By its definition, comfort food is nostalgic, filling, and familiar. It also usually looks like something grandma made in a casserole dish that dates back to the 1980s or earlier. Or does it?
Clever culinary wizards are using their skills to take beloved comfort food flavors and give them new life, not to mention an impressive new look. Here are some old-school favorites with a whole new vibe thanks to the imagination and innovation of Arizona’s local menu mavericks.
Potato Skins & Pizza | PHX Beer Co.
Do you like pizza? How about potato skins? Enjoy the best of both worlds at PHX Beer Co. thanks to the Mashed Pizza. The masterful mash-up starts with hand-formed pizza dough, which is stretched into a square black iron pan. Rather than red sauce and mozzarella, however, the dough is topped with mashed red skin potatoes, roasted garlic puree, a triple cheese mix, ample bacon, and a garnishment of green onions. Cooked until golden brown, it comes with sour cream on the side or on top.
Meatloaf | Z’Tejas
We have forced a smile and forced down a well-done family meatloaf. At Z’Tejas, grandma’s recipe goes out the door in favor of chef Danny Ocampo’s Adobo Chorizo Meatloaf. For this dish, Chef was inspired by his ranching childhood in Sonora, Mexico, where he milked cows, rode horses, and even crafted cheese and sour creams for the local market. To make his meatloaf, Ocampo combines ground beef with chorizo, topping it with a rich barbeque glaze instead of ketchup. He then pairs it with seasonal vegetables and flavorful roasted poblano mashed potatoes.
Doughnuts | Bourbon Steak
Dunkin’ may have the market cornered on these sweet treats at breakfast, but they have nothing on Bourbon Steak at the Fairmont Scottsdale Princess at night. The award-winning eatery recently added Caviar Jelly Doughnuts to the dinner menu. Served in a pair, each of these utterly opulent and indulgent, warm, fluffy mini pastries is filled with yuzu-infused cream and topped with a generous portion of Osetra Reserve Caviar and garnishment of chives, all combining on the palate in perfect umami.
French Fries | The Americano
You think salty, briny caviar on doughnuts is an inspired combination? The Americano is putting the decadent delight on fries! Celebrity chef Scott Conant’s Scottsdale restaurant is currently offering Caviar Fries , a generous portion of hand-cut and fresh-fried potatoes heaped with traditional caviar, crème fraîche, shallots, scallions, and a cured egg yolk that sends the dish truly over the top.
Soup | Ling & Louie’s Asian Bar & Grill
While most turn to chicken noodle or tomato bisque on a crisp winter night, in Asia it is all about the hot pot. Ling & Louie’s Asian Bar and Grill has heaven on a spoon with its Ling’s Hot Pot. This dish is bursting with fresh jumbo shrimp, succulent scallops, and flavorful salmon, all of which are swimming in a savory green curry coconut sauce. Fragrant and slightly sweeter than its yellow or red curry counterparts, this dish is made with cherry tomatoes for a touch of acid as well as lemongrass, lime, and cilantro for a kiss of citrus. Last, the hot pot is finished with coconut milk to elicit a rich texture.
Burgers | Hula’s Modern Tiki
How could one possibly improve on this classic? By turning it on its head. Hula’s Modern Tiki features a Hunkin Samoa Burger that starts off simple enough with a big beef patty, cheese, bun, sunny side up egg, and fixings including tomato and lettuce. However, it is also topped with linguica sausage, a spicy Portuguese pork sausage with oodles of garlic and paprika; fried spam, a canned pork especially beloved in Hawaii; and Hula sauce, a twist on remoulade infused with ginger for an added tropical kick.
Fried Rice | Toro Latin Restaurant & Rum Bar
Though obviously also popularized in Asia, fried rice has been a beloved comfort (and hangover) food stateside for decades. At Toro Latin Restaurant & Rum Bar, they manage to honor the dish while tickling the taste buds in a whole new way with the Chifa Style Fried Rice. A popular Peruvian style of cooking fried rice that is based on Chinese tradition, Chifa blends the bold flavors of both regions into one perfect dish. To make, cooked white rice is tossed on a griddle with butter, soy sauce, chicken, spicy chorizo, sauteed vegetables and ample fried eggs, adding both a salty kick and contrasting texture.
Soft Pretzels | Proof Canteen
Forget the jumbo pretzels at the baseball stadium and their little side of nacho cheese. At Proof, an American Canteen at the Four Seasons Resort Scottsdale at Troon North, they have Proof Knots, which are salty, doughy, bite-sized morsels of goodness made to order, ensuring they are always perfectly fresh and toasty. Delicious on their own, they are served with a petite fondue pot of spicy beer cheese made using American cheese and Proof’s own proprietary Pilsner.
Mac and Cheese | STK Steakhouse
At STK Steakhouse, enjoy all the ooey, gooey goodness of macaroni and cheese, but with a few impressive updates courtesy of the Mac and Cheese Trio. This dish features three versions of the cheesy favorite each in its own chic mini cast-iron skillet. The first is the most standard offering made with a five-cheese blend and served bubbling hot. The second kicks things up a notch with chopped smoked bacon, and the third is piled high with de-clawed lobster tail and chives.
Tater Tots | Ocean Prime
The school lunch staple of the 1980s gets a sexy steakhouse makeover at Ocean Prime in the Smoked Gouda Tater Tots. Imagine a mouth-watering combination of smoked gouda and cheddar cheeses, paired with a dash of onion which gets hand-formed and coated in flour and spices before being fried until golden brown. They are available as a starter or side to share, but it is hard to give up even one of these pieces of potato goodness.
written by: alison bailin batz | photographed by: luke irvin