Chef Brett Vibber

A great chef not only knows what pairs well with his or her creations, they add layers of heavenly temptation and morsels of luscious surprise that leave you no other option than to close your eyes and indulge each of your remaining senses with the experience.

Every day, our guests experience this kind of bliss thanks to the talent and skill of Cartwright’s Chef Brett Vibber. His quest for culinary greatness took him to Italy, Panama City, Chicago, Marina del Rey, Tucson and Scottsdale before he decided to kick off his boots in Cave Creek.

Here, he’s found the perfect match: the laid-back, timeless beauty of our desert oasis, and love for the vibrancy of the people and flavors that Cartwright’s has built its reputation on.

We’re happy to feature Chef Brett’s talents. What’s more, we’re not like other steakhouses (but you knew that). We don’t charge extra for side dishes, and we don’t leave you wanting with just a slab of meat and a sprig of parsley on an otherwise barren plate. Instead, we treat you like we’d treat our most loved relatives, with genuine smiles, pride in our service and selection, and plates piled high with all of the value and deliciousness guests from around the world have come to appreciate from us.

Our juicy tenderloin filets, for example, are paired with pillows of house-made raviolis stuffed with hand-picked herbs, potatoes, and freshly roasted corn, then covered with a trail of silky smoked Gorgonzola and leek fondue. Every bite is full of richness and a balance of zest and creaminess. Roasted spaghetti squash dulcified with sweet honey vinegar onions adds a soft crunch and tartness to the best-paired tenderloin you will ever taste!

Click the dough below to see how our chef hand makes each ravioli.

Our 12-ounce or 22-ounce rib eyes, beautifully marbled and dripping with succulent juices, are paired with a most extraordinary Sonoran puebla mole demi glace—reduced beef stock infused with a house-made mole sauce carefully crafted from dried chilies, seeds and spices. Add to it the piquant flavors of Anaheim chili and potato relleno, and a mesquite grilled and chilled calabacitas salad, and you’ve got a surprise burst of layered tastes pulled right out of the most delicious annuls of our pioneer history.

Fire roasting Anaheim chilies

Potato & Cheese Relleno

12-oz Cowboy rib eye or 22 oz. Bone-In Rib Eye Served with Puebla mole demi glace, Anaheim chili & potato relleno, mesquite grilled & chilled calabacitas salad

One of the most distinctive aspects of Southwestern hospitality is recognizing that our guests come from near and far. We’ve gleaned a few favorites from our Midwestern and West Coast friends along the way, poring through recipes and adding our own flair to family favorites. Pierogies, Eastern European pastry puffs filled with savory ingredients, are a taste of home for many of our regular guests. We stuff them with potato and fresh farmer’s cheese, then pair them with perfectly crisped Polish kielbasa, warm caramelized onions, house-made kraut and a drizzle of brown butter.

Pierogies: Stuffed with potato & farmer’s cheese, Polish kielbasa, caramelized onions, house-made kraut, brown butter

At Cartwright’s, no detail is too small. You’ll find the impeccable attention that you’d expect in a warm welcome home, from each hand-selected cut of meat to every carefully paired side dish—and the value to boot.

So join us at the ranch! Our doors are open, our smiles are warm, and our food is the best in the West!

Cartwright’s is open nightly  from 4:30 – 9 p.m.
Happy Hour is from 4-6 p.m. at the mesquite bar!

click here for reservations

Overlooking the 11th hole of Rancho Mañana, dine on Tonto’s Southwestern-inspired menu surrounded by the desert foothills and the southern rim of the Tonto National Forest.  Native desert wildlife is often spotted from this safe haven. Regular sightings include coyotes, javelina, bobcats, roadrunners, great horned owls, and many more.  Revel in the natural splendor of Arizona at Tonto Bar and Grill.

For the complete list of national winners, go to http://www.opentable.com/m/best-outdoor-dining-restaurants-in-america/

Recognize these two?!

It’s amazing how time flies! December 1, 2014, we’ll celebrate our 20-year anniversary! It’s hard to believe that, for two decades, we’ve been dishing up deliciousness and serving up the suds at Tonto Bar & Grill. We started off with more hair and less leather on our belts, but it’s been a fantastic ride so far, and we want to celebrate with you.

All this month, we’ll be bringing out an encore of some of your favorite menu items from days gone by, including favorites like our Roasted Rack of Lamb with Balsamic-Thyme Jus with Potato Goat Cheese Strudel and Sautéed Kale; Grilled Beef Tenderloin Medallions on Roasted Onions and Red Pepper Mashed Potatoes, 5-peppercorn Demi and Portabella Mushrooms; Chili Lime Grilled Pork Tenderloin with Black Bean Cakes, Pepper Mango Salsa and Grilled Zucchini; and Grilled Chilean Sea Bass on a Potato, Leek, Spinach and Goat Cheese Phyllo Tart, Sautéed Tomatoes, Asparagus, and Tarragon Crème Fraîche. 

We will also bring back more flavors with bold and delicious appetizer, lunch and dessert specials. A complete listing of our special menu can be found on our “Events” pages.

When John and I brought our families to the tiny town of Cave Creek in 1994, we couldn’t have known how much a part of the community we would become—and we didn’t know how much the community would become a part of us.

We both came from the seaside surrounds of the Lodge at Pebble Beach, and we were eager to learn how to not only exist in the challenges of the desert, but we also wanted to harvest the often elusive gifts the desert provides. We learned to use saguaro spines to harvest fruit from the tops of the Sonoran giants, and also to use things like prickly pear, jojoba seeds, local pinion nuts, mesquite beans and creosote in our dishes. 

We found that, with mindfulness and care for the fragile ecology, the desert has a tremendous amount to give. Like the Native Americans who occupied these lands long before we were here, preserving the land and the history here became central to our purpose.

So join us and celebrate 20 years of success, and centuries of tradition. Weekly specials will be posted on Facebook and on the Tonto Bar & Grill website, and t-shirts are available at the restaurant and online.

Tonto Bar & Grill is located at 5736 E. Rancho Mañana Blvd., Cave Creek, AZ 85331. We’re open seven days a week from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Tonto bar is open until 10 p.m. nightly.

We’ll be closed Christmas Day so our employees can enjoy time with their loved ones.

480-488-0698
www.TontoBarAndGrill.com

Now you can make reservations online with your iPhone, Android or any other Internet-capable device with just a couple of clicks!

We’ve joined OpenTable, the world’s most popular online reservation portal. Just click here and save your seat today!

We’re always working to make your dining experience excellent. Your input is also valued! If you have a great experience, please leave a review on OpenTable, Yelp, TripAdvisor, Urban Spoon or any other review site where your opinion counts. If we need improvement, let us know so we can fix it!

We’ve gone and done it.

Now you can make reservations online with your iPhone, Android or any other Internet-capable device with just a couple of clicks!

We’ve joined OpenTable, the world’s most popular online reservation portal. Just click here and save your seat today!

We’re always working to make your dining experience excellent. Your input is also valued! If you have a great experience, please leave a review on OpenTable, Yelp, TripAdvisor, Urban Spoon or any other review site where your opinion counts. If we need improvement, let us know so we can fix it!

Chef Brett Vibber is carrying on the tradition here at Cartwright’s – in a new and wonderful way!

You may notice something a little … different here at Cartwright’s lately! Sure, we’ve still got some of the best food in town, and there’s nowhere else quite like us when it comes to authentic Sonoran ranch house ambiance, but there’s something else, too!

When award-winning chef Montez Crane made the decision to return to the east coast where home fires were burning, many of our regulars were concerned that things would change. To diners’ pleasant surprise, Chef Brett Vibber has not only picked up the torch, but he’s brought new passion and zeal to our Cartwright’s kitchen.

There are a lot of chefs who can make good food, but Chef Vibber gets it. He knows instinctively how to create that experience in a way that is not only good, it’s passion that comes naturally.

For Vibber’s part, he’s been an avid study of worldwide cuisine, including at distinguished restaurants like Roka Akor in Scottsdale and Chicago, Dove Mountain Grill in Marana, VU in Marina del Rey, California and over 20 restaurants abroad, including Rome and Spoleto, Italy and Panama City, Panama. For this down-home cowboy, returning to the Valley of the Sun brings him full-circle and allows him to infuse his wide lens of flavors and methods into Cartwright’s already impressive menu.

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It’s also where he wants to be. “I could not be happier,” says the chef, whose own ranching background brings authenticity to his work. “Cartwright’s is the perfect fit for me personally and professionally. I am an Arizona native, gone for 13 years and moving back to showcase my travels and experiences. I grew up in this area camping, backpacking, fishing, etc. I am an Arizona history buff if you will, I take great pride in knowing the history of my state and what we have to offer the food world.”

We are proud to showcase Chef Vibber’s creations. We have always taken great pride in our service and selection, but even more importantly, it’s the people – from our chefs to our wait staff to our hostesses and bartenders – who make Cartwright’s special. Everyone here is a part of a tradition that started long before we opened our doors, and hopefully, because of our passion for what we do, it will be something people remember for a very long time. We are excited Chef Vibber has joined our team and will help us to continue to share the history and heritage for years to come.

A sneak peek at this year’s prickly pear fruit harvest.

No, nothing’s fishy … we’ve been busy picking the sweet fuchsia fruits from the prickly pear cactus, called tunas, to add to our late summer bounty.

The history of this colorful and versatile fruit goes back to the earliest prehistoric inhabitants of our desert – both the human and four-legged varieties. Their August and September season brings a favorite treat for us, as well as javelina, deer, chipmunks, coyotes, kit foxes and pack rats, too.

Chef Ryan Peters finds inspiration in the desert.

At Tonto Bar and Grill and Cartwright’s Sonoran Ranch House, prickly pears are one of several locally grown bounties that we sustainably harvest and use in our seasonal menus. This month, we will be extracting the prickly pear syrup and will make a sweet sauce and vinaigrette that’s a treat for the eyes and the taste buds, and is decidedly unique to the desert Southwest.

Among our specials will be a local wild arugula salad with baby candy-striped beets, strawberries, fossil creek goat cheese, spiced AZ pecans, and hand-picked prickly pear vinaigrette. You’ll also love our mesquite wood diver scallops with charred summer corn and preserved lemon risotto, shaved fennel and AZ citrus salad with local harvested prickly pear buerre blanc and basil oil.

On our dessert menu, we’ll be adding our house-made prickly pear swirl ice cream and Evening Specials including a fresh Arizona citrus tart with prickly pear coulis. Even our house-made ancho chili milk chocolate candies are made with reduced prickly pear syrup.

Tuna never tasted so sweet … and summer never tasted so good!

We often talk about the ranchers and miners who settled in the North Valley and built a tradition here in Cave Creek. We also talk about the Native Americans who cultivated the desert lands and survived and thrived in the area long before it was settled by European Americans. But one population we often forget about are the Asian Americans who, no doubt, left their own indelible mark in the area in the late 1800s and early- to mid-1900s, and who continue to be part of our Southwestern culture today.

(Here’s the complete magazine in PDF format: Oasis8-14)

This past year, we’ve celebrated the Chinese New Year, Year of the Horse, but the Japanese had a strong early influence here as well. Even though migrant Japanese (and all Asian people) were not allowed to be naturalized into the United States, many Issei (Japanese immigrants) headed to the desert Southwest in the 1800s due to anti-Asian sentiment in California. They built farms in outlying areas, and brought their goods by wagon to Phoenix proper to be sold. Over time, Nikkei (Japanese Americans) proved to be quite industrious. Still, many laws, including land ownership rights, voting requirements, marriage restrictions between races and a ban on mixed-race people being allowed to be married to anyone at all were part of the institutional racism Japanese people faced in Arizona.

In February 1942, President Roosevelt issued orders to “relocate” Nikkei to internment camps. Two of the largest camps in the country, Poston and Rivers, were located in Arizona. An estimated total of 30,000 Japanese Americans were held in these camps, which were located on the Colorado River Indian Tribe reservation, and the Gila River reservation. There, they worked hard to maintain their dignity. It was the camp occupants who completed the Parker Dam; they also cultivated fields and picked cotton, and they made nets and other war-related items. Some of the young men even joined other Americans in the war effort, serving in the military, often in intelligence.

Some Nikkei who lived in Glendale and Mesa, north of the seemingly arbitrary government dividing line, remained free, but were so heavily discriminated against that they could not sell their goods to anyone outside of their own community, and other local merchants refused to sell to them. They were also not allowed into Phoenix without being accompanied by a white person of European descent.

Following the war, the Japanese American community in the Phoenix area slowly rebounded. The first Buddhist temple was erected in the 1940s; the nation’s first shoyu (soy sauce) factory was built; martial arts classes became available; and the cultural institutions and laws that limited Asian Americans (as well as American Indians, Mexican Americans, and African Americans) began to be relaxed.

Today, there is a broad swath of Japanese American history in Arizona that has been ignored or erased. At Cartwright’s, we are proud to recognize the contributions of all Arizonans to our unique heritage and legacy. We are a community unlike any other, and the sacrifices of our residents of all backgrounds and ethnicities are something we are proud to acknowledge and embrace.

At Cartwright’s we carry on the old time tradition of Rock & Rye with our house made version. We combine rye whiskey with orange and lemon zest, dried apricots, cloves, cinnamon, star anise, Mt. Gay rum, and rock candy to age for several weeks. The result is a fragrant libation with notes of citrus, caramel, honey, and spice with a touch of sweetness. We serve it ice cold on our “rock” to be enjoyed before, with, or after dinner.

In addition to our usual outstanding selection of supper and suds, we’ve got a great menu planned for the day. Join us 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. and put a smile on everyone’s faces.

Lunch:
Mesquite  Wood-Grilled Peppercorn Crusted Bison Buffalo Burger with Apple-wood Smoked Bacon, Roasted Anaheim Chile, Beer-Battered Onion Ring, Crisp Iceberg, AZ Tomato, and Maker’s Mark Bourbon BBQ Sauce  $15.

Dinner:
Dr. Pepper Braised and Grilled Baby Back Ribs, Mesquite Grilled Summer Corn Off the Cob with AZ Sweet Peppers, Cotija Cheese, and Cilantro Lime Butter, Roasted Green Chile Whipped Potatoes, Dr. Pepper BBQ Glaze  $28.

Dad’s Sassafras Ice Cream Cake
Vanilla Sponge Cake filled with House-Made Sassafras Ice Cream and Caramel, Frosted with Vanilla Whipped Butter Cream, topped with White Chocolate Golf Ball and served with Root Beer Reduction Sauce and Chocolate Coated AZ Pecans  $11.

Call us at 480-488-0698 for reservations.