East Valley dining: Nico in Gilbert, Shaanxi Garden in Chandler
There are so many great places to dine in the East Valley, how do you possibly choose? The Republic's dining writer Dominic Armato helps narrow the field. Here are excerpts from two recent reviews.
Nico
The original review ran Nov. 8, 2016. Some dishes may no longer be available.
Big and buzzing (if bordering on booming when the seats fill up), Nico is stylishly appointed and dimly lit, a contemporary brick-and-wood box bolstered with old-school touches like brass fixtures and tufted leather banquettes. A smooth front-of-house operation handles the dining room with aplomb and an up-tempo pace, whether servicing the tables or a long bar that runs the length of the room.
READ FULL REVIEW: Gio Osso’s stylish new eatery brings saucy Italian to downtown Gilbert
Scampi ($13) are the stuff of this Italian-American kid’s youth, drenched in butter and garlic and taken for a spin in the oven. Perfectly cooked with a splash of wine, they’re precisely what you hoped they’d be.
Spinach salad ($10) with Gorgonzola, bacon and candied walnuts is a boilerplate offering. The stracciatella ($12) — shreds of fresh mozzarella — is creamy and light, but the accompanying mix of arugula and roasted bell peppers was doomed by overuse (through no fault of the chef) two decades ago.
Anything red, on the other hand, hits the mark. Nonna’s meatballs ($11), quirky little misshapen lumps of beef and pork, sport a bright, chunky tomato sauce and a Sunday supper charm. And though the eggplant parmigiana ($11) sometimes melts into a textureless puddle, that puddle still boasts a rich and luscious flavor, topped with the gentle bite of bubbling caciocavallo cheese.
Delightfully chewy rigatoni ($14) is both bold and balanced, with a tannic, red wine-heavy pork sauce that’s brash but stops short of belligerence. Osso’s lasagna al forno ($14) is also a winner.
Flat iron ($25) is a chewy, flavorful cut of beef that I’m always happy to see on a menu, though I wish Nico’s perfectly cooked version, paired with potatoes and cippollini, weren’t drenched in a sweet sour reduction.
The dishes that work are memorable enough to make you forgive those that don’t, as well as the occasional misstep.
Details: 366 N. Gilbert Road, Gilbert. 480-584-4760, nicoaz.com.
Shaanxi Garden (previously House of Egg Roll)
The original review ran Nov. 8, 2016. Many dishes may no longer be available as the restaurant has changed its name and retooled its menu.
Last summer, new owners took over the otherwise unremarkable takeout joint and performed a radical makeover, injecting a vivid selection of Shaanxi specialties that quickly caught the attention of Chinese students at Arizona State University and, not long thereafter, national press.
RELATED: Full review of Shaanxi Garden (previously House of Egg Roll) | 3 restaurants shake up local Chinese cuisine
When it's on, it’s some of the best Chinese food in town.
Noodles are abundant and prepared in a myriad of manners. The signature biang biang noodles ($10.25) are wide, paper-thin and longer than your arm, piled with meat and better with a splash of vinegar or chile sauce. Those seeking bolder flavors may prefer the Shaanxi-style handmade noodles ($9.55), a similar breed with an aggressively spicy condiment.
Lamb figures heavily and is expertly presented, from a classic cumin-laced stir fry ($13.95) and spicy, dry-rubbed barbecue lamb kebabs ($7.25) to the lamb with cilantro ($13.95), which could be more accurately titled cilantro with lamb. It’s a verdant burst of fragrance — a pile of stir-fried cilantro stems with slivers of meat that casts the plucky bit player in a rare starring role.
The special hot chili crayfish ($25.98) is like the Shaanxi version of a Louisiana crawfish boil, drenched in a fiery oil spiked with both fresh and dried chiles. If you prefer not to shell anything, give the shrimp with spicy hot chili sauce ($17.95) a try. Loaded with chiles and garlic, they’re still in the shell but stir-fried hot enough to turn crisp and completely edible, head to tail, shells and all.
Though the kitchen needs to execute them with a little more consistency, these are all vibrant, flavorful dishes from a region of China otherwise unrepresented in the Valley.
Details: 961 W. Ray Road, Chandler. 480-899-9331, shaanxibiangbiang.com.
Reach Armato at dominic.armato@arizonarepublic.com or 602-444-8533; interact with him on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
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