T. Cook’s restaurant, located at the beautiful and lush Royal Palms Resort & Spa, welcomes new executive chef Alex Robinson. Chef Alex revamped the Mediterranean menu, keeping some of the original favorites, while also adding some new dishes that combine his California sensibility with French techniques.
Some T. Cook’s standout items on the new dinner menu include The Hot Stone, with a choice of American Wagyu Beef or Pacific Ahi Tuna, Yuzu Kosho Ponzu, Cilantro Scallion Crunchy Chili Garlic. This is a fun dish to start out with and share with the table. We also highly recommend the Thyme Roasted Cheese Rolls with avocado chili butter – these are gluten-free and so delicious. (side note: there are lots of gluten-free options on this menu!)
For entrees, the Wagyu Snake River Farms Striploin with Main Lobster Risotto was hand-down our favorite dish of the night. It is served with Grilled Asparagus and a House-Made Steak Sauce. The steak alone was cooked to perfect, but the steak sauce really took it to the next level.
Another new entree is the Herbed Crusted Sea Bass served with Ancient Grain Risotto, Avocado Puree, Pickled Fresno Chili Citrus-Honey Reduction. The Colorado Rack of Lamb was our server’s favorite, so we would add that to the must-try list as well.
Make sure to save room for dessert and order the Passion Fruit Crème Brûlée and the Strawberry Shortcake. Chef Alex buys Harry’s Berries strawberries for the shortcake – he raved about them and we were curious how strawberries could be so special. But once we tried them, we were blown away. Harry’s Berries is a California family farm established in 1967 that raises premium quality specialty varieties of strawberries and vegetables. This was also a testament to how thoughtful Chef Alex is in choosing the ingredients he uses in his dishes.
T. Cook’s menu focuses on simple preparations and uncomplicated dishes that honor the regions of Northern Italy, Greece, Spain and Provence. T. Cook’s culinary philosophy of magnifying the purity of fresh, seasonal ingredients is a celebration of its treasured legacy and offers a captivating environment in every sense with stone fireplaces, al fresco dining and unique design elements.
For more information on T. Cook’s or to book a reservation, call 602.808.0766 or visit tcooksphoenix.com.