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| - Wow.
Fast the whole day before dinner and drink water only. Do the drive up to Cave Creek. Do the tasting menu and fasten your seat-belts, you're in for a pretty crazy ride.
The meal started with a savory doughnut with thyme, parmesan, and bacon butter. A playful amuse that set the tone for the evening. Delicious. Next, a plate of three-mini, bite-sized sandwiches: a Sloppy Joe's, banh mi, and muffaletta. Does this place have a sense of humor? Oh yeah. Which leads to the next bite: fried prosciutto & tater tot on a toothpick in white cheddar foam. I was sold on FRIED prosciutto.
You're probably sensing this isn't your USUAL dinner.
Next up, Dippin' Dot liquid nitrogen frozen fruit salad. Bet you haven't had this before. Hilarious. Excellent. Duck rilette with molasses foam. Of course, a molasses FOAM.
Let's be clear, this is a white-cloth, fine-dining establishment. But man, there's a sense of fun and adventure here.
One of the most beautiful dishes I had this year was the Fruits de Mer, with mussels, prawn, uni, salmon, shrimp, grapefruit, radish, grapes, sea beans, red onion, jalapeno, mango, and lavosh. The influence of The French Laundry was no more apparent than in this dish. And the taste, the rainbow of tastes, my goodness, surpassed the gorgeous plating.
Puff with bacon and bacon powder. Bacon twice? Yes, please!
Are you exhausted yet? We're not even halfway though the meal. Each bite was somehow familiar and exotic.
Italian sausage with rutabaga cream and crisp, horseradish foam, red and white pearl onions, and German potato salad. Bon with prosciutto on a spoon. Arctic char with skin, caramel spring garlic, water chestnuts, pickled ginger, sugar snap peas, and roasted garlic quinoa. Orange soda palate cleanser. Sesame seared pork tenderloin, teriyaki belly biscuit, pineapple, avocado puree, choke cherries, radicchio & pineapple & sesame seed crisps ...
Deep breath.
Three cheeses with figs. A most excellent pineapple shot with apricot and guava jello cubes, served on a special coaster to create a lava lamp effect. Of course. Bubblegum lollipop. Then the most artistic, delicious, large, and fun dessert I can remember: a blackberry and raspberry cheesecake deconstructed. It looked like a slice of cheesecake had exploded neatly onto a deformed plate. This was absolutely brilliant. Chocolate with currant, tutti frutti puf, and raspberry gelee.
Deep breath again. And a bathroom break.
A decaffeinated cappuccino to celebrate surviving this over-the-top experience.
After going to Pizzeria Bianco, Kai, T. Cook's, The Fry House, and Binkley's, I realized that Phoenix must be one of the most underrated food cities in the entire country. If not for a meal at a place called Alinea in Chicago, I would say my meal at Binkley's was the most unique and entertaining meals I've ever had. And of course delicious too.
If you're in Phoenix, Binkley's Restaurant has to be on your short list. You don't want to miss this.
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