Eclectic Foods around the Valley
By Mark Susan
Photography by Mark Susan
Romeo’s Euro Café
Romeo Taus emigrated from Romania as a strapping young teenager and soon found himself washing dishes in a small East Coast restaurant. Years later, Romeo was inspired by Greek restaurateur Nick Ligidakis, who taught that food should be “an extension of who we are and what we do. After tasting the fare at his Euro Café, we would certainly agree!
The Euro Café is casual and inviting, with old-world sensibilities like robust coffee and selected wines to match the food. We began with Romeo’s choice skins and the feta dill fritters. The skins were carved from fresh potatoes and stuffed with sausage, onions, peppers, mushrooms, and melted provolone. The deep-fried fritters were made from tasty gyro meat, complemented by feta cheese, fresh dill, spinach, and pine nuts. Both appetizers were served with a tangy, delicious yogurt dipping sauce.
Next we enjoyed the Delemeno Seafood Salad, where the flavors of grilled jumbo shrimp, fresh calamari rings, and tender sea scallops were accented with kalamata olives and whole roasted garlic cloves, and then served over crisp romaine with lemon and tomatoes—a beautiful thing, indeed!
For entrees, we were treated to Romeo’s proclaimed love of fine artisan-style sausage represented in the Andalusian baked eggplant. Succulent fennel sausage was blended with roasted red peppers, pine nuts, spinach, onions, and plenty of fresh garlic. The mouth-watering mixture was sautéed, laid over thick slices of eggplant, and finished in the oven with melted feta cheese.
We also had the balsamic shrimp de Modena. Visualize enormous, juicy, plump shrimp with both hearts of artichoke and palm. Add oven-roasted garlic and red peppers, asparagus and capers, and serve it with freshly grated Romano and a sweet, viscous drizzle of balsamic reduction. Delicious!
Lastly, Romeo’s wife, Janice, prepared dessert—slices of Dangerous Dilemma and Fantasy Cake. We found room! The Dilemma’s blend of rich dark chocolate cake with a white chocolate-crème layer would be decadent even without its raspberry liquor sauce, and the Fantasy was a triple-layered threat of creamy cheesecake, chocolate mousse, and devil’s food cake.
Visit the jovial Romeo and experience his eclectic, tasty cuisine!
Romeo’s Euro Café is located at Heritage Court in Gilbert.
207 North Gilbert Road, Gilbert
(480) 962-4224
Persian Room
Ascend a sweeping staircase to the cocktail lounge or sit in the main dining room for Persian Room owner Nasser Nikkhahmanesh’s vision for his food: healthy and authentic, with light sautéing instead of deep-frying, and a strong emphasis on serving on quality.
We began with a traditional Persian drink called doug (rhymes with new), a salty yogurt concoction. For appetizers, we ordered the chicken eggplant borani and the tah dig. The borani arrived in a small white baking crock filled with sautéed chicken breast and eggplant mixed with tomato and lemon juice, and topped with lightly fried onions—rich, hearty, and a savory prelude to what came next.
Tah dig is a dish of the people. The Persian Room has taken this authentic “farmer’s food” and created a tasty dish of the crispy browned rice topped with their two famous stews: gheimeh—sautéed beef, onions, split peas, and dried limes, simmered in tomato sauce; or ghormeh—stewed beef and kidney beans, with sautéed parsley and green onions, all simmered with dried limes and the house special sauce.
For entrees, we ordered the fessenjan and the Persian Room Special: their combination kebab platter. The fessenjan was a sweet yet tart blend of sautéed chicken and ground walnuts simmered in a pomegranate sauce. We loved the sweet-and-sour effect and enjoyed how the accompanying sweet and tender basmati rice went so well with all the hearty stews.
The Persian Room Special was an impressive combination of filet mignon, chicken breast, and koobideh—a traditional blend of ground beef, minced onions, and Persian seasonings.
We finished off the experience with a strong and rich Turkish coffee, after which a server named Sarah stopped by and offered us a personal reading based on the leftover grounds.
Get off the beaten track and try The Persian Room!
The Persian Room is located on the northwest corner of Frank Lloyd Wright and Scottsdale Road.
17040 N. Scottsdale Road
(480) 614-1414
Cowboy Ciao
In 1979, Peter Kasperski brought his vision for progressive world-class dining to Scottsdale from Chicago. His portfolio of fabulous restaurants now includes Kazimierz World Wine Bar and Sea Saw; however, the founding concept of his single-block dining triumvirate was Cowboy Ciao, and we were honored to be their guests!
We began with their infamous Stetson chopped salad: colorful, meticulously laid out rows of smoked salmon, arugula, bruschetta tomatoes, sweet dried corn, pearl couscous, and their house trail mix made from asiago, roasted pepitas, and black currants, all tossed with a pesto buttermilk dressing. We now understand the popularity of this original sumptuous dish!
Next arrived the buffalo carpaccio—a gorgeous presentation of cumin espresso-rubbed buffalo cheese, gently seared on the outside and then sliced razor thin. The accompanying chevre and red onion honey marmalade completed the dish perfectly. Definitely recommended!
The exotic mushroom pan fry was a sensory overload of majestic mushroom madness: cremini, button, oyster, cepe, lobster, black trumpet, shiitake, morel, and yellow foot. The delicious fungi were served in ancho cream over double-cooked polenta, and topped with grilled portabellini, avocado, tomato, and cotija cheese. A true mushroom lover’s delight!
The Pig ‘n Puddin’ finished off our wonderful meal. While not unusual in appearance, this dish is exotic in flavor and texture. Our gracious host, Mari Markogianis, thankfully recommended this smoky, succulent pulled barbecue pork served over creamy polenta and topped with pepitas, dried cranberries, and fresh cotija cheese. Bravo!
Whether you’re a seasoned Cowboy Ciao veteran or a first-time diner, push the limits of your palate’s comfort zone and experience the wonderful menu designed by Chef Bernie Kantak.
Cowboy Ciao is located on Stetson Drive in Old Town Scottsdale, near the new Waterfront district.
7133 East Stetson Drive, Scottsdale
(480) WINE-111
Medizona
What do you get when you combine two long-time restaurant aficionados, a Mediterranean-inspired chef, and the Valley of the Sun? You get Medizona, an award-winning eclectic dining experience created by partners James Ridgeway, Douglas Patriquin, and Chef Konstantin Meshcheryakov.
As Ridgeway chatted with us about Medizona’s history and other things, a rustic wooden box arrived filled with ciabatta, kalamata olive bread, and Asiago green chili bread. Chef Konstantin described the accompanying spreads as an ancho hommos and a house baba ganoush. All of it was nothing less than delicious!
For our entrees, we perused the dramatic menu and decided on the eggplant tacos—yes, eggplant!—made with lamb, arugula, and kasseri cheese. They arrived as a beautifully presented trio with a cucumber-radish relish and a tasty roasted tomato-garlic sauce. The thinly sliced eggplant was in a U-shape and used as the taco shell. As impressive as that was, the flavors were even better!
Finally, we experienced the rabbit, fig, and pepitas baklava. We found the quail egg and pomegranate sauce to be the perfect accent of tart sweetness to this delicate dish. The roasted and peeled pumpkin seeds—pepitas in Spanish—added a subtle nutty crunch to the soft layers of delicate baklava.
If your tastes run to exotic fusion cuisine, make a reservation at Medizona, where the Mediterranean meets the American Southwest.
Medizona is located on 4th Avenue in Old Town Scottsdale, near Gilligan’s.
7217 East 4th Avenue, Scottsdale
(480) 947-9500