Dominic Armato shares the best dishes he ate in 2017
What makes a dish memorable? Sometimes, it’s a wildly creative concoction that’s as exciting as it is delicious. Sometimes, it’s so carefully crafted that you marvel at the technique and skill involved. Sometimes, it’s a question of novelty, a dish you’ve never had the opportunity to try before.
And sometimes, it’s just stupid good, even if it isn’t particularly sophisticated.
My favorites dishes of 2017 were all of the above, often at the same time.
I’ve sampled 2,613 restaurant dishes in Arizona alone since writing up 2016’s best dishes. Taking a moment to recall the top dishes is one of those little joys I look forward to every year.
In alphabetical order, here are my 10 favorites this year, plus 10 honorable mentions.
Amore oi Mari — Pizzicletta
I admit I’m late to the party, but I finally made the trek to Pizzicletta this year, up to Flagstaff and back to Phoenix in one evening, and it was worth every moment of the drive. Caleb Schiff wrings incredible flavor and texture from his dough. Every slice is a delight, but the showstopper is Amore oi Mari. It’s perfectly balanced — sweet mascarpone, salty prosciutto, bitter arugula — with a bright whiff of lemon olive oil that lifts it into the clouds. I know, Arizona is drowning in pizza, but death by Pizzicletta is a heavenly way to go.
Details: 203 W. Phoenix Ave., Phoenix. 928-774-3242, pizzicletta.com.
Charcoal Seared Bluefin Tuna — Binkley’s Restaurant
The most revolutionary thing about Kevin Binkley’s fine-dining restaurant is the incredible warmth and casual grace of
the room and its staff. But it’s anchored by outstanding food, and this dish was probably my favorite. Binkley applies smoldering binchotan (a type of Japanese charcoal) directly to the surface of premium bluefin tuna, serving the seared fish with braised daikon radish, a salty miso sauce and chicos (little nubs of dried, roasted corn). A gloriously simple dish with the soul of Japan and a touch of Arizona.
Details: 2320 E. Osborn Road, Phoenix. 602-388-4874, binkleysrestaur ant.com.
Brown Butter Tuna — The Gladly
Bernie Kantak’s Camelback Corridor joint was already a great spot, but adding Donald Hawk’s raw bar was almost unfair. Hawk’s concoctions are equal parts creative and precise. His treatment of stellar yellowfin tuna from Chula Seafood — a de facto signature dish — is no exception. Dressed with a splash of Red Boat fish sauce, a salty-sweet raisin-caper relish and lime vinaigrette made with nutty brown butter, this dish mixes light and fresh with a little bit of unctuous funk.
Details: 2201 E. Camelback Road, Phoenix. 602-759-8132, thegladly.com.
Flap Jacks — Gallo Blanco
These are no mere pancakes. In terms of composition, sure, they check the boxes, but their unique texture and flavor comes across almost as a different dish altogether. Douglas Robson’s flap jacks are eggy to the extreme, reminiscent of French crepes in their sweetness and richness, griddled to a deep golden brown with a latticed interior that’s almost wet, just barely set and meltaway tender on the tongue. Do yourself a favor: Forego the optional bananas, whipped cream and peanuts and enjoy them in a minimal state with just a little butter and syrup. They’re too good to hide.
Details: 928 E. Pierce St., Phoenix. 602-327-0880, galloblancocafe.com.
Grilled Hamachi Collar — Crudo
We’ve said our farewells to Okra, but Crudo is still going strong and Cullen Campbell’s hamachi collar was one of the most flat-out flavorful dishes I tried all
year. Grilled to a smoky char, swimming in an atypically intense acqua pazza and tossed with blistered miniature tomatoes and a pile of fresh dill, it packed a massive haymaker of a punch for a dish made with such light, fragrant ingredients.
Details: 3603 E. Indian School Road, Phoenix. 602358-8666, crudoaz.com.
Preserved Garden — Kai
It would be easy to take a look at the photo and dismiss this dish as the twee apotheosis of tweezers cuisine, but that would be a huge mistake. Kai is sizzling under Ryan Swanson, and the dish I can’t shake is this whimsical little number, a textural explosion of pickled root vegetables, earthy mousse, chanterelle mushrooms and dried cactus pads, all planted in a crunchy pile of dried rye “soil.” The dish needn’t be this adorable to be this tasty. But a little wink and a smile makes it all the more enjoyable.
Details: Sheraton Wild Horse Pass Resort and Spa, 5594 W. Wild Horse Pass Blvd., Gila River Reservation. 602-225-0100, wildhorsepassresort.com.
Roasted Baby Yams — Weft & Warp Art Bar + Kitchen
For an Arizona newcomer, Adam Sheff wasted no time making himself acquainted with the local flora. His baby yams are stellar, roasted to a smoky sweetness and topped with garlicky i’itoi onions and the crunch of wildflower-scented croutons. But the glorious glue that binds the dish together is a sultry brown butter vinaigrette
spiked with ancho chiles, balancing sweet, rich, sour, smoky and spicy in one punchy little package.
Details: Andaz Scottsdale, 6114 N. Scottsdale Road. 480-368-1234, scottsda le.andaz.hyatt.com.
Seasonal Mushrooms ‘Boscaiola’ — Mora Italian
Celebrity chef Scott Conant’s first Phoenix restaurant has made a lot of noise, literally and figuratively. But the best dish I sampled at Mora achieved an almost Zen-like serenity amidst the din and bustle. Tender funghi awash with an impossibly deep, dark mushroom elixir sit beside a bowl of creamy polenta, pale and perfect. It’s little more than corn and mushrooms, but the marriage of the two is simple, intense and intoxicating.
Details: 5651 N. Seventh St., Phoenix. 602-795-9943, moraitalian.com.
Tripe and Lamb Belly — Coppa Cafe
Another Flagstaff gem I’ve been remiss in not visiting sooner, Coppa Cafe shows off Brian Konefal’s wonderfully creative fare, rooted in European technique and built from the very earth that surrounds the city. Here is a tripe dish for those who think they don’t like tripe, stewed into a rich ragout along with tender lamb belly, perked up with bits of fermented green beans, topped with a delicate brioche crumb and grounded with the faintest drizzle of intense veal demi. A wonderful dish that is at once meaty and delicate.
Details: 1300 S. Milton Road, Flagstaff. 928-637-6813, coppacafe.net.
WTF Biscuits — Second Story Liquor Bar
Anyone who misses the biscuits at Noca
Honorable mentions
These 10 outstanding dishes are too good to ignore:
Biscuits and Gravy — Ollie Vaughn’s
A good year for biscuits, it would seem, served here with an impossibly light and flavorful sausage gravy.
Details: 1526 E. McDowell Road, Phoenix. 602-254-1392, ollievaughns.com.
Canh Ga Chien Nuoc Mam — Pho Winglee
Delectable chicken wings, freshly fried to a crisp, tossed with onions and chiles and dashed with salty fish sauce.
Details: 111 S. Dobson Road, Mesa. 480668-1060, facebook.com/phowinglee.
Frenchie Toast — Fàme Caffe
It isn’t rocket science, but making their French toast with crusty, rustic country bread makes all the difference.
Details: 4700 N. Central Ave., Phoenix. 602-314-4660, famephx.com.
Pork Chop & Onions — Asian Fusion Cafe
Gravy and onion-smothered pork chops at a Hong Kong-style diner. You heard me. They’re stupid good.
Details: 725 S. Rural Road, Tempe. 480939-2555, asianfusioncafeaz.com.
needs to get over to Second Story Liquor Bar to try Chris McKinley’s WTF Biscuits. Studded with tiny nubs of butter and layered almost like pastry, these gorgeously flaky specimens come with fresh chive butter made in-house, a touch of
Kepta Duona — Sonata’s Restaurant
Rye batons fried to a chewy crisp in duck fat and smothered with Havarti? Say no more.
Details: 10050 N. Scottsdale Road, Scottsdale. 480-477-1390, sonatasrestaurant.com.
House Special Barbecue Fish — Original Cuisine
Which one to choose? Impossible, so we’ll go with the house special, a majestic whole fish bathed in Sichuan fire.
Details: 1853 W. Broadway Road, Mesa. 480-255-7810, originalcuisinemesa.com.
Swordfish — Hearth ‘61
Perfect product meets a zippy green harissa packed with bright herbs and fresh chile spice.
Details: Mountain Shadows Resort, 5445 E. Lincoln Drive, Paradise Valley. 480-6245400, mountainshadows.com/dining/hearth.
Taco Monterrey — Pepe’s Taco Villa
Plain looks hide the dazzling flavors of sizzled onions, peppers and dried beef within.
Details: 2108 W. Camelback Road, Phoenix. 602-242-0379, facebook.com/ pepestacovilla.
Tuna Melt — Chula Seafood
An elevated staple with confit tuna, roasted
salt, a drizzle of fermented honey and whatever seasonal jam strikes the chef ’s fancy. Hot out of the oven, they’re downright knee-buckling — a textbook example of how to elevate a simple dish with killer ingredients and precise technique. poblanos and spicy-tart kimchi chimichurri for dipping.
Details: 8015 E. Roosevelt St., Scottsdale. 480-621-5121, chulaseafood.com.
Uni Crudo — Crudo
I’m still not over uni, paired here with creamy avocado, sharp shallot and a touch of acid.
Details: 3603 E. Indian School Road, Phoenix. 602-358-8666, crudoaz.com.
Details: 4166 N. Scottsdale Road, Scottsdale. 480-945-5555, secondstoryaz.com.