One night in Phoenix

[bdachow]

Hi everyone,

I'm going to be visitng Phoenix for a wedding in late October and have a spare dinner that 's not filled up. Can someone provide a recommendation? I'm staying at The Clarendon Hotel but will not have a car. I am willing to take a taxi, as long as it''s not more expensive than my dinner. ;)

Open to any types of cuisine and any price range from hole in the wall to fine dining. Nothing Asian though as I will have my fill of that later in my trip.

Thanks in advance!!

[Highland Park]

The Clarendon is on 4th Ave south of Indian School, so pretty central.

I was just in Phoenix last week for two dinners, and both places I chose are within relatively close proximity to you by Phoenix standards (<7 miles).

I chose Sierra Bonita for one meal which is southwestern food - the smoked red chile pork and green chile pozole were both excellent and prices were great. I enjoyed them very much. Its located at the SE corner of 7th Street and Glendale Avenue.

For the second night I chose NOCA, which as others have confirmed is an excellent choice, and also good value for what you get. For $50 you can get a 4-course prix fixe meal, and for an extra $20 a nice wine pair. NOCA is at 32nd Street and Camelback.

I've also eaten at Tarbell's (32nd Street and Camelback) which I found to be good, but not mind-blowing. Another place I found to be good, which gets some rave reviews here is the Barrio Cafe (16th Street south of Thomas - pretty close to you). It doesn't fully blow me away, but I do appreciate it.

Pizzeria Bianco is very good, but I'm not sure its worth the wait. At that time of year the queue will be very long well before opening time. I found the simplest pizzas to be truly outstanding - we ordered several of everything on the menu the night we went as we had fully bought into the hype.

[Bill Hunt]

Well, the cab ride might be up there, but I would like to recommend NOCA. It possibly has the most exciting dishes in Metro Phoenix, and is definitely closer than their main competition, Binkley's and Kai's at Wildhorse Pass. Wish that they had lightrail to their door.

Enjoy,

Hunt

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Binkley's
6920 E. Cave Creek Rd., Cave Creek, AZ 85331

[bdachow]

Thanks very much for the tip. I am completely useless at directions so the fact that Gallo Blanco is in the hotel is great. Looked at the menu and it all sounds delicious. I'd go for pizza but the thought of having to wait in line for possibly hours doesn't really appeal to me.

Will have to write a report when I'm done.

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Gallo Blanco Cafe
401 W Clarendon Avenue, Phoenix, AZ 85013

[JK Grence the Cosmic Jester]

Johnseberg's recommendation of Gallo Blanco is spot-on. They serve up very good Mexican food, and you're already right there.

You don't need to worry much about taxis; the Clarendon is about half a mile from two different light rail stations, which run their full route every 12 to 20 minutes from 5 AM until midnight. That opens up everything in both downtown Phoenix and downtown Tempe. Pizzeria Bianco is recommended to death on this board for good reason: It really is That Good. If you don't feel like waiting an hour and a half for pizza, the sister restaurant Pane Bianco is open Tuesday through Saturday for lunch only, and is only about a mile from the Clarendon.

If you like spicy (I mean if you REALLY like spicy), Los Dos Molinos may be worth a visit. They specialize in something rarely seen outside the desert southwest: New Mexico style food. It bears a strong resemblance to Sonoran style Mexican food (burros, tacos, enchiladas, yellow cheese on everything, usually with rice and refried beans on the side), but puts the emphasis on Hatch green and New Mexico red chiles. Carne adovada is killer (and especially fiery), blue corn enchiladas with green chile and a fried egg on top are as New Mexico as it gets. if the dish involves the chiles, you can't really go wrong. If you don't like it hot, don't bother. It's not bad, but it's like going to a nice steakhouse and ordering chicken: You could, but why? They have a central Phoenix location on Washington about 1/4 mile west of the 12th Street light rail stations. Oh, and I should mention, if you choose to partake in their Kick-Ass Margaritas, you'll be especially glad you aren't driving.

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Pizzeria Bianco
623 E Adams St, Phoenix, AZ 85004

Pane Bianco
4404 N Central Ave Ste A, Phoenix, AZ 85012

Gallo Blanco Cafe
401 W Clarendon Avenue, Phoenix, AZ 85013

[johnseberg]

Is Gallo Blanco at the Clarendon on your schedule, yet? I'd go there.

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Gallo Blanco Cafe
401 W Clarendon Avenue, Phoenix, AZ 85013