Best Fries FRITES STREET fritesstreet.com Thick or thin, long or short, crunchy, or squishy — we’re equal-opportunity french fry aficionados. But some of the best restaurants in town definitely have a pref- erence as to where they source their fries, and that’s local potato purveyor Frites Street. The company began in 2015 as a food truck serving gourmet European- style pommes frites with a variety of dipping sauces, and eventually pivoted into providing product for restaurants. Today, you can find Frites Street fries at more than 101 restaurants around the country, including local gems like The Americano, Clever Koi, and Francine. Crinkle-cut, shoestring, or thick, Frites Street fries are perfectly crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside. We still love any kind of fries, but Frites Street are our favorite. Best Mac and Cheese TUCKED AWAY CRAFT KITCHEN AND BAR 3630 East Southern Avenue, Suite B106, Mesa 480-550-5577 tuckedawaymesa.com There’s a strip mall in Mesa where Southern Avenue meets Val Vista Drive. It’s anchored by a Fry’s, but in the corner, there’s a bistro that has the best macaroni and cheese in town. At Tucked Away Craft Kitchen and Bar, the second concept from Sean Hayes and Jo Ann Franko, the owners of Tipsy Cactus Taproom, there’s an elbow macaroni-shaped trophy above the bar, a testament to the award-winning dish created by Executive Chef Gabe Madrid. The cheese string follows you as you raise a forkful to your mouth. The heat from the green chile adds a little bit of welcome warmth. The cavatappi noodle is the perfect vehicle; its ridges hold the stickier, thicker cheese, while the inside of the noodle gives a home to the cream sauce. It’s a secret combo of cheeses, cavatappi pasta, green chile, and witchcraft that simultaneously make it creamy, spicy, and stringy, an ideal mac and cheese expe- rience worth seeking out in the east Valley. Best Fried Chicken GUS’S WORLD FAMOUS FRIED CHICKEN 341 West Van Buren Street 602-601-4901 212 West Main Street, Mesa 480-590-0404 gusfriedchicken.com We tend not to get too excited when an out-of-state restaurant announces it’s coming to Phoenix. After all, we’ve got a vibrant dining scene here all on our own. But Gus’s World Famous Fried Chicken, a Tennessee staple that arrived in Phoenix last year, is a welcome addition to the city. The chicken comes out of the kitchen piping hot and impossibly crispy and juicy — each crunchy bite is a delight. We like to pair it with Gus’s baked beans or macaroni and cheese for a full meal. Gus’s may be an import to the metro Phoenix restaurant landscape, but we’re glad it’s here to stay. Best Wings LONG WONG’S 2812 East Thomas Road 602-224-5464 longwongs28st.com When you pull up to Long Wong’s, you’re immediately greeted by a zoo of life-sized vintage animals, from a cow to a dinosaur to a pink horse to a buffalo. “Do wings, not drugs!” says a little sign with a flamingo. Though there are many copycats claiming the “Long Wong’s” name, the original Long Wong’s resides on 28th Street and Thomas Road, and has been around for over 35 years. With the original owners hailing from Buffalo, New York, it’s no wonder Long Wong’s wings are the perfect amount of crispy and juicy. And saucy — the hot wings are doused in a tangy and spicy coating, while the garlic Parmesan wings have real garlic bits mixed into the white sauce. If you can’t choose one flavor, order the Party Wing Bucket which comes with 72 bones and a choice of three flavors. Best Tapas TAPAS PAPA FRITA 7114 East Stetson Drive, #210, Scottsdale 480-699-5004 tapaspapafrita.com If you really want to luxuriate and immerse yourself in Spanish culture and cuisine, you can’t do much better than Tapas Papa Frita. Yeah, there’s the Moorish archi- tecture and the stage with the obligatory flamenco dancer. But you’re here for the food. The chef has mastered cuisine from every region of Spain. The long list of tapas is dizzying, from traditional tortilla Espanola to snails in sherry. Hell, they even serve seven types of regional paella, not to mention amazing entrees, ranging from Castillan osso buco to Catalan rabbit. You cannot get a disappointing dish. The wine list is impressive. As wonderful as the food is, the service is even better. Many of the wait staff, as well as Chef Joseph Gutierrez, are Basque and they’re all happy to spend time sharing stories and discussing the food at your table. It’s the kind of place you go for special occasions, birthday banquets, or romantic anniversary dinners. And when you’re done, you can take a stroll with your dining companion and snap a picturesque selfie on the canal that makes up the Scottsdale Waterfront. 209 SEPTEMBER 29, 2022 | WWW.BESTOFPHOENIX2022.C0M | BEST OF PHOENIX 2022
