soul food joint has catered to the downtown masses. Stepping in for a lunch of classic soul food plates like juicy, shattering fried chicken or stewed oxtails melting off the bone feels like existing inside of a textbook photograph, or stumbling onto a movie set. The Sharpied walls, half-open kitchen, and quick, friendly service feel teleported out of an older age of hospitality. You can’t miss with the food here. Even the stewed collard greens and unadorned black-eyed peas are completely on point. If you want to end a pilgrimage to Mrs. White’s with a bang, fin- ish with the sweet potato pie. EEEEE Flavors of Louisiana 13025 West Rancho Santa Fe Boulevard, Avondale 623-935-2357 315 West Elliot Road, #108, Tempe 480-590-5634 flavorsoflouisianacajun.com these are some of the best in town), and the green chile pork stew (endorsed by no less a personage than Guy Fieri on Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives). The staff’s super-at- tentive, and you don’t have to deal with the kind of undergrad nonsense you’ll encoun- ter a few blocks away on Mill Avenue. Change can be bittersweet. At The Lodge, at least it’s also delicious. EEEEE Reserve 6934 East First Avenue, #102, Scottsdale 480-970-7682 reserveoldtown.com 174 Phillip Lewkowicz, vice president of oper- ations for Monarch Hospitality Group, and his family own the high-end Scottsdale spot Café Monarch — an Old Town joint that has won multiple accolades for being the most romantic restaurant in town. Well, until now. Their spinoff, a venture called Reserve, has usurped its parent eat- ery. As with many luxury products, scarcity is baked into the concept: Reserve serves only 25 diners per night. Guests first pass through a lush, garden entrance, then an interior welcome area, where a cocktail hour with hors d’oeuvres commences. Then it’s on to the courtyard, where dinner is served. A tasting menu of 12 courses is offered, with other bites in between. Three advanced sommeliers help with wine pair- ings. But the patio, the aforementioned courtyard, is a vision of soft lighting, chat- tering diners, clinking wine glasses, and ro- mance. It’s truly the best new date night spot in town. EEEEE The Stockyards 5009 East Washington Street 602-273-7378 stockyardssteakhouse.com People say you can get a really good porter- house at any number of places around the Valley. But can you? Not according to us. So we swear by the steaks at this Phoenix pe- rennial, which serves the finest corn-fed slabs of beef in town. The Stockyards’ claim that it’s “Arizona’s Original Steakhouse” isn’t hooey — the restaurant has been with us since 1947, offering entrees with an em- phasis on hearty flavors and honking por- tions. There’s no gourmet trickery here; no mushroom sauces or demiglace to detract from the filets and sirloins, the giant baked potatoes and fresh-steamed vegetables. And if you find yourself wanting to eat a lit- tle less food or spend a little less money, don’t sleep on the restaurant’s 1889 Saloon, a side room with turn-of-the-century ap- peal and a lighter menu of sliders, wings, and even calf fries. What we’re saying is: Take your meat-and-potatoes ass to the Stockyards. Welcome Diner 929 East Pierce Street 602-495-1111 welcomediner.net We have one teeny-tiny complaint about Welcome Diner: We don’t get to eat there as often as we want. The retro-style diner is only open for breakfast and lunch on the weekends, which means we usually have to wait till dinnertime to belly up to the coun- ter. But it’s worth the wait. Fortunately, we can order off Welcome’s breakfast menu any time of the day or night. The Whip Toast (French toast with berry compote and whipped cream) is a favorite. But there are no bad choices on Welcome’s tight menu of burgers, sandwiches, hot dogs, and chicken and biscuits. If it’s hot or rainy, we try to squeeze into Welcome’s retro- chic interior, but on crisp fall nights, we love to eat and drink on the patio, where denizens of the Garfield neighborhood gather to enjoy this local treasure. EEEEE Mrs. White’s Golden Rule Café 808 East Jefferson Street 602-262-9256 Since 1964, Elizabeth White’s hallowed As born-and-raised Southwesterners, we’re deeply envious of anyone who got to grow up eating the kind of food they serve at Flavors of Louisiana. Now that we’ve been initiated in the ways of Cajun and Creole cuisine, we’re hooked. What should we talk about first? Maybe the Dunkin Cat- fish, two perfectly done strips of fried fish on top of crawfish etouffee-covered rice. Or the Cajun Trio of jambalaya, crawfish pie, and gumbo, which delights the senses and stuffs you to the gills. It’s all excellent, and all served with a smile by Flavors of Louisiana’s charming staff (that Southern hospitality thing is no joke). Resist the temptation to finish your entree; take it home. That way, you can end your feast with peach cobbler or beignets. Or both. EEEEE George & Dragon English Pub 4240 North Central Avenue 602-241-0018 gndphx.com Ever since the pandemic made it much more of an ordeal to travel, we’ve found our- selves frequently thinking about journeys past. When we crave the cheerful din of an English tavern, we head to George & Dragon in central Phoenix. You don’t need to eat anything here to have a satisfying time; a pint of Smithwick’s, some football (meaning soccer) on the TV, and a friendly chat with the chap on the next barstool is a fine way to while away an afternoon or evening. But we recommend sampling the menu: The chicken and vegetable curries are cele- brated for a reason, and traditional British BEST OF PHOENIX 2021 | WWW.BESTOFPHOENIX2021.C0M | SEPTEMBER 30, 2021 f o o d & dr i nk B ES T C A JU N / C REO LE FOO D B E S T DINER B E S T B RITI S H P UB B ES T S T EA K HO USE B ES T SO U L FOO D B RES E S T T RA OMR U A NTIC AN T
