Monday, June 28, 2010

City Hall - Forget the mayor, where's the Butter Cake?




Summertime in Phoenix means one good thing: No Crowds. This is especially true at the many excellent restaurants and nighttime hot spots peppered throughout Scottsdale and Biltmore. One such place is City Hall which is often packed during tourist season. It's proper name is Mastro's City Hall Steakhouse located in Scottsdale on the corner of Goldwater Blvd and Camelback Rd in the prime Scottsdale Fashion Square corridor. Mastro's establishments are known for their food and service (and prices, let's be honest), so the bar was already set. I was in the mood for a serious steak dinner and I had high hopes that City Hall would deliver.

Dinner

From a distance, City Hall kind of blends in with the surrounding office buildings. However, once you get closer you are greeted by two massive, opaque glass doors. They also have complimentary valet parking, which is a rarity in Scottsdale. The interior has a nice feel to it: classy, modern, yet understated enough so you know you're in a special restaurant.

When you walk in, the bar and lounge is on your left and is a very nice size. The area above the bar is lit up with red LED inset lighting. I took a picture, but it's tough to do it justice. Trust me when I say it works and I could easily see myself sitting at that bar enjoying a nice drink and some chilled oysters. The lounge also has plenty of seating and live music was being played as well.

The main dining area is separated by several glass panels from the lounge. There are also other dining sections further back in the restaurant. It's a big place, but my guess that summertime would be slower was correct as there was no issue getting seated. Our server, Alicia, was promptly at the table and when she saw we had darker pants on, she swapped out the white napkins for black ones to avoid white lint on us. I truly appreciate things like that. Noise levels in the dining area seemed pretty subdued as we could easily carry on a conversation. Granted it was not very crowded, but I'm guessing it's probably never extremely noisy based upon how it is set up.

We all wanted some wine to get us ready for steak. The wine list is decent size and overall quality is solid. Prices were pretty consistent at 2.0 - 2.5x retail. We started with a bottle of Robert Craig 'Affinity' Cabernet Sauvignon ($85). What a stellar wine. Robert Craig always delivers and this was just a great mix of dark fruit, cocoa, and mild tobacco all rolled into one. Luscious mouthfeel, mellow tannins, and a long finish. We enjoyed it so much that we needed more wine before our entrees arrived. We agreed on a Franciscan Cab Sav ($54) based upon a recommendation from the manager. It was a nice wine, but a little tight on its own. It needed food to really shine and shine it did when paired with red meat.

The menu has the meats front and center, which is what I expected. Most of the serving sizes are very large with 16 - 24oz cuts comprising most of the choices and are priced from $25 - $45 (a couple are Fred Flintstone sized if you're really hungry). The seafood selection is also very nice with lots of appetizer and entree choices. There are plenty of salads as well, which they'll do as half portions if you request it (nice touch). Only one soup, which was kind of a bummer as I do enjoy a chef's creativity with this starter, but it is onion soup which is a good one to have. The entrees are a la carte, so you have to purchase sides separately. They're big portions, though, and easily feed a few people. Here's a rundown of what was ordered at our table that I actually tried:
  • Chilled Seafood Tower - Mastro's owns Ocean Club, so I knew the seafood would rock here and I was not disappointed. The Fannie Bay oysters on the halfshell were crazy good. Creamy, meaty, and succulent - I could have eaten 12 of them. The shrimp were huge and easily 3 bites each. We also got a few snow crab claws, which were very sweet and tasty. The horseradish they serve on the side has great kick, too.
  •  Bone-in Filet Mignon -  OK, I had never seen a 'bone-in' filet, so I had to order it. I got the 12oz cut. It was served on a plate hot enough to melt lead that's coated with an herbed butter. I think my cholesterol count jumped 10 points just by being in proximity to it. When side dishes are put on your plate, it sizzles from the hot butter. Nice effect. The steak was so tender and juicy, I was loving every bite until I got full. The only negative I could find was that the steak was actually a tad bland. Not sure if it was too much butter or if the seasonings put on it just were a little dull (or both). I got Potatoes Lyonaisse on the side and they were very good. The onions in them were done perfectly.
  • Rack of Lamb -This is a serious rack at 22oz and was easily shared. I counted about 8 ribs on the plate and it was presented nicely. The lamb was very tender, well seasoned overall, but a tad on the salty side for my taste. It paired very well with the Franciscan Cab. Side dish was sauteed asparagus and it was perfect crisp-tender. 
  • Warm Butter Cake - The dessert menu is large and has many appealing choices. The manager said that if you have one dessert, it must be the Butter Cake. All I could think of was "great, more butter....", but this is so not what I expected. Think of the best pound cake you've ever had crossed with a fresh shortcake, served warm, with killer good vanilla bean ice cream and fresh berries. After the first bite, I knew why it is their signature dessert. I wasn't alone in my thinking because we destroyed it. No questions when you go, just order it...

Final Take 

'Wow!' to the service and attention to detail. The manager, Justin, personally checked on us twice and gave us solid ordering advice as well as chatting for a bit. Our server also was top notch and professional. I always appreciate service that is there when you need it, but not in your face. City Hall delivers very well in that regard. Add in some amazing food along with great wine and bar choices and you have the makings for a very special evening. And it should be viewed as something special because it is a high end restaurant and has the prices to warrant it. We get spoiled in Scottsdale because good restaurants are so plentiful, but I feel you are getting value for your restaurant dollar at City Hall, especially when compared to other eateries of this caliber in the area. Next time you need to celebrate, consider doing it here. Just be sure to order the Butter Cake first...

Overall Grade = A- (Excellent)

The EV Foodie