This year’s Arizona Chef’s Week, presented by DirectTV for Business, runs Friday, July 31, through Sunday, Aug. 9. Arizona Restaurant Association (ARA) has built on the success of its inaugural event. The organization continues to promote awareness of local restaurants and the culinary talent in our own backyard, especially during the slower summer months.
During Arizona Chef’s Week, approximately 75 chef-driven restaurants offer three-course prix-fixe menus priced at $55 or $66 per person, depending on the establishment. This provides an opportunity for chefs to offer their signature or new dishes to established foodie fans and attract new customers who may not have had a chance to dine at their restaurants. For local and visiting foodies, Arizona Chef’s Week is the perfect time to get out and discover a new restaurant or dine at a restaurant they haven’t had a chance to visit yet.
“Summer in the Valley of the Sun is a historically slow time for the hospitality industry, and that slowdown can hit our locally owned and chef-driven establishments pretty hard,” Arizona Restaurant Association President and CEO Steve Chucri said. “Arizona Chef’s Week serves as a time when chefs can showcase truly unique menu items for a fraction of their regular price, while giving culinary enthusiasts an incredible meal.”
During the preview event, a select group of media was transported to four restaurants to sample their Arizona Chef’s Week menus. Each stop was a surprise, and each restaurant and menu was different from the others. The consensus among the attending media members was that this foodie preview event was the most diverse anyone can remember.
The excitement was building on the way to our first stop, as everyone speculated where we might be going. It was a four-stop extravaganza of chef-driven deliciousness.
The first stop was Marisco Boys, in the same restaurant family as the famous late-night taco hangouts Taco Boys. Marisco Boys was simply an unexpected delight. We toasted to the evening with the Phoenix sunrise cocktail that included hibiscus-infused vodka, agave, lemon juice and citrus punch, then moved on to a sampling of items from the Chef’s Week menu.
Marisco Boys tastings included blackened Nordic salmon, agua chile rosa and leche de tigre. The highlight of executive chef Jesus Castro Beltran’s menu is the deliciously creative pescado a la talla, a beautifully butterflied, mesquite-grilled branzino that incorporates a green citrus herb sauce on one side and a chocolate mole sauce on the other — two flavors, one fish, and an easy way to enjoy two distinctively different flavor profiles. Chef Beltran hits a home run with this dish, and it is a highly recommended choice for Chef’s Week.
Pescado a la talla at Marisco Boys includes a butterflied branzino with two distinctive flavor profiles.
(Lynette Carrington/Staff)
Chula Seafood in Downtown Phoenix is also participating in Chef’s Week, and you simply will not find a more relatable boat-to-table seafood experience in a surprisingly laid-back location. Executive and brand chef Kyle Kent and chef Juan Zamora are “o-fish-ally” the kings of an approachable seafood menu. Seafood at Chula Seafood is brought in daily from the California Coast, so diners are always treated to the freshest seafood, and Chef’s Week is the perfect time to give this menu a test drive.
Chula Seafood’s Chef’s Week menu includes a first course choice of yellowfin crudo or maple salmon tartine; an entree of tuna belly asada, miso black cod or bulgogi gyudon; and a dessert course of Japanese flan or chilled watermelon salad. Surprisingly, the bulgogi gyudon was my favorite dish, even though it wasn’t fish. This entree incorporates out-of-this-world tender, marinated ribeye, shaved cabbage, dashi egg, scallions, Kewpie mayo and sesame atop a bed of rice. I could eat this dish for a week straight and still not get enough!
The salmon maple tartine is a refreshing seafood entree at Chula Seafood in Downtown Phoenix during Arizona Chef’s Week.
(Lynette Carrington/Staff)
LATHA was the next stop on our tour. The contemporary pan-African restaurant in the Heritage and Science Park in Downtown Phoenix is a culinary and visual delight, coupled with the finest hospitality. LATHA is a rarity, and our group relished the opportunity to try an extraordinary menu of historical recipes and thoughtfully sourced ingredients created by chef Digby Stridiron. Set inside a historic Downtown Phoenix home, the thoughtfully curated African-inspired decor and design created an atmosphere that was both elegant and welcoming.
The first course offered a choice of salmon escabeche or griot wings. A note for the unsuspecting — some wings are really spicy. Luckily, I cherish the “burn,” and I loved it. The main course was a choice of cassareep-roasted black cod or pineapple piri piri chicken, and dessert was a honey almond poundcake.
The stand-out on chef Stridiron’s menu for Chef’s Week is the cassareep-roasted black cod. Cassareep is a bittersweet thick molasses used for flavor and color, and this cod is coupled with coconut curry, butternut squash and boniato. The cod is impossibly tender and a unique taste sensation. As a bonus, the dish is vegetarian and gluten free. Don’t miss LATHA’s signature rum punch, as it is the perfect addition to your Chef’s Week adventure at this exciting restaurant that is worth the drive from anywhere.
The cassareep roasted black cod is a Caribbean-inspired dish that highlights the Arizona Chef’s Week menu at LATHA in Downtown Phoenix.
(Lynette Carrington/Staff)
Urban Fraîche was the final stop on the Chef’s Week dinearound. This gem incorporates Mediterranean food and a farm-to-table menu that features no processed sugars or seed oils, wild-caught seafood and natural meats, raised without antibiotics.
Executive chef Dean Waziry is as passionate about discussing his restaurant’s healthy Mediterranean menu as he is about Mediterranean dancing, lifestyle and decor. On the evening of our visit, he effortlessly balanced both. What a talent!
The Urban Fraîche signature cocktail is the perfect addition to your choice of two distinctive Arizona Chef’s Week menus at Urban Fraîche.
(Lynette Carrington/Staff)
The Urban Fraîche menu for Chef’s Week includes two different menus, depending on a diner’s mood. The first menu includes watermelon salad, grilled octopus and Moroccan-style braised curry goat. The second menu features lobster bisque, seared foie gras and beef Wellington. The featured cocktail is the signature Urban Fraîche, available for an additional $21.
The highlight of these Chef Week’s menus is the Moroccan-style braised curry goat. The savory and somewhat tangy flavor profile complements the flavorful and tender meat that is a departure from the offerings on a regular restaurant menu. Chef Waziry has created a phenomenal menu and adjacent lifestyle space that are not to be missed.
For additional information and a complete list of participating restaurants for Chef’s Week, visit ArizonaChefsWeek.com.
