belediAZ

Going to a ballgame at BankOne in July and looking for a nice dinner spot afterward. It's a birthday dinner, so I'd like something romantic but not white tablecloths/golf resort stuffy. We're early 30s, from NYC, and I've heard there are some great places to sample in the Phoenix/Scottsdale area. We live in Tucson now so we're not looking for Mexican food. Any suggestions?

snarla

Hi,

Couple of questions:
-Will you be headed to dinner straight from the game or will you be changing clothes?
-Are you staying over in Phoenix?
-When you say Scottsdale..that's a big city. Do you want to stick more towards central S'dale or are you willing to drive up north?

My response will include Pizzeria Bianco either way, but I can give you more spots depending on your answers.
snarla

belediAZ

Hi Snarla,
-We'll probably bum around just after the game (it's at 1pm, and a 5pm dinner reservation sounds a little wimpy), so we can definitely change clothes.
-We're not planning on staying over - we'll probably drive back to Tucson later that night.
-Probably won't want to drive too far out of the way (I don't know Scottsdale well at all, forgive me), so something closer to Phoenix is probably ideal.
Thanks in advance for your tips!

madmax

We actually enjoyed a sushi dinner at RA in Scottsdale. Not typical AZ cuisine, but it was good, and a fun place. More hip than romantic though.

TheDish

I highly recommend The Melting Pot, a fondue restaurant in Scottsdale. I believe it is on the northwest corner of Tatum and Royal Palms. It's romantic in that the lights are dim, but no white table clothes in sight. The whole experience is different and fun. We love it. Order the Colossal dinner for two, which includes HUGE prawns, lobster, filet, sirloin, chicken and salmon. Can be pricy... $125-150 for two with wine and dessert. Another option is T. Cook's in the Royal Palms Hotel. It was rated (Conde Naste??) as the #1 restaurant in the Phoenix area. It's a beautiful place and the food is wonderful. Not nearly as uppity as say Mary Elaine's in the Phoenician.

TheDish

That would be table cloths... woops.

snarla

OK..don't want to go too far north, can't get too crazy because you're heading back home...

Here are some of my faves:

-Pizzeria Bianco. I mentioned it before. It's very yummy and quaint/romantic. And it's close to the game.
-Roaring Fork. Just north of S'dale Fashion Square. The food here is so good. I think there's a website.
-Richardson's. N Central Phoenix, just off the 51 @ Bthy Home. Wonderful food. It's New Mexican style..not the glop you get at most Mexican places.
-Convivo. Just off the 51 @ Glendale. Great food and very cozy.
-Phoenix City Grille. Just across from Richardsons. Dark wood, great bar. Spent quite a few nights with my then boyfriend eating appetizers at the bar(we're now married).
-Eddie Matney's. 24th St/Camelback. Right across from Biltomore Fashion Park. This is still one of my favorite places. Eddie's there, he's cooking all the time.
-Durant's. Central Ave & Virginia(S. of Thomas). Too-cool-for-school. They have a website.

The only place that would require you to venture off a bit is Roaring Fork. The others are right off the highway or downtown, and not more than 15 minutes from your parking spot at the game to the door.
snarla

snarla

Forgot to add...You won't need to wear your best duds to these places, but something a little better than the shorts and baseball hit will do. I like to call it "chic, not geek".

karenabs

I would also recommend Phoenix City Grille, can go directly from the game....Pizzeria Bianco is also wonderful, walking distance from the ballpark, but I would prefer the former for your occasion.

belediAZ

Chic, not geek - I like that. Thanks for the excellent suggestions, I'll check them out. And thanks to everyone else as well, you've been very helpful.