The all-time champion of mom-approved comfort food is taking Valley restaurants by storm.
by Marilyn Hawkes | Photo by Angelina Aragon
Uncertain times and comfort food seem to go hand in hand. When we need to feel grounded, we turn to familiar and soothing dishes – from a steaming bowl of matzah ball soup to a plate of crispy fried chicken. Beef stroganoff, that classic Russian dish of braised beef in a mustardy cream sauce, served over some kind of lovely starch, is arguably the nuclear option of comfort – and one deployed by Valley restaurants in ever greater numbers.
At Citizen Public House (7111 E. Fifth Ave., Scottsdale, 480-398-4208, citizenpublichouse.com), chef-owner Bernie Kantak serves “white tablecloth” beef stroganoff ($38, pictured), a glorious gathering of pasta studded with buttery pieces of beef tenderloin sautéed with shallots and garlic, bits of cabbage, and sturdy beech and maitake mushrooms. The dish, created by chef de cuisine Jamie Ashcraft, is bathed in a rich sauce of chicken stock and demi-glace finished with tangy sour cream. While most stroganoff is served over egg noodles, Citizen Public House uses bucatini (hollow spaghetti) made by local Sonoran Pasta Co. “Bucatini really holds on to sauces,” Kantak says. The James Beard Award-nominated chef has been serving comfort food in his restaurants for ages. “It just took everyone 15-plus years to catch up with me.”
Likely named for a member of the influential Stroganov family in 19th-century Russia, the dish was originally just beef in sour cream sauce, without mushrooms or pasta, but today, variations abound. Edelweiss Biergarten (2625 E. Bell Rd., Phoenix, 602-404-5919, edelweissbiergarten.com), dishes up a hardy helping of German-Hungarian-style stroganoff ($24.95), with a mix of thinly sliced, sautéed beef filet smothered in a mushroom cream sauce peppered with onions, button mushrooms and just the right amount of salt and pepper. Served over spaetzle – a German egg noodle with a soft, chewy texture, made from eggs, flour and milk – Edelweiss’s stroganoff is creamy and satisfying. Wash it down with a beer and a slice of German chocolate cake for the full biergarten experience.
Chef-owner Matt Collins of Wally’s American Pub ‘n Grill (5029 N. 44th St., Phoenix, 602-954-2040, wallyspub.com) leans hard into comfort food, including Matty’s Beef Stroganoff ($22) brimming with chunks of tender New York strip steak. He makes a beef-stock-based sauce, adding sautéed onions and button mushrooms, along with sour cream and his “secret” ingredient, a dash of spicy mustard. He thickens the sauce with a smidgen of flour and then ladles an ample portion over a soft nest of egg noodles, topped with chopped parsley. The saucy bowl is a big hit with diners, and even though the restaurant is billed as a pub, Wally’s is more of a family restaurant, Collins says. “Families and comfort food go together. We serve big portions and no one leaves here hungry.”