Valley restaurants are gearing up for the fall edition of Arizona Restaurant Week, with 130 restaurants vying for your appetite and attention.
The twice-yearly celebration of the Prix Fixe offers chefs the opportunity to showcase what they do best with affordable multi-course meals.
A complete list of all participating restaurantssee the Arizona Restaurant Week website. Narrowing the field can be daunting, as even the most ambitious customer knows that there are only a finite number of meals that can be squeezed into a 10-day period.
We've done the initial research for you and what follows are the menus worth a first look, whether for creative offering, value or both.
All menus are available from the 16th to the 25th of September. Reservations are strongly recommended.
Tomaso is on camelback
- $44/person
- 4 gears
- just dinner
Begin an elegant Italian feast with burrata and prosciutto accompanied by roasted tomatoes, balsamic pearls and toast toppings or a seafood salad with fennel, red olives and citrus. Then comes the salad plate, followed by one of four starters: Shrimp Parmigiana with herb-crusted king prawns, San Marzano tomatoes and fresh mozzarella; savory short ribs braised with herbs and vegetables, served over gnocchi in a creamy vodka sauce; Gnocchi stuffed with eggplant parmigiana and ricotta; or Scarpariello with Chicken and Sausage with Tuscan Potatoes and Rapini. For dessert, tiramisu or Sicilian cannoli are offered.
Details:3225 E. Camelback Road, Phoenix. 602-956-0836,tomasos.com.
jennifer's market
- $44/person
- 3 Courses
- Withdrawal and Dinner
A fun pumpkin soup shooter with crème fraiche and roasted pumpkin seeds joins a grilled filet carpaccio with Noble Bread Focaccia on the starter menu. Four entrees include lamb shanks braised in red wine, braised with mirepoix and served with Israeli couscous and mint pesto; Spaghetti Sonoran Pasta Co. with Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Elephant Garlic, Castelvetrano Olives, Parmesan and Hazelnuts; crispy chicken breasts sautéed in white wine, shallot and garlic sauce and accompanied by golden Yukon potatoes; and crispy grilled salmon with olives, capers, Roma tomatoes and roasted red peppers. Choose a sweet ending from Tracy Dempsey Originals, such as a red wine caramel chocolate tart with macerated berries or a blueberry peach upside-down cake with salted caramel and whipped cream.
Details:3603 E. Indian School Street, Phoenix. 602-626-5050,themarketbyjennifers.com.
A pantry + or delta
- $44/person
- three courses
- just dinner
Start your Southern feast with cauliflower served with pickled celery, smoked blue cheese and Cutino's hot sauce, or vegetable fritters with peanut Romesco sauce and black garlic for dipping. A braised smoked pork neck served with Anson Mills hominy and corn giardiniera, along with Ethiopian fried chicken, chakalaka and charred lime make equally compelling arguments for the main course. A toasted apple pie with French vanilla ice cream and thick treacle caramel is dessert.
Details:200 W. Portland St., Ste 101, Phoenix. 480-409-8520,thelarderandthedelta.com.
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Fire the Clarendon
- $ 33, $ 44
- 3 Courses
- just dinner
- Beverage included
This restaurant offers a $33 and $44 menu. For $33, choose a tasty veggie salad or tostada to start. Main courses include paella with cornbread with green peppers, chili chicken with Cuban black beans, vegetable enchiladas or roast ham, marinated and slow-roasted pork served with rice and peas, and corn tortillas. Ancho pepper pie and horchata bread pudding are the desserts. Start with your choice of salmon croquettes, beef empanadas, coconut shrimp or ham nachos for $44. For mains, combine mahi mahi, seafood chile relleno, short rib enchiladas or surf and turf noodles with two side dishes of your choice, such as: Finish with ancho pepper pie, horchata bread pudding or key lime pie.
Both menus are served with a glass of red, white or blackberry sangria.
Details:Avenida W. Clarendon, 401, Phoenix. 602-469-1730,fuegobistro.com.
Huss Brewpub not downtown
- $33/person
- 3 Courses
- just dinner
Enjoy a meal that starts with your choice of passion fruit ceviche, shishito tempura with arugula purée, or crispy fried elote with togarashi and lime cream. Crispy fried chicken with arugula, microgreens, watermelon radish, chimichurri and romesco sauce; Bone-in pork loin served with roasted red pepper sauce, crispy potato chips and couscous; or chorizo with mussels and chorizo linguica bathed in a Mexican lager broth with thin bread on the side are main dishes. Choose from Pudding with Cherry Blossom Powder and Caramel Decoration, a Warm Cast Iron Apple Crunch paired with a Scoop of Vanilla Ice Cream and Passion Fruit Jam for dessert. Add a beer pairing for $7.
Details:225 E. Monroe St., Phoenix. 602-607-5370,hussbrewing.com.
Heavens I love Scottsdale
- $55/person
- 3 Courses
- just dinner
- Beverage included
Start with Roasted Pepper Gouda Soup, Beet Salad with Goat Cheese and Hazelnuts, or Fig Crostini with Whipped Ricotta and Lavender Honey. For mains, consider a half Peruvian fried chicken served with cassava chips and fried plantains; sea bass with crab, shrimp and bean pods; or zucchini stuffed with prohibited black rice and smoked walnut chimichurri, accompanied by broccoli and ripe carrots. Finish with Red Velvet Cake or New York Cheesecake.
A glass of red or white wine or a tangy pineapple daiquiri are part of it.
Details:13225 N. Eagle Ridge Drive, Scottsdale. 480-333-1880,aderoscottsdale.com.
Etta
- $55/person
- 4 gears
- just dinner
Taste focaccia with ricotta, honey and black truffle for the table while checking out the remaining three dishes. For starters, consider the bubbly prawns with chiltepin pepper, smoked tomato and mint, roasted oysters and ricotta pillows with black truffle, lemon and chives. wood-fired chicken topped with drippings and served with mashed potatoes; fire-roasted branzino with capers, fennel and charred lemon; Pasta Casarecce Bolognese with Parmesan Fondue; and a classic Cacio e Pepe are the main dishes. Chocolate cake with peanut butter ice cream or a cannoli ice cream sandwich with ricotta ice cream and toasted feuilletine are tempting, but the Celebration Shotbirthday cake biscuit paired with a coffee and tequila seems like the funniest ending.
Details:15301 N. Scottsdale Road, Scottsdale. 480- 939-4444,ettarestaurant.com.
Tonto Bar & Grill
- $ 55
- 3 Courses
- just dinner
With meat, vegan and gluten-free menus, there's something for everyone.
Meat offerings include appetizers like golden corn chowder with apple bacon and shredded chicken, tortilla-crusted crab cakes, and arugula salad with manchego and candied Arizona walnuts in a sour green apple and pistachio vinaigrette. Choose from grilled salmon with couscous and hummus, braised short rib with coffee and port with butter-crusted yams or Gemelli pasta with garlic chicken and artichokes in a basil cream sauce for your main course. A chocolate sauce brownie cake and the signature Prickly Pear Lemon Lime Margarita Cake with a hint of Almond Florentine and Melting Bumblebee are dessert options.
The vegan menu offers options like watermelon gazpacho; babaganoush, hummus and pita; vegetable tacos; a fried potato cake with sautéed broccoli, wild mushrooms and asparagus; and homemade ice cream.
Gluten-free menu offerings include arugula salad with manchego and candied Arizona walnuts in a sour green apple and pistachio vinaigrette; wood-grilled salmon; a roasted poblano stuffed with roasted mojo pork, roasted chili salsa, pickled vegetables, and charro beans; and vanilla crème brûlée with mango and honey chutney.
Details:5736 E. Rancho Manana Blvd., Cave Creek. 480-488-0698,tontobarandgrill.com.
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Collins Bros.Chophouse
- $44/person
- 3 Courses
- Withdrawal and Dinner
Fries, Brussels sprouts with candied bacon in balsamic reduction, and Old Bay Shrimp Cocktail are good places to start. For a main course, choose from a roasted pork chop with goat cheese, mashed potato puree and wilted vegetables; sesame-crusted ahi with pancit noodles, bang-bang sauce, and sambal lime vinaigrette; or for $6 more, choose the Collins Bros. prime rib. seasoned with magical massage, mashed potatoes with goat cheese, creamy horseradish and au jus. Chocolate mousse cake with an Oreo crust and New York cheesecake with caramel sauce are dessert options.
Details:8220 N. Hayden Road, Scottsdale. 480-699-0811,collinsbrosaz.com.
Terra Tempe Kitchen & Spirits, The Westin Tempe
- $ 55
- 3 Courses
- just dinner
Grilled Spanish squid accompanied by pork belly, barbecue cherry sauce and crunchy peanuts, as well as corn agnolotti with chanterelles and Swiss chard stand out on the appetizer menu. For mains, fried chicken with convenience potatoes with charcoal potatoes, Palacios Spanish chorizo and Três Irmãs succotash; grilled New York strip with cassava fries, fried plantains and truffled chimichurri; Spicy Citrus Glazed Salmon with Pumpkin and Salmon Chicharron; or the Vegetal Wellington stuffed with mushroom duxelle, zucchini, asparagus, roasted peppers and boursin. Choose from the Gelato Trio and the Arizona Citrus Orange Creamsicle Cheesecake for dessert.
Details:11 E. Seventh St., Tempe. 480-968-8885,terratempe.com.
to stove
- $55/person
- 3 Courses
- Beverage included
Chicken tortilla soup, herbed hummus and grilled flatbread, and crispy calamari are among the appetizers. Al Pastor pork loin with Elote salsa, crispy potatoes and grilled pineapple; spinach pappardelle with grilled shrimp; braised short ribs with fregola risotto and grilled asparagus salad; Half Roasted Chicken with Corn Cream and Green Beans; and Atlantic salmon served with beetroot, potatoes and horseradish vinaigrette make up the main dishes. The dessert menu features raspberry and almond cake, chocolate mocha bars and banoffee trifle with dulce de leche mousse, banana, vanilla cream and biscuit crumble.
Have a glass of the recommended red or white wine to accompany your meal.
Details:15024 N. Scottsdale Road, Scottsdale. 480-889-9494,thegreenhouseaz.com.
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Alter Ego, copa do Hilton Tempe Downtown
- $ 55
- 3 Courses
- just dinner
No passport is required for this flavor trip to Spain. Start with a charcuterie platter of serrano ham, manchego, fruit and preserves; Spanish-style panzanella salad with roasted peppers and anchovies in a lemon sherry vinaigrette; or crispy fried smell with a hint of Calabrian pepper aioli. Choose from four entrees: Chili Colorado smothered short ribs with sherry-glazed mushrooms and garlic polenta; Breaded pork with fried egg and boiled potatoes; Codfish In Pepper Crust With Saffron Rice; or red peppers stuffed with pimento cheese, ancient grain pilaf, and pesto. Orange and olive oil cake accompanied by Queen Creek olive oil ice cream and amarena cherries, cinnamon sugar donuts, Spanish donuts with chocolate sauce and toasted almond flan with raspberry coulis and spiced marcona almonds are dessert options.
Details:108 E. University Drive, Tempe. 602-612-7871,alteregotempe.com.
Spirit House cocktails and cuisine
- $ 44/Par
- 3 Courses
- just dinner
The team behind San Tan Brewery and San Tan Spirits have a sweet nightly deal. The air-roasted brussels sprouts, whiskey bacon macaroni and cheese, and smokehouse nachos with fries, whiskey cheese dip, and pickled jalapeno top the list of shared appetizers. Then you each choose an appetizer, such as Think Smoked Chicken Pot Pie, Broccoli Cheddar Pie, or Burgers with Guacamole, Chile Jack Cheese, and Lime Mayo with Bacon Fries. Share a trio of warm oatmeal raisin, peanut butter, and lemon blueberry cookies, a cookie sandwich with ice cream, or anespresso and gelato affogato.
Details:8 S. San Marcos Place, Chandler. 480-917-8700,spirithouseaz.com.
sicilian butcher
- $33/person
- 3 Courses
- just dinner
Savor Italian comfort food with appetizers like grilled squid with Sicilian olives and red pepper or mini arancin stuffed with three-meat ragout. After choosing a salad, dive into a wide plate of tagliatelle topped with Tomaso's famous meatballs; Parmigiana with shrimp, rollatini with rolled pork with ham, mascarpone and mozzarella served with rigatoni in vodka sauce; or baked fazzoletti handkerchief pastry stuffed with beef stew with béchamel sauce. Finish on a sweet note with tiramisu or cannoli with chocolate and candied cherries.
Details:9780 W. Northern Ave., Peoria. 623-471-5721. Other locations in Chandler and Phoenixthesicilianbutcher.com.
urban daisy
- $44/person
- 3 Courses
- Eat in and take away
Try New Mexican cuisine starting with Al Pastor Chicken Empanadas or Crispy Cauliflower with a Sweet and Spicy Garlic Sauce. Choose from three entrees: grilled lobster and crab-stuffed poblanos served with cilantro rice and black beans; Smoked baby back ribs topped with pineapple habanero and Mama's mango salad; or prime rib slow-braised in a chipotle honey cabernet demi-glace sauce with a sour cream-roasted garlic puree. Finish it all off with fresh lime margarita cake or peach bread pudding with fresh whipped cream.
Details:6685 W. Beardsley Road, Glendale. 623-561-6674,urbanmargarita.com.
Urban Bistro weather
- $55/person
- 3 Courses
- Withdrawal and Dinner
Charred squid and salmon croquettes are enticing, but squash blossoms stuffed with local Crow's Dairy Chevre and citrus curd aioli steal the spotlight on the starter list. Four dishes vie for the main course's attention: Bison New York Strip with Fries and Brussels Sprouts; Duck confit carbonara with pancetta, sweet peas and chicken egg; black truffle risotto with local mushrooms, pea shoots and mascarpone; and a deconstructed shepherd's pie with rack of lamb, baby carrots and duchesse potatoes on a roasted bone and rehydrated tomato sauce. For dessert, choose from three-layer lemon curd, chocolate lava cake or bourbon pecan pie.
Details:21067 W. Main St., Buckeye. 623-594-6788,www.tempourbanbistro.com.
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