Christopher’s Restaurant (Phoenix, AZ)

We were trying to find a nice restaurant for a little celebration dinner and came across Christopher's through some research.  I hadn't heard much about it before, but the little bit I had heard about Christopher's was positive, so we decided to head out to the Biltmore area to try it out.

Christopher's is a trendy establishment, serving the range from pizzas and cheeseburgers to escargot and foie gras, and is located in the Biltmore Shopping Center.  Typically I gravitate more towards restaurants that are less trendy and away from shopping malls, but we decided it was worth a shot.

Lobster Bisque

The base of the lobster bisque was very rich and creamy.  However, I prefer more of a pronounced lobster flavor and there was, unfortunately, no lobster meat as part of the dish.

Escargot en Croute w/ Garlic Herb Butter

This was a delicious variation of escargot I hadn't had before.  Instead of serving with bread, the escargot and butter were covered with a pastry dough and baked.  The escargot itself was nice and tender, while the crust deliciously soaked up the butter and melded well with the escargot.

Wild Mushroom Soup

The soup typically is served with foie gras, but the decision was made to order without.  The base was very similarly rich and creamy as was the lobster bisque, but this had much more of an earthy mushroom flavor as compared to the lobster flavor in the lobster bisque.

Frisée Salad w/ Poached Egg, Bacon, and Sherry Vinaigrette

I absolutely love frisée salads.  Or I really like bacon and eggs on my salad.  Either way, this was a tasty presentation of the dish, if not a little heavy handed with the vinaigrette.

Steamed Mussels w/ Spanish Chorizo in a White Wine Broth

I thought this was one of the highlights of the evening.  Some of the best steamed mussels I've had were from Hopleaf in Chicago.  This dish rivaled the dish in Chicago.  The mussels were quite tender while the chorizo provide an excellent spicy and smokey flavor to the dish.  

Duck Two Ways

While the mussels were one of the highlights to the meal, this was unfortunately one of the lowlights.  I never would have thought presentation would have put such a damper on the excitement of a meal, but this unfortunately did the trick.  It looked as if the duck had been sitting under a hot lamp for about 20 minutes too long.  It was especially unfortunate since the duck itself was actually quite tasty, especially with the confit preparation.  

The fish was prepared excellently, as it had a nice firm flavorful outside, while staying moist on the inside.  Why be so vague?  It's been a couple of weeks since we went here and I quite honestly can't remember what type of fish was served.  Oops....

Lamb Shank

I do remember the lamb shank though!  This was actually one of the better preparations of lamb I have had in a long while.  The meat was more than fork tender; it practically fell off the bone by just looking at it.  The beans provided a nice firm counterbalance to the to the tender lamb, while the accompanying sauce provided a great salty and savory robust flavor.  In addition to these dishes, grilled asparagus and mac and cheese w/ham was also ordered.  

Maybe Christopher's is a little overpriced, but probably not that unexpectedly because of its trendy theme and Biltmore location.  Regardless, it was definitely a meal that was not overshadowed by the few mis-steps along the way.