Market Street Kitchen

[crsin]

I was surprised not to see any talk of the new collaboration between Robert McGrath and Matt Taylor on here or CH. Any initial reports? Going to be back in town visiting next week, so I was curious...

Wasn't able to find a website or a menu of any sort, only their fb (http://www.facebook.com/MarketStreetKitchen)

[Skillet Doux]

Welcome to the board, crsin... glad to have you with us!

I confess, I'm a little surprised myself.

I wonder if there's a bit of fatigue starting to set in for this kind of fare, but that's probably overthinking it. Particularly since Taylor got an awful lot of love for the stint over at Noca and you have to believe these guys will have plenty of tricks up their sleeves. More likely it's because they've been open less than a week and I can't find a menu anywhere online to check out either. Makes me wonder if they're trying to play it cool for a little bit. Maybe not ShinBay cool, but you take my meaning

Anyway, the pertinent info is below, though the Facebook page listed above is more useful than the website at the moment... anybody heard anything yet?

Incidentally, crsin, if you're traveling solo and looking for a little company and/or ordering power, don't hesitate to put up a post on the Events and Gatherings board. If it's a later dinner, particularly during the week, I'd love to go check it out with you.

Market Street Kitchen
www.marketstreetkitchen.com
20825 N. Pima Road
Scottsdale, Arizona 85255
480-278-7044

[azhotdish]

I'm excited about this new venture, though it's definitely off the well-worn track for me in terms of location. What I'm most interested in seeing is the rotisserie offerings and whether or not Robert let's Matt spread his wings and go full-Southern from time-to-time. Perhaps a Sunday night thing, maybe brunch, something like that.

Anyway, Christina (Rubee) hit it tonight and I hope she'll report back.

[crsin]

Cool, thanks for the info. I'll be sure to report back if I make it there, but hopefully Rubee will beat me to the punch.

Dom-thanks for the welcome. Great community you built here--will definitely be helpful every time I come home, especially since PHX CH has died a swift and depressing death. I'm going to be here visiting friends and family, so much of my eating time will be occupied. However, I also happen to have a much larger appetite and interest in finding new spots than any of them, so if I have any spare time for some exploratory eating, I'll be sure to post it here.

[ScottofStrand]

Totally looking forward to checking Market Street out. Last time I talked to Matt he was knee deep in prepping for the opening, and super excited about it. Definitely looking forward to good cheese and rotisserie Duck! I'll post in Events and Gatherings if I decide to head there this week!

[Christina]

I've been very excited about this opening. Although I never had the chance to eat at Roaring Fork or Renegade when Chef McGrath was there, I'm a big fan of Chef Matt Taylor. We walked in at about 8 pm on a Tuesday night and the place was hopping. Fortunately we snagged the only two seats open at the bar. With a full house, the atmosphere and vibe was energetic and fun, and we heard more than one person comment how glad they were to have it in their neighborhood.

I started off with an excellent Sazerac by Rich. They do have a barrel-aged Sazerac on the menu, although it won't be ready for a couple more weeks. Later on I asked Rich to surprise me and he paired my scallops with a cocktail so good, I had two, made with Espolon reposado tequila, R&W Orchard Peach, simple syrup, lime juice and orange and peach bitters. He also suggested a rosé that was lovely. I can't remember the name; I'll have to check our bill.

Between the two of us, we tried: Cheese and charcuterie (wild boar salami, La Quercia prosciutto, Benton country ham; Mt. Tam cheese, Haystack Mountain Red Cloud, Mélodie chevre, and Paški Sir from Croatia), scallops, chopped salad, mussels, green chili mac and cheese, and filet with "whiskey shellac". We were chatting the whole time with friendly barmates and Rich, so I actually didn't concentrate on the food as much as I should have. We also ordered too much so most of the filet and mac and cheese came home with us. I just asked E what was his favorite and he said he loved the chopped salad (with rotisserie chicken, blue cheese, bacon and Maytag ranch dressing). My favorite were the mussels - plump, almost creamy, in a smoked ham hock and cipollini broth. I also really liked the spicy jalapeno sausage served with the green chili mac. Skipped dessert, and Chef Matt treated me to an after-dinner Fernet. Great night.

Like others, I'm really looking forward to the rotisserie items. One of the reasons we went last night was because Tuesdays feature "air-dried duckling char su barbecue with Colusari red rice". Unfortunately, they were sold out. My bar neighbors, however, had it and both said it was their favorite of everything they had. It looked and smelled fantastic, and now I wish I had taken them up on their offer for a bite OTOH, now we have the perfect excuse to return next week!

[Skillet Doux]

Not at all, crsin! Doing our best to build something special here Whether you make it to a gathering or not, I look forward to hearing about the places you get to while you're in town.

I freaking adore mussels, and that one caught my eye when it was mentioned somewhere a couple of months ago. I'm anxious to try it.

So are the daily rotisserie special and the chicken the only items done on the rotisserie, or are there other items I'm missing?

Awesome first report, Christina... thanks!

[crsin]

Nice, thanks for the report Christina. It all sounds very promising. Also psyched to see some of the names I can make out on the charcuterie list (Olympic Provisions, Benton's ham...).

Good to see a place breathing some life back into DC Ranch, too.

[ericeatsout]

This is right in my neck of the woods and I like both Taylor and McGrath's cooking....a lot. I'll check it out soon and try to report back.

[uhockey]

Chicken and Lamb Chops sound good - menu seems a bit same ol same ol otherwise.

[Christina]

Adding a few more pictures. We were there Monday with a friend. We shared the chopped salad, antipasti and mussels again. Tried two new dishes - the green chili pork with pepperjack and tortillas and the Monday rotisserie special of suckling pig with tamale pie (fab, especially with the orange-chile glaze on the pork). Would recommend both. I also had a chance to preview the barrel-aged Sazerac that was released Tuesday. Excellent, as were the other cocktails and service from Stacy at the bar. Another fun night and again it was a full house.

[cactuschowdah]

Christina,

Yelp (I know, I know) is full of people bitching about how the service is all over the place and plates are taking 70 minutes to come out of the kitchen- what are you seeing there not only for yourselves, but for the folks around you?

[cactuschowdah]

I'll follow up my question with a review Sorry there are no pictures- forgot my phone at home.

The charcuterie and cheese was decent- nothing mindblowing. We ordered 2 things off the rotisserie- the pork (Friday's special) and the chicken (on the regular menu). They were outrageously good- real smokey mesquite goodness. The "Tamale Pie" that came with the chicken was awesome as well. My Mom got a fish dish that doesn't appear on the menu they have posted online for some reason (but it was on the menu we looked at )- I believe it was trout, and it was cornmeal crusted and served with some octopus and other fish that for the life of me I can't remember in a cajun-style sauce. The tiny bite I was allowed to have was really good.

We ordered sides of mushrooms and the green chile mac and cheese, which was kind of disappointing in that the cheese on top was crusted over pretty well (like it had been sitting out too long) and it was pretty much impossible to stir up and get the cheese dispersed well. I'd like to try to order it again because the parts I ate when the cheese was somewhat "mixable" were really good, it just kind of fell flat at the end.

No issues whatsoever with the service, and the space itself is really nice. I would definitely go back to get anything off that rotisserie menu (duck on Tuesday, lamb on Thursday seem to be most likely culprits).

[Christina]

I'll follow up my question with a review

Oops, sorry about that I've been remiss! We've eaten at the bar both times chatting with friends, so to tell you the truth if there were longer-than-average waits, I didn't notice them. Glad you enjoyed it - I'm looking forward to the Tuesday duck one of these days.

[ScottofStrand]

Thanks for posting and reminding me! I'm gonna hit this up tomorrow and hopefully get there in time to get some duck! I'll be sure to report in on how it goes!

[Skillet Doux]

Market Street Kitchen seemed like the kind of place that would fit the bill for a Sunday night dinner with visiting grandparents, so I finally got up there this evening. Woooo... not photo friendly, that place (the light, not the staff).

Sea Scallops, Pecan Bacon, Grilled Cabbage, Chipotle Vinaigrette

"Entertainment Plates" seems like an odd moniker, but okay. We got a couple to start. My pick was the sea scallops, which called to me for some reason. Scallop and bacon is straightforward enough, and the grilled cabbage basically played like slaw, and I thought it was very nice. Good sear on the scallops, just barely warm where they'd been bisected (just right, IMHO), a little burn from the chipotle... solid dish.

Baby Back Ribs, Southern Greens, Apple & Feta Cheese

My father's choice was the ribs, which were similarly solid -- tender but not too much so, a sweet BBQ sauce sparingly applied, nice smoky flavor. They tasted more roasted than low and slow, but I'm okay with that. Not everything has to be competition BBQ style if it tastes good. The apple and feta paired well, and the star, frankly, was the greens. It was finely shredded kale, dressed in some kind of vinaigrette, I think. Not sure what it was composed of, but it was pretty damn tasty.

Pork Flat Iron, Green Peppercorn Sauce

I didn't taste any of the other entrees around the table, so I speak only for my own. The pork flat iron was simple, simple, simple. Nice and juicy, great texture, with a peppery pork reduction to pair. The greens -- same as their "Super Greens" in the sides section, I believe -- might've been nice if somebody hadn't gotten too frisky with the salt. I suppose I can't knock this dish. It needed one more element -- just a little punch from something -- to finish the dish for me. But it was very well-prepared and I did enjoy it.

I feel a little lame for not hitting the rotisserie special, but I just wasn't feeling BBQ tonight (brisket and ribs). I can't say I'm in a big rush to drive across town to get back, but we certainly had an enjoyable dinner and I'd absolutely return given the right intersection of opportunity and company. In some ways, I kind of feel like it's carefully positioned as a family crowd pleaser -- just interesting enough to hold the attention of people like me, not so interesting that it scares off the meat and potatoes crowd, and executed well enough that it seems like the kitchen is on top of things and you expect you'll get another good meal when you come back.

[Christina]

Our most recent visit was the best so far food-wise - three dishes and all I'd recommend. We shared the perfect spinach salad. Just enough vinegary tang and smoky bacon, tossed with a coddled egg to make a creamy dressing. For entrees, E loved his Dr. Pepper short rib, and I especially liked the chile risotto served alongside.



At Chef Matt's suggestion, I went with the Florida Red Snapper and "Gulf Coast Bouillabase". Delicious - perfectly cooked crispy-skinned snapper atop a rich tomato-based sauce chock-full of shrimp, lump crab, and octopus. Leftovers were fantastic the next day tossed with pasta.



When we were told that a new dessert is a local baker's daily delivery of rum cake, well we had to get that too. Pati's rum cake, crème anglaise and cajeta



As always, we ate at the bar where Rich made us some excellent cocktails, including a Boulevardier with Cocchi Barolo Chinato



Hangar One Spiced Pear, Kiwi puree, lemon juice, simple syrup and a float of prosecco.



Martinez with Aviation Gin.



Laird's Applejack, Rhum Clement Creole Shrubb, lemon juice and simple syrup with a cinnamon-orange sugared rim.



and finished up with his decadent Market Street Kitchen Hot Chocolate with Green Chartreuse and mascarpone whipped cream

[emmaAmethyst]

I've got to toss a little bartender love to Ryan too! I think he generally works earlier in the week, which is when I'm more often there. All the bar staff there is (are?) awesome, & the cocktails are really well crafted. My current favourite is the Hemingway Daiquiri, although I've tried most of them & not had a klunker. (Looks like they've pulled the Boulevardier off the current current drinks menu -- a shame, but there are plenty of other options!)

They've shuffled the main menu a bit, just recently. Rather than the rotating daily roast house offering, they've now got the chicken & the duck daily, prime rib Friday & Saturday, & barbecue Sunday. The duck is lovely -- whole leg/thigh & sliced breast, smoky & tender -- I recommend wholeheartedly. I adore the spinach salad -- its a bit old-school, there's just a bit of sweetness in the dressing, & it's not at all overly-fatty. The new rum cake is very nice -- not too heavy at all -- two of us split it & were fine. One option I love is to get one or two of the cheeses for "afters". And that pear/ginger compote that accompanies the cheese board is killer good.

So next time I'm there & see chef Matt personally bring a plate out to the bar, sounds like I'll have to introduce myself to Christina, eh?

[azhotdish]

Robert McGrath is leaving Market Street Kitchen.
http://www.azcentral.com/insiders/howardseftel/2013/03/25/robert-mcgrath-leaves-market-street-kitchen/

According to the article:

Taylor, 28, is taking over the restaurant’s chef duties, and he’ll be introducing his Southern-inspired menu later this week.

Which is great news, I think, since I thought the southern stuff that Matt did at Noca for a time was very good.

The McGrath revolving door continues...

[BarbaraToombs]

The McGrath revolving door continues...

Sheesh! What the heck is the deal with him??