Humble waitstaff go as far as it takes to please patrons at Binkley’s
By CRYSTAL PETROCELLI
Get Out

Wait: We were seated five minutes late for an 8:15 p.m. Sunday reservation. Without a second thought, Binkley’s rewarded our “patience” by sending us to the bar for a free round of drinks and the house’s perfectly salted potato chips.

Service: This husband-and-wife run restaurant will do whatever it takes (comping $10 glasses of wine, for instance) to guarantee each guest walks out happy to have invested two hours and roughly $50 per person at Binkley’s. While our server made a few challenging remarks (After hearing “Renwood” as “Ravenswood,” he told my husband that the glass of red wine he ordered was actually a shiraz and not the zinfandel he thought he was ordering. In turn, my husband corrected him right back. Later, when the table beside us took a stab at guessing an ingredient, our waiter said something to the effect of “Well I know it’s not that” when he had to go ask the chef himself. The rest of the team service was flawless. Forks and knives were placed and replaced countless times, always with subtle precision, and we were treated to various small bites and palate cleansers before, during and after the meal.

What we liked: When foods you typically avoid have you gushing, you’re dealing with a culinary genius. Sweet potatoes? Don’t care for them. Chef Kevin Binkley’s sweet potato soup? Absolutely phenomenal — I’d buy it by the barrel. Quail? Not a fan. Binkley’s bacon-wrapped quail with butternut squash and hot maple glaze? Heavenly. You get the idea. The menu is created daily to keep things fresh. We’re told Kevin Binkley gets bored easily; I know his customers never will. Order a la carte or create your own tasting menu of courses. Either way you’ll be blown away by the artistry in the kitchen and on your plates.

Scene: An intimate room cast in rich earthy colors, dotted with local artwork and a 50-year-old-plus crowd. A back room offers a quiet retreat, and a fireside patio lets diners enjoy the clean, crisp Cave Creek air.
Bathroom break: Tidy and private with giant glazed ceramic sea life in turquoise and purple.

Tab for two: $125 with tax and tip for two baby green salads ($8 each), bacon-wrapped quail ($12), black bass ($29), filet mignon au poivre ($31) and vanilla zabaglione ($8).

If work weren’t buying: Door to door, it was 50 minutes from my house to this year’s most celebrated addition to the East Valley dining scene. No matter, this is destination dining at its finest. It’s worth the drive from anywhere.

Delicious morsels make critic giddy with soupçon gluttony

By CHRIS PAGE
Get Out

Wait: We called ahead on a Thursday for a reservation and were given an 8:30 p.m. slot. Upon arrival, we were told tables were full, and maitre d’ Amy Binkley ushered us to the small bar for wine and demitasses of a delectable sweet potato soup — all on the house. Forty minutes later, we were seated at a cozy, secluded corner table for two.

Service: After Amy — cordial, professional and wonderfully polite — subsequent servers were extremely expedient and knowledgable, though their casual attitudes and occasional chit-chat reminded us more of the waitstaff at Denny’s. Must we be jokingly chided for not finishing a course?

What we liked: It’s highly recommended diners opt for the multi-
course tasting menus — dynamic smaller portions, a sumptuous wide variety — rather than ordering a la carte. Highlights of our meal included a divinely complex seared foie gras and a shaved Hawaiian snapper carpaccio with small, palette-teasing chunks of pomegranate, kiwi and mango on top. My companion wasn’t wild about her salty whole roasted moi (I thought it was a delicate reminder of freshwater eel, and the mascarpone-stuffed date on the side was sublime). But that’s the beauty of tasting courses: a soupçon of wow or eh — and Binkley’s never elicits worse than indifference — then you’re on to the next adventure. The portions initially may seem small for newcomers to Binkley’s haute grub, but expect to waddle out full to the gills.

Scene: Chef Kevin Binkley knows his kitchen creations are heightened by serving them to an intimate dining room rather than a larger space. Though the room is bistro small — and clashing artwork on the wall tightens the feel up — it isn’t claustrophobic. Bathroom break: The men’s bathroom is small but reasonably clean and well-stocked. However, I’m not so keen on the idea of paper towels resting in a basket directly under the soap dispenser.

Tab for two: Our tab erred wildly in our favor — not listing several menu add-ons (the foie gras alone should have bumped it up $11) — but we were too busy stuffing our mouths with delicacies to check the chompers on that gift horse: $126 with tax and 25 percent tip for two four-course tastings ($45 each) and a $3 extra charge for ordering the whole roasted moi.

If work weren’t buying: A bold, venturesome menu; an intimate setting; the best foie gras in the East Valley — naturally we’ll be back to Binkley’s.