New AmericanChef Drew Anderson$$$$Multi-course tasting, market priceWed-Sat 17:30-21:00Book Several weeks ahead
Kai at the Sheraton Grand at Wild Horse Pass is Arizona's only AAA Five Diamond restaurant, cooking Pima and Maricopa ingredients on Gila River land.
Order: The grilled tribal buffalo tenderloin with cholla buds and scarlet runner bean chile.
Tip: Open Wednesday to Saturday only; the drive to Wild Horse Pass is about 30 minutes south of downtown.
New AmericanChef Charleen Badman$$$$A la carte, changing menuTue-Sat 11:00-14:00, Sat 17:00-22:00, Sun 13:00-21:00Book 1 to 2 weeks ahead
FnB in Scottsdale is Charleen Badman's vegetable-forward room in Craftsman Court, where the chef won the 2019 James Beard Best Chef Southwest award.
Order: The braised leeks with mozzarella, mustard and a sunny-side egg, a Food and Wine top-ten dish.
Tip: The menu turns with the farms; Pavle Milic's all-Arizona wine list is the second reason to book.
CafeChef Family-owned kitchen$$$$Eight-course tastingTue-Thu 17:30-20:30, Fri-Sat 17:30-21:30, Sun 17:30-20:00Book 1 to 2 weeks ahead
Cafe Monarch in Old Town Scottsdale is a family-run tasting-menu room on a string-lit alley, serving a changing eight-course menu of small, refined plates.
Order: The chef's eight-course tasting, the deepest version of the kitchen's seasonal cooking.
Tip: The candlelit back alley is the seat to book; the menu is prix fixe only.
Tasting menuChef Dustin Christofolo$$$$Weekly tasting menuTue 17:00-20:00, Thu 17:00-20:00, Fri-Sat 17:00-20:30Book 1 to 2 weeks ahead
Quiessence at The Farm at South Mountain is Dustin Christofolo's seasonal tasting room, plating produce picked hours earlier from the on-site garden.
Order: The weekly tasting menu, built around whatever the garden cut that morning.
Tip: Set on a working farm off 32nd Street; book the patio in the cool months.