By Susie Timm, Chief Operating Foodie

As a college student at Arizona State University, I frequently looked up at the Buttes resort off of 1-10 and 48th St in Tempe and wondered if I would ever head to the top of those beautiful rocks and gaze down at the city below?

It only took 12 years, but indeed, I have finally made it to the top of the rock. Top of the Rock restaurant at the Buttes, a Marriott Resort that is!

This glass enclosed wonder features stunning wrap around views of Tempe and Scottsdale from one of the highest points in the Valley of the Sun.

View from the Top.

I had the opportunity to dine at Top of the Rock for Sunday brunch and for a weekday dinner within the past month.

Both experiences highlighted the superior customer service, stunning vistas and quality ingredients that make Top of the Rock a destination for many marriage proposals and romantic evenings.

I have heard mixed comments and opinions about this Phoenix institution over the years. Jay and I were excited to formulate our own critique.

Our brunch experience was filled with good service, a beautiful ambiance and tasty champagne. We were not overly impressed with the food choices and got the sense the staff was not overly impressed either. We have had better brunches in the Valley, but we have a lot of faith in Top of the Rock’s new Chef James Hildebrand. We will be back in a few months after he has tweaked the menu a bit more!

Dinner however, was a whole different experience.

We arrived as the sun was heading down and were able to appreciate the shadows and light on the mountains and the purple and orange hues created by a classic Arizona sunset.

The restaurant opens at 5:30 PM and we were the first table to be seated. We chose a table to the left side of the restaurant and Joe, our server arrived and reviewed the menus with us.

Hildebrand has paired classic steakhouse fare with some standout ingredients and options. I was quite impressed by the menu.

We decided to let the Chef serve us an array of small portions so we could taste thru much of the menu.

The menu features simple, quality dishes including appetizers, salads, soups, 6 different steak preparations, two fish choices, lamb and pork chops. The average entrée price is $35 and it includes a starch and veggie.

First, we were served an Amuse Bouche of duck on top a crostini. It was salty, sweet and an excellent indication of how the rest of the meal might turn out.

Duck Amuse--I really liked the purple plate!

Next, we were offered a cold appetizer platter including shrimp cocktail, the jumbo lump crab and the ahi tuna.

Cold seafood appetizers

Holy cold seafood goodness! The shrimp were huge, the lump crab fresh, sweet and delicious—and the ahi tuna, wow, just amazing.  The ahi tuna was crusted with smoky sesame seeds and served with wasabi cream sauce. I would drive to Tempe to eat this appetizer any day! It was simply outrageous!

Amazing Ahi Tuna

This course was followed by a taste of the homemade gnocchi that is pan seared and served in a chunky marinara sauce and covered in Parmesan. Jay, who doesn’t typically like gnocchi said it was the best he had ever tasted and made a lot of happy “mmmmmm” noises. I agree wholeheartedly!

Fabulous homemade gnocchi, you will want to eat a bucket full!

Next we were served a taste of their classic Caesar salad and the Top of the Rock salad. The Caesar was simple, peppery and had a nice parm crouton. It also had large anchovies on it! Jay was happy, as he is an anchovy fan. I only like them if I can’t see their fuzzy backs…

The Top of the Rock salad included poached pears, and the blue cheese crumbles offset candied walnuts and the sweetness from those two ingredients nicely. All topped with champagne vinaigrette. Not my favorite dish that evening, but still a nice flavor combination.

The evening’s true surprise dish was served next.

The “She Crab” soup was a savory crab bisque with lump crabmeat topped with chives and sherry. It was spicy, brimming with crab and had a zing that warmed the back of my throat.

She Crab Soup--oh yea, it's that good!

Jay and I decided that soup would be perfect on a cold day after lighting a fire in the fireplace and curling up with a good book. Perhaps while wearing a Snuggie? Not sure, but I do know that soup is damn good!

Next, we were served two platters featuring small portions of lamb chops, steak dianne, salmon and halibut.

On the meat platter, I enjoyed the classic flavor of the lamb chops over truffled mushrooms. They were tender and minty! The steak dianne was cooked to perfection and served over mustard-y potatoes.

Chops and Steak

The salmon was by far our favorite entrée as it featured cherry tomatoes bursting with flavor and capers. The halibut was served over a smoked corn relish and it was creamy and flaky.

Salmon and halibut swimming on the plate.

For dessert, we tried their bread pudding—eggy, caramel flavored French toast delight, and the chocolate lava cake that was crunchy and rich.

French Toast Delight! Bread Pudding.

I am truly happy we tried the dinner at Top of the Rock. It was a very memorable experience and we will add it to our list of “Top places to take your Valentine’s Sweetie.”

We recommend dinner at Top of the Rock for it’s simple but elegant menu, beautiful views, shining service and romantic ambiance.

It might haven taken me 12 years to try it, but I will certainly return before another decade passes!

Top of the Rock is located at the Buttes, a Marriott Resort at 2000 Westcourt Way in Tempe. It is open daily for dinner at 5:30 PM. Reservations are recommended but not required and the attire is casual.

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