14 Dec 21st–Dec 27th, 2023 phoenixnewtimes.com PHOENIX NEW TIMES | NEWS | FEATURE | FOOD & DRINK | ARTS & CULTURE | MUSIC | CONCERTS | CANNABIS | kitchen. The chef and his team use fresh produce, meats and seafood to craft deli- cious tapas plates. Some of the most memorable morsels include the potato croquettes which are at once creamy and crunchy, savory and oh so satisfying. The Pan de Tomate is a cele- bration of ripe tomatoes bursting with flavor, and the medjool dates wrapped in bacon are the perfect combination of salty and sweet. A well-stocked wine list and an array of carefully crafted cocktails round out the menu, making for an evening of small bites and sips to remember. The experience is elevated further by atten- tive, friendly staff including Corely herself, who makes sure customers are full and happy. Fabio on Fire Panini & Gelateria 24775 North Lake Pleasant Pkwy., Peoria At the wildly successful Fabio on Fire, chef Fabio Ceschetti proved that there’s a home and a hunger for excellent inde- pendent restaurants in the West Valley. You’d think more restaurateurs would follow suit, but absent the competition, Ceschetti seems content to continue adding to his mini-empire in Peoria. The latest is a top-notch sandwich and ice cream shop, just a few miles down the road from his original restaurant. The secret weapon here is puccia — an Apulian bread that Ceschetti ferments for 72 hours and works into an oblong, pita- like shape before baking fresh. It’s thin, robust and crackling — perfect for building sandwiches with imported Italian ingredi- ents. Options include the Delicata, filled with wood-roasted peppers and artichoke cream, or the Donna di Cuori, laden with mortadella, mozzarella and a bright pista- chio pesto. And on the way out, grab a cup of fresh gelato, which Ceschetti prepares in-house. Hai Noon 7017 East McDowell Road, Scottsdale It feels good to have Nobuo Fukuda back. One of the city’s most beloved chefs quietly dropped off the face of the planet when his acclaimed East-West izakaya at Teeter House in Heritage Square shut down for the pandemic and never reopened. But Fukuda resurfaced this year at Sonder The Mariposa, a hotel on the fringes of downtown Scottsdale, with Hai Noon — a restaurant and lounge with dusty, throwback charm and a menu that will make Fukuda fans swoon. Hai Noon skews seafood-heavy with dishes like plump oysters swimming in deli- cate tomato water with a dab of mascarpone and a drop of wasabi oil, or Fukuda’s signa- ture tuna tataki, arrayed atop a pinot noir- bolstered beetroot puree. But his lamb chops — just barely cooked and boasting a bold coconut curry marinade — are not to be missed. The lounge’s Japanese-themed cocktails sing, like the Iburi, a whiskey and yuzu concoction served alongside a single charred shishito pepper, slowly roasting over a tiny charcoal grill. Kare Ethiopian Restaurant 4729 East McDowell Road Mom-and-pop Ethiopian joints abound around Phoenix, but one of the best is also one of the newest. Now just shy of its first birthday, Kare Ethiopian Restaurant opened on a hectic, commuter-heavy stretch of McDowell Road and has largely flown under the radar since. But step inside and the traffic’s noise is washed away by the thick scent of African spices, generously applied to an exceptional collection of dishes. Both meaty and vegetarian standards sing, from thick, buttery, turmeric-heavy kik alicha or split pea stew, to the fiery, berbere-laden doro wot, the latter of which pulls no punches with its intense chile heat. Kare serves the lot with unusually good injera, a traditional flatbread prepared purely of teff, with no wheat mixed in. And the menu boasts a number of Ethiopian breakfast specialties as well. Smoking Tiger 1919 South Gilbert Road, Mesa It took a little convincing, but Smoking Tiger persuaded us that yes, indeed, there is room for more Korean BBQ in Phoenix. Sean Soohun Kim’s second restaurant — he also owns Hodori, Mesa’s beloved home- style Korean stalwart — is a play for the upscale KBBQ market previously locked up by Sizzle. And while Smoking Tiger doesn’t have Sizzle’s polish, it does offer platefuls of premium meats, carefully prepped and supported by a menu of non-BBQ dishes that includes some flat-out bangers. Cuts like bulgogi, marinated beef belly and pork belly are lush and fatty and cook up juicy and sweet on the grill. The seafood pancake is thick and crisp, while the bibimbap is one of the few in town that gets hot enough to develop a nice, browned crunch underneath. And if you have a love for raw beef, the tartare — served aside batons of Asian pear and dressed with sesame oil and honey — is a must. Source 3150 East Ray Road, #104, Gilbert Claudio Urciuoli’s ethos is simple. “I don’t believe in expensive food,” he told our dining critic. But as the name of the Epicenter at Agritopia restaurant implies, Urciuoli and business partner Akshat Sethi are focused on sourcing the best ingre- dients while still offering a reasonably- priced evening out. The kitchen lets those ingredients shine and makes plates that are stunningly simple and satisfying. Take the grilled dates starter. The dates are butterflied and glazed with a Carbernet agrodolce — a sticky, sweet-sour condi- ment — paired with cubes of parmesan cheese and house-made bread, lightly driz- zled with olive oil. The menu is rounded out with salads, sandwiches and pizzas, which like their breads, steal the show. Favorites include the tender beef and pork meatball sub topped with tomato sauce, burrata and pistachio pesto and the pesto pistachio pizza, which is both rich and bright thanks to lemon zest. Source is worthy of a casual weeknight dinner or a date night — and, with a well-edited selec- tion of bottles, pantry items and fresh bakes, you can take a bit of Source home with you. On Fridays, CC’s on Central (left) offers an outstanding fried catfish in a crunchy seasoned cornmeal dredge. Kare Ethiopian Restaurant (right) makes excellent versions of Ethiopian classics like this kik alicha, served with injera made exclusively from teff. (Photos by Dominic Armato) A bit of subtle refinement and clean, bright tomato sauce make the chiles rellenos a standout dish at Cocina Chiwas (left). Smoking Tiger (right) offers an unusually good yukhoe — Korean beef tartare with crisp Asian pear. (Photos by Dominic Armato) Simply the Best from p 13
