The Genuine | Photo by Grace Stufkosky
If you have been itching to try some new restaurants, Spring 2022 Arizona Restaurant Week starts Friday, May 20 and runs through Sunday, May 29. During the 10-day culinary event you can dine at more than 125 restaurants that will offer three, four or five-course prix-fixe menus for $33, $44 or $55 per person.
A handful of new restaurants are participating this year, including La Locanda Italian Bistro, Neighborly Public House and The Genuine. To help you decide, we’ve rounded up a few restaurants in all three price ranges.
Fuego at the Clarendon
This Downtown Phoenix spot will offer $33 or $44 per person meals. The $33 menu’s first course is a choice of spinach or house salad or a spicy veggie tostada. Enjoy a second course of pernil (pork) asado, peasant paella, chicken chile relleno or vegetable enchiladas. For dessert, try the ancho chili torte or horchata bread pudding.
The $44 menu’s first course will be a tough decision: salmon croquette, empanada, coconut shrimp or pernil nachos. There are five mains: mahi mahi, seafood chile relleno, short rib enchiladas or surf and turf pasta. Finish up with a choice of ancho chile torte, horchata bread pudding or key lime pie. Both menus include a glass of sangria.
401 W. Clarendon Ave, Phoenix, 602-469-1730, fuegobistro.com
Oak on Camelback
For Restaurant Week, Oak on Camelback will present a $33 three-course dinner. Choose an appetizer: kung pow Brussels sprouts with spicy kung pow sauce, hoisin barbecue glazed crispy pork ribs or red and golden beets with goat cheese. Entrées include oak-fired butter chicken, oak-fired chili; salmon with quinoa and squash or a forbidden rice bowl with black rice, edamame and a host of vegetables. End the meal with popcorn crème brûleé, warm brownie a la mode or blackberry cobbler.
111 E. Camelback Rd., Phoenix, 602-200-8111, oakoncamelback.com
First timer La Locanda Italian Bistro is offering a three-course meal for $44. Start off with a Caesar chop, romaine or wedge salad or mushroom soup. Entrée options include seafood risotto, pappardelle Bolognese with house pomodoro sauce, tuna puttanesca with anchovies, breaded chicken parmesan or filet mignon with peppercorn sauce. For dessert, you’ll have a hard time deciding on panna cotta, chocolate mousse cake or carrot cake.
3915 N. Scottsdale Rd., Scottsdale, 480-393-3606, lalocandabistroaz.com
Neighborly Public House
Christopher Collins of Common Ground Culinary is putting out a $44 three-course menu featuring a choice of tasting plates – spicy smoked salmon dip with tortilla chips, burrata with vine tomatoes and watercress or chowder fries with chopped bacon and green onions. For your main course, select BBQ beef ribs, crispy shrimp platter or sticky baby back ribs. You can’t go wrong with dessert here: chocolate mousse pie or coconut cream pie.
5538 N. Seventh St., Phoenix, 602-675-1852, neighborlypublichouse.com
The Canal Club
This Cuban-inspired three-course menu will be $44 per person. Select a starter: grilled shrimp skewers, tostones (plantains) or ensalada fresca. Second course offerings are pork chilindron with roasted summer squash, pollo al horno, grilled chicken thigh with black beans and rice or crispy skin salmon with purple potato hash. Dessert choice is a tough one: chocolate flan, ancho chocolate brownie or churro donut holes.
4925 N. Scottsdale Rd., Scottsdale, 480-424-6095, thecanalclubaz.com
The Genuine
Helmed by executive chef Jeremy Pacheco, The Genuine will offer three-courses for $55. For starters, try tempura fried squash blossoms with goat cheese, tomato gazpacho shrimp or fire roasted beets with smoky blue cheese. Tempting main courses include roasted Icelandic salmon, with fennel, fire roasted flat iron steak with smoked fingerling potatoes or spaghetti with confit cherry tomatoes. End your meal with caramel budino with vanilla whipped cream or local peach crostata with vanilla gelato.
6015 N. 16th St., Phoenix, 602-283-5991, thegenuineaz.com
Alter Ego
Look for a $55 three-course menu at this Tempe spot. For starters, try sweet corn and green chile hush puppies, Arizona pimento cheese with Noble bread or grilled kale salad with red peas and heirloom carrots. The mains are seared scallops, braised oxtail or cornmeal fried zucchini blossoms. And for the final act, sweet corn souffle, buttermilk chess pie or vanilla bread pudding.
108 E. University Dr., Tempe, 602-612-7871, alteregotempe.com
