The all-time champion of mom-approved comfort food is taking Valley restaurants by storm.<\/p>\n
by Marilyn Hawkes | Photo by Angelina Aragon<\/p>\n
Uncertain times and comfort food seem to go hand in hand. When we need to feel grounded, we turn to familiar and soothing dishes \u2013 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 \u2013 and one deployed by Valley restaurants in ever greater numbers.\u00a0<\/p>\n
At Citizen Public House<\/b> (7111 E. Fifth Ave., Scottsdale, 480-398-4208, citizenpublichouse.com<\/a>), chef-owner Bernie Kantak serves \u201cwhite tablecloth\u201d beef stroganoff ($38, pictured), a glorious gathering of pasta studded with buttery pieces of beef tenderloin saut\u00e9ed 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. \u201cBucatini really holds on to sauces,\u201d Kantak says. The James Beard Award-nominated chef has been serving comfort food in his restaurants for ages. \u201cIt just took everyone 15-plus years to catch up with me.\u201d \u00a0<\/p>\n 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<\/b> (2625 E. Bell Rd., Phoenix, 602-404-5919, edelweissbiergarten.com<\/a>), dishes up a hardy helping of German-Hungarian-style stroganoff ($24.95), with a mix of thinly sliced, saut\u00e9ed 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 \u2013 a German egg noodle with a soft, chewy texture, made from eggs, flour and milk \u2013 Edelweiss\u2019s stroganoff is creamy and satisfying. Wash it down with a beer and a slice of German chocolate cake for the full biergarten experience.\u00a0<\/p>\n