BLT Steak: PHX

[Mattoclock]

Only a mini review, we sat on the patio overlooking the Camelback but too dark for pics.

BLT was fun.

Amuse was a rustic style chicken liver pate served with a crostini. At the time I thought why only one piece of toast but what came next was the reason.

Next was a popover. A really fun bread. Really airy. Almost reminded me of a Yorkshire Pudding. You then spread on butter and they give you sea salt to sprinkle on..They also provide the recipe for the popover which is kinda cool, so I might have a go at making them.

It is still the classic steakhouse style for the menu. Entrees are a protein only and then sides are separate.

I had the rib eye on the bone. One sauce was included free, so I got the peppercorn on recommendation. Sides of potato gratin and creamy spinach. My wife had the crab cake appetizer as her entree.

It was all really good. My steak was cooked really perfect. Especially the butchery of the meat was nice, I recently had a ribeye at Mastro's in LA and it was not trimmed as well. Steak tasted great on its own but the sauce was also good so I was alternating :)

Served with the steak was some beef marrow. This was a nice touch. Creamy, tasty, garlic and parsley.

Wife reported crab cake as good also.

Great view from the patio of the camelback, No heaters needed tonight, perfect weather.

[coastalgypsy]

I went this weekend, and I thought it was expensive, but a really nice experience...

The restaurant is at Camelback Inn, which is gorgeous now that they've done renovations.

We started with two delicious drinks outside the lounge by the fire (really tasty drinks, although a tad overpriced at $12/each). I had a fresh strawberry cosmo, and it was very light & refreshing - much better than the syrupy cosmos you usually get -- this was fresh juice and you could tell...

At dinner, the chicken liver pate & bread was a nice complimentary offering, but I'm a vegetarian so I didn't take part in that. The cheese popovers and european butter were delicious... didn't need any of the sea salt to me!

Wine list was expensive... food is all a la carte. A note on the music - I found it a little strange? I would expect soothing music, but it was loud and clubby -- at one point ,Thriller came on...ok)

I don't have a monster apetite so I just had the beet/apple/endive/gorgozola salad, which was very good, I believe it had candied pecans as well. In addition, I ordered the rich creamy wild mushroom side dish - which sold me with the enoki mushrooms. This left just enough room for a delicious peanut butter mousse for dessert (which was denser than I expected, more like a pie than mousse). It had a canelle of banana ice cream on top. This dessert was really delicious, and very rich. We also received two tiny, fresh from the oven chocolate cookies, compliments of the chef. They were crispy and warm with melted chocolate in the middle -- I could have eaten 10, and it was a nice unexpected surprise!

When our leftovers were brought out to us, the server noted that they tucked two more popovers in our bags... not sure if they do this all the time? But I was very happy about it!! It was just as delicious the day after.

All in all, the meal was expensive, but it was a wonderful experience from the Camelback mountain sunset on the lounge patio to the well-run dinner service, which was excellent -- everyone we came in contact with was extremely friendly and gracious, the atmosphere was beautiful.

I will definitely go back again!