Not all classic restaurants in Phoenix have aged gracefully. The wine game at Tarbell's is formidable, and the cocktail program has kept pace as the bar has been raised for mixed drinks across the Valley. Some of the heartier old-school dishes sing just as loudly, like a Scotch beef with plainly cooked vegetables and mashed potatoes. Scallop crudo is jolted with pomegranate consommé. Smoked apple and pear jam sidekicks mozzarella. What makes Tarbell's memorable, though, are the creative flavor combinations and non-French influences that Tarbell deftly incorporates. His menu is threaded with touches of 20th-century opulence, such as caviar and wine-braised escargot. Tarbell cooked in France and Amsterdam, giving him the kind of classical chops that are becoming increasingly rare among the younger generation of chefs. It's also due to the food at his still-great restaurant. That is partly due to his Iron Chef America appearance and his smiling persona on his former show, Arizona PBS's Plate & Pour, which followed Tarbell into kitchens and bars across the Valley. Mark Tarbell is one of those classic Phoenix chefs who has transcended his kitchen role and become something of a minor celebrity. Takeout is available, as is delivery via DoorDash. White has spinoffs everywhere, including her grandson, Larry "Lo-Lo" White's spot, Lo-Lo's Chicken & Waffles. No worries if you live or work nowhere near the little yellow luncheonette. You'll find other homestyle staples here that are relatively rare in Arizona, like fried catfish (tartar sauce not needed), red beans, and cobblers. The writing on the wall - literally - informs you this 58-year-old restaurant is where you'll find one of Phoenix's most famous Southern dishes: the golden brown Southern fried chicken (with suggested sides of cabbage and black-eyed peas). White's (named for founder Elizabeth White) serves utterly timeless Southern food. Inside and outside, this place is a throwback, from the painted-on sign to the tight wooden booths and lunch counter. White's Golden Rule Café, you can't, for a second, tell if you're in present-day Phoenix or the first act of a decades-old film. That wood-burning oven is still very much lit. But if you'd prefer to go to the source, Bianco's margherita pie - tomato sauce, fresh mozzarella, basil - at his 42-seat brick restaurant remains as vital as ever. Nowadays, you don't have to travel far to find delicious wood-fired pizza in the Valley. Over time, Bianco has extended his empire to include multiple locations of Pizzeria Bianco, as well as other spots like Tratto, Bar Bianco, Pane Bianco, and a dizzying list of collaborations and projects which culminated in his second James Beard Award, for Outstanding Restaurateur in 2022. Bianco won the James Beard Award for Best Chef: Southwest in 2003 - the first pizzaiolo to ever earn the accolade. Bianco's pizzas date back to 1988, but since 1996 he's been in his Heritage Square location, serving Neapolitan-style pies to ever-longer lines and inspiring a whole generation of young American pizzaioli. Actually, we know how, and why: It's because of Chris Bianco, the passionate, Bronx-born proprietor of his eponymous pizzeria. Somehow, Phoenix is a pizza town, known far and wide for its innovative pies.
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