Helmed by Chef Aaron Chamberlin who trained under Jean-Georges Vongerichten, St. Francis is the culmination of a lifelong dream for Chamberlin – and every aspect of this contemporary and stylish restaurant co-owned with his brother, David, radiates with the pride and pleasures to be derived from a dream’s realization. Both urbane and familial, St. Francis manages to be as serious about its cuisine as it is friendly and warm in its hospitality.
Housed in uptown Phoenix in an historic building with particular meaning for Phoenix’s LGBT community, the restaurant is like a downtown loft, with a second-floor dining room overlooking tables on the main floor. Brick walls and corkwood provide a rustic charm that complements the more industrial elements such as a polished concrete floor.
The bar spills out onto an al fresco patio – and on weekends, the buzz is intoxicating as locals and savvy tourists chow down on seasonal American food from Chamberlin’s well-sourced menu.
The restaurant and kitchen’s focal point is the massive handcrafted wood-fire brick oven, which turns out fresh baked breads, and grilled meats, fish, and vegetables. There’s a house-made baguette and crispy fingerling potatoes, for starters, as well as a punchy citrus salad, and an aromatic red quinoa salad, and a seven-vegetable rice mélange with a sweet and spicy dressing.
This is homey, comfort food filtered through the mind of a chef who’s been fed in Vongerichten’s kitchens. Don’t miss the sticky toffee pudding, laden with sweet dates and served with vanilla gelato. It’s the sort of dessert you might consider ordering twice – because you want the taste to linger on your palate as you dream through the night.
What lingers in the mind after an evening at St. Francis is the conviviality of a community devoted to eating well. In short, St. Francis is precisely the restaurant that makes you anticipate a return visit to Phoenix.
LINK: St. Francis Restaurant
