FOODIES WEST Restaurant Review: Wright's at the Biltmore

FOODIES WEST.COM

WRIGHT'S at the Biltmore:

July 2015 Issue / Vol. 3, No. 14 Phoenix, Arizona

Chef/Restaurateur/
Sommelier/Farmer
Amy Binkley

Chef de Cuisine
Richard Garcia

July 2015
Chef's Larder

Chef Roberto
Madrid's Kitchen

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Foodies West Restaurant Revues, July 2015 — Wright's at the Biltmore, Phoenix, Arizona - Restaurant Week 2015, Wright’s chef de cuisine, Colin Rupp, served a Smoked Bison rolled in Vegetable Ash with Yukon Gold Potato Croquette, Tomato Jam, Spring Onion, Demi-glace. As a chef that’s “not overly molecular, but likes to use the technique,” he did a good job of melding it with interesting ingredients and timeless techniques. And that pretty much defines his whole menu: Interesting ingredients and classic techniques. “We were kind of playing around with ideas,” Rupp explained how he developed the dish, “and I wanted to come up with something different. I really like the leek ash. It gives a really dramatic color and earthy taste.” The menu mirrors these characteristics. It’s a place where cultures collide with a poetic balance—the simplicity of farm-to-fork sprinkled with highbrow ingredients prepared with Old World techniques and an edgy jolt of the molecular. “I like a lot of natural foods,” Rupp said. “Naturally-inspired. Not a ton of preparation trying to make something out of nothing. I just like clean and simple foods. Just doing them really well. Not a whole lot of layers. I’ll do big flavors, as far as I can keep the food honest. I really don’t cheat with anything.” Cheat, meaning, things that aren’t healthy. And ready-to-eat packaged foods. “Virtually everything that comes from this kitchen is scratch,” Rupp said. “The only thing we really buy is tomato paste.” And the caviars (Siberian Sturgeon, Royale Sturgeon, and Golden Ostrea Caviar). But that’s parsing. What Rupp meant is the kitchen takes the time to create even the basics. For instance, their chicken demi-glace, which starts out with five gallons of chicken stock and gets reduced to about a cup.

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