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Fenix Eatery & Bar
3943 East Camelback Road , 602-952-0013
Hours: 5:00 - 11:00 p.m., Monday - Saturday

Thank goodness we had arrived early for dinner Friday night at Fenix Eatery & Bar because by the time we left, the place was packed with patrons. Located in the Wild Oats strip mall on the southwest corner of Camelback Road and 40th Street, the entry into Fenix passes through a pair of heavy metal, vintage-looking doors inlaid with leaded glass. Chandeliers with softly lit white globes keep the atmosphere subdued.
A long, impressive bar is the first thing you see, lined with beautiful dark wood barstools that were already filled with the evening’s tipplers, who were also glowing from the flaming candles floating in goblets along the length of the bar’s counter.

The opposite wall held a long upholstered banquette along with dry mounted artwork by artists such as Toulouse-Lautrec and anchored to the south by a huge reproduction of a 1920’s glamour puss, which I found out later was a famous Man Ray portrait of art collector and heiress Peggy Guggenheim. The night we were there, the restaurant seemed to appeal to mostly two types of clients: well-dressed only child families and older couples.

The menu listed standard Continental cuisine choices. Listed as “hors d’oeuvres,” the list of starters includes salads such as a Classic Caesar ($6) and other interesting choices like a Warm Spinach Salad & Grilled Trout ($12), along with sophisticated dishes like Escargot in Garlic Butter (Market Price). We began with the Onion Soup Gratinee ($5), a rich broth loaded with sweet onion slices and topped with the obligatory piece of bread beneath a thick layer of cheese.
Now that cooler temps are finally in the air, the steaming soup was wonderful comfort food with just the right of amount of cheese to cut up with one’s spoon and make last through the very last bite.

We split an appetizer order of Maine Sea Scallops Au Gratin ($12). The delectable morsels from Maine came in a delicious mushroom cream sauce and were generously sprinkled with cheese. My companion and I were both in a good mood, so we amicably agreed to split the last remaining seafood gem as we polished off the serving.

I skipped the trio of chicken entrees that start off the dinner choices and opted for the Long Island Duckling a l’Orange ($18). By rote, my meat and potatoes lovin’ companion ordered the Steak Au Poivre ($22). Our pleasant waitress started out by bringing us each the salad of mixed field greens that comes with each entrée. To go with his love of the basics, my dining accomplice prefers plain iceberg, but he managed to finish his “chi-chi” salad, even mentioning how much he liked that the tomatoes were cut into half-inch slivers rather than chunks. The greens were splashed with an ordinary vinaigrette, although I would have liked to have had the option to choose something from the creamier side of dressings.

My dinner that followed was a half duck split lengthwise and covered in an interesting dark sauce that complimented the baby asparagus and huge pile of wild rice that shared the plate. The fowl was completely free of fat and cooked to perfection. The dark meat was tender and plentiful with the skin crisped just the way it should be.

We shared bites and I almost wish I had ordered the fork tender filet mignon steak instead. The beef was lightly coated in sautéed peppercorns and a creamy cognac sauce. A side dish of Potato Au Gratin, was beautiful to the eye, coated in a crusty cheese layer, but once the topping was eaten, the underneath portion could have used some added seasoning or a few cut up green onions to zing it up a bit.

It was just as well that the menu offered no dessert selections since we were stuffed. Each dinners’ side dishes had been good enough to eat, unlike some chefs who utilize that side of the plate more for the visual effect rather than taste, tossing a few undercooked crowns of bright broccoli next to a pair of barely browned red potatoes and some chunks of spongy squash.

Earlier during the evening as the elegant space filled to capacity, the manager opened up the entire north wall of the restaurant by sliding up the glass paneled garage-type door that is the front of the eatery. I mentioned to the waitress how wonderful a feature the rolling door was.

“We’ve had mixed reviews on it. Some like it; and some say it’s too cold,” she said. Put me down for one of those who liked it. That’s the whole idea of being able to enjoy the rare crisp air after being closed up inside during half the year breathing only air conditioning.

Overall, I would definitely return to the Fenix Eatery & Bar, especially on an evening when the chef is preparing what I found out later was his specialty, a stunning ahi tuna steak the couple next to us had each ordered and then spent the next ten minutes oohing and aahing over. Just make sure you bring along a sweater if you’re the type who doesn’t enjoy the night air.