and enjoy good conversation over great sandwiches during a lunch that makes you slow down a little. Best Hot Dogs truly understand and appreciate the finer qualities of cheese instead of merely stuffing our faces with it. The restaurant has plenty of options for your friends who might not revel in all things cheese, plus a kids’ menu. Our favorite picks are the build-your-own boards that give you the chance to try a little of this and a little of that. Add in the eatery’s charming decor and you have a one-of-a-kind culinary experience to share with locals and out-of- towners alike. Best Hamburgers HARVEY’S WINEBURGER 4812 North 16th Street 602-248-9950 harveyswineburger.com the type of hambu eams ar our choice of c Head into this unassuming dive bar to find the type of hamburgers that beefy dreams are made of. The original Cheese Wineburger features a thick beef patty with a splash of red wine topped with lettuce, tomato, onion, and your choice of cheese: American, Swiss, Cheddar, or pepperjack for apperjack for nice kick. They’re handmade to order, served with french fries or onion rings, and sure to satisfy en the mos ed with fr even the most serious carnivore. Try one of the specialty burgers if you’re feeling saucy. The Buffalo Bleu Burger is spicy and topped with blue cheese, while the Rodeo Burger is topped with barbecue sauce, jalapeño, bacon, cheddar cheese, and onion rings. And if the burger somehow doesn’t satiate your appetite, the wings at Harvey’s are also delicious. Best Sandwiches PANE BIANCO 4404 North Central Avenue 602-234-2100 pizzeriabianco.com/pane-bianco 206 The name Bianco usually conjures up the image of a wood-fired pizza, and rightfully so — Chef Chris Bianco won the James Beard Award for Outstanding Restaurateur this year for his eponymous pizzeria. But don’t sleep on Bianco’s lunch joint, Pane Bianco, which serves some of the best sandwiches in town. At the small, homey restaurant on Central Avenue, Bianco enlists the help of his brother Marco to create soft rounds of focaccia perfect for stuffing with top-notch ingre- dients. Options include chicken salad studded with green apple, or an upscale twist on a ham and cheese made with prosciutto and homemade mozzarella. Sit among artwork created by Bianco’s father, sip on a glass of wine or a bottle of Coke, DER WURST HOT DOGS Linger Longer Lounge 6522 North 16th Street 602-694-0342 derwursthotdogs.com Something’s happened to the hot dog in recent years. It’s gone from a staple of Americana into the template for ongoing culinary experimentation — which may be a great metaphor for the U.S. in the 21st century. So, if we’re going to make the hot dog an edible version of modern America, there’s no better restaurant than Der Wurst Hot Dogs. Located inside of the delightfully divey Linger Longer Lounge, this eatery checks all the boxes for a true American dining experience. Over-the-top hot dogs? Sure, like a linguisa sausage with bacon, Doritos, and Sriracha mayo. What about slightly suggestive names? There’s a dog called the French Tickler, and desserts eferr are referred to as Happy Endings. Sure, those vaguely sexual ty dogs, made with a real culinary bent without all the resulting pompousness. That ing pompousness. That entire dynamic feels truly American — silly little gimmicks that never e dynamic feels truly American diminish from true quality and culinary creativity. If that’s too heady for you, just order the Schnitzel Licker, drink a few cheap beers, and enjoy your evening. Best Fry Bread FRY BREAD HOUSE 4545 North Seventh Avenue 602-351-2345 frybreadhouseaz.com The iconic Fry Bread House is a modest but mighty staple of the local dining scene. The unassuming location on Seventh Avenue has been proudly serving Native American food for 30 years and is backed by an all-Native staff. The founder, the late Cecelia Miller, hailed from the Tohono O’odham Nation and set out on a mission to create a public gathering place for Indigenous people to gather and eat home cooking. Bringing traditional recipes from Miller’s tribe mixed with Southwest influ- ences, the menu proudly touts sweet and savory frybread — hand-stretched pillowy pieces of puffy dough that are both crisp and airy at the same time. Go big or go home — order the Ultimate Fry Bread Taco with spicy red chile beef to taste the deli- cious mixture of fry bread, beef, refried beans, onions, sour cream, cheese, and lettuce. For dessert, you can’t go wrong with sweet frybread slathered in chocolate and butter. gimmicks aren’t new, but under- neath the silly jokes are truly tasty dogs , but under BEST OF PHOENIX 2022 | WWW.BESTOFPHOENIX2022.C0M | SEPTEMBER 29, 2022
