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BootieFoodie Restaurant Reviews

 

                                                 

              Ratings reflect Bootie's opinion of the food, ambiance and service. Not the price of the meal.

 If you're worried about the price BootieFoodie isn't for you...

 

 

***** PAWS    BootieLicious! Worth one of my 9 lives!

****   PAWS    BootieFine! Definitely worth the trip!

***     PAWS    BootieGood. I'd go back!

**       PAWS    BootieBad. Perhaps there's a reason and it'll change. Read the review.

*         PAW      BootieAwful. Only suitable for RJ. He'll eat anything.... 

 

Refresh your Browser for Current Comments

 

 Have you seen the "BootieGood" list of 25 Great Restaurants a little further below?

 

 

Bourbon Steak Two words...Bourbon Steak. Sigh…. I’ve been talking kind of bad about this place for a couple of years. I wasn’t crazy about the minimalist interior and the pricy steaks. But all that changed last weekend when I was blessed by the Beef Gods with a 8 oz American Wagyu Rib Eye Cap. I was Purrrrrrrring at the first bite and still sounded like a 5HP outboard at the last. Fork tender, rich beefy flavor, perfectly cooked to medium rare plus…Oh my! The cynic in me (who me, a cynic at times… who’d have guessed) might say at $78 a steak,  it should be great. Well it was. Purrfectly paired with the ala carte Truffled Mac & Cheese $9 (fresh pasta and a just right blend of cheeses that didn’t overpower the pasta) and a basket of tasty breads, it was just TOO Delish. So I take it all back and say channel your endorphins, make reservations at Bourbon Steak and enter a state of Beef Nirvana! At the Fairmont Scottsdale Princess, 7575 East Princess Drive, Scottsdale, AZ 85255, Tel: 480.513.6002  http://michaelmina.net/restaurants/locations/bsaz.php

 

Want a little tip? Buy the Preferred Restaurants dining card for $55 and get one entre free (the less expensive one) when you pay for an entre at a long list of the best restaurants in the valley. In this instance that one steak (all four of us ordered that steak) more than paid for the card. See http://www.phoenixfinedining.com/Welcome.html

 

Narcisse Champagne and Tea Lounge is located upstairs next to the IPic’s Theatre in the Scottsdale Quarter and just as the uber upscale Dominique’s Steakhouse in the same center does, ups the cool quotient for the entire center. The BootieChic crowd this Sunday afternoon sipped Champaign, Cosmopolitans or any number of other libations while listening to the live band. The Weekend Brunch (Saturday & Sunday 11AM – 2PM) features Bottomless Bubbles for $10 per person. If you don’t want Champaign forget the $10 and order your favorite from the fully stocked bar.

 

The Brunch menu features over 10 inventive omelets, but we skipped that and ordered off the lunch / dinner menu (it’s one and the same). The Bruschetta (select three types, 2 pieces per type for $15) features ample portions of fresh sourced ingredients. Our three choices included the Black Fig with marmalade, goat cheese & bresaola bruschetta, the Artichoke Tapenade with roasted tomato  & parmesan Bruschetta and the Chicken Salad with roasted chicken, apple, & cheese spread. All three were off the latch, with my favorite being the Chicken Salad. It had a tang that just perfectly played off the tender chunks of chicken. That on dish was enough for two, but of course we couldn’t stop there. Other delish sounding Bruschetta were the Brie with sour apple, local honey and pistachio, the Egg Salad with fresh dill & cucumber and the Tomato Confit with buffalo mozzarella, basil & aged balsamic. There were more, but space doesn’t permit…

 

The On The Bun portion of the menu had one of the best burgers I’ve ever tasted, the N Burger (sirloin, manchego cheese, tomato, pickles & mayo) with a side of fries $13. We ordered it Medium Rare + and it came out perfect! The bun was oh so soft and tasty, but perfectly able to hold up the burger. The meat was melt in your mouth tasty….you BootieBetter try it! Too bad we didn’t get a chance to try the six others from that part of the menu. It featured some real possibilities that will have to wait until our next visit (and there definitely will be another visit. Here are just a few… the Big Chicken (roasted peppers, caramelized onion, manchego, mayo) $13, Chicken Salad Panini (cheddar, Dijon) $10, and the Buster Sandwich (bacon, egg, greens, tomato, manchego, mayo) $9 Mmmmmmm….. Or maybe you’d like to try the Cobb $11, Chopped $11 or Caprese $12 salad. You’re not going to go broke here. Great service, well, it’s all good… Enjoy it as a restaurant or go after 10PM and dodge the paparazzi as it morphs into one of Scottsdale hottest night clubs!

 

Bruch Saturday & Sunday, Closed Mondays, Open at 4PM Tuesday – Friday and it turns into a nightclub at 10PM! 15257 N. Scottsdale Rd, Scottsdale, AZ 85254. Phone 480.588.2244. http://www.narcisselounge.com/  **** ½  PAWS

 

Michael Dominick’s Lincoln Avenue Prime Steakhouse: If you’re ready to part with about $130 per person Dominick’s will be glad to take it off your hands. And by the time the check comes you will be in such a food induced comatose state you won’t mind forking over that $130 per (appetizer, entrée, desert, drinks and tip) for dinner at the finest steakhouse in the valley. There’s live music in the bar and upstairs on the roof. The place is always packed in the bar – loaded with beautiful people – and Pussycats,and in the upstairs and downstairs dining rooms. Just dining in the second floor dining room, poolside (yes, there is a pool up there) under the retractable roof (BootieFine!) sets this spot apart from any other in the Valley. It’s really ultra cool NYC, if you know what I mean. The service is friendly and knowledgeable with the staff giving you just the right amount of attention. The ala a carte aged Prime steaks (particularly the Ribeye and the Porterhouse) are the best in town. Pair that up with a side of Mac & Cheese or Loaded Mashed Potatoes (yum!!!), finish with the warm butter cake covered with caramel and yes, you will be in that self induced coma of pleasure you won’t want to awake from for hours. It will cost you about $100 per head to do it right, so pick the right occasion and book it Dano… (hint, they only take reservation on the roof before 6:30PM and after 8PM. Michael Dominick’s Lincoln Avenue Prime Steakhouse, Scottsdale Quarter, corner of Scottsdale Rd and Greenway Haden Loop, 480-272-7271 www.dominickssteakhouse.com ***** PAWS

 

Relish Burger - We ate at Relish Burger at the Phoenician last weekend. Great Burger, lousy service. 10 minutes before anyone came to the table for our drink order, 10 more minutes and no drinks,  the waitress showed up at took the drink order Again! 10 more minutes and they finally showed up with the server asking “who had the …. And who had the ..”. My Milkshake came in a plastic “to go” cup instead of their normal glass soda fountain glass. When I asked why the server told me the glasses were all dirty. I told him to wash one out and bring back my shake like it should be served. He did… the dinner finally arrived and once again the servers asked “who had the ….. and who had the …..”, you know, at a four star resort like the Phoenician that sport world class restaurants like J&G’s Steakhouse and El Terrazzo you’d think the servers would KNOW who ordered what. You’d also think they’d know not to bring the entre when we’re still eating the salad. And you’d also think they’d know not to start clearing away the dinner dishes when someone at the table was still enjoying their dinner. Great burger, great shake, pretty good onion rings, crappy service. I give it ** PAWS.

 

Dottie's True Blue Cafe - Scottsdale. So I was saying to Daddy today, “I sure could use something Sunny in my BootieTummy today. How about Dottie’s True Blue Café he teased while doing duty stroking my back. “Not funny” I shot back in a snarky little tone, knowing that Dottie’s is in San Francisco and He and Mommy spent 2 hours 38 minutes in line on Valentine’s day waiting to get in a few years ago. And Daddy said he’d do it again! It’s NOT NICE teasing a BootieCat especially when it comes to his stomach and off the latch food! Then he told me Dottie’s opened their first remote location in Scottsdale a month ago. I feigned surprise (though I did write about it a month ago just before it opened… hee hee) and he promised to take me there forthwith. Or Fifthwith, or maybe it was Sixwith…  doesn’t matter and I can’t remember. Anyway, we piled in the car and purrrrrrred away…

 

The original Dottie’s has 10 tables, seating only about 30 people or so. The line is always at least 45 minutes long and no one in it minds. Thankfully the new one is at least four times as large, with a beautiful patio (where I sat natch..) overlooking the corner of Marshall Way and E. 3rd Ave. in Old Town Scottsdale. The have two other room, a good size dine in one and another “breakfast bar / internet café” kind of room. They’re sleek and inviting.

 

There was plenty of room there at 10:30AM as word about Dottie’s hasn’t spread yet. That will change soon. Service was quick and friendly. They have an extensive Breakfast (their specialty) menu and a pretty good selection of goodies for Lunch. But BootieFoodies will want to check the blackboard inside for the daily specials. I did, of course, and found my first meal on it. Cinnamon Bun French Toast! ($9). Now Really! How BootieCool does that sound? Of Course I couldn’t pass That up! Note, I didn’t say cinnamon bread french toast, I said Cinnamon Bun French Toast and I wasn’t disappointed. When it came out it looked like someone had made two cinnamon buns, flattened them to about 3/4th of an inch high and then made French Toast with them. As everything there is homemade and fresh baked this french toast was to die for, hearty, melt in your mouth sweet cinnamon bun flavors that make you want to order a second helping before you take the  second bite of the first. I resisted, though just barely. The dish came with a small pitcher of real maple syrup and a side of mixed fruit. The fruit was good, not great. Nothing to write back to the Pound about… but that wasn’t why I ordered the dish was it? The French Toast gets 5 Paws. The Service gets 5 Paws and the atmosphere, leisurely brunching on the covered patio in 78 degree weather drinking in the street scene with blue skies and fluffy white clouds as a background gets 5 Paws too…. I remember reflecting that this is what life is all about. My big disappointment was that they didn’t have their coffee cake today. It comes and goes and if you think the French Toast is good, you would gladly give up one of your 9 lives for the Coffee Cake! Remember… order off the black board if you can. While the regular menu is great, they don’t take the time to write their specials each day on the board for nothing…

 

I’ll review the lunch menu (Burgers, Quesadillas – such as the one with pico de gallo, sour cream, pulled pork and jack cheese, Mmmmmmmmmmmm) another day after I’ve gone there for lunch but take it from this PussyCat, everything at Dottie’s is Delish! Dottie’s True Blue Cafe 4151 North Marshall Way, Scottsdale, AZ., 480-874-0303. Open 7:30AM to 3PM. Closed Mondays ***** PAWS

 

 

How about a short list of BootieCertifiedYummy restaurants.

 

Why don’t you pick one you haven’t been to (but I have) and check it out this weekend? All are in Scottsdale or Phoenix. OK, one is in Paradise Valley... I promise you'll be BootieDooling... Paws Up!!

 

The BootieGood

 

Citizen Public House               www.citizenpublichouse.com

NOCA                                          www.restaurantnoca.com

Christopher’s                            www.christophersaz.com

FNB                                             www.fnbrestaurant.com

Cowboy Caio                            www.cowboycaio.com

Razz   `                                        www.razzsrestaurant.com

Posh                                            www.poshscottsdale.com

Binkley's                                    www.binkleysrestaurant.com

Café Bink                                   www.cafebink.com

Wildfish                                      www.wildfishseafoodgrille.com

Eddie V’s                                    www.eddiev.com

Dominick’s                                www.dominickssteakhouse.com

J&G’s Steakhouse                   www.jgsteakhousescottsdale.com

Renegade Canteen                  www.renegadecanteen.com

Vincent's Market Bistro          www.vincentsoncamelback.com/bistro/

Lons at the Hermosa               www.hermosainn.com/lons/

Tesoro Italiano                          www.tesoroscottsdale.com

Nicks (at Pinnacle Peek)         www.nicks-italian.com/nicks-menus/pinnacle-peak

Kens Creekside (Sedona)      www.kenscreekside.com

A Different Point of View         www.tapatiocliffshilton.com/dining/different-pointe-of-view/

Donovan's Steaks                     www.donovanssteakhouse.com

Orange Sky                                 www.talkingstickresort.com

The House at Secret Garden  www.houseatsecretgarden.com

Vincent Guerithault                   www.vincentoncamelback.com

Quiessence                                 www.quiessencerestaurant.com

Bourbon Steak                           http://michaelmina.net/restaurants/locations/bsaz.php

 

 

How about another list of restaurants. These are BootieNOT Restaurants, as in Not Worth It in my humble (actually, I’m not very humble. I never learned to do humble… Can’t be purrrrrrfect can I?) opinion.

 

I’ve eaten at everyone of these, more than once in most cases. I realize some of you will like some of the ones on this list. I can only suggest you don’t get your BootieNose bent out of shape. It’s my blog so I get to say whatever my BootieHeart Desires! Purrrrrrr...

 

The BootieBad:

 

  1. The Arrogant Butcher – Arrogant about bland crappy food???

  2. The Mission – Please – On a mission to gag us???

  3. Maestros Restaurants – Save your money, there are plenty of better steak places for less.

  4. Olive & Ivy – Great patio – lousy food..

  5. Shula’s Steak House – Wild Horse Pass – Choice steak at Prime steak prices. Snobby waiters.

  6. El Chorro – Great patio – terrible food. Sticky buns are the only thing edible.

  7. Monti’s – So boooooring Yawn.

  8. District American Kitchen & Wine Bar – Many better downtown spots to spend your money.

  9. Frank & Alberts – The Biltmore – This place stinks. It stunk before the remodel, it still stinks.

  10. Maggiano’s – Beautiful room. Mountains of terrible food for $30 a head. No Foodies here.

  11. White Chocolate Grill – Can you say Bland? Boring? Really – you can do better close by.

  12. BLT Steaks – Not worth the high price. I know 6 better steak places around town.

  13. Le Sans Souci - Worst Valentines Day dinner we ever had. Quasimodo will seat you. The pits!

  14. Roy's at the Desert Ridge Marriott - 2nd worst Valentines dinner. Leather steak, lousy lobster.

  15. Don & Charlie - Specializing in tough BBQ chicken, lousy ribs and old farts in shorts and socks.

  16. The Cellar at The White Buffalo Club – Jackson Hole, WY. Boring. Expensive, it’s in the cellar! I Did say boring, right?

    Couloir in Jackson Hole, WY On the mountain. $95 prix fixe menu. View & Food worth about $45.

  17.  

  18. You’ll note I didn’t bother with these restaurant’s phone numbers, addresses or links to their websites. I will not be a party to steering any BootieFoodie readers their way!

END OF THIS BAD LIST

 

 

The Ocean Club – It’s still Restaurant Week, so on a Sunday evening, with great anticipation off we went to Maestro’s The Ocean Club, arguably one of the most expensive restaurants in town. While most restaurants during restaurant week present their meals for $30 this one and a few others charge $40. More money, however, doesn’t necessarily equate to a better meal and sadly that’s the case here. Our slightly haughty waiter presented us with menus shortly after we arrived and asked what brought us to the restaurant. We all replied in unison “Restaurant Week”. Oh, he said and said to his second to" bring them the Restaurant Week menus"…the disappointment in his voice obvious. Well, Excuse Me Mr. Waiter. This PussyCat knows more about fine dining and has been to more excellent restaurants than that waiter's ever heard of. But being a PussyCat of the World with an extremely positive attitude I shrugged off his snide comment like water off a cats (ducks…who cares about ducks? This column is written by a PussyCat!) back. Out first was the bread basket with a few offerings that were slightly above average. Nothing to make me start drooling though. Next for me was Boston Clam Chowder. A half bowl (it shouldn’t have been a half bowl if they’re going to charge the $40 rate instead of the far more common $30 rate during Restaurant Week) and why a half bowl when the soup was a little watery and from my view utterly devoid of clams. It was someplace between acceptable and just OK. Yawn… On to the White Fist Filet with Lemon Caper Sauce. That was well prepared, sizzling hot and very tasty with the lemon sauce and capers not overpowering the delicate flaky fish. Others had the Petite Filet, Half Lamb Rack, or the Swordfish. The filet must have been good as Judy didn’t send it back as she is wont to do if things aren’t just so (more people should insist on excellence like she does), the lamb was tasty but not as good as you’ll get at Rios in Vegas and I didn’t try the swordfish but I didn’t see any leftovers on that plate so it must have been OK. For desert we all had the Profiteroles – undistinguished vanilla ice cream in a non descript pastry shell. Double yawn. The meal was pedestrian. I expected more from them. The only thing served at dinner that drew ooh’s and aah’s was the Lemon Drop Martini that Mommy got. That was a truly spectacular sight, what with the dry ice and all, and it tasted great, or so I’m told…being a tee totaling PussyCat. They’ve been around for about 10 years. I think it’s best suited for the young hot women who come to meet the older well heeled men in their popular bar scene that features live music and the same full menu as found in the restaurant.  15045 N. Kierland Blvd, Scottsdale, AZ 85254 480-443-8555 http://www.mastrosrestaurants.com/ **1/2 PAWS

 

 Vincents on Camelback - Just back from Heaven, where I had a dinner that must have been prepared by angels. I’ll write about it in  detail tomorrow as it’s late now, but here’s the 411. If  you haven’t booked into Vincent’s for Restaurant Week (which started today…) pick up your phone, then call for reservations right now! Really! Now! If it’s too early then go to Open Table and book into Vincent’s. No computer?? Get in your car, drive down there and make a reservation at Vincents.  More when I wake up.....

 

Next Day - The full review: Owner Vincent Guerithault is a superstar in the culinary world. I don’t mean he’s on the Food Channel, or has a chain of restaurants in places like Vegas, New York, Chicago and LA. He’s a star in my BootieBook because unlike many James Beard award winners (he was the first such winner in the Valley, many years ago) he was in the kitchen cooking, watching, tasting and directing his staff the night we were there and every night, just like you’d hope he would be. Bobby Flay isn’t in the kitchen at Mesa Grill or Bar American, and Emeril Lagasse isn’t cooking in any of his restaurants – how could they be unless they magically divided themselves as happened in the movie “Duplicity”. No, Vincent stays in the kitchen as he has for 25 years in this location and cooks the best fusion of French / Southwestern cuisine you’ll ever experience.  Early on in his career, as he learned about ingredients that were new to him like chili peppers, corn, cilantro, masa and jicama he was able to produce a hybrid cuisine based on the most exacting French techniques. Vincent focused his cooking to absorb the flavors of the Southwest into a refined, sublimated cuisine that no one else in America has mastered.

 

Enough gushing. On to the meal. Remember, this was Restaurant Week so the entire three course meal, sans drinks of course, cost $30. We began with a basket of assorted breads and rolls. Though all were great my favorite was the buttery hot homemade melt in your BootieMouth mini Croissants. I had too many but then what’s a PussyCat to do? Will power isn’t one of my strong suits. Others at our table began with the Tomato Leek Tart in a Parmesan Cheese Crust while I opted for the Brie & Figs in Puff Pastry with Mesclun Blend Greens. I sampled the Tart and then would have wolfed the whole thing down if wasn’t sure Mommy would  have pinned my paw to the table with her fork. The flakey buttery pasty surrounding my creamy brie put my taste buds into a frenzy, and when I dipped the forkful into the tiny heart shaped bowl of figs swimming in a sweet heavenly sauce I was transported to a culinary place I haven’t visited before! Simply sumptuous!  Everyone’s plate looked like RJ’s bowl after dinner. Like it had been washed, dried and polished. Next came our entrée. While we had a choice between Grilled Lobster with House Made Basil Pasta, Pepper Steak with Pommes Lyonnais , Seared Salmon with Lime Beurre Blanc or House Made White Bean Ravioli with Brown Butter everyone at the table pounced on the Lobster. Duh… OMG! A full lobster, split in half, removed from the shell, poached, babied, loved and put back in the shell with an incredible light buttery sauce (all the hard work done for you). No chewy tough crustacean here! The lobster just melted in my mouth, it’s succulent flavor transporting me to lobster rapture! I’m left wondering what wonders I missed not sampling the other offered entrées. You can BootieBet I’ll return another day soon to find out! Our meal ended (I really didn’t want it to end) with a choice of "Jack Daniel's" Pecan Pie, Hazelnut Ganache Cake, Strawberry Shortcake with Honey Ice Cream or Flourless Chocolate Cake with Raspberry Sorbet. You know where I went. Straight to the Honey Ice Cream Strawberry Shortcake. Simply Delish and a perfect end to one of the Top Five meals I’ve ever had. Everything on the restaurant week menu is on their regular menu, and the portion sizes are the same. It’s the best deal in town this week, or any week! You BootieHaveToGo! 3930 E. Camelback Road, Phoenix, AZ 602-224-0225. https://www.vincentsoncamelback.com/vincents/index_main.php ***** PAWS.

 

 The Arrogant Butcher – again! New News!! You know, it’s really the BootieBest  when one of our reviews is echoed by one of our culinary heroes, Howard Seftel, the restaurant critic for the Arizona Republic. In today’s column he revisits The Arrogant Butcher. Please see Bootie’s review of this establishment further down on this page. It wasn’t pretty, to say the least!

 

Here are a few quotes from Howard as he revisits The Arrogant Butcher 8 months after it opened. “The Arrogant butcher squarely positions itself in the Fox-empire sweet  spot. That’s the narrow culinary range between “not too bad” and OK, good enough.” Whew – he’s taking on Sam Fox, perhaps the most prolific restaurateur in town, with 13 different concepts and counting… Howard goes on to say “Despite its downtown Phoenix location, the Arrogant butcher is really aimed at mainstreamer (NOT BootieFoodies!) who fantasize that they and the restaurant are urban cool.” Don’t hold back Howard, tell us what you really think, hee hee! “Finesse? Nuance? Cutting-edge? They’re not part of the Fox Restaurant Concepts kitchen vocabulary.” Well, he goes on and on but I think you get the idea….that he agrees with Bootie’s earlier review found on this very page. Validation! It’s soooooo BootieSweet!

 

Ken's Creekside American  Bistro. If you're heading up to Sedona for a day or two and are looking for a reasonably priced Great restaurant here's the place! Kens Creekside American Bistro. We had dinner there one night and liked it soooo much we came back the next  day with RJ for lunch (RJ requires that we preview any restaurant we intend to take him to so he doesn't waste his time). We were quickly seated on the patio, overlooking a pine tree forest by a very nice waiter. He explained when asked that the creek moved out of sight when the US Corp of Engineers shifted the channel upstream. What didn't change  was the off the hook food from Executive Chef Mercer Mohr, a friendly guy who thought nothing of chatting with us for at least 20 minutes after dinner. . He's easy to spot. He'll be standing where the food comes out inspecting every plate before the wait staff brings it to you. It's that attention to detail that won a accolades  for him including San Francisco’s “Chef of the Year” for his innovative New American Cuisine, the James Beard Award for "Who's Who of Food & Beverage in America" and the “National Hotel Chef of the Year” for his work with the American Culinary Institute.

 

We started out with the Crab Cake with Chipotle Aiou $8. Lots of crab with a nice kick, not too spicy, just right! Then the House Salad with apples & Gorgonzola cheese, bacon shallots, candied pecans, pomegranate & a green apple vinaigrette $9. Excellent (though I still prefer a similar salad served at Wildfish in Scottsdale. See their review here too... Next came the Short Ribs $26 Boneless braised beef ribs with whipped sweet potatoes and roasted root vegetables. They were MeltInYourBootieMouth Good! All portions were right sized. After dinner we went back inside and listened to a three piece jazz group he had playing. What a nice night. When we came back for lunch the next day the same group was still playing! (Hope they took time out for a shower..) Try the Grill Cheese and Fries and Tomato Soup $8. It's BootieGood for sure! Ken s Creekside American Bistro - Creekside Plaza, 251 Hwy 179, Sedona AZ 86336. Telephone (928) 282-1705 | Fax (928) 282-1896. One block South of 89A and one half block North of Tlaquepaque on Hwy. 179 on the other side of the road.  http://www.kenscreekside.com/index.html  **** PAWS.

 

 

J&G Steakhouse - We went to J&G Steakhouse at the Phoenician for dinner and a show on the 4th of July. Dinner was a Prix Fixe 3 Course gem - $35 and the Show was all the fireworks that went off across the Valley beginning around 8:30 PM. If you go next year ask to sit on the right side of the room so you’ll get the best view of the biggest fireworks show in town, the one at Tempe Town Lake. Dinner was delish as it always is in this gorgeous room with floor to ceiling glass looking Southeast across the Valley. Being a BootieFoodie PussyCat I naturally started with the Shrimp Salad, 3 medium shrimp (they could have been bigger) with a trio of dipping sauces, and then moved onto the main course that had me salivating in anticipation all day long… the Lobster Roll with a side of Spicy Thai Slaw. The lobster roll was on a tasty soft hotdog type bun (again, it could have been a little larger) that was packed with Lobster, assorted spices and a light mayo spread. My only regret was I didn’t have two! Another in our party had the Glazed Short Ribs with  Tender Carrots and Herbs (normally $25) and proclaimed it the best she’d ever had! I finished up with the Popping Cherry Pie and a scoop of gelato. Mmmmmm. Tasted great but the poppers didn’t pop :(  All this for $35! It’s part of their Neighborhood Menu Summer Series and the menu changes weekly. See this week’s menu at http://www.jgsteakhousescottsdale.com/file/2108/JG_PHX_Neighborhood_Menu_06.20.11.pdf It’s certainly the best seat in town on July 4th. Understand please that it’s also one of the best seats in town any other night too. We’ve prowled over here at least 8 times and have never been disappointed with the food, service or view. It’s perfect place to bring family, out of town friends, clients and PussyCats! Yeah! The regular menu is pricy as this is, in my humble BootieFoodie opinion the best steak house in town. They serve only Prime grade Steaks, natch. It's pricy but you get what you pay for. Try the Charred Corn Ravioli Cherry Tomato Salad with Basil Fondue $10 appetizer (BootieFine) and the Warm Chocolate Cake with Caramel desert $9. I mean, how could you not like warm chocolate cake with caramel? Really!  J&G Steakhouse at The Phoenician 6000 E Camelback Rd, Scottsdale, AZ 85251 (480) 214-8000 ***** PAWS www.jgsteakhousescottsdale.com

 

Switch and Bartolotta at the Encore in Vegas. BootieFoodies don't always just prowl the Scottsdale and Phoenix restaurant scene, we are also big travelers. In that spirit here's a review on two restaurants we visited our last time in Vegas (Baby)!  We dined at two restaurants at the Encore - our favorite place to stay. One was called Switch. About every 20 minutes the place transforms into a different restaurant with walls moving, lighting changing and the ceiling morphing. It's really something! The Butternut Squash soup was pretty good though not as thick as we PussyCats like it. Mommy lapped up the Lobster Bisque though.. it was yummy! The place features prime steaks. The rib eye was flavorful but not nearly as melt in your mouth as what we make at home. Mommy had a delish Veal Chop. The four Mini ice cream cones (which actually were decent size) for desert were BootieCool and mmm mmmm good (what BootieFool doesn't like ice cream)! *** PAWS   702-248-3463  http://www.wynnlasvegas.com/dining/switch-steak

 

The other restaurant was Bartolotta. AAA four diamond the last four years in a row, chef Paul Bartolotta won  the James Beard award in 2009 for best chef in the Southwest. I had the loin of rabbit wrapped in smoked pancetta with smoked pancetta, crispy artichokes and a balsamic vinegar ($21) - yum - and the "rags" of pasta, lobster, shrimp, crab in a white  wine tomato sauce - also excellent though I'd have preferred a light white sauce - ($28) both were appetizers. Mommy had 2 appetizers too. We didn't have any entrees (they start at $58) as we'd eaten a little something before the show, and the bill with tip and one drink still came to $150. If we'd had entrées the bill would have been over $300. The dishes were heaven. I guess you get what you pay for... **** PAWS   702-248-3463 http://www.wynnlasvegas.com/dining/bartolotta

 

 

Citizen Public House. **** PAWS. First Visit: I had dinner at Citizens Public House last weekend. Mmmmmmmm! It was simply delish! I had the Tender Belly Pork Belly Pastrami ($12) with rye spaetzle and Brussels sprout sauerkraut as an appetizer and the Lamb Burger with Serbian lepinja roll, pickled cucumber onion salad, tzatziki, fries & house made ketchup ($13) for dinner. The Lamb Burger, I had mine medium rare, was moist and bursting with flavor. The Serbian lepinja roll stood up to the burger and delivered the burger perfectly to my watering lips! Meowwwwwww! The room is beautiful, modern with white table cloths covered with butcher paper and our waiter couldn't have been nicer or better informed. Can't wait to go back again! Try it, I give it 4 paws out of 5. 7111 E. 5th Ave, Suite E, Scottsdale, AZ 85251. (480) 398-4208. It's on the corner of 5th Avenue and Craftsman Court, one block West of Scottsdale Road in Old Town Scottsdale. www.citizenpublichouse.com  

 

7th Visit: Went back to Citizens Public House AGAIN for dinner last night and had one of the best dishes I’ve ever wrapped this PussyCat’s whiskers around! But first, just so you’re warned, this place is on the loud side. We changed our table when we first sat down to one further in the back and found a modicum of quiet so we could enjoy good friends company. Of course it’s on the  loud side because it’s packed and has a vibrant bar scene with lots of 30ish folks having a really good time. THE FOOD for the most part was Outstanding. What wasn’t Outstanding was Very Good. I started with the special, Halibut Cheeks, lightly fried in a crispy crust. I’ll give that one a very good. I tasted Mommy’s DUNGENESS CRAB CAKES with smoked red pepper aioli & celery root slaw $15 and was back in Outstanding land. My entrée was the APPLEWOOD SMOKED DUCK (* GF) … Maple Leaf farms duck breast, creamy rosemary millet, spiced pistachios, with sautéed greens $24 and found myself in OMG OUTSTANDING Land!!! One of the top 5 dishes I’ve drooled over this year. I finished with the “DONUTS & COFFEE” Bourbon glazed donut bread pudding, vanilla sauce, cafe au lait ice cream and brown sugar streusel $10 and I’ll tell you that was $10 Well Spent. Others at our table loved the Short Ribs… I was too busy enjoying my Duck to pay attention….We’ve been there 7 times in the last year. Nuff said! You really have to try this place **** ½ PAWS!

 

Lons at the Hermosa 5532 N. Palo Cristi Road, Paradise Valley, AZ 602-955-8614. ***** PAWS.  It's that time of year when BootieFoodies search out the perfect patios around town for lunch or dinner. This is one of the best! Lons has been wowing BootieFans for over 50 years. The patio is drop dead gorgeous with umbrella tables set under beautiful trees with a beautiful view of the city lights. A great place to take Foodie Friends and a romantic place for that someone special! You'll find it listed in Gourmet magazine's "Exceptional Restaurants of the Southwest" and  Zagat's "Top 25 Hotels for Dining in the U.S." Know you're in for something special here. Make a reservation and request the patio. They won't guarantee it but I've never failed to be seated there.

 

The $24 Hacienda Brunch includes a platter of fresh fruit, house-baked breakfast breads and your choice from a list of 10 entrees. Those include a BootieFavorite, Steak & Egg sliders (beef tenderloin, scrambled eggs, creamed spinach on house-made brioche rolls)! BootieFine! Other Brunch BootieFavorites include the Hermosa Fish & Chips (crispy black cod, sweet potato chips, parsley caper aioli), and Huevos Rancheros (over easy egg, fry jack, black beans, chorizo, pico de gallo). There' much more including a build your own omelet.

 

For lunch I like to start with a nice plate of PussyCat treats, followed by the delish Tortilla Soup (roasted chicken, avocado, crisp tortilla, $7, and then move on to either the Lon's Mixed Grill, $17, the House Ground Sirloin Burger, $12, or the Grilled Chicken Salad (Arizona baby greens locally sourced, candied pecans - yum - pears, goat cheese, mixed berries and berry vinaigrette,) $14. That salad is soooooooooo good!

 

Dinner - Well there are too many great choices for a PussyCat to go into. A few, of many, of mine are the Crisp Calamari $12 (calamari done right! Except they could have called it Calamari...) appetizer, and the Tortilla Soup and the Hermosa Salad mentioned earlier.

 

Entrees to BootieLove ( even Judy) - inside BootieJoke - include the Grilled Beef Tenderloin (house cured bacon, smoky blue cheese gratin, creamed greens - OK, Judy I know you'll say just warm it, don't cook it, sauté the greens, hold the blue cheese, lose the bacon and forget the red wine jus.... your such a wuss, hee hee...). Braised Beef Short Ribs (nothing like at the Arrogant Butcher's Short Ribs that tasted BootieBad - pardon my caterwauling. See that review below) $28, and the Crisp Mediterranean Sea Bass (cockles, house bacon, crisp potatoes, garden leeks, baby fennel, crème fraiche). And while we're not counting calories how about a BootieSide of Truffled Macaroni & Cheese or a A-1 Beer Battered Fried Maitake Mushroom with soy ketchup. Like I said though, there's too much on the dinner menu to BootieOn about. You can check the menu out yourself at http://www.hermosainn.com/lons/a-culinary-experience/dinner-menu/.

 

If you haven't been here before pick a special occasion (like it's Saturday! Or maybe it's take your PussyCat to Lon's day!) Treat yourself! You'll love the food, the service, the patio, the ambience, well...just everything.

 

Modern Steak at Scottsdale Fashion Square. There at two reviews here. Our first visit is reviewed first. Be BootieSure to read both as things have changed..

 

Modern Steak is purrrrrrfection! Expensive, but you do get what you Bootiepay for. We went during restaurant week with a table of BootieFriends and all had a purrfectly wonderful meal and a BootieLicious time. The place was packed. The sophisticated vibe with friendly well paced service hit just the right note. Purrrrched in wide extremely comfortable chairs we all felt like royalty. The filet just melted in my mouth. Really. No Really!! Several deserts all left us aching for more. If purrception becomes reality Modern Steak is purrfect! Purrhaps you'd like to make a reservation? Call 480-423-7000 and invite me along! **** PAWS

 

Uh Oh... Bootie Alert! Second Review. I'll be brief. Save your money (this place is really expensive) My filet was overcooked and tough.  The great deserts were gone. The tasty wedge salad and the surprisingly good mac and cheese were not enough to make up for the ($240.00 with tip) bill, and who wants to pay that much and sit next to 4 gang bangers in t-shirts sprawled out at the table behind us? I made a mistake "adding" lobster to the filet. It was tough and had no flavor. Go to J&G's instead. ** PAWS for the combined reviews.

 

Tesoro Ristorante Italiano. Four of us went there for the second time. This time in January 2011. The place definitely rates **** PAWS on the BootieFoodie meter! Located in a shopping center at 11219 E. Via Linda, Scottsdale, AZ (480) 767-1990 this small (45 seat) uber cute place is a Purrrrrfect neighborhood spot for a great home cooked Italian dinner. Owners Filomeno Di Franco (who's apt to give you a BootieHug if you've been there a time or two) and her husband Anthony cook and run the place along with their kids who serve and wait tables. The service is spot on, well paces and very friendly. And the food was to die for. I had the grilled sea scallops in a pesto sauce appetizer ($11). The scallops were perfectly caramelized bursting with flavor and simply melted in my mouth! The pesto sauce set everything off with a delish tang. My entre was the Tortellini filled with cheese in a rich cream sauce with peas, prosciutto and toasted walnuts ($16)! I ate it all! I mean at the end there were two peas left on my plate. When Filomena came by to clear she picked up my plate and smiling said "too bad you didn't like it"...I asked her to box up the two peas. We all had a nice BootieChuckle. A friend with us who's eaten there more than me said as he sat down he'd been thinking of their Spaghetti al pomodoro ($14), add meatballs ($3) for a week. I sampled his (natch ) and now know why! His portion was so large he took half home.  If you've got to pick about anything it's the gelato Mommy ordered wasn't homemade..but so what. It was still uber creamy. I had the tiramisu and I'd order it again, and again!  If you're looking for a comfortable, friendly, reasonably priced neighborhood place for some great Italian make a reservation and get their BootieFast! **** PAWS

 

Wildfish Seafood Grille! Booties favorite restaurant! 7135 E. Camelback Rd, Scottsdale. We've eaten here 38 times! The place is Bootieful and lots of fun! While everything's great the Parmesan Crusted Filet of Sole,  the spicy lump Crab Cakes in a buttery remoulade sauce, the Lobster Bisque and the Crab Fried Rice are to die for! Worth one of my 9 lives! If you don't eat seafood there are Prime Steaks on the menu too. There's an energy here that you'll love. An exhibition kitchen, smart bar  populated with sexy singles, cozy tables, smart foodies out for a night on the town and the patio... Try to sit on the patio and enjoy the Scottsdale nightlife parade pass by while you dine on the best seafood in town (most caught yesterday and flown in on ice)! Wildfish is at the Scottsdale Waterfront, Scottsdale Rd. and Camelback. Call 480-994-4040 for reservations. ***** PAWS

 

Renegade Canteen - Outstanding James Beard award winner Robert McGraph's new restaurant. OMG, the food! Some of the very best in BootieLand (Scottsdale). On Shea @ 94th, next to Ling & Louie's. We've dined here twice, once having the best burger in the Valley ($13) and the next time the best Blackened Catfish ($20) I've ever ever tasted. It's served over dirty rice and is purrrrrrfect! Desert was Candy Cap Mushroom Bread Pudding with a scoop of vanilla gelato on top. Mushrooms you say??? Well, as any good BootieFoodie knows they are rare, expensive and sweet! The menu includes Stinky Fish (fish in a bag to die for), pot roast, steaks, and a shrimp flat bread any pussy cat would love! Try it and you'll be back over and over again! Call 480-614-9400 for a BootieLicious experience. I guarantee it! ***** PAWS

 

The Arrogant Butcher, 2 E. Jefferson Street, Suite 150, Phoenix 602-324-8502. * PAW. OK, to be fair, the restaurant opened Monday and we went Friday night 2-25-11. It's another Sam Fox restaurant and he's probably the most prolific restaurateur in town. I think he must have 28 restaurants. We were on our way with two other couples to the Orpheum to see Louis Black (he's tooooo BootieFunny!!!) and I thought it might be nice to check out a new place as it's only three short blocks away. The show started at 8PM. We had 5:30 reservations, figuring it was a new restaurant and they would probably be a little slow. We were 20 minutes late (had trouble finding it. But if you go it's right on the corner of 1st Street and Jefferson. We parked farther away than necessary but found out there's parking in a garage on Jefferson just before the restaurant.

 

It was too cold for the "climate controlled" (I guess their fancy way of saying they have heaters..) patio and the view from it is of construction, empty lots and the US Airways Center- so we ate inside at a six top in a nice room in the back. They had two TV's going set to ESPN. The 7500 Sq. Ft. place is very sleek and modern. In that room the walls are covered with framed photos and a great picture of a girl at a bar done in a modern, not old school way. It was noisy and hard to hear the others at table. When we left the very large main room with bar  and exhibition kitchen was packed and people were lined up to get in. I think they were overwhelmed. The place is loud but has great energy. Maybe the two go together..

 

The wait staff was friendly, but confused. They served the drinks (which took 20 minutes to arrive) to the wrong people. Although we explained we had a show to make Dinner didn't come out for an hour after the drinks finally arrived. All through that time various waiters, managers and the like came by and said they were taking personal charge of the situation but obviously had no influence with the kitchen.

 

Likes: The Market soup $7 was seafood, a large bowl that really could have been an entree. Crab Cake Louie (but as an appetizer) had nice flavor and texture $10.  Entrees: Crab Stuffed Chicken with Meyers lemons, caper berry and spinach, $22, was moist, flavorful...just really good! California Halibut Fish & Chips, $17,  had a nice batter and fresh taste. The "Chip" part though was really just ordinary french fries that didn't look too appetizing.

 

I'd pass on the: Potato Fritters, bacon, cheddar, crème fraiche, $8. Too few disappointing little balls that were over hyped by the waiter. Beef Short Rib Stew, green chilies, fried egg, cornbread, $16. A very disappointing dish that reminded me of a thin white bean soup that contained three 1/2 pieces soggy grey pieces of what I guess passed as short ribs.  Thin, no flavor, and just awful! So bad one in our party, Judy Salb, for the first time every left the table, sought out the manager and told him that dish had no place on the menu. I BootieAgree!!! Rock Shrimp, Chicken & Sausage Jambalaya, $18, a large bowl of over spiced seafood. Not awful, but not good.

 

Dinner was so late, and so not good that the Manager came over, apologized profusely and comped the entire meal, including drinks for all six of us. That was a very classy thing to do. I'm sure they'll get their act together, but I'd wait a few months before trying them out if I were you... (we made the show with 10 minutes to spare...) ** PAWS

 

Eddie V's in the Scottsdale Quarter, 15323 N. Scottsdale Rd. Scottsdale 480-730-4800. **PAWS. This restaurant was a BootieFavorite when it was in DC ranch. Happy Hour at the bar with their half priced appetizer, live music and 35+ well heeled crowd was always delish and loads of fun. The closed for about 5 months while building their new spot in the Scottsdale Quarter across from Kierland Commons. They reopened there with 8800 square feet and seating 275 BootieFans on Feb. 14th, Valentines day. Six of us visited last Saturday night. We shouldn't have. That's what you get when you visit a place that only opened 6 days before. Eddie V's is owned by the same folks that own Wildfish on Camelback at Scottsdale Rd. That's the best restaurant in town, all things considered. The menu is almost the same at both spots, but I think they missed the BootieBoat when they left the Main Lobster and Shrimp Bisque and their Sweet Corn and Crab Chowder off the menu. They feature one forgettable soup. I'd tell you what it was but I've already forgot it. The normally out of this world Maryland Style Lump Crab Cake lacked it's out of this world flavor and my favorite side dish, the Crab Fried Rice tasted bland. Gone was its signature kick. Appetizers came out fairly quick but the main course trailed too far behind. The band in the bar was good but the crowd just didn't seem to be the same. At least the dining rooms were much improved from their kind of long in the tooth former incarnation. 

 

Oh well, I'm sure in about a month they'll have worked out the spices and things will be BootieFine. These guys really do know how to run restaurants. In the meantime we'll get our BootieLicious fresh fish fix at Wildfish. You should too... Reviewed 2-19-11.  ** PAWS

 

News Flash (2-25-11) After being open less than a week Eddie V's has hired a new Chef! They must have been reading BootieFoodie! Tom Harvey is relocating from Atlanta where he spent the last 8 years to take over as head chef. He was the executive chef at Murphy's and before that the executive chef at One Midtown Kitchen. I'm sure he'll get the new Eddie V's up to BootieStandards quickly! ** PAWS, but that will change.

 

Eddie V’s, the second time around. Since I BootieLike Wildfish so much and it’s owned by the same folks that own Eddie V’s, and since I really liked eating at the bar or in the bar at Eddie V’s before they moved out of DC Ranch I thought I’d give their new spot another BootieLook during Restaurant Week in September 2011, two weeks ago. We originally went late last year, the week they opened ,and were not impressed. I’m sad to say that I was once again underwhelmed. The interior, while new and no doubt expensive, had no pizzazz. Staid, Old School, Corporate, and Boring come to mind, and they shouldn’t as their counterpart, Wildfish ,has a definite buzz going, a beautiful interior, and is always fun. So, BootieStrike One, boring interior with no view and No Patio.

 

On to the food. My lobster bisque was thin. Too thin. The North Atlantic Lemon Sole, parmesan crust with tomato and herb salad, lemon garlic butter, a large portion as they always serve, was delicious. My favorite side, the crab fried rice, lacked the depth of flavor it has at WildFish so I’ll only rate it as OK, not spectacular like I’m used to. And the other side, the Truffled Macaroni and Cheese was so uninspired I took two bites and left the rest for the table, who didn't eat it either (and I love a good Mac and Cheese)! On to the deserts. The menu said “pick one”. The waiter said “pick one per couple”. That ticked both Tony and me off. Tony was ready to take on the waiter but in the end he didn’t have to as the waiter, no doubt sensing how we felt, and probably hearing all the jokes we were making about it, brought out one each of the three deserts offered that night for the table. Still, that was a cheap little trick to pull on their Restaurant Week dinners when it clearly wasn't advertised as one per couple but one per person. Maybe the waiter was holding back a desert or two from each of his tables to take home that night? Think so? It could BootieHappen, but probably not….So, out came the deserts! The Bananas Foster Butter Cake, Sweet Republic maple pecan ice cream looked dramatic when the waiter set it on fire. But it was all downhill after the fire went out… It lacked flavor, had a disgusting texture and just plain tasted blah. We didn’t finish it. The best thing going for the Hot Chocolate Godiva Cake, Sweet Republic vanilla bean ice cream was the ice cream as the cake tasted like one of those (why do they even bother they taste so BootieBad) flowerless cakes, even though it wasn’t. The saving grace was the delish Vanilla Bean Crème Brulée, fresh berries and cookies. It was lip smacking good. BootieStrike Two though for most of the food.

 

The final insult to the evening was the valet outside who didn’t even bother, after I gave him a fiver, to open the car doors for Mommy or Marjorie. And, when I asked him to, shouted out “what, for a $2 tip? (The parking charge was $3) Excuse me Mr. Valet. BootieSpit on you! That was BootieStrike Three and that all you get in the BootieBook! All in all, I’ll drive the extra 10 miles down Scottsdale Road any day to eat at Wildfish (as we have now 37 times)! http://www.eddiev.com/   Eddie V’s in the Scottsdale Quarter still gets only ** ½ Paws.