A new restaurant in a storied downtown space pairs global flavors with Arizona beer and wine
The Pairing Room soft-opened in the space formerly occupied by chef Stephen Jones' award-winning restaurant The Larder + The Delta.
Owner Doajo Hicks created the restaurant to offer food to pair with wines from his vineyard, Coronado Vineyards in Willcox, as well as with craft beers from his brewery, Throne Brewing Company. Coronado Vineyards' Malbec and Sangiovese wines have won bronze medals at the 2018 Decanter World Wine Awards, one of the world's largest wine competitions. Both the winery and brewery are Black and Native American-owned by Dojao Hicks and his wife, Roxanne.
The man behind the menu, chef Dezmond Gutierrez brings 14 years of culinary experience as executive chef at Oak on Camelback and as executive sous chef at Grayhawk Golf Club. He also helped revamp the menu at Throne Brewing and Pizza Kitchen on Central Avenue.
"Growing up, I wasn't a cartoon kid. I was a Food Network kid," Gutierrez said. My favorites were Bobby Flay, Emeril Lagasse and Gordon Ramsay. I'd love to cook for Ramsay."
What's on the menu at The Pairing Room?
The menu is divided into appetizers, salads, mains and desserts, and there are rotating global specials.
"Since our main concept is pairing food with wine," said Gutierrez, "we are not restricted to one type of food. We can do food from around the world."
To start, the focaccia bruschetta makes use of focaccia made using blood orange beer. It's topped with whipped goat cheese, crispy prosciutto, pickled asparagus, bull blood beets, micro greens, and a red wine reduction. According to Gutierrez, it pairs best with Devereux white wine and blonde ale beer.
The beet and melon salad, made with arugula, a rose lavender whipped goat cheese, crispy prosciutto and orange vinaigrette is bright and refreshing and pairs with Lauren chenin blanc and Gateway Blonde.
The chef's favorite main is the crispy chicken coconut curry, made with extra-crisp chicken katsu and red wine-infused jasmine rice topped with a rich curry. The chicken is a nod to his childhood in Hawaii, while the curry is a play on one of the owner's favorite meals from Oak. As for pairing, chef suggests their Conquistador red wine or the blood orange IPA.
"Consistency is the name of the game here," Gutierrez said. "We want to make sure the plates are exactly the same as the last time you were here."
How to visit The Pairing Room
The interior of the restaurant is very similar to its predecessor, though a black and white motif has replaced the yellow pops inside. The patio is dog-friendly. In addition to offering a menu curated to match Arizona-produced wine and beer, The Pairing Room also offers wine by-the-bottle to go.
The restaurant has soft-opened and is offering food only (no alcohol). The grand opening is at 3 p.m. on April 20th, after which the restaurant will offer full service from 3 p.m. to 11 p.m. daily.
Prices: $10-$15 for appetizers, $9-$12 for salads, $22-$30 for mains, $8-$10 for desserts, $10-$14 per glass for wine and $7-$9 for beer.
Details: 200 W. Portland St., #101, Phoenix. pairingroom.com.
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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Phoenix restaurant The Pairing Room is built around AZ beer and wine
