A golf trip to Scottsdale, Arizona, as an adult, has taught me “golf course food” has come a long way from frankfurters and fries.
I was a kid who loved being dropped off with my brother and cousin or friends at Southgate Municipal Golf Course. Here, we would play the 18 par-three length holes behind the city.
The course was laid out beyond city hall along a landfill next to a car dealership and an abandoned drive-in movie theater. The entire suburban Detroit facility was fenced in, keeping us from wandering into any trouble.
I liked pulling my cart around playing golf and betting dimes and dollars on the result against Bobby, Frankie and Scott. I suppose I was ultimately mimicking what I had seen my father do on Saturday mornings at Lilac Brothers Golf Course, playing a golf game called “jingles” with his pals.
He occasionally took me along to “caddie” for him by rolling his pull-cart and keeping quiet.
Maybe what made me feel most like an adult was when, after golf, we would roll into the small, one-level clubhouse and sit at a four-top table to total up the scorecard and settle the bets.
Ordering in a “restaurant,” even though it was a hot dog and fries (yes, the little grill had steak fries, not just chips – “fancy!”)
An Evolution of Golf Cuisine at Toro
As an adult, a golf trip to Scottsdale, Arizona, has taught me that “golf course food” has come a long way from frankfurters and fries. TPC Scottsdale’s new “clubhouse restaurant” even surpasses that of any private club I have visited (which are not always known for “haute cuisine” anyway.)
Toro is the restaurant’s name, and though the interior and patio have an elevated view of the Stadium Course’s 18th hole and the McDowell Mountains, the swank – and even sexy – candlelit design is eye candy for golfers, diners, drinkers and mingling singles. Toro has a dark, warm vibe – rustic mixed with industrial finishes – surrounding a busy bar.
I doubt you will find a more complex, unique golf course clubhouse menu anywhere: Pan Latin cuisine. (I wondered, also.)
Celebrity chef Richard Sandoval and Gage Smit’s menu presents dishes with small plates for sharing. They feature the flavors of South and Central America with ingredients from Japanese, Chinese and Peruvian cultures.
Toro’s “suviche” raw bar of ceviche and a 32-piece sushi platter is an experience. It may be best washed down with one of the 105 rums, Latin wines, smoked elixirs – such as an Oaxaca Old Fashioned – or craft cocktails like the passion fruit pisco sour.
It was not easy to select, but with the assistance of the server, I settled on chifa-style fried rice with a fried egg, chorizo, chicken, shrimp, carnitas, and Asian vegetables. This narrowly beat out the hangar steak with Argentinian chimichurri, truffle fries, cotija, pickled chili and aji tarta.
In maybe the only nod to tradition, Toro does offer a hot dog. But it’s a Fripper’s all-beef hot dog with black bean bacon morita chile jam, chipotle mayo, mustard, pico de gallo and escabeche on a brioche bun.
Morning After the Night Before at the Fairmont Scottsdale Princess
Hours before I dined at Toro following a gourmet round of golf on TPC Scottsdale’s Stadium Course, my day began with breakfast in yet another restaurant: Ironwood American Kitchen. This is one of the eateries in the Fairmont Scottsdale Princess, the AAA Five-Diamond luxury golf resort surrounded by the Sonoran Desert.
The previous night, in the glow of a firepit under the Arizona stars, a server with an equally twinkling personality named Angelina served me skinny margaritas and smiles amidst the spirited buzz in the resort’s open-air Plaza Bar.
Ironwood American Kitchen has plenty of dishes to soak up the tequila and power up for golf.
The hot restaurant’s bi-folding glass walls overlook the resort’s Princess Pool and diners can also see the exhibition kitchen. And again, Ironwood American Kitchen is no typical breakfast “golf grill.”
If you resist the $67 “Chef’s Tasting Board,” you can still choose from the likes of black rice muesli, dark chocolate cronut, smoked salmon toast, croque madame, short rib benedict or crème brulee french toast.
My golf compadre ordered the green chile pork chilaquiles with slow-roasted pork shoulder and crispy tortilla chips. I do not know how he managed to swing a club after an organic, sustainable, local farmstead cheese-laden fiesta like that.
Mowry & Cotton at The Phoenician
The Phoenician is also a Scottsdale, Camelback Mountain classic, AAA Five Diamond golf resort with restaurants overlooking the golf course. This includes Mowry & Cotton, where I dined.
I was seated at the long table, with my back to the panoramic view of firepits, fountains, the desert “skyline,” swimming pools, the golf course and decorative hanging lights. But the “misfortune” allowed me to focus on the cuisine coming out of the hearth oven that centers the restaurant.
Buttermilk buns, flatbreads, veal and garlic meatballs were our shared starter. Charred hanger steak was my simple yet exquisite choice, though the lamb pappardelle two of my colleagues chose provoked some envy.
The sides were memorable, as well: butter-whipped Yukon potatoes and crispy taters with chorizo, horseradish and tomato brava hot sauce.
People in groups can be sheepish about ordering dessert. Still, one of us broke the ice with a request for seasonal gelato. So, being from Michigan, I opted for the tart cherry clafouti with vanilla white chocolate whipped ganache, cherry gel, and toasted hazelnut. (I did wonder if the delicious cherries were from Traverse City or Turkiye.)
Scottsdale’s Scene
Dining or driving, Scottsdale’s golf scene is a menu rich with restaurants and golf courses. TPC Scottsdale’s 36 holes are the Stadium Course, a PGA Tour venue and the Champions Course.
Both courses are adjacent to the Fairmont Scottsdale Princess and its sprawling, vibrant setting suitable for weddings, corporate gatherings and just an exciting night out.
We-Ko-Pa’s two very natural, scenic courses – the Saguaro and the Cholla – are among Arizona’s top-ranked public courses.
The resort – an enterprise of the Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation – also offers a hotel and casino.
Troon North Golf Club’s 36 holes – the Monument and Pinnacle Courses – are demanding desert golf designed by the late British Open champion Tom Weiskopf. The clubhouse’s Dynamite Grill overlooks golf holes and mountains.
The Phoenician’s par-71 golf course is an enjoyable, lush, Sonoran Desert affair steps away from the resort’s elaborate spa and state-of-the-art Phoenician Athletic Club.
And between rounds, Scottsdale’s Ale Trail brews up sudsy adventure. Barstool Scottsdale, Bottled Blonde, Brat Haus, Craft 64, Goldwater Brewing Company, RnR Gastropub, Sip Coffee and Beerhouse, and Social Tap are among the varied drinking and dining fests.
Read more of Michael Patrick’s work at The Travel Tattler and contact him at [email protected]
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