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| - If there is any source of frustration or angst that Kevin Binkley inspires, its a difficulty in conveying to others the experience of taking in his culinary wonders. The ingredients are often hard to find & the presentation is unlike anything you've seen anywhere. So finding adjectives to fully convey the expertise, the creativity, & the magic of Binkley's is a very tall task (one that I won't come close to conveying myself). And perhaps that's the biggest part of Kevin Binkley's genius. The ability to leave his customers wondering from the moment they're served their meals to the unending curiosity that follows well after the meal has been consumed. I've been to Binkley's in Cave Creek many times over the course of my lifetime, but tonight was my first try at his newly revamped operation on 23rd Street & Osborn. Kevin sold off all of his other operations to gamble everything on a single location in central Phoenix where he & his wife Amy deliver a truly personalized dining experience that can last upwards of 5 hours. As an early Mother's Day present, I brought my Mom along to try out Kevin's new spot & see if the new location could match the experience of his old flagship in Cave Creek.
If you've been to Binkley's old location in Cave Creek in the past, you'll likely remember it as a quaint but spectacular restaurant serving a wide array of foods presented in new & innovative ways that few have ever heard of. At Binkley's new location in central Phoenix, Kevin is taking that formula to new heights with a restaurant that feels more like a home where you the customer are given the red carpet treatment as the guest. Instead of sitting in one place for the duration of the evening, you're instead migrating from the front porch, to the inside bar area, & finally to the main dining room where you are served course after course of delicious innovative food at every step of the evening. All totaled its a 22 course experience. While that may sound overwhelming, the food is served in small portions that allow your palette to experience the unending sensory explosion & your stomach to slowly absorb the awesomeness coming its way. And trust me, the food is so good you'll want to keep eating until you pop.
Much like Binkley's old location, the menu changes regularly (every week at the new location in fact) so I won't bother going over everything that was served tonight as it will likely be a totally different experience for those that choose to venture here after my Mom & I did. But I'll give you some of the more consistent points. First off, they take reservations up to 30 days in advance (& I wouldn't wait long after that window opens). Secondly, you pay as part of making your reservation, which means there's no need to worry about leaving a tip or even busting out your credit card on the night you dine in as its all figured in well in advance. The other area of consistency at Binkley's? The service. The staff at the new Binkley's is just as friendly, just as accommodating, & just as flexible as their old location (even moreso in some respects) & will fall all over themselves if it means making your dining experience a perfect one. That service goes all the way up the ladder to Chef Binkley himself, who will interact with you at your table on a regular basis & invites you into their open kitchen to see how items are made, what ingredients are used & witness the sous chefs work with in harmony with Kevin such that it almost looks like a perfected dance recital.
Alright, let's get to the elephant in the room. While Binkley's is hands down the best restaurant I've ever been to in Arizona, it does come with a cost. Assuming you go with the absolute barebones setup (which is amazing in of itself), you're going to be paying somewhere in the range of $200/person. If you did what I did & upgrade some of the meal options (I added a wine pairing as well as a Japanese Wagyu Kobe Beef upgrade) you can pay hundreds more per person. I will say the Wagyu beef upgrade was completely worth it as the meat had an almost etherial flavor to it. I will also say the wine pairing was also a good value, though I'll admit I still have a pretty good buzz going on as there was about 12 wine pairings for the evening (& they topped off my empty glasses for free). If you're going to do the wine pairing option, my advice would be to take an Uber or Lyft to and from Binkley's as you'll likely be super tipsy by night's end.
For financial reasons this might well be my one & only trip to the new Binkley's in the foreseeable future. And for some, the expense of a place like Binkley's might well be a mountain too tall to climb. I sincerely hope Kevin Binkley finds innovative ways to make his culinary talents more accessible to the masses going forward. But if you've got the money to splurge & a 5 hour evening window available, put this place on your foodie bucket list. Kevin Binkley truly is a valley culinary wonder
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