15 Metro Phoenix Restaurants to Visit During Spring Training 2013
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| Claire Lawton |
| Italian Restaurant |
Got a Phoenix restaurant bucket list? If so, famous Pizzeria Bianco is surely on it. And while visiting this shrine to pizza in its pluperfect form is never a bad idea, you might want to consider chef-owner Chris Bianco's newest baby. Get past its generic name (which has a story behind it) and you'll find a charming, light-filled space filled with old photos, hand-written recipes and memorabilia, a tribute to family and the traditions of simple Italian and Italian-American home-cooking. Bianco and his chef John Hall source nearly everything locally, including flour from Hayden Flour Mill for the extraordinary wood oven-baked bread (courtesy of brother Marco) and hand-made pastas. Meats are slow-roasted, salads are edible works of art and desserts are often culled from the recipe file of Bianco's mother Francesca. Grab a seat at the rustic bar for local beer, wine and espresso or a table on the patio for an al fresco lunch or dinner. $-$$ (lunch); $$-$$$ (dinner)
When you're dressing up and going all out, you head to elegant, over-the-top Kai at Sheraton Wild Horse Pass Resort and Spa. It's the only restaurant in the state to earn five stars from Forbes Travel Guide for five years running and five diamonds from AAA for seven years in a row. But honestly, the ratings probably won't impress you half as much as the panoramic desert views, flawless service and chef de cuisine Joshua Johnson's breathtaking Native American-inspired food, so beautifully presented you may hesitate (just for a second) to eat it. As is true at Binkley's, tasting menus are a good way to go here, so opt for the seven-course Short Story (including amuse, $120 or $195 with wine) or the blowout 13-course Journey (including amuse, $200 or $300 with wine). If life's a journey, isn't this the one you want to be on? $$$-$$$$
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Barrio Cafe
2814 N. 16th St., Phoenix, AZ
Category: Restaurant
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