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Maple and ash scottsdale1/27/2024 What to drink: Bartender Cristiana DeLucca explores the history of the martini, from an 1848 recipe to her present-day takes on the drink. What to eat: Roasted seafood, dry-aged rib-eye, sundae service. On Friday night, the downstairs bar and upstairs lounge were both packed with 30- to 50-somethings despite the party, the dining room is fairly quiet. Let’s all relax-the night is young.Ītmosphere: The dining room is gorgeous, with candlesticks on the tables, patterned fabrics and attention to detail, like the Maple & Ash logo in the window design. The food satisfies, though rushed, smothery service feels at odds with the cool vibe. It’s whimsical and large enough to feed an entire table. Nearly every table in the dining room ends with sundae service, a $19 tower of ice cream toppings-hot fudge, salted caramel, nuts, candy and fruit-that’s $4 for each extra bowl of ice cream. The bone-in rib-eye is a better choice, with a juicy center, mineral flavor and charred edge. It’s perfect, though the accompanying filet is mushy rather than tender. Fat, sweet crab legs are rich and spicy from garlic butter and chili oil, and the half lobster with the surf and turf has the same presentation. Pile refreshing salmon tartare atop pieces of fried phyllo dough and order coal-roasted seafood, available in a tower or individual pieces. The meal begins with a round of freebies-a mini gin cocktail, citrus-cured olives, nubs of Hook’s cheddar and radishes with butter-to snack on while you peruse the menu. The dichotomy places Maple & Ash in line with other new steakhouses, like RPM Steak, Swift & Sons, STK and Boeufhaus, which update classic dishes while offering a cooler ambience than old-school spots. I also didn’t expect the chef's choice option to be called "I Don't Give a Fuck” or the “Baller” seafood tower, but I did expect classic steaks and sides from chef Danny Grant and exceptional wines from sommelier Belinda Chang. You enter the Gold Coast restaurant through a crowded bar, then take the elevator upstairs to a lively lounge before being whisked into the calm, elegant dining room. I didn’t expect to find myself in the middle of a clubby lounge in a steakhouse at midnight, but Maple & Ash inverts expectations. The Gold Coast steakhouse marries irreverence with spot-on takes on classic dishes. The following review was published in 2015. Oh, and save room to build your own sundae for dessert. Chef Danny Grant’s menu aims to please with delicacies like caviar, fire-roasted seafood towers, dry-aged beef and truffle agnolotti. Upstairs on the posh second floor dining room, you’ll spot groups of 20-somethings celebrating birthdays, couples on date nights or power brokers doing business. Chicago is home to some of the best steakhouses in the world but few can match the vibe and aesthetic of Maple & Ash.
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