Page 34 - Taste_and_Travel_International

DESTINATIONS PHOENIX

USA
olive and produce Arizona’s only extra virgin olive oil. I
sample several types of olive oil, including a chocolate and
a bacon-flavoured oil which would be perfect with
breakfast eggs (and breakfast wine).
I’m almost tricked by the mural I see on the side of a
building at the Raising Arizona Market, an open-air market
in Mesa. It’s a “trompe l’oeil” masterpiece. Mesa’s main
street also has many culinary delights, such as Worth
Takeaway, a sandwich shop which focuses on local
ingredients. Arizona standouts on the menu include
Provision Coffee, Mesa’s Proof Bread, produce sourced
from Crooked Sky Farms and buttery goat’s milk caramels
from The Simple Farm.
Agritopia, a master-planned community in Gilbert voted
by $!ƫ !3ƫ +.'ƫ %)!/ƫas the leading “agri-hood” in the
US, just celebrated its tenth anniversary. A reaction to
urban sprawl, it offers citizens village life, with the modern
amenities of a suburb, surrounded by the agricultural
abundance of eleven acres of farmland. What this means
for locals and visitors alike are food trails through olive
groves, orchards, gardens, cattle and dairy farms as well as
hiking in the mountains and cycling. Tourists can visit the
walkable urban farm and try food from the same-day
harvest at The Farm Stand or at Joe’s Farm Grill.
“Common food done uncommonly well” is the motto at
Joe’s Farm Grill. Lunch may be simple but it’s anything but
ordinary — fast food direct from the farm. My delicious
Fontina Burger, which I eat sitting under a 100-year-old
tamarisk tree, is freshly ground chuck smothered in fontina
cheese and layered with roasted red peppers, grilled
mushrooms, field greens and pecan pesto, all sourced from
the farm. My salad is intoxicatingly fresh — the greens,
vegetables and herbs were picked that day. The restaurant,
in a ranch-style home, which looks like a retro diner right
down to the picnic tables, is the original 1960s family home
of Joe Johnston, the developer of Agritopia.
The agricultural influences from the surrounding desert
farms are very much a part of the culinary experience in
downtown Phoenix. A great place to start a food walking
tour is the DeSoto Central Market, a huge, airy food hall
and gathering place in what was once a car dealership.
High ceilings and exposed brick and ductwork lend
atmosphere. The restaurants source local and sustainable
ingredients. Try the steamed buns at Adobo Dragon, a
Latin American and Asian fusion restaurant, gourmet toast
at Tea & Toast, oysters at the Walrus & the Pearl oyster bar
or cocktails and wine at DCM Bar.
ELYSE GLICKMAN

32 TASTE;5TRAVEL INTERNATIONAL5 JANUARY–MARCH 2018