The 38 Best Restaurants in Phoenix | Eater Phoenix

"With so many great restaurants tucked into Phoenix strip malls these days, Course might be the most ambitious of the bunch. Helmed by 2025 James Beard Award semifinalist Cory Oppold, this central Scottsdale stunner delivers one of the city’s most refined dining experiences from a space wedged between a chain restaurant and martial arts studio. Choose from a five-course prix-fixe on weeknights ($135) or the eight-course tasting menu ($175) offered Friday and Saturday, where Oppold’s background in architecture and fine dining collide in artful, seasonally focused plates. Expect inventive compositions that feel more thoughtful than showy — jade pearl rice with hen of the woods and chicken oyster, or lamb loin with mint, honshimeji, and fava bean. The plating is precise, the service polished without being stiff, and the neutral-toned room offers a calm, elegant backdrop. Wine pairings from sommelier David Sander and cocktails by Justin Chard round out the experience. Yes, its unlikely strip mall facade is the first thing you experience. But the second the first course hits the table, that all fades away. Best for: Impressing someone who’s seen it all." - McConnell Quinn