Chilte Is Vying to Be the Best Mexican Spot in Arizona
Chilte
Chilte is the next Bacanora (or something like that). Like Bacanora, Chilte’s getting national attention, and also like Bacanora, the owners seem extremely ambitious. Maybe not to create an empire of restaurants (offshoots of Bacanora seem to be popping up everywhere now), but to at least create the best version of modern Mexican around. But even if it goes nowhere from here, what we’ve got is pretty incredible. Bonus points if you’re staying at the Egyptian Motor Hotel and get Chilte served to your room. I’m pre-jealous.
Downtown - 765 Grand Ave
Awards + Accolades
Reviews
Clearly, the high-end chefs Smith trained under post-culinary school (Beau MacMillan at elements, Alex Stratta at Match) left an impression, as did his stint at Tempe Public Market with Rene Andrade of Bacanora fame. And yet, Smith is his own man, culinarily speaking – daringly creative and a touch wild, devising frequently changing menus that pull inspiration from the heart of Mexico. He incorporates delicacies such as roasted grasshoppers, Oaxacan ants and mushroom-like corn smut into seriously spicy yet balanced dishes that curl your toes.
Eating at Chilte is a joy. With its avant-garde plating and jazzy variations, a thrill of discovery and awestruck appreciation runs through the dining experience. What’s more, Chilte stands out from the crowd, a world-class destination restaurant telling the story of its Mexico-inspired food.
What to Get
Guava Tart
Chef Lawerence “LT” Smith has been getting plenty of buzz for his innovative takes on classic Mexican cuisine – squid ink tortillas, chorizo Bolognese. But he surpassed himself with the guava tart, a seasonal riff on the restaurant’s regular cheesecake offering. Creamy, velvety epazote cheesecake is a luscious foil for zesty cured lemon, tangy guava curd, coconut tres leches and two surprising savory ingredients: white cheddar and dried shrimp dust. Trust us, it works.
- Phoenix Magazine
Hadra Madrina
Chilte’s cocktail menu, too, pulls inspiration from unconventional ingredients. “We have unique, chef-created cocktails, and we have some classic cocktails on the menu with our own Chilte twist,” Arroyo says. You’ll find local and imported beers on the bar menu, along with house sangria and a margarita, but there are wildly inventive offerings, too. Take, for example, the Hadra Madrina, made with absinthe, gin, pineapple, egg white, cincho cheese and chiltepin peppers.
- Kelly Vaughn, Arizona Highways
Pazole Recado
My favorite: the Pozole Recado (brown buttered hominy and huitlacoche in a recao broth) was amazing. There wasn’t enough of it. The chicken was in my way. I wanted a whole bowl of just the Pozole. L.T. or Aseret (if you’re reading this), as the temperature begins to cool, please serve us this pozole in a giant bowl. We’ll charter a bus for that. A pozole bus from TUC to PHX. Let’s. Go. Also on the plate — chicken, slaw, and avocado.
- Shane Reiser, Tucson Foodie
Squid-ink-marbled birria tacos
Squid-ink-marbled birria tacos, which LT and his Sinaloan wife, Aseret Arroyo, began selling three years ago at local farmers markets, arrive with the requisite mug of consommé, this one tipped into deranged flavor with miso. Each bite is a wonder.
- Joshua David Stein, Esquire
