Ocotillo

Ocotillo Restaurant Review:

After four years of planning, this project from chefs Walter Sterling and Sacha Levine debuted as an ambitious combo of restaurant, early morning coffee bar and outdoor beer garden. Built as a collection of corrugated steel and stained wood buildings around a tidy lawn courtyard, it invites guests to eat inside or out (or opt for curbside pick-up). Think of it as a little village honoring fine food inspired by Levine’s prior work at Scottsdale’s FnB. Farm-fresh ingredients are a signature and prominent in dishes like spicy mole chicken salad with greens, avocado, queso fresco and toasted pepitas, and on a plate of pecan-smoked beets with silky ricotta, arugula, truffled honey and pistachios. Seasonality also turns up in a crispy falafel burger with feta-yogurt and pickled beets. We like the homemade pasta smothered in a rich and spicy pork sugo, fall greens, chile flake and garlic breadcrumbs, as well as the Ocotillo chicken matched with local dates, pecans, citrus, honey and chiles. A full-service bar features a solid lineup of cocktails, wines (ask the onsite sommelier for pairing picks) and beer.