LeDu Thai 915 N. Fifth St. The number of places around town to find tasty Thai food is slowly growing, and an exciting addition arrived on July 31. LeDu Thai is nestled in a modern bungalow in downtown Phoenix’s Roosevelt Row arts district. The unassuming exterior gives way to a vibrant, cozy dining area and bar awash in emerald green, zebra stripes and marigold. LeDu frames itself as a “culinary journey through Thai seasons.” The menu includes well-known southern Thai dishes, such as green papaya salad, pad thai and mango sticky rice, as well as less well-tread options — all drawing on family recipes. One of our favorite bites is LeDu’s vege- tarian take on larb, in which meaty pieces of oyster mushrooms are a sumptuous stand-in for ground pork. A fiery chile-lime dressing and fresh herbs amp up the flavor. The restaurant’s selection of curries, rice and noodle dishes is large but not over- whelming, and the helpful staff can assist with suggestions. The Gaeng Panang Nuer, a panang curry with braised beef is tender and aromatic. The Kao So-i, LeDu’s rendi- tion of the popular northern Thai curry noodle soup, is hearty and comforting, but still bold thanks to its warm spice and bursts of brightness from pickled radish. The restaurant has range, managing to be the kind of casual spot where you can order takeout or linger over a special occasion meal with cocktails or a bottle of sake. Mister Pio 4502 E. Thomas Road What do you get when two friends with some serious culinary chops decide to open a fast-casual eatery? The answer is Mister Pio Peruvian Chicken. Chef and owner Justin Nasralla and co-owner David Goluboff opened the modern counter- service cafe on Thomas Road this fall, and it’s serving outstanding eats. The menu is simple: Order a quarter or half chicken, choose between house greens or a market salad and make sure to add a side of fries. To drink, bright yellow bubble gum- flavored Inca Kola pairs perfectly with the theme and the classic Peruvian sauces that come with each plate. While chicken, salad and fries are simple and familiar foods, their prepara- tion is what takes this spot to a new level. To start, the chicken is dry brined with a mixture of 21 spices for two days. Then, it is roasted slowly for roughly 90 minutes over a special Japanese-style charcoal in a massive Josper rotisserie oven. Smoke fills the small dining room as the chefs check on the birds, which glisten as their skin crisps. The restaurant’s signature dish is modeled after Peru’s pollo a la brasa, a Sunday tradition in the South American country. With Mister Pio churning out such a mouthwatering iteration, it’s easy to see how you could crave a visit to this new Phoenix restaurant at least once a week. Pretty Penny 509 E. Roosevelt St. Pretty Penny united a crew of culinary and mixology heavyweights from Roosevelt Row and Scottsdale for a seafood-forward restaurant offering a taste of luxury in the heart of downtown Phoenix. Bar owners Sam Olguin and Brenon Stuart, whose cocktail crafting is on display at spots such as Killer Whale Sex Club and F.Y.P.M., tapped two alumni of Scottsdale’s Virtù family of restaurants: chef Marcelino Ramos and hospitality pro Ivan Herrera. With an open kitchen and old-school touches such as a complimentary pour of bubbles when you’re seated, the team doubled down on the experience while crafting exceptional food and drink in a very, very small space. After nearly a year in its initial location, the restaurant has moved across the street, replacing Stuart and Olguin’s Disco Dragon. The larger space has provided Ramos and his team more room to stretch their legs, allowing them to add steaks and pastas, made locally by Mr. Pasta Shop, to the menu that includes a creamy, spicy lamb ragu with paccheri noodles. Meanwhile, the bar team continues to offer plenty of playful, technique-driven cock- tails to match, including a charred tomato martini with a floral hint of basil. One of Pretty Penny’s star dishes from day one is the Octopus Tostada. To ensure that every bite is crisp, the chefs cut blue corn tortillas into strips and then fry the pieces before reassembling them into their original circular form. The strips are topped with tender braised octopus, Oaxacan sour cream, silky dollops of avocado and a fiery black sesame salsa macha. LeDu Thai’s kao soi is a vibrant rendition of the northern Thai curry noodle soup. (Photo by Sara Crocker) At LeDu Thai, the pork belly (bottom) is tender with a slight crunch. (Photo by Natasha Yee) Simplicity and traditional Peruvian flavors shine at Mister Pio.(Photo by Justin Nasralla) A rack of Mister Pio’s chickens roasts over Japanese- style charcoal.(Photo by Justin Nasralla) Octopus tostada and Sea Bream Aburi at Pretty Penny. (Photo by Sara Crocker) Charred tomato martini and interstellar cocktail at Pretty Penny. (Photo by Sara Crocker) >> p 14
