These are the new restaurants you need to try this month
Recently, I sipped sriracha bloody Mary’s before noon at an Asian-themed party spot in downtown Phoenix as bartenders poured cocktails into Chinese takeout boxes. I burnt my mouth on some seriously hot Nashville chicken in Peoria. And then one evening on Scottsdale Road, I dug my fork into a creamy bulb of burrata cheese and let it spill out onto some of the Valley’s best pasta.
If it sounds like a hodgepodge, that’s because it is. The only thing these restaurants have in common is that they’re all brand new and worth checking out sooner than later.
You could even hit them up all in one day for breakfast, lunch and dinner in an ultimate eating day across the Valley.
No matter what order you decide to try them in, just be sure to eat here first.
Breakfast noodles and a sriracha bloody Mary at Palma
This thumping party of a restaurant can be surprisingly easy to miss as you’re walking by, so it’s important to use your trusty Google Maps to find this tropical watering hole tucked away on a side street in Roosevelt Row.
Owned by Nebraska-based Flagship Restaurant Group, the restaurant is part of a larger compound that includes nightclub bowling alley Châm Pang Lanes and the acclaimed agave cocktail bar Ghost Donkey.
At night, Palma delves more into sushi territory with a palatable list of rolls like the panko-breaded Crunchy LA with spicy crab mix and the Green Goddess maki made with spicy vegan tuna. The brunch menu takes cues from a variety of Asian countries, bringing them all together under the umbrella of egg-based, breakfast dishes.
Our server recommended the breakfast noodles, which wouldn’t have been my first choice at 11 a.m., but somehow seemed inescapable once they were proposed. The resulting plate was a beautiful stack of thick, curly wheat noodles dressed in a crispy chile crunch sauce and piled with bacon, peanuts and a runny poached egg.
I can’t say that the sauce tasted like something you’d get at a Chinese noodle shop, as the soy-based flavor needed a little more sugary oomph, but the noodles themselves were of high quality. I haven’t found the perfect dish here yet, but most people seem to go for the party vibes, anyway.
Details: 903 N. Second St., Phoenix. 602-580-0000, palmaphx.com.
Vegan hot chicken sandwich at Twist
I can see why so many stylish young people are flocking to this Peoria hot spot. Not only do they serve tantalizing sandwiches made with saucy, crispfried chicken breasts so big they spill out the sides of their brioche buns, but chef Saad El Quarati is taking the iconic Nashville dish and putting his own international twist on it.
His five varieties of hot chicken sandwiches feature housemade sauces from around the world, like the Alabama white sauce with Eastern European pickled red cabbage and a spice mixture that features Trinidadian 7 Pot Douglah peppers, so named because one pepper is hot enough to spice seven pots of stew. His creative twists go beyond the chicken; even the coleslaw is made with passion fruit juice, rather than lemon.
For such a crowded restaurant, I was impressed with the timing and freshness of the food. Clouds of steam poured out when I ripped into a freshly fried
chicken breast, which was soft and juicy with a crispy exterior.
While it’s not usually my thing, I preferred the vegan hot chicken sandwich, which I ordered in the classic Nashville style with a creamy sauce made from mustard seeds and paprika and topped with a purple cabbage slaw and pickles. Made from seitan and the meat replacement product mycoproteins, the patty had the texture of fried tofu. The outside was crisp and crunchy, faintly dryrubbed with red chili and not dripping with sauce. It was truly the best thing I ate all day.
Details: 8386 W. Thunderbird Road, Suite 103, Peoria. 623-217-2714, twisthotchicken.com.
Spicy vodka fusilli at S. Maranto’s
The Valley’s newest Italian deli, S. Maranto’s may lean toward the gourmet, but it’s a homey red sauce joint at heart. The space is a little bit restaurant and a little bit market, with bags of fresh pasta and housemade sauces up at the front, and a few tables with imported Italian goods like Orangina and olive oils
in the dining room.
Owner Mike Miller, a University of Arizona grad who helped manage the food and beverage programs for several local hotels, opened S. Maranto’s in January in a space formerly occupied by a beer bar called Blast & Brew on North Scottsdale Road and Mayo Boulevard. You can see the gourmet resort background in the menu, which includes healthful dishes like arugula salad along with Italian American staples like spaghetti and meatballs and sausage and peppers.
The bottom line: All your attention should be on the spicy vodka fusilli, which arrived smothered in a lush, creamy tomato sauce topped with a bulb of burratina, a smaller version of the famous fresh cow’s milk burrata cheese. I hit the orb with my fork and let the sweet cream spill out onto the roasted tomatoes, mopping it all up with that hefty pasta swirl.
Details: 7000 E. Mayo Blvd., Suite 1002, Phoenix. 602-283-4730,
smarantos.com.