- It was raining.
- We had to get out of the house for a few hours.
- It was lunch time.
So we decided to go down to Scottsdale Fashion Square, figuring there must be someplace to have lunch, we’d be out of the rain, and we could walk around for a while afterwards. However, it seemed to be a bad decision. The mall was mobbed, the food court gross, and the uninspiring restaurants near the food court had long lines. I was ready to leave, but Ken has more forbearance than I do, so we went up half a level, following a sign pointing toward Yard House and Grand Lux Cafe. Fortunately, the sidewalk led us to the Cafe, a place we had never noticed before.
We entered the imposing lobby, done up in black marble (faux?), with a nice display of desserts in a glass case. There was a short wait, during which we looked over the extensive menu. The dining area is cavernous, with high, high ceilings. There are lots of chandeliers, gilt moldings, and art deco touches. All very Vegas. But with an eerily Cheesecake Factory vibe about it, too. Actually, now that I think about it, Vegas is very Cheesecake Factory. And as it turns out, the creator of the Cheesecake Factory was commissioned by the owners of the Venetian Resort and Casino to create a casual, upscale restaurant for them. And, voila, the Grand Lux Cafe was born. There are now about 15 of them scattered around the country.
As you probably know by now, I’m not a big fan of corporate food, but there were some interesting items on the menu, it was still raining, and by now we were starving. We decided to share a cup of chicken/cream of mushroom soup. It was actually more like a bowl, a serving-size trend which was to continue. Beautifully seasoned and creamy, it came as a great surprise. But even better was the accompanying bread. Both the white and whole wheat slices had such crisp crusts that we were sending shards all over ourselves and the tablecloth when we broke the slices apart.
Within a reasonable time our sandwiches arrived. Mine was short rib, grilled cheese and carmelized onion. A sublime combination, and one that had never occurred to me. There was a little container of a sweet and sour salsa, which helped cut the richness of the sandwich. I had asked for my side of fries to be extra crispy, but there were none on the plate. The waitress brought them a minute or two later - they had obviously spent extra time in the fryer because they were perfectly cooked. They’re at least as good as those at George’s Gyros, and maybe even a little better. For me, that makes them the best in town. Ken went with short ribs, too, but in the form of a sloppy joe. It came in a large hot dog style bun that had been nicely grilled. Mild,sweet onions and a serving of mustard sauce (which was heavenly on the fries) were on the plate. Ken liked my sandwich a little better than his, but I thought they were pretty much equal. I believe my sandwich was $12, and Ken’s was $10 - not bad for the quality and quantity.
As I said, the menu was quite large. I’ll mention a few of the items which caught my eye. Appetizers: cheese steak springrolls, duck pot stickers. The Oven and Broiler section: chicken pot pie and Jamaican pork tenderloin. Pan and Grill: fried chicken, thai caramel chicken, jambalaya, and weiner schnitzel. Many of the desserts are baked to order and must be ordered at the beginning of your meal. There’s molten chocolate cake (isn’t there always?!), roasted pineapple upside down cake, beignets, and a few more. From the bakery come sticky bun bread pudding, banana cream pie, five kinds of cheesecake and chocolate layer cake. I could go on but you get the idea. I’ve left out lots of things on the menu, salads, pizzas, and a specialty cocktail of the day for $5 - you can see the whole thing on their website. Unfortunately the prices aren’t listed there. The entrees seem to range from about $13 to the mid twenties. Not cheap, but not outrageous, and lots of things are share-able.
I’d happily go back, particularly if it’s not raining. There’s outdoor parking right near the door, so you don’t have to set foot in the mall.
Grand Lux Cafe
7014 E. Camelback Rd. Scottsdale
On the East side of Scottsdale Fashion Square, next to Starbucks
480-949-7800
Monday - Thursday 11 - 10, Friday and Saturday 11 - 11, Sunday 10 - 10
grandluxcafe.com
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