Binkley's Restaurant, Cave Creek, AZ
What's the difference between confidence and arrogance? When you're confident, you don't need to flaunt your skills. The meal The Doctor and I shared at Binkley's this past Saturday was, without a doubt, the most supremely confident yet non-arrogant kitchen I have ever encountered.
The Doctor and I were lured to Binkley's by the reputation. We were told to expect an excellent meal, in the genre of New American by way of Molecular Gastronomy. We were also told to refinance the yacht to pay for it, as it would be worth it. The Doctor and I see eye to eye on where we should spend the money we save, so there was no question that we would dine at Binkley's at some point.
The dining room was certainly not what I was expecting. Molecular gastronomic eateries tend to try remind diners that the restaurants are new and avant-garde. One often sees a lot of modernist brushed steel and straight backed chairs, as if to imply that the food at these eateries is FROM THE FUTURE. Binkley's decor struck me as traditional, yet unassuming. It contributed to the atmosphere of the place as confident yet not arrogant, without tipping off the caliber of food that we were about to enjoy.
The Doctor and I perused the menus while we sipped our drinks. Because we were celebrating, and also because of the input we received from other diners, we were settled on the tasting menu with wine pairing. We didn't know that we could select the items for our tasting menus, making the night an almost prix-fixe arrangement, which saves a lot of money over the a la carte menu. Our server explained how the menu changes about every two weeks, depending on what's fresh and what the kitchen feels like preparing, so we wouldn't go wrong.
The Doctor ordered Madai, which was essentially a sushi or sashimi platter. The fish tasted like it had been caught out back, and seasoned to perfection. The flesh melted away. I can't imagine how difficult this must be in the middle of the desert. I ordered smoked salmon, which came with chive creme and a miniature onion bagel. The taste mirrored bagel and lox while remaining true to the taste of sushi. When all the components on the plate were gathered together in one bite, the experience was completely different from the taste of the components separately. The one hiccup to the otherwise perfect cold appetizer course was that The Doctor was forced to meet the live crab that would later become part of her appetizer, as is the Japanese custom. After meeting the crab, The Doctor couldn't bring herself to eat him. He was delicious and crisp.
Next came the hot appetizers - a goose egg for me, in the shell with pork belly, and foie gras for The Doctor. The foie gras was prepared as perfectly as any we have ever tasted, rivaling the Michelin starred restaurants in France, like silk melting away on one's tongue. If there were fewer people in the restaurant, The Doctor would have licked the plate clean, then probably would have attempted to steal the plate so she could clean it even further at home. My goose egg was outstanding, but was overshadowed by The Best Thing The Doctor Ate all night.
The black cod was next for The Doctor as a fish course, while I had the red drum. The cod was encrusted with herbs that lent a flavor to the cod that prevented you from even considering to leave some on the plate to leave room for future courses. One bite and The Doctor, who isn't a huge fan of fish, was hooked. The drum was served with a sweet red pepper sauce and a ratatouille-stuffed squash blossom which, again, had the unusual ability to provide different tasting experiences depending on whatever components were eaten with a particular bite. The fish was light and well prepared with a deliciously crispy skin when eaten by itself, sweet with a bit of the sauce, but tart again with bolder flavors when eaten with the ratatouille. It was delightful to have a microcosm of flavor all on one plate.
To finish the entrees, The Doctor had lamb that melted away like cotton candy. I had beef, served with a wine sauce, potatoes loaded with butter and a bite of tartare on the side. It was expertly prepared and delicious, down to the end.
The cheese course and desserts (peanut butter soup for The Doctor, caramel cornbread pudding for me) were treats that were again remarkable for the level of flavor that could be coaxed from familiar components.
Much of the credit would have to go to the sommelier, who not only picked a wine to go with each individual dish as part of the tasting menu, but gave The Doctor and me a brief description of both the taste and fermenting process over the pour. Each generous glass of wine complemented its respective dish, adding grace notes and chords to a perfectly scored symphony.
Speaking of grace notes, between each course and before the first appetizer arrived, the kitchen graced us with amuses bouches, transformed by the wizards of molecular gastronomy to the essence of the item's flavor, so as to make sure you remember you're not eating traditional classical French, but modern American. Breadsticks with pancetta cream? Check. Fruit "caviar" pearls frozen in liquid nitrogen? Check. Blackberry gelatin "bombs" that explode blackberry coulis in your mouth? Check. Each amuse brought a new flavor or texture that left our palates cleansed and our appetites excited for the next course.
The experience at Binkley's easily rivals any top restaurant The Doctor and I have ever visited in New York, Napa, France or anywhere else. It is also half the price of any comparable restaurant in those places, making it one of the best food bargains we've ever encountered, especially considering the amount of food and wine we received. Binkley's is confident enough to prepare the food it wants to prepare, without needing to be recognized in a top "foodie" city. It's the Valley's good fortune that Binkley's is here. It's The Doctor's and my misfortune that it takes over an hour to get to Cave Creek and back from our house.
But we've cancelled every other restaurant reservation we have made. We'll save our food budget for the next time we can get back to Binkley's. Here in the Valley, nothing else we've sampled has even come close. We will just have to time our reservation a little better so we're not driving home at 1 am.
The Doctor tells me she doesn't miss New York as much now that she's had the food at Binkley's. I'd have to agree. That's about as high a compliment as I can provide. Now, I wonder what will change on Binkley's menu in two weeks?
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