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| - The saving grace of Phoenix! After a dismal experience at T. Cook's, we decided to find a place where people are more accepting and the food is not bland and boring. Yelp reviews steered us to Iruna. Thank you, Yelp.
It seems to me that the few trendy people left in Phoenix hang out at Iruna (and Mabel's on Main). It also seemed like one of the many places we visited where people didn't look at us like we are aliens. Being an interracial gay couple, we didn't feel comfortable at many places in Phoenix, but Iruna was different from the rest of the crowd.
We knew it would be a good dining experience as soon as we noticed a diverse group of patrons, unlike many other places we visited in Phoenix. And by diverse I don't necessarily mean race/ ethnicity, I mean people with different fashion styles, different looks, seemingly different walks of life. I was worried that most of Phoenix was starting to look alike until we went to Iruna.
Food: tapas done right. Chef Brian Barry with his impressive resume, having worked at popular restaurants on both coasts in the past (Gramercy Tavern in NYC - one of the best places to dine in the entire country), serves great food in a fantastic atmosphere.
Ensalada de Pato - crisp duck confit, organic pears, toasted almonds, and mache. The best of the lot. Crispy duck combined with pears and toasted almonds provides a burst of salty, sweet, and nutty flavors in your mouth while the mache helps you take it to a different level. Simply brilliant!
Pulpo en Escabeche - baby octopus marinated with peppers and olives in a spicy smoked paprika escabeche. Lightly charred baby octopus served over spicy and vinegary escabeche. An amazing combination of flavors.
Pan roasted quail with crispy Serrano - half a quail roasted with crispy Serrano served with lentils, white grapes, and natural jus. The natural jus adds an exquisite flavor to the lentils. The man thinks it is the best dish on Iruna's menu, I think it is the second best... almost as good as Ensalada de Pato.
Brussel sprouts with thyme and calamari completed our wonderful meal. Service was perfect, our waiter made the right suggestions and never left our cocktail glasses empty. The best part was when we saw the chef outside and thanked him for a great meal... he was happy that we took time to thank him. After we told about our lackluster experiences in Phoenix, he said he knows the right place for us and took us to Mabel's on Main for a drink. That's what I call a "cool" chef!
We would totally write Phoenix off if it wasn't for the saving meal at Iruna. Thank you for saving our anniversary weekend. We will definitely dine here if we ever come back to Phoenix.
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