Kitchen Doors: Doughbird, Durant’s and Rancho Pinot

Rancho Pinot
Some restaurants you walk in and you know you’re going to like it. It’s as if the care taken to get the décor down right and theme aligned properly will automatically translate into a superb dining experience. That was the case for Rancho Pinot, the 23-year-old local gem tucked in Lincoln Village Shops on N. Scottsdale Rd.
Bar seats at Rancho Pinot suited us just fine and proved to offer a better vantage point to glimpse the restaurant operation than at a table. The bar seats are far enough apart to make casual chitchat an option, not a mandate. The friendly vibe made it tempting to talk to fellow bar diners. So we did, with nice results.
Oh yeah, and the food. All you need to know is chef and owner Chrysa Robertson raises hens for eggs and grows herbs for the restaurant at her 80-year-old adobe house. That is the essence of this place – the use of local ingredients to create American comfort fare in a friendly, very Arizona setting. If you go, the ravioli and the grilled flatiron steak are terrific starting points for your visits to this charmer.
— Mike Saucier
Durant’s
There’s nothing new to report at Durant’s, which is good — you don’t go to Durant’s because you want something new, you go because it’s Durant’s.
The missus and I went for our wedding anniversary this month, and it was fantastic as usual. We popped some oysters on the half shell, and the better half ordered the scallops, which were perfectly prepared. The only miss — I opted for a filet mignon Oscar style (with crab and béarnaise sauce on top) and they drenched it a bit with the sauce. The key lime pie we had for dessert has to rank among the best in town.
If there is anything new, it’s that Durant’s fame has made it much more of a scene than it used to be. Whereas it used to be a locals-only haunt where you went for power meetings and special occasions, now you see a lot more tourists and first-timers. But that’s OK — Durant’s is a treasure, and it’s meant to be shared.
— Tom Evans
Doughbird
Read our team’s review of Doughbird, the newest Sam Fox addition to Arcadia’s culinary scene, at this link!