In her farewell review, our critic luxuriates in the suddenly vital Downtown steakhouse scene.
by Nikki Buchanan | Photography by Rob Ballard
Here in Greater Phoenix, we eat steak like it’s going out of style, which it most assuredly is not. In fact, I could rattle off at least three dozen steakhouses in the Valley without breaking a sweat, then come up with another three dozen places that aren’t steakhouses per se but offer a handful of steaks to hedge their bets.
Because we can’t seem to get enough of the stuff, steakhouses continue to open at a clip, market saturation be damned. For once, the current buzz is coming out of the Downtown area – a place of oddly depressed steakhouse fortunes until the recent opening of two restaurants: Cleaverman, located in the resurgent Arizona Center, and Durant’s, an iconic Midtown steakhouse under new ownership.
So, I visited both, with the hopes and dreams of the entire city behind me. How can any self-respecting downtown not have an elite steak option?
When it comes to ambiance, Cleaverman (455 N. Third St., Phoenix, 602-675-3635, cleaverman.com) outshines just about every steakhouse in town. While most of them project clubby masculinity (a design cliché for half a century), this venture from Pretty Decent Concepts (the group behind Wren & Wolf, Filthy Animal, Trophy Room and Carry On) exudes pure glamour within the traditional steakhouse format.
It’s a theme that carries over to the leather-bound menu, which features the sort of over-the-top dishes that define the modern steakhouse – e.g. extravagant caviar add-ons, seafood towers and lobster in various permutations. Besides an extensive wine list, there’s an excellent cocktail program, plus an embedded bar with the amusing moniker Filthy Martini under the same roof.
But Cleaverman isn’t all show and no go. Save some greasy Brussels sprouts – I blame the nubbins of pork belly! – everything is beautifully presented and straight-up delicious. Plump, perfectly shucked oysters make a great first impression, served with a dreamy little vessel of Cava mignonette, as does Wagyu carpaccio, topped with herbed breadcrumbs, preserved lemon, salty shaves of pecorino, truffle aioli and a tangle of frisée. It’s busy, but delicious.
Although the menu features a handful of traditional steak cuts, the emphasis here is on premium beef, such as Australian Wagyu filet and strip loin steaks, and Japanese Tohoku Wagyu A-5 strip loin (prepared tableside); as well as a rib eye, porterhouse and prime rib, all dry-aged for 30 days. Most recently, the steakhouse has added Uppercut, an ever-changing, 14-course steak omakase experience that sounds geeky and fun.
So far, I can vouch for the 22-ounce, bone-in, dry-aged rib eye – silky textured and rich with nutty, beefy flavors, each bite offering pleasant undertones of char and smoke. The 12-ounce king cut of porcini- and herb-crusted prime rib, served with thick and intense rosemary-black-garlic jus, is juicy and wonderful, too.
Duck fries, an extravagance of confit duck, foie gras emulsion, white cheddar, bordelaise and roasted garlic aioli, make great accompaniment to the meat (or maybe a meal on their own). Naturally, dessert is no less decadent. The BBC combines a chewy cookie topped with caramel-drizzled Parmesan popcorn ice cream and popcorn. Ridiculously good. I can’t wait to come back for more of everything.
It must take guts, and other body parts, to snap up one of Phoenix’s most iconic and enduring restaurants and give it the dreaded “update.” Purists will scrutinize every touch of freshness; legacy cops will compare it to “the old place” endlessly. Undaunted, the Mastro family accepted the challenge with Durant’s (2611 N. Central Avenue, Phoenix, 602-264-5967, durantsaz.com) – the 76-year-old Midtown institution, now part of the Prime Steak Concepts portfolio (Steak 44, Ocean 44).
Aesthetically, the Mastros have not changed much, duplicating the original’s red patterned wallpaper, tufted leather booths, back entrance through the kitchen (its exterior gussied up with twinkling trees now) and pre-dinner relish tray. Whew! I’m relieved they got that detail right.
Cold martinis are still dispensed from the bar, although the ciabatta has been switched out for hunks of robust, crusty sourdough. I’m not complaining. However, steak tartare is an early disappointment. Although the dish has clearly been made with premium beef, its texture is too soft, its flavor too bland. It needs more capers, more Worcestershire, more everything – plus crunchy bread, not insipid pita.
However, thickly sliced, crisp-edged hanging bacon, sticky with honey and spicy with togarashi, is ridiculously, ridiculously good – the highlight of the night, in fact. It’s followed by sweet, delicate stone crabs (a Durant’s seasonal signature) dragged through two lovely sauces: mustard and horseradish-spiked cocktail. Be prepared for sticker shock. Four claws set us back $250.
The bone-in, 45-day dry-aged rib eye is ultra-tender, big on flavor and undeniably first-rate – although, if we’re comparing things, slightly less charred than the near-perfect Cleaverman version. And next time I’ll skip the lobster thermidor add-on, which isn’t dreamy enough to warrant the $88 surcharge. And, alas, Durant’s scalloped potatoes are a bland, gloppy assemblage of spuds and cream, barely evoking the cheesy notes of Gouda, Gruyère and mornay sauce the menu promises. Crispy, bone-in veal Parmesan (pounded admirably thin, lightly breaded and fried crisp) tastes like a homey Italian grandma dish, not an $89 splurge, but I like it. And last, a towering, multi-layered chocolate cake brings rich, fudgy conclusion to a meal that’s given me whiplash.
Great reboot or overpriced dud? A little of both. I’ll be back for that bacon, though – and a steak, because I’m only human.
Cleaverman Highlights: Oysters on the half shell ($29); Wagyu carpaccio ($32); duck fries ($23); 22-ounce bone-in dry-aged rib eye ($105); 30-day dry-aged prime rib ($70); BBC dessert ($15)
Durant’s Highlights: Hanging bacon ($29); stone crab (market price, approx. $60 per claw); 22-ounce bone-in 45-day dry-aged rib eye ($105)
