Phoenix/Scottsdale, AZ

I am going to Arizona for a week next Friday and I am looking a nice place to take my aunt and uncle to as a thank-you for buying my boyfriend and I plane tickets. We will be staying in the North Scottsdale area, but we could always travel (Tempe, Phoenix, etc.) for a good eat. They are not really foodies (neither am I for that matter, but I've worked in the industry for years) but they do enjoy wine and having an overall good time. We're not looking to go crazy with the spending here, just looking for a nice place... any type of cuisine too (preferably Mexican, since the place they always take me to SUCKS!!! )

Thanks in advance!

Pepe's Taco Villa on 19th AVENUE (not Street; this is an important distinction) in Phoenix is great Mexican food. For non-Mexican, Bistro Zinc is great French bistro food unfortunately located in the Kierland Commons shopping mall on Scottsdale Road. It's fairly convenient to North Scottsdale.

Los Dos Molinos is actually a New Mexican place (not Mexican), but has the best of that genre of food in the greater Phoenix area for my money.

barrio cafe, i believe is on 18th. excellent inovative mexican. was there last wk.

We really enjoyed Cowboy Ciao (yes, it's a dopey name) the sauteed mushrooms were fantastic, as was the chopped salad. They have a crazy huge (too huge) wine list. There's also a wine bar around the corner, owned by the same people. We didn't go there, but it's supposed to be quite nice.

Cowboy Ciao
7133 E Stetson Dr.
SCOTTSDALE, AZ 85251
6th Avenue and Stetson Drive
In Downtown Scottsdale, Arizona

(480) WINE - 111
(480) 946-3111
Email: info@cowboyciao.com

I'm not a local, but when my wife and I were in Scottsdale we ate at a restaurant called Roaring Fork. It was excellent. Here is a link to their website:

http://www.roaringfork.com/ScottsdaleAZ ... lcome.html

Don and Charlie's, the Scottsdale outpost from the folks who brought us Carsons is always a place I like to go when in Scottsdale and is very popular with the locals being many are from the Chicago area originally. The menu is similar to Carsons, but I feel the food tastes better. Maybe it is the mountains and the sun, who knows?

Another nice choice, although it is technically an upscale lounge/bar is AZ 88 in downtown Scottsdale. The food is very good and their outdoor patio is a very nice setting.

If you are looking for a quick bite one day, I recommend The Vine (only locations are in the Scottsdale area and Iowa City/Coralville, IA) in Tempe. Great wings and steins of beer to wash them down.

butter674 wrote:Another nice choice, although it is technically an upscale lounge/bar is AZ 88 in downtown Scottsdale. The food is very good and their outdoor patio is a very nice setting.

It may be worth noting, either positively or negatively, that AZ 88 is very much a scene restaurant situated directly behind a scene hotel (the James). The patio does, indeed, seem nice, but otherwise it's very loud, very crowded and essentially a glorified sandwich shop. This isn't a bad thing at all, but it wouldn't be high on my list for a thank you dinner.

Though I can't speak from personal experience, I've heard good things about Barrio Cafe, which jazzfood mentioned... and from the website they seem very wine-oriented, which sounds like it'd be a plus for you.

http://www.barriocafe.com

On the top end of the scale I've had excellent meals at Different Pointe of View and Vincent's. They're expensive, but probably not as much as a plane ticket.

Different Pointe of View has an amazing view, but may be a little adventurous for non-foodies (the tasting menu had too many sweetbreads, escargot and underparts even for me and the regular menu had only one or two things very food-challenged people in my party would touch). Vincent's does a masterful mix of French and Southwestern.

At a little less than expensive, Capitol Grille did a great job with aged steak, even if they are a chain. I'd like to give Wright's another try - the fine restaurant in the Biltmore had a great Thanksgiving meal last year, but the service was glaicial, as holiday service usually is.

On the low end I had some absolutely crappy Mexican in a few places that I've forgotten - I wish I had know about the places mentioned in this thread (as well as the other Phoenix threads). The best I had was in Gilbert at the Gecko Grille. One of those popular places with excellent food that you don't expect in a strip mall. Probably not worth the drive from Phoenix, but if you're out that way...

Different Pointe of View
11111 North 7th Street, Phoenix

Vincent's on Camelback
3930 East Camelback Road, Phoenix

Wright's
2400 E Missouri Ave (In the Biltmore) Phoenix

Gecko Grill
835 N. Gilbert Rd., Gilbert

Wow, thanks everyone! I'm going to check out some of these links and let you know what I think!

Im thinking either the Roaring Fork or Don and Charlies!!!

Mexican Add:
Carolina's is another Phoenix Mexican staple, with a new North location on East Cactus, which you should be fairly near you.
http://www.carolinasmex.com/
Another standard, acceptable to Parent types, is the Tee Pee on Indian School,; It's been around for ever. Nice Red Vinyl Interior.
You might sneak out for a snack to El Molino in Scottsdale too.
http://www.azcentral.com/home/takeout/a ... ogo26.html