Well-known as one of Scottsdale’s best urban restaurants, Salty Sow is a go-to place for Arizona locals to get their trademark meat, brussel sprouts, and duck fat french fries. Located on 4801 E Cactus Rd, Phoenix, AZ 85032, Salty Sow features an open kitchen, a busy restaurant, a rustic aesthetic, and excellent service.
While a little on the pricy side, Salty Sow serves gourmet and thoughtfully sourced meals to their customers. Since it’s slightly expensive, one of my personal go-to’s at the restaurant is to order several appetizers instead of an appetizer and an entree. In fact, having tasted a large portion of the menu at Salty Sow, I can safely say that the appetizers are far more delicious than the entrees anyway. Some of my favorite appetizers include their crispy brussel sprouts, truffled deviled eggs, duck fat french fries, shrimp firecracker, and green chili pork. Here’s a link to their lunch menu so you can check it out: http://saltysow.com/menus/SSAZ_MenuLunch.pdf.
Although I’ve visited Salty Sow several times before, I’ve never really blogged about it. It’s about time. Over my four-day weekend, I visited the restaurant and tasted those delicious entrees. Of course, I couldn’t resist telling you about it.
The first dish that came out was the shrimp firecracker, followed by the truffled deviled eggs and the duck fat french fries. The shrimp firecracker emphasized a fusion element in the dish, one that I was quite fond of. The outside was crispy, and the warm inside combined with the sweet sauce on the side provided the perfect combination.
The truffled deviled eggs was probably my favorite of all the starters. I’m usually a big fan of deviled eggs, but this one in particular was fantastic. The creaminess of the egg, the touch of truffle, and the bacon to top it all made the dish the perfect taste explosion in my mouth.
In contrast with the truffled deviled eggs, the duck fat french fries were probably the most underwhelming of all the dishes. Don’t get me wrong, I still love my fries, but these ones weren’t quite doing it for me. Perhaps I’ve been spoiled by my papa’s french fries though (your parents homecooked food always comes first). That said, Salty Sow did provide a hefty portion of fries and the duck egg that came with it was certainly a nice touch.
After those initial appetizers, I was getting pretty full, but of course, there’s always room for more! Next came the green chili pork and the brussel sprouts. The green chili pork is a trademark on the Salty Sow menu. A favorite among customers, the green chili pork is served with slow-cooked pork and warm tacos. It’s the perfect warm appetizer, but be warned: it’s quite filling.
The brussel sprouts almost beat the truffled deviled eggs as my favorite dish. ALMOST. Perfectly candied and deliciously crisp, these brussel sprouts are like a mouthful from heaven. Seriously– if you’re ever having trouble getting your kids to eat vegetables, give them these. I could have them for dessert!
And topped with cheese too. How much better can it get?
With the brussel sprouts as my dessert (actually, though) and a stomach full of duck fat fries and green chili pork, I was satisfied. Salty Sow will always remain one of my favorite Scottsdale restaurants, a sophisti-kids trademark.
Overall, 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 1/2
Happy Eating,
Anya