Best Restaurants with a Fireplace in Phoenix / Arizona

We had a fabulous time at El Chorro --- attentive and friendly service, spectacular meals and we also bought a few more sticky buns to take home with us. Love this place for special occasions - or really any time - because the surroundings are beautiful and the people always take such good care of us. Always look forward to going back.

I was hesitant on dining out on the worst day of the year… Valentine’s Day. But our server Courtney was amazing. Food was fresh. It was well staffed and a great first dining experience with them. Well done!

We had the perfect Valentine’s Dinner date! I called because we were runnning a few minutes late but luckily we pulled into one of the 5 parking spots at the restaurant. The hostess and gentleman were both pleasant and to my delight seated us in front of the best table on the patio in my opinion. I had seen this table on IG and had requested it on my notes on open table. I was told when I confirmed my reservation, the previous week, that the table most likely would not be available because of the rain predicted for that day and that it was Valentine’s and couldn’t be guaranteed? That really made my evening when we were seated there after all that!!! The weather was perfect for patio dining and the ambiance charming. My husband had the Branzino and I had the Sea Bass. Both were excellent. Our waiter Cameron was attentive as well as the entire staff. We had the chocolate dessert which was good but I felt the desserts could have been better considering the upscale menu. Think Lon’s at Hermosa Inn). I loved the history of the restaurant/home and how it was built in 1939 and one of the oldest residences in Scottsdale. Overall we had a lovely Valentine’s dinner and would recommend this restaurant.

Some restaurants grow tired after they have been open for a couple of years but Francine is aging like a fine wine, getting better with age. We are frequent diners at this wonderful bistro. I have sampled most of the menu selections but admit I had not sampled the chicken before last night. After all what can you do to chicken that hasn’t been done? Let me assure you the chef at Francine has a chicken preparation that will rock your world, Please know this is a limited availability item. If you are lucky enough to dine on a night where this delicacy is available, count yourself among the culinary fortunate.

Everything pertaining to our reservation was excellent. The reservation time was honored shortly after arriving. Our water was served immediately followed shortly thereafter our drink order and dinner order. Every question (there were many) was clearly clarified. Our dinner was presented quickly and was superb. The entire staff was very engaging and made our dining special. When in Scottsdale the Roaring Fork is a must destination.