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Christopher’s Restaurant & Crush Lounge
2502 E. Camelback Rd. | 602-522-2344

     Christopher Gross’ latest incarnation of his popular restaurant at Biltmore Fashion Park still serves food with a French theme.  The interior now sports a decidedly masculine mood of design with dark brown modern chairs and banquette seating ahchored in two corners by round orange booths.  Stark white dinnerware and white cloth tablecloths provide a light contrast.
     A peek into the updated lounge area with its sensuous new look found the place hopping even though it was early on this Friday night, so they must be doing something right.  But we were more in the mood for another kind of nourishment and allowed the hostess to escort us into the dining room, although on such a temerate night I was almost tempted to be seated in the pleasing patio.
     Sommelier Paola Embry’s wine list still lives up to its previous stunning selections of choices from around the world.  Chef Christopher Gross has assembled an updated menu that features his amazing French flair on food.  Our gracious server had a European accent and a friendly manner as she informed us of several specials that night not on the menu.  “Take your time deciding,” she said, after we practically drooled over each one.
     With summer just a distant memory and a nice nip on some nights, I could not resist starting with the comforting French Onion Soup ($11).  Served in a posh deep tureen, the beefy broth was scrumptious and so generously cheesy that my spoon wore a constant coat of the rich cheese.
     Companion shares his Cheese Selection ($16).  Diners can choose their own four from a list of sheep, cow and goat varieties or let the chef choose, which was what we went wit.  The Heartland Gouda had a rich, firm taste and the Oregon Blue Vein had just the right amount of tang.  A soft French epoisse was excellent smeared on the accompanying toasts, but Companion gobbled up the fourth selection, forgetting my existence.  He informed me it was delicious.  Obviously!
     The menu lists a different special dish for each day and I could not resist Friday’s Lamb Shank ($34).  The meaty bone was surrounded by slices of roasted parsnips.  I had never tasted a vegetable with such interesting texture and flavor.  The lamb was fall-off-the-bone tender and so tasty that I polished off the generous portion.
     My dining companion’s choice from our server’s list of that night’s offerings was the Roasted Duck ($31).  The half duck was crunch skinned and richly seasoned the flavorful fowl was cooked to perfection as to render out, yet leave just the right amount of fat and was surrounded with some delicious small round roasted onions. 
     Since Chef Gross is famous for his Chocolate Tower, we did look at the dessert menu, wondering if we should split the tower or try any of the numerous other offerings such as the Lemon Tart or  Vanilla Flan (All $9).  But even though we had not even ordered any of the ($7) sides that sounded so intriguing like the Curried Duck Fries or Truffled Frites, our sated stomachs warned us to trade the dessert menu for the check and bow out gracefully before rolling ourselves out to the car.  Bon Appetit!
     Christopher’s Restaurant is open for lunch every day from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.  Happy hour is also every day from 3 to 6 p.m. and dinner is served nightly 5 p.m. to 10.