Monday, February 8, 2010

Modern Steak - Fox RC Does It Again


(Photo courtesy of  http://penandfork.wordpress.com)


The most recent dinner I had out was at Modern Steak in Scottsdale. Its address is 7014 East Camelback Road, but you'll know it better as Scottsdale Fashion Square (aka: BMW's overflow lot). Modern Steak is part of Fox Restaurant Concepts, who are known for some highly acclaimed eateries: Bloom, Olive & Ivy, North, The Greene House, et al. I'm usually not a corporate food guy, but Fox RC knows what the hell they are doing, so I was all on board with giving Modern Steak a try.

Dinner

The restaurant is big and very bold. Lots of blue/silver, accented with whites and browns. The decor is very busy, but it works. The bar area is a nice size with just enough flat panels to satisfy your curiosity on the games, without spoiling the aesthetic of the restaurant. Seating in the main dining area is varied: tables, long booth bench seats, corner booths, and some smaller tables that mimic eating outside (but you're really in the mall). Personally, I'd take a pass on having people watch me eat as they walk back from donating a kidney in exchange for some new duds at Barney's.

The wine list is fairly small for a restaurant of this caliber with maybe 30 wines total, but they are almost all available by the glass. Most of the bottles range from about 2x - 3x retail prices. Their idea of a "reserve list" consists of two wines that are both $35 a glass. They are both very good wines, but then again, at $35 a glass they should be. I settled on a glass of Kunde Syrah that was $10. It's fruit forward syrah from the CA Central Coast that has nicely rounded tannins and a smooth, smoky finish.

Those of you thinking the menu is all about red meat will be in for a surprise as there are a lot of seafood dishes available. But lovers of the cow won't be upset as Modern Steak does live up to its name with about a dozen beef entrees. Unsurprisingly, the entrees mostly come without any sides, so any extras you want will be a la carte. I spied Parmesan Truffle Fries amongst the sides and knew immediately they would be part of the meal. Here is what we ordered:

  • Poached Wild Caught Shrimp - This was simply amazing! Four colossal shrimp, cooked perfectly then chilled. Served with a ginger infused cocktail sauce and some small herbs (maybe micro arugula?). It was a perfect start to the meal.
  • Beef Short Rib with Red Wine Jus and Horseradish Gnocchi - This was a very well executed dish. The short rib was very tender and just melted in your mouth. The gnocchi were cooked perfectly and the sauce had just enough horseradish without overpowering the plate. The jus was a perfect accent to the dish and mixed well with the horseradish sauce. They also split the order onto two plates for us without being asked (always a plus).
  • Parmesan Truffle Fries - These kind of speak for themselves. Thin cut fries married with truffle oil and parmesan cheese. Perfectly crispy and just a delight to pop in your mouth. They come with "house made ketchup". When I heard that, all I could think of was Chevy Chase in Vacation: "Ooooh, real tomato ketchup, Eddie???"  This ketchup was much better than that, but still seemed lacking. We ended up getting a side of the homemade ranch dressing to dip them in instead. Nothing but high class at our table....
  • Sauteed Asparagus with Parmesan - We were lacking greenery at the table, so we also ordered a side of the asparagus. It was cooked OK, but seemed a little bland. They also cut the spears into 2 inch pieces, which doesn't hurt the flavor, but it looked odd. All in all, a pretty forgettable side dish.
Final Take

Modern Steak continues the trend of a high quality restaurants run by Fox RC. The food choices are solid and the service is very good. The location is great, so they will probably keep themselves pretty busy between the mall crowd and people walking over Old Town. I will be back because I want to try their burger (you can order it in the restuarant or from a "to go" window that you access from inside the mall). The menu options are not cheap, but I feel you get a quality meal for the money.

Overall Grade = B+ (Very Good)

The EV Foodie