Four Corners: May and June Dining Reviews

East Valley

Espiritu  

Opened: February 2022
In February, just a few weeks before Rene Andrade was nominated for a James Beard Award for his work at Bacanora in Phoenix, he and his cousin, Roberto Centeno (with whom he shares chef duties at Espiritu), quietly opened this cocktail-centric companion piece in Mesa. I slipped in a few days after opening and immediately disappeared, mentally and physically, into a bowl of mussels and clams ($28), their haunting take on a traditional broth-and-mussels bowl, here done as a simmering birria consommé spiced with chiltepin pepper and jeweled with bits of chorizo. I spent a good 10 minutes wrenching open bivalves and sopping up that earthy, bewitching broth with toasted Noble Bread, in a sort of altered state of consciousness, with a tiki-esque El Burro cocktail (sotol with mango, ginger and orgeat, $14) as my only life-line to the outside world.

Hyperbole? Yeah, but damn, these guys are so talented. You won’t find Andrade’s famously pitch-perfect pollo asado at Espiritu – that Santa Maria grill can only be in one place at once, after all – but the new place actually boasts a larger full-time menu with a more predictable kitchen setup, churning out Andrade favorites like shrimp aguachile ($22), messy-good queso fundido ($10) and frequent whole-fried-fish specials. Chicken or no, Andrade East ain’t so bad.
Wild Card: The cheese and treats board ($15) sounds pedestrian, but I bet it’s not.
123 W. Main St., Mesa, 480-398-8129, espiritumesa.com

– Craig Outhier

North Valley

Patio 54 Fusion Kitchen 

Opened: December 2021
Sitting on the corner of 54th and High streets, this sleek newcomer sports two patios and an American menu that caroms between Asian and Southwestern influences – hence its name. But the two indoor bars tell the real story: This is a laid-back watering hole first and foremost, so don’t expect much from the overly complicated, fusion-y bar food. Case in point: the P54 Dynamite! – thin, lightly crisped rice cakes topped with tiny cylinders of freezer-bag scallops, amped up with sesame oil, green onion and gochujang aioli ($15). Not horrible, not memorable either. The KBBQ Kimchi Burger, a 6-ounce patty fashioned from premium Creekstone beef and layered with beef bulgogi, mushrooms, onion, anemic kimchi, black bean crema and melted pepper jack cheese, is decent but less than the sum of its parts ($17), while Kore-asada tacos, composed of Korean-spiced beef, mango cilantro slaw, black bean crema and queso fresco ($15), left me jonesing for good old carne asada. Tender sweet soy brew kalbi ribs are the best of the lot ($23); too bad accompanying mashed spuds are cold and gummy.
Wild Card: All the Korean dishes taste similar, so mix it up with Southwestern flatbread topped with an unholy combo of chorizo, prosciutto and chicharrón ($14).
5415 E. High St., Phoenix, 480-687-8026, patio54az.com

– Nikki Buchanan

West Valley

Phoenix Coquí

Opened: February 2022
Business and life partners Alexis Carbajal and Juan Alberto Ayala launched their Puerto Rican food truck in 2017, naming it for the archipelago’s native tree frog, famous for its loud whistle. Now, the couple has set up shop in the original location of beloved Valley gyro spot Crazy Jim’s, painting the walls in bright colors while keeping the humble, homey vibe. Ayala cooks from the recipes of his abuela, turning out starchy classics like buttery, flaky empanadillas ($3.70) stuffed with picadillo, chicken or mushrooms; and garlic-lashed mofongo ($13-$16), a West African-influenced dish of mashed fried plantains and pork cracklings, formed into cakes and ladled with dripping, tomato-tinged shrimp ($16) or served in a mofongo bowl brimming with seasoned rice, pigeon peas and pernil, the slow-roasted pulled pork of Latin America.

The jibarito platter tucks that same pernil into mini sandwiches, with crispy tostones (mashed, fried plantains) subbing for bread ($9-$12). Browned and blistered alcapurria, a fried yuca fritter stuffed with picadillo, is a crunchy standout ($3.50), while the dessert quesito, a vanilla-scented cream cheese-stuffed puff pastry, brushed with sugary glaze, is sweet, doughy bliss ($4.50).
Wild card: Puerto Rican lasagna? Yep, that describes the pastelón, a layered casserole of picadillo, sweet, gently yielding plantains and mild melted cheese ($9-$12).
4041 N. 15th Ave., Phoenix, 602-248-3153, phoenix-coqui.square.site

– Nikki Buchanan

Phoenix

Palma 

Opened: March 2022
“This feels like Miami Beach,” a dining companion says while stepping into this scene-y Downtown oasis of palm trees, fire pits, boozed-up young people and other things characteristic of that place to which LeBron James formerly took his talents. Even more surprising: this beachy, Japanese-inspired gastro-lounge was brought here by a bunch of guys from Omaha. (Namely, Flagship Restaurant Group, evidently the sushi kings of the Midwest.) Anyway, it’s a fun place, and the food is nice – let’s call it, “upscale-hotel-level good” – with about a dozen sushi selections alongside karaage-style fried chicken and sundry shareable food. No, the fish won’t make anyone stop going to Hana, but the spicy crunchy tuna cut-roll, with toasted quinoa and red chile togarashi supplying the promised texture, was great ($15). I had the chicken both in popcorn form ($13, with kaffir lime curry and Kewpie mayo for dipping) and as a platter ($23, with pickled daikon radishes), and both were terrific, with the twice-fried batter sticking heroically to the meat and delivering a satisfying crunch. Also nice: green papaya salad ($11), of which no civilized culture can have enough; and potato-scallion waffle with pimento cheese ($6). A little dry, but nice for vegetarians.
Wild Card: Feel like some mezcal and/or bowling? Hop on over to Ghost Donkey and Châm Pang Lanes, respectively – Palma’s two adjacent sister concepts at this new Downtown playground.
903 N. Second St., 602-580-0000, palmaphx.com

– Craig Outhier