Bandera – Old Town Scottsdale

Last year we "discovered" Bandera in Old Town Scottsdale.  I think M had found it on a list of places that the Mariners like to frequent so we thought we’d give it a try – and it wouldn’t hurt if we saw some of our favorite guys, too! 

I have no idea if any of the Mariners were dining there.  The place was packed with the queue spilling out onto the sidewalk where future diners sipped drinks and enjoyed the early evening Arizona warmth.  We managed to worm our way into seats at the bar – no small task considering there were four of us! The food was great, the bartenders friendly, the atmosphere festive and energizing so it was high on our list for a repeat this year. 

This summer we were slightly disappointed to realize that Bandera is actually part of a corporate chain.  We discovered this by accident when M, while visiting Chicago, found herself in a place with a very familiar menu… We just decided to pretend that this is a Scottsdale place since it is part of what defines our Spring Training experience. 

We actually ended up at Bandera on both Friday and Saturday nights.  That wasn’t really the plan but on Saturday as we wandered around trying to make a decision Bandera kept calling our name.  Both nights we sat at the bar.  I was a little disappointed as the bar staff this year was not nearly as friendly as last, with the exception of one woman who was really great.  The lead bartender was rather sulky and unfortunately was there both Friday and Saturday.  However, the friendliness of other people at the bar more than made up for the staff.  I’d venture to say that at this time of year 90% of the people in Bandera are in town for Spring Training.  Nearly everyone we spoke with was a Giant fan, which makes sense since Scottsdale Stadium is the spring home of the San Francisco Giants.

On Friday we ordered much like we did last year, only we ordered a little less since there were only two of us this year.  I had a glass of wine from their short but nice list of wines by the glass, M had soda and cranberry.  Then we started with the Roasted Artichoke with Remoulade.  If you even slightly like artichokes you will love this preparation.  Basically, they steam, or maybe parboil, an artichoke, cut it in half, remove the choke and then grill it in the wood-fired oven which slightly caramelizes the edges of the leaves and imparts a deep smoky flavor to the artichoke.  The contrast of that smoky artichoke flesh with the bright flavor of the remoulade is to die for.  I don’t think we spoke more than a word or two while we devoured our servings. 

Next we split a Macho Salad.  Technically the artichoke is an appetizer and the salad is an entrée but portions here are large and so these two items were more than filling for the two of us.  The Macho Salad is a wonderful combination of everything but the kitchen sink!  Mixed greens form the base.  Generous portions of their rotisserie chicken, avocado, dates, goat cheese, nuts and corn bread croutons (M hogged all the croutons!) round out the offering.  As I’m writing this I’m thinking there must be some sort of dressing but I have no idea of what it was.  The flavors and textures of the ingredients are what standout in my mind.  The combination of flavors is just lovely.  You can identify the individual tastes but they become even more satisfying when combined.  It’s a light, yet filling dinner. 

On Saturday we went a different route.  I started with a Lemon Drop which I do NOT recommend.  It was yucky, although I did manage to finish it. :-)  What made it even worse was the absolutely perfect Lemon Drop I’d had earlier in the day – but that will be another entry.  On Friday, as were leaving I’d noticed someone with a slice of cornbread, which I had missed on the menu.  On the appetizer list they have a pan of cornbread, which we’ve had before but it’s a lot so we hadn’t ordered it.  I didn’t know you could get just a slice!  So on Saturday I was bound and determined to have a slice of that cornbread!  Especially since M had hogged all the croutons the night before! 

(Okay, I have to admit that she didn’t know she was hogging them.  When we ordered our salad the night before they split it for us in the kitchen and it just turned out that she got all the croutons.  We didn’t discover this until she was done with her salad and mentioned how good they were.  I was sad.)

Back to our dinner… We decided to order the Steak and Enchilada plate AND a PAN of cornbread.  Hooray!  The cornbread arrived first, warm from the oven, in it’s own little cast-iron skillet.  This cornbread is moist, almost cake-like, and filled with corn, cheddar and mild chilis.  It’s slightly sweet with a crispy crust.  You can ask for butter if you’d like but it is not needed as this bread is perfect as it.  I made myself stop at one piece, as I could have easily devoured the entire skillet on my own but that would have left me without room for our dinner.  And M might have been upset if I didn’t leave any for her. 

Our Steak and Enchilada arrived soon after.  We’d asked for our steak to be cooked medium-rare and it was done to perfection.  Again, the grill imparted a smoky, slightly charred taste to the crust of the meat.  It melted in your mouth.  The enchilada featured the rotisserie chicken, cheese and a sour cream based sauce.  I’m pretty sure there was avocado, too, although I didn’t note that so maybe it’s just my imagination.  This was another wonderful meal.  After I’d had my steak and enchilada I did manage to put away another piece of cornbread – I mean we wouldn’t want it to go to waste after all! 

I highly recommend Bandera, although it would be best if you like grilled, smoky flavors.  There are other options but the small menu leans heavily in that direction.  If you go, be prepared to wait or bring out your best vulture-like skills so that you can swoop down on bar seats as they become available. 

Multiple Locations, although I couldn’t find a corporate website. 

Bandera – Scottsdale
3821 N. Scottsdale Road
Scottsdale, 85251
(480) 994-3524