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Delux
3146 E. Camelback Rd., 602-522-2288

The day had finally come. Not Christmas Day but “Delux Day.” It was just a matter of time until I would be invited to this new hotspot. Of course I went with instant gratification in mind and showed up half an hour before everyone else to get my feet wet. Okay, and my lips. I wanted a few previews of what we were going to experience.

Based on several visits, I can steer you through the menu with little doubt as to what is good. That being established, everything is good. Really.

Lenny Rosenburg (Blue Burrito, Zen 32, 5 and Diner, etc.) has another hit on his hands. Lunch and dinner are flush with patrons after being open only a couple months.

The place is gorgeous inside. The shiny chrome and the gargantuan mirrors and the dark granite-like countertops all reflect the beautiful people who patronize the joint. The unisex bathrooms (one person at a time, please) are snazzy and elegant.

But the obvious attraction is the east wall, where 40 gleaming beer taps are protruding out like little chrome tunnels of love. Most are unfamiliar to me but after a few visits I’m ordering like a Brewmeister. The bulk of this specially crafted beer selection hails from Belgium and California and you won’t find the usual suspects made in St. Louis and Milwaukee here.
Curious? Try the beer flights. There are four different flights, each with a selection of three 5-ounce samples. The flights are $6 or $7 and the regular beers range in price from $4.50 to $7. There is also a selection of wines by the glass: four white and five red.

Oh yes, the food! Lenny did this just right—keep the food simple, yet complex in taste. The menu is brilliantly short.
The Delux Burger is their flagship item—organic, Neiman Ranch beef infused with a maytag and gruyere cheese mixture, topped with apple wood smoked bacon, caramelized onions and arugula, served on a demi baguette ($8). I devour this burger so quickly that I’m actually a bit embarrassed—it’s just that good.

A Grilled Chicken Panini with roasted peppers, sun-dried tomatoes, baby arugula, fresh mozzarella and a pesto-mayo on an artisan demi-roll ($8) is my wife’s favorite, and the Grilled Vegetable Panini ($7) looks awesome as well. Another star attraction: the fries. Anyone can whip together a batch of fries, but making them just right requires a lot of trial and error and patience. Delux is putting out a pretty darn good fry. There are two options here—the regular fries (made in house) and the sweet potato fries. To settle the whole issue of indecisiveness, order the combination ($6) which will be enough to share for two or three diners.

The salads are almost like a dessert, freshly cut and lushly dressed. I love the Beet Salad—mixed greens, roasted beets with glazed pecans and maytag blue cheese with a creamy balsamic dressing ($8). The Chinese Chicken Salad is a lip-smacker as well ($8).

Häagen Dazs ice cream is the primary ingredient for the dessert menu. Shakes and Malts ($5), Banana-Split Lava Cake Delux ($8), and a Hot Fudge Sundae ($5) all sound great, but will have to wait for the next visit, due to scarfing down recklessly.

I think the simplicity is what makes this place work. I want superb beer on tap. I want crisp and delicious salads. I want perfect meat and I want fabulous desserts. I like the fact that I can even accidentally order a great meal here. Thanks again, Lenny.