{"id":1137,"date":"2012-12-06T20:29:27","date_gmt":"2012-12-06T20:29:27","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/jaystuller.com\/?p=1137"},"modified":"2012-12-06T21:47:30","modified_gmt":"2012-12-06T21:47:30","slug":"a-five-night-feast-the-warriors-chow-down-at-scottsdales-finest","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/jaystuller\/golf\/1137\/a-five-night-feast-the-warriors-chow-down-at-scottsdales-finest","title":{"rendered":"A Five-Night Feast: The Warriors Chow Down at Scottsdale\u2019s Finest"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The Ocean Club's Signature Seafood Tower.<\/p><\/div>\n

Following our first night\u2019s excellent meal at the Phoenician\u2019s Relish Burger Bistro – – reviewed elsewhere on the Golf Road Warriors Scottsdale 2012 website<\/a> – – dinner hour got downright serious. We consumed Great Cat quantities of meat, chicken, and seafood, quaffed beverages like a Dromedary pulling into Timbuktu, and still found belt-bulging room for exceptional desserts.\u00a0 While our generous hosts were kind and attentive, we suspect they treat all of their guests in the same manner.\u00a0 Consequently, for travelers to the Sonoran Desert, these five restaurants comprise an eclectic week of superb dining:<\/p>\n

Mastro’s Ocean Club<\/strong> <\/a>– – Just across the street from the Westin Kierland and near several other major resorts, the Ocean Club is absolutely packed seven nights a week, as tourists, convention-goers, locals and celebrities – – think Alice Cooper – – jostle for tables at one of the coolest establishments in town.\u00a0 Excellent live music in the bar area sets a tone for food that\u2019s refined, varied and presented with flair and style.\u00a0 Our meal started with the restaurant\u2019s Signature Seafood Tower, which included huge shrimp, oysters and crab legs on several layers of ice, and ended with several dishes including Mastro\u2019s near-legendary Warm Butter Cake.<\/p>\n

The original Mastro\u2019s Steakhouse was a family-owned restaurant in another part of Scottsdale.\u00a0 Now headquartered in Woodland Hills, CA, Mastro\u2019s has three locations in Scottsdale, six in California and restaurants in Chicago and Las Vegas.\u00a0 Because each is a certified hit, the company has plans to expand to other cities.<\/p>\n

They\u2019ll no doubt continue to succeed, given the quality we experienced.\u00a0 From a special menu prepared for the Golf Road Warriors by Director of Events and My New Best Friend Tanya Queen, several of us choose the petite filet, a perfectly cooked steak, while others selected the Scottish Salmon, which could be prepared several different ways, including blackening.\u00a0 The lobster-mashed potatoes were irresistible, as was the tall chocolate layer cake sitting next to the Warm Butter, all of which could be topped with thick whipped cream.\u00a0 This, and the memorable service, is why Mastro\u2019s is so frequently ranked by food critics as one of the top ten steak and fish houses in the country.<\/p>\n

15045 N. Kierland Boulevard Scottsdale, AZ 85254\u00a0<\/em>Tel: 480-443-8555\u00a0<\/em>www.mastrosrestaurants.com<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

The Brat Haus<\/a><\/strong>– – \u00a0Open only since last summer, this Old Town Scottsdale brats and beer emporium has rapidly earned a reputation as a not-to-be-missed dining destination.\u00a0 While there is indoor seating available, we remained outside in the urban European-style Bier Garden, at a picnic table next to a warming fire.\u00a0 Starting with Belgian fries and a spicy brat smothered in homemade sauerkraut, what looked like a casual meal was anything but.<\/p>\n

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Dining out in the Brat Haus patio.<\/p><\/div>\n

That\u2019s what we learned from Chef Partner Payton Curry, a passionate foodie who incorporates fresh, seasonal and local ingredients into Old World dishes.\u00a0 Indeed, Curry took us on a tour of his kitchen and cooler, where sausage making could clearly \u00a0get a much better reputation.\u00a0 Along with Owner Dave Andrea, Curry has made a great effort to speak with guests who crave dishes \u201clike Grandma used to make,\u201d and to develop new takes on traditional staples.\u00a0 Fried chicken and waffles, for example, is one of the Haus specialties, along with pork schnitzel and sauerbraten beef short ribs.\u00a0 The beer selection to wash it down is huge and robust, making the Brat Haus a perfect place for a buddy group\u2019s night out.<\/p>\n

3622 N. Scottsdale Road, Scottsdale, AZ 85251\u00a0<\/em>Tel: 480-947-4006\u00a0<\/em>www.brathausaz.com<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

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deseo<\/a>, at the Westin Kierland Resort <\/strong>– – Inspired by award-winning Chef Douglas Rodriguez, this upscale Nuevo Latino restaurant combines cuisine from South America, Cuba and elsewhere into creating dishes one simply doesn\u2019t find elsewhere in Scottsdale.\u00a0 The restaurant\u2019s name means \u201cdesire\u201d in Spanish, and it tends to define the unprecedented approach to Latin cooking.\u00a0 With an open kitchen encompassed by seating at a bar, patrons can watch the chefs prepare ceviche specialties and more.<\/p>\n

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A Thai and Latin influenced cevice epitomizes the fare at the Kierland Resort's deseo.<\/p><\/div>\n

Along with the excellent food and beverage is the restaurant\u2019s artwork, all created by Nelson Garcia-Miranda, a former deseo dishwasher who is now its artist in residence.\u00a0 Born and raised in a poor neighborhood in Cuba, the 65-year-old painter, who works in acrylics, was fairly well known in his native land for his opposition to government policies. But after reaching the U.S. some 13 years ago, he was forced to take a job washing dishes in Miami and later Arizona.\u00a0 One day, he mentioned to chef Robert Madrid that he was an artist, and soon thereafter Garcia-Miranda received the unusual promotion in 2007, and is now part of the living mythology that characterizes much of the Kierland Resort.\u00a0 You can find Garcia-Miranda in the restaurant lobby five evenings a week during happy hour, painting in what he calls the \u201cCubanidad\u201d style.<\/p>\n

6902 E. Greenway Parkway, Scottsdale, AZ 85254\u00a0<\/em>Tel: 480-624-1315 \u00a0<\/em>www.kierlandresort.com<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n

Orange Sky<\/a>, at the Talking Stick Resort<\/strong> – – An award-winning restaurant that\u2019s earned praiseworthy reviews from the Arizona Republic<\/em> and Arizona Business Magazine<\/em>, Orange Sky sits on the 15th<\/sup> floor of the Talking Stick Resort and Casino, a huge facility with a 360 degree view of Scottsdale.\u00a0 It offers pan-seared 17-ounce rib-eye steak, Maine lobster Chile Citrus Based Veal Chop, and Alaskan king crab legs, part of a sophisticated menu. The restaurant was packed on a Saturday, with well-dressed patrons who wore unusual amounts of sparkling attire and accessories.<\/p>\n

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The view from Orange Sky is, simply, outstanding.<\/p><\/div>\n

We loved Talking Stick\u2019s golf course.\u00a0 We loved our rooms. We were a little mystified by Orange Sky. The restaurant\u2019s sommelier was very knowledgeable.\u00a0 And yet, there seemed to be as many servers as diners, and layers of supervisors to watch them, as they walked briskly and purposely through the room, but never stopped at our table to refill water glasses.\u00a0 Our entrees were OK, but not when priced above $30.\u00a0 Having said that, if you\u2019re a guest at the resort and don\u2019t want to leave the property for a substantial dinner, Orange Sky makes up for the mystification with its views – – of Scottsdale and the intriguing show put on by the other diners.<\/p>\n

9800 E. Indian Bend Rd., Scottsdale, AZ 85256 \u00a0<\/em>Tel: 480-850-7852\u00a0<\/em>www.talkingstickresort.com<\/em><\/p>\n

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El Chorro Lodge<\/a> <\/strong>– – An Arizona institution since 1937, the El Chorro was originally built as a school for girls just three years before Jan and Max Gruber purchased the property and converted it to a restaurant and lodge.\u00a0 It\u2019s a place that used to attract the likes of Clark Gable, Milton Berle and other celebrities.\u00a0 But while some of the indoor-outdoor dining spaces have been expanded and modernized, El Chorro gives one the feeling of going back to an earlier time.<\/p>\n

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El Chorro's must-order sticky buns.<\/p><\/div>\n

With gardens, fire pits and an outdoor bar, El Chorro features innovative seasonal cuisine, including herbs and produce grown on the property, prime New York steaks from Niman Ranch, trout almandine, and free-range roasted chicken.\u00a0 I had some of that chicken in a very savory pair of enchiladas. \u00a0And it is famous for its sticky buns. \u00a0But along with the excellent food, El Chorro is in an iconic setting, with supremely views of the flanking Camelback and Mummy Mountains, which spectacularly change colors as the sun begins to set.<\/p>\n

5550 E Lincoln Dr., Paradise Valley, AZ <\/em>85253 \u00a0<\/em>Tel: 480-948-5170 x208\u00a0<\/em>www.elchorro.com<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n

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Following our first night\u2019s excellent meal at the Phoenician\u2019s Relish Burger Bistro – – reviewed elsewhere on the Golf Road… Read more »<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":48,"featured_media":1142,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[39217,294737,676014,676015,676022,9,676026,3913,6569,18,17,19164],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1137","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-golf-road-warriors","category-venues","category-grw-scottsdale-2012","category-venues-scottsdale","category-talking-stick-resort","category-golf","category-kierland-gc","category-scottsdale-cvb","category-azga","category-lifestyle","category-courses-and-travel","category-offcourse"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/jaystuller\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/41\/2012\/12\/0062_Sherman_72dpi.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/jaystuller\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1137","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/jaystuller\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/jaystuller\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/jaystuller\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/48"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/jaystuller\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1137"}],"version-history":[{"count":12,"href":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/jaystuller\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1137\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1152,"href":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/jaystuller\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1137\/revisions\/1152"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/jaystuller\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1142"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/jaystuller\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1137"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/jaystuller\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1137"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/jaystuller\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1137"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}