| DINING GUIDE | t Café CENTRAL PHOENIX/UPTOWN Across the Pond: A sushi and cocktail bar (or maybe the other way around, depending on how your evening’s going), Across the Pond offers a big-time dining experience in petite environs. The open-kitchen setup here lets you observe the chefs up close as they quietly chat with one another while preparing handmade rolls and blowtorching the occasional scallop. (The place smells like a campfire, in a good way.) The owners have brought the same levels of heat and humor to the cocktail list as can be found at Clever Koi, their Asian kitchen located just across the breezeway. We recommend the Yojimbo, the Berry White, and the concoction known as the Ms. Paka — lady- shaped glassware, sunrise-colored mixers, and a garnishing of mint, a dried blood orange wheel, and flowers (like, straight-up backyard flowers). 4236 N. Central Ave., #101; 602-296-5629; acrossthepondphx.com. ($$$) Barrio Cafe: Knockoffs and ripoffs are an unavoidable hazard of the restaurant industry, but if there’s a silver lining to this phenomenon, it’s that all the impostors only make it easier to spot a true original. Barrio Café — established in 2002 by Wendy Gruber and Chef Silvana Salcido Esparza and located along the Calle 16 restaurant and bar row cutting through central Phoenix — is an unmistakable O.G. gem. The live music and local artwork provide a delightful atmosphere, but the food is what seals the deal. Menu standouts include cochinita pibil, chiles en nogada, churro rellenos, and the well-known chef’s tableside guacamole — famously bejeweled with pomegranate seeds. Diners will also find Mexican beers, Micheladas, and too many amazing margaritas to list here (okay, just one: the Lowrider). 2814 N. 16th St.; 602-636-0240; barriocafe.com. ($$$) Da Vang: The moment you’re seated and handed the cracked- laminated menu at Da Vang, relief follows. Good, aromatic, hearty Vietnamese food is on the way. Most dishes are under $10 and usually require a to-go container or an afternoon nap — or better yet, an order of café sua nong (hot coffee with sweetened condensed milk). The pho choices are versatile, about a dozen varieties in all, but the pho tai nam may be your best bet. If you really want to go nuts, the com tam dac biet is — get ready — broken steamed rice with barbecue pork, shrimp, a fried shrimp cake, a barbecue pork meatball, a crab-egg cake, shredded pork, and a fried egg. Da Vang, in its multi-roomed strip-mall setting south of Christown Spectrum Mall, also offers banh mi (sandwiches), lau (hot pot), and bun (vermicelli) in a beyond-comfortable setting. 4538 N. 19th Ave.; 602-242-3575. ($) Dick’s Hideaway: The family of New Mexico-leaning eateries and drinkeries along 16th Street is a treasured standby of the Phoenix dining scene. But within the Richardson’s Restaurants family — which also includes Richardson’s itself and The Rokerij — the inconspicuous Dick’s Hideaway is a cut above. It’s the type of place where you’ll need divine intervention to find seats for a party of five or above on a Friday night, but the crowd is due to the excellent menu and bar program. Dinner options include the Taos Tenderloin, the New Mexican platter, and a green chile burger, while the bar cranks out pristine bloody marys and margaritas, and wine options known citywide. But the best thing about Dick’s Hideaway is its size — it is small. (Seated at the bar, you can almost feel the heat from the nearby open-flame grill.) And better keep your maps app fired up till you know you’re in the right place; there is no sign. 6008 N. 16th St.; 602-241-1881; richardsonsnm.com/dicks-hideaway. ($$$) Duck and Decanter: Going to Duck and Decanter for a lunchtime sandwich, or a Nooner as they call it here, is like visiting an Icelandic cafe. The A-frame, faux chalet structure is not just a sandwich joint, but also a small grocery, wine bar, cheese shop, and of course, deli. To take your sandwich to go is to deprive yourself of a major part of the experience here. Why not browse the gourmet coffee selection and pick up a canister of Café Du Monde coffee and chicory? Or take a stroll through the place, pondering whether you want to dine at one of the cozy downstairs tables, the spacious upstairs dining space, or the twinkle-lit, dog-friendly patio? Or do you just order your giant sandwich right off, deciding between the Reuben, the Genoa, or classic roasted turkey? The Duck originated in 1972, growing to three locations then sizing back down to this one, but this impressive spread not far from the original location at 16th Street and Camelback Road is a forever gem in Phoenix’s dining scene. 1651 E. Camelback Rd.; 602-274-5429; duckanddecanter.com. ($$) 32 Durant’s: Since 1950, Durant’s has sat proudly on Central Avenue, its iconic midcentury sign lit up for decades as the city has slowly grown around it. This vibe here is old-school, vaguely Rat Pack-ish: red-leather banquettes, scarlet wallpaper, dim lighting, a back entrance that takes you through the kitchen. (Gangster tales and Hollywood lore abound regarding original owner Jack Durant.) You’ll still find Phoenix power players gathering at this chophouse today; Durant’s continues to cook a mean 48-ounce porterhouse steak, in addition to slow-roasted prime rib, liver specials, lamb chops, and a siz- able selection of seafood. (Another time-warp trademark at Durant’s is the gratis relish tray: carrots, celery, green onions, and black olives served over ice.) The wine list is long, but for when-in-Rome reasons, go with a martini or an old fashioned. They pour ’em strong here. 2611 N. Central Ave.; 602-264-5967; durantsaz.com. ($$$$) El Chullo Peruvian Restaurant & Bar: On the hunt for top-tier Peruvian food? Head for the Coronado district, where the family-owned El Chullo Peruvian Restaurant & Bar has been a go-to spot for arroz con mariscos since opening in 2015. Menu items include a crispy chicharron, the tacu tacu de mariscos, ceviche mixto, and the arroz chaufa — a Peruvian- meets-Chinese fusion-style dish with chicken-fried rice. Another highly recommended dish, actually an appetizer, is the anticuchos — 10 hot, dense, chewy cutlets of marinated grilled beef heart kebabs. Eating beef heart is making use of an organ that would otherwise be discarded, so you can feel fulfillment in your psyche as well as your stomach. (The menu also offers vegetarian dishes like arroz chaufa veggie and the tacu tacu veggie.) The bar program includes cocktails like the Piscorita and Maracuya Sour, or imported Peruvian beers like Cerveza Cusqueña and Cerveza Cristal, all of which taste better in El Chullo’s cozy, colorful dining room. 2605 N. Seventh St.; 602-279-8425; elchulloperu.com. ($$) Fàme Caffe: When an eatery feels more like a well-loved home than a restaurant, there’s a good chance some excellent food is about to land on your table. At Fàme Caffe, that table is wooden, adorned with fresh rosemary, and topped with a small bottle of house-made hot sauce. Glance around, and you’ll see basketed fruits, liquor bottles on full display, soft bistro lights, chalkboard menus, and a community table that functions as a centerpiece to the dining space. No, this New American breakfast-and-lunch spot is not named after that David Bowie song. It’s actually fàme, meaning “hunger” in Italian. We recommend the vegan tacos, the massive and colorful Cobb salad, and the Frenchie Toast — a menu item a New Times reviewer previously considered proposing to, were it legal to wed breakfast foods. 4700 N. Central Ave.; 602-314-4660; famecaffe.com. ($$) Fry Bread House: The Melrose District, especially the Melrose Curve along Seventh Avenue in central Phoenix, is one of the most dynamic neighborhoods in the city, chockablock with mural- covered coffee shops and colorful new bars. The family-run Fry Bread House is a longtime Melrose staple that far predates the more recent arrivals in the neighborhood; it opened in 1992 and has been serving traditional Tohono O’odham food here ever since. The James Beard Foundation-recognized eatery offers a variety of regional menu items like tacos, burros, stews, and “chippies and salsa.” We recommend the signature, namesake pillowy fry bread — often stuffed with ground beef, beans, and cheese, or topped with sweet chocolate. 4545 N. Seventh Ave.; 602-351-2345; facebook.com/frybreadhouse. ($) Hana Japanese Eatery: This busy, family-owned operation north of Seventh and Missouri avenues is overseen by co-owners Lynn Becker and Chef Lori Hashimoto, a true treasure of the Phoenix chef scene. The place is known for well-crafted sushi and sashimi — yellowtail, tuna, salmon, crab, albacore, and whitefish. We like the squid maruyaki, scallop edamame kasane age, Hana tempura, and various bento box lunch options. Hana does not accept reservations, so diners may have a bit of a wait at peak times. Hana Japanese Eatery is also, famously, BYOB. Patrons may bring their own sake, beer, or wine for a $5 corkage fee, and the Hana staff will keep it cold for you. Sharing with the neighboring table is always encouraged. 5524 N. Seventh Ave.; 602-973-1238; hanajapaneseeatery.com. ($$) Nobuo at Teeter House: Chef Nobuo Fukuda, now of Heritage Square’s Nobuo at Teeter House, won his James Beard Award more than a decade ago. But his cooking feels fresh and an- chored vitally in our present age of dining. The Teeter House space has the feeling of centuries past, as does its fantastic tea selection, but something more cutting-edge starts to unfold with the flavors from your first bite. Maybe it’s the lo- cal greens charged with a bright yuzu vinaigrette. Maybe it’s the marine-perfumed rice that pulls such subtle flavor from eggs and seaweed. Maybe it’s deep-fried soft shell crab with breaded legs spiraling outward, like the blades of a buzz saw, from craggy house-made focaccia. Whatever your first bite may be, it will be clear that a distinct and memorable eating experience has begun. Fukuda doesn’t confine his focus to his native Japan. He’s just as happy, when the pieces make sense, to reach out to a place like Italy for Parmesan shavings and basil oil to accent salmon sashimi. This isn’t cheap-plastic fusion, but thoughtful maneuvering essential to dishes, just as unexpected brushstrokes might be integral >> p 35 SEPT 2ND – SEPT 8TH, 2021 PHOENIX NEW TIMES | MUSIC | CAFE | FILM | CULTURE | NIGHT+DAY | FEATURE | NEWS | OPINION | FEEDBACK | CONTENTS | phoenixnewtimes.com
