.com/

If you are looking for a breakfast option, JP Pancake is nearby. I recently tried it on a recommendation from Firenza and was quite pleased. Chompie's is another choice for bagels and NY-style deli food.
http://www.chompies.com/

Finally, if you wish to splurge a bit, Zinc Bistro at Kierland Commons (Greenway & Scottsdale Rd) is not too far (about five miles) and always a pleasure.

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J P Pancake
9619 N Hayden Rd, Scottsdale, AZ 85258

Zinc Bistro
15034 N Scottsdale Rd, Scottsdale, AZ 85254

[azhotdish]

Andreoli Italian Grocer is close-by and a great option - great sandwiches and desserts.
http://www.andreoli-grocer.com/Menus/menu.pdf

Old-school Italian, La Locanda does standards well and makes excellent risotto.

Also in the area and is often recommended is Tapino Kitchen & Wine Bar.
http://www.tapino.com/entrance.html

All are within a mile or two radius of Shea & 101. There are a bunch more, but these are the first to come to mind.

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Andreoli Italian Grocer
8880 E Via Linda, Scottsdale, AZ 85258

La Locanda Ristorante Italiano
10201 N Scottsdale Rd Ste 1, Scottsdale, AZ 85253

Tapino Kitchen & Wine Bar
7000 E Shea Blvd, Scottsdale, AZ 85254

[Billy Bob]

In the same complex as Tapino is another place we like called Radda Caffe-Bar. They call themselves a neighborhood bistro and I like that description. If you go, be sure to save room for their Tiramisu, it is top notch.

http://www.raddacaffebar.com/

Billy Bob

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Radda Caffebar
7000 E Shea Blvd, Scottsdale, AZ

[sunshineinaz]

Also, in the same complex as Radda and Tapino is a place called Furphy's pizza which is very good. In the complex to the west is a great lunch spot called The Herb Box.

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The Herb Box at DC Ranch
20707 N Pima Road, Scottsdale, AZ

furphy's gourmet pizza
7000 East Shea Blvd #1580, Scottsdale, AZ

[Firenza00]

Osha Thai Cafe is just a few miles east on Shea. We love it there.

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Osha Thai Cafe
10953 N Frank Lloyd Wright Blvd, Scottsdale, AZ 85259