2425 E . CA ME L BACK R OA D P HOE NI X , A Z 85 016 GR A B A S E AT : 6 0 2/4 6 6 -2890 DELFRISCOSGRILLE.COM BE SOCIAL: Del Frisco’s Grille is your destination to meat up & drink up. Bring a friend or make some new ones over hand-crafted cocktails or our mile- long wine list. When your thirst is quenched, move onto shareable plates and sinful desserts. Just come in and get social. DIG IN.

Page 39 June 2012 CHICK 3943 E. Camelback Road www.chickrotisseriebar.com This chicken can y, even soar with killer side dishes By Dale Messmer Chef Bevin O’Neill doesn’t have to worry about competing with his neighbor restaurant. He runs both of them. His two places, Grind and the new Chick, sit next to each other in the strip mall at the southwest corner of Camelback and 40 th Street. O’Neil admits the task of running two completely different restaurants was daunting at rst. “We didn’t want to get into a situation where we’re our own competition,” O’Neill said. “The only things that are the same are the chef and the owners. “But running two kitchens is a little harder than I thought it would be.” After working through some glitches at Chick, you can’t sense any difculties by the results. Grind has matured into one of the best burger joints in the Valley. One visit and you’re hooked. Giant burgers. Extensive bar. Televisions everywhere. Chick is billed as a rotisserie and wine bar. Organic chicken. Wide wine selection. Comfortable conversation. “The concept,” O’Neill said, “is a style of American comfort food but lighter and healthier.” Start your rst visit with the hummus ($10). Organic chick peas and mesquite crostini, the dish is large enough to share and “the star of the show,” according to O’Neill. While it could certainly become addicting, the featured player has to be the bird. Go with the Black Trufe Chicken, marinated for 16 hours and then put on the rotisserie with rosemary and black-trufe butter tucked under the skin. The result is moist-to-the-bone meat and a crispy skin. A note about that skin. O’Neill won’t reveal secrets, but it is sprinkled with what he calls “magic dust.” Whatever is in the stuff, it makes the skin, maybe the best part of a chicken, even better. The chicken, and everything else on the menu, can be ordered a la carte to give “the power to the guests, not the chef,” O’Neill said. That means an inexpensive lunch or a moderately priced dinner. “We’re willing to accept higher food costs to keep costs down (for the customer),” O’Neill said. “Everyone has a love for free-range and organic, but they don’t want to pay for it.” The Black Trufe Chicken is $9 for a quarter, $15 for a half, $25 for a whole bird. Mesquite Chicken is $6, $10 and $19 respectively. Or you can order family style, which includes two sides, for $13-$20-$34 or $10-$15-$28. And oh those sides. The best is creamed corn ($4), which is made in corn stock as a base instead of cream or butter. Topped with mint, O’Neill calls it “liquid corn on the cob.” You’ll call it scrumptious. Then there are the whipped potatoes ($7). O’Neill’s stated goal is to make “the best mashed potatoes in town,” and these are as good as any. Ten different toppings, from three kinds of cheese to bacon to horseradish, are offered. You get three with an order. There are also seasonal House Roasted Vegetables ($5), Rotisserie Artichoke ($5) and Pasta Salad in a honey trufe dressing ($8). And for those not in the mood for chicken, Chick offers Country Pork ($10). Marinated 24 hours with a strict rotation on the rotisserie, O’Neill calls it the “best thing on the menu,” but it plays a supporting role to the chicken. “The name on the door is Chick,” O’Neill said, “so guests are ordering chicken.” The menu also includes Whole Roasted Fish of the Day ($16) and Whole Roasted Filet of beef ($21) for non-chicken eaters. It also has some killer desserts. Try the Peach Cobbler ($6). Fresh peaches braised in peach schnapps and topped with house-make vanilla-almost granola. There is an emphasis on to-go orders, so much so that O’Neill designed special containers for take-out. “We’re big on to-go orders,” he said. “So we spent a lot of time getting the to-go containers right.” The sturdy box is a cardboard tower that can hold an entrée and two sides. With a strong, at bottom and windows to cut down on condensation, the container stands up to the turns and breaking of a hectic trip home and helps keep everything fresh for when you get there. “We’ve all had the experience where you have Chinese food, you take a hard left turn and get won-ton soup all over the place,” O’Neill said. “These aren’t going anywhere.” -AZ Weekly -AZ Weekly