Best Hot Dog 2013 | Short Leash Sit . . . Stay | Food & Drink | Phoenix
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Best Hot Dog

Short Leash Sit . . . Stay

Jackie Mercandetti

In July, hot dog heaven came to the Valley and stayed put when Short Leash Hot Dogs, Brad and Kat Moore's venerable food truck — featuring gourmet hot dogs wrapped in a warm naan "bun" — found a permanent doghouse on Roosevelt Row. Now, along with signature dogs topped with ingredients like roasted green chiles, mango chutney, and Cracker Jack, frank fans can order up premium creations stuffed with jalapeño and cheddar, slow-cooked in beer, and topped with creamy mac and cheese. There's also craft beer and wine to wash 'em down with. Everyone's a wiener.

Best Sandwich

PBLT at Bootleggers

Like so many restaurants these days, Bootleggers serves pork belly. But given the cache of stellar, slow-cooked offerings at this barbecue pit gone the way of a gastropub in northeast Phoenix, it feels less like a novelty act and more a part of the program. Case in point: the PBLT. Smoked for 10 hours, the deliciously fatty meat, lit up with spicy aioli, beefsteak tomato, and onions between toasty pieces of sourdough, bulks out what is not only the best sandwich on the menu, but one of the most memorable in the Valley.

Best Grilled Cheese

Wedge & Bottle

Jackie Mercandetti
Wedge & Bottle features a rotating selection of top-notch meats and cheese on plates, in sandwiches, or to go.

Packed with gourmet cheeses, meats, and condiments on toasted bread, the melted cheese sandwiches at this top-notch wine and cheese shop in Ahwatukee sport the same satisfying crunch and gooey perfection we enjoyed as kids. Choose from a satisfying French-Italian sandwich with nutty raclette cheese and mortadella ham; a Barber's Cheddar inspiration layered with turkey; or customize a cheesy creation of your own. Each option comes with a choice of chips or salad, but we like paying a little extra for a cup of soup perfectly sized for sandwich dunking.

Best Jerk

Jerk Hut Jamaican Grille

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Something of a Jamaican shoreline snack shack minus the sandy beaches and sea air, this solid little spot of Caribbean eats, owned by three natives of Jamaica, serves up some killer jerk. Using a family recipe rub of lime, garlic, salt, Scotch bonnet peppers, and other spices, chicken and fish — and sometimes even chicken wings — get marinated and cooked up for tasty bites with a vivid, even heat kissed with citrus. Enjoy with an ice-cold ginger beer and some reggae beats and you're in jerk nirvana.

Best BBQ

Texas BBQ House

Since they opened their modest little 'cue joint in South Phoenix in 2011, Texas expats Mike Pitt and Doug Dieckmann of Texas BBQ House have been serving their smoked meats on large rectangles of butcher paper while politely encouraging customers to eat them sans sauce, plates — and even forks. There are the stellar standards: luscious brisket, jalapeño sausage, and rosemary-rubbed turkey that tastes like Thanksgiving. But most recently there are beef ribs, hulky and meaty pieces of smoky and peppery steer perfect enough to channel your inner cowboy — or Neanderthal (perhaps a little of each).

Best Use of PB & J

PB & J de Puerco at Milagro Grill

Milargo Grill

The humble peanut butter and jelly sandwich gets a twist of Mexican-American fusion at this Arcadia restaurant owned by the grandkids of Macayo's founders Grandpa Woody Johnson and wife Victoria. Called the PB & J de Puerco, this hefty hoagie features thick, downy bread layered with slices of delectable pork belly, tomato jam, peanuts, arugula, and chiltepin peppers. Sure, the classic flavors of salty and sweet are there, but the de Puerco adds spicy and smoky notes as well, making this take on PB & J anything but ordinary.

Best Milkshake

Udder Delights

Jackie Mercandetti

Ignore (for now) the wild ice cream flavors like red hot banana, vanilla birthday cake, and, yes, potato chip at this farm-owned micro-creamery and flavor lab in Gilbert. Today, what you've come here for is Udder Delights' amazing chocolate milkshake. Rich, lusciously creamy, and with a heady chocolate taste you will be powerless to resist, it's nothing short of cold, sweet perfection — one that you will have difficulty sucking down politely with the aid of a giant straw.

Best Desserts

Cowboy Ciao

Heather Hoch

Chef Country Velador's (Super Chunk Sweets & Treats) sweetly inspired creations at Old Town Scottsdale's Cowboy Ciao are a kind of revolving gourmet dessert tray. Her menu changes regularly, tempting us to choose, perhaps, from treats like luscious Angel Food "Bread" Pudding with a vanilla bean custard sauce, warm apple cobbler kissed with brown sugar and topped with a melting scoop of rich and buttery duck fat ice cream, or a decadent peanut butter bar tricked out with mascarpone, coconut ganache, and a graham cracker crust with toasted coconut and peanuts. Dessert first? At Cowboy Ciao, it's to be expected.

Best Vegan Desserts

Treehouse Bakery

Pineapple upside-down cake, churro cupcakes, cheesecake? And it's all vegan, you say? The Sizemore sisters must be magicians — filling a bakery with delicious treats made of organic and natural ingredients, free of egg, dairy, and (of course) meat products. No bacon treats here, and that's fine with us — we're sick of that trend. We much prefer eating healthy, as long as our sweet tooth stays satisfied. Eat your butter-clogged hearts out, Keebler elves. We're heading for a different treehouse.

Best Gluten-Free Desserts

Jewel's Bakery & Cafe

Judy Nichols

Once, we made the mistake of biting into a gluten-free cookie that we swear was made of cardboard and maybe a little chocolate. So we know that sweet treats without gluten can be bad. Like, really bad. But that's why we were shocked to learn that the cupcakes made by Julie Moreno of Jewel's cupcakes are gluten-free. The sheer number of flavors — including options like caramel macchiato, apple pie, red velvet, and salted caramel — will make anyone used to strict dining restrictions smile. And when it comes to flavor, texture, taste, and look, these little treats totally deliver. In fact, the only thing they seem to be missing is gluten. Since 2011, Moreno has been making and selling her cupcakes, brownies, and pies through her online store, but this fall, she will move the operation to a brick-and-mortar storefront. Moreno says she tests all her creations on her husband, who can consume gluten, so at least we're not the only ones she's got fooled.

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