Dust Cutter a Cut Above the Rest
By Mike Saucier
Tucked into the magnificently renovated lobby of the iconic Renaissance Phoenix Downtown Hotel is a saloon so well-designed, so warm and inviting that to call it a saloon seems like an insult.
Dust Cutter is no swinging-doors, swill-serving watering hole. It’s a modern, urban saloon that has taken the best of the beautiful west and distilled it in a ruggedly handsome room that will be sure to win its share of national and local accolades.
The name, like the design elements, was well conceived. When the west was wild, after a day of riding the desert trails, a cowboy would saunter into a saloon for a shot of something strong to cut the dust and lift his mood. Hence, Dust Cutter. While there’s no longer a need to cut the dust, the weary denizens traversing our urban desert can find comfort on the bar stools mimicking lug nuts and under light fixtures made of salvaged old bridge parts. A feature wall, The Cabinet of Cocktail Curiosities, pays homage to mixologists of yore with a display of vintage barware and collectibles.
It all works extremely well, making it an ideal spot to show off to a visiting friend or relative – cool, contemporary cowboy minus the bravado.
The menu is inspired by the Sonoran Desert, courtesy of Dust Cutter’s executive chef Josh Murray. Among the choices: mesquite tree pods are ground to create waffles; chicken served with Copper City bourbon syrup; and avocado fries with chiltepin pepper.
The same Sonoran theme carries over to the drinks, via lead mixologist Tony Escalante. His concoctions are infused with desert shrubs and syrups.
One fun thing: when the clock strikes 6 p.m., Monday through Thursday, locals and hotel guests can partake in the complimentary “Discovery Hour” in Dust Cutter. With their own cocktail recipe or inspiration of the day, a bartender will fill an old-fashioned punch bowl with the libation and welcome all to clink glasses to the discovery of new flavors and perhaps, new friends.
Dust Cutter is not just another hip, cowboy-themed bar in a hotel. It simultaneously elevates and disrupts that whole genre. It’s in a league of its own.
