Cartwrights has been our "go to" restaurant for a long time. My wife and I were excited to see the recent remodel of the bar area. It now has additional table seating in the bar which exudes a rustic & casual elegance. A collection of sepia photographs of the famous Cartwrights ranch north of Cave Creek shares a historic visual of their origin.
We have found the servers to be consistently friendly and knowledgeable about their menu and wine list. The old uniforms have been replaced with western shirts and jeans which add to the comfortable "ranch" atmosphere.
The remodel of the bar provided a much needed addition of draft beer. There are about 10 great craft beers including regional as well as local gems. The bottle program has been expanded too. (They also have an amazing root beer on tap.)
The menu has changed, but I have not tried all of the new items. I can say their Mac & Cheese with Quail may be the best I have had. There is a medley of cheeses and the smoked gouda provides the predominant flavor. This dish is memorable! Raised in the mid-west, I LOVE red meat. The beef tenderloin cooked medium rare is as good as you will find in the valley. I plan on trying the trio of elk, bison & beef next time we go in. Their ribeye could be the gold standard of beef in the valley. A New York strip has been added to the menu, but I have yet to try it.
The desert menu has also been updated, but I have only tried the lava-carrot cake served with a sassafras ice cream (that is made in house), because it was so good, i have had it each time we have been in....there are a couple of others that deserve a taste.
The Cartwright's experience has been stepped up a notch and can now be enjoyed for LUNCH as well as dinner. I'd recommend Cartwrights all day long.