By Susie Timm, Chief Operating Foodie
As the weather cools off and we head into holiday season, our food journeys have started to change. In the spring and summer, I like to visit restaurants and try different grilled meats, salads and home made ice creams.

This fall, the restaurants we’ve been reviewing have featured some delicious roasted meats, soups, winter greens and other hearty dishes.

I am also more ambitious to try different spice combinations, sauces and rubs in the winter for some odd reason? Perhaps they warm me from the inside out?
On another adventure to Cave Creek, Jay and I tried out Tonto Bar and Grill at Rancho Manana

Rustic sign marking the entrance

We arrived just after sundown and I know I missed out on a stunning view from their patio of the sunset over the Tonto National Forrest. I hear that sunset is one of the very best in Arizona.

Immediately upon entering, I fell in love with the rustic style, southwestern interior and the very unique décor. Particularly interesting was finished and sanded tree that occupies the middle of the dining room!!

Really cool tree! Beautiful setting!

This restaurant is incredibly romantic. The interior is lit by warm fires, cozy candlelight and I look forward to a “date night” with my husband there very soon.

We were seated overlooking one of three patios. There was a family group on the patio that was having a great time and it was fun to observe them throughout our meal!

The menu features appetizers, soups, entrée salads, pastas, fish, meat and a unique “vegetarian nosh,” section. If I was a veg I would be very excited by the variety of vegetarian options at Tonto.

The main culinary perspective is New American with a lot of Native American influence.

For this dinner, Chef Aaron Geister decided to create sampling plates of appetizers, salads, main courses and desserts.

We started with a platter of appetizers that had some of the most distinctive and memorable flavors I have had this year.

Tasty Tapas

First, I tasted the Indian Harvest Torta served with anasazi beans, goat cheese, and tomatillo date relish. Wow! This flavor combination was spicy, sweet and savory. My mouth was singing.

Next was the lobster and rock shrimp flautas. I am a rock shrimp addict so any dish that is comprised with them brings me great joy. The flautas were crunchy with many layers of flavor complimented by a spicy tomatillo sauce.

The final appetizer was bacon wrapped shrimp served with homemade chipotle BBQ sauce over apple slaw. The BBQ sauce was delicious and as I consider myself some what of a BBQ expert (hah!) I was very impressed. The owner, Eric Flat told us that Tonto Bar & Grill is the 2nd largest buyer of Arizona farmed shrimp in Gila Bend.

Side Note: Jay is obsessed with the idea of driving down to Gila Bend to see the shrimp farm—anyone interested in a road trip?! I say let’s keep on to San Diego!

Next, we were served a sampling of salads. There was a beet salad that did not change my life like the beets at Cartwright’s in Cave Creek, an arugula salad with dried cherries, manchego cheese, pecans and apples, and a fried brie salad over romaine with pecans.

Scrumptious Salads

The arugula salad was one of the very best salads I have ever tasted. I love dried cherries and the manchego cheese really added a twist on arugula that I have not tasted before. The dressing is a vinaigrette made of tart green apples and pistachios.

It is important to mention that Tonto Bar and Grill also boasts a vegan and gluten free menu. It is rare to find a restaurant that offers so many options to so many different types of foodies!

For the main course, we tried the pan-seared halibut served over sweet corn succotash with queso fresco and anasazi beans. Never one to love succotash, I was surprised by how much I liked this dish.

Forgot to take shot of meats--oops, you get me and meat instead...

We also sampled buffalo tenderloin with quinoa, spinach and drizzled with a cherry demi glace. The taste was rich and earthy. I am still finding my way with meat other than beef. I think it’s a learning process.

For dessert, they brought us dulce de leche bread pudding, an almond magic bar and a lemon lime sour cream pie. All three were delectable in their own right.My favorite was the dulce de leche bread pudding as I found it to have the right amount of caramel-y sweet goodness to finish the night off with.
During dinner, Jay and I were so inspired by the atmosphere that we decided to write a blog listing the top 10 restaurants to take your Valentine’s Day sweetie. Keep your eyes peeled for that list very soon!

Decadent Desserts

This restaurant is a true find in Cave Creek. I will gladly return in any season, but fall was a very special time to try it out!

Tonto Bar and Grill at Rancho Manana is located at 5736 E. Rancho Manana Blvd in Cave Creek. They are open 7 days a week from 11 am to 9 pm. Come hungry and ready to taste some of the most authentic Native American flavors in the Desert Southwest.

Cute marzipan bee on top the pie

No actual bees were harmed in the making of this photo