Royal Palms Resort and Spa, Phoenix’s renowned luxury boutique hotel, announces the launch of brand-new dining menus at its acclaimed destination restaurant, T. Cook’s. The new dinner and lounge menus focus on a renewed culinary approach to the restaurant’s signature Mediterranean cuisine, showcasing layers of French, Italian, Spanish and Greek flavors in a lighter, more modern interpretation of the region’s cuisine.
“The resort’s culinary team has done a tremendous job crafting the restaurant’s new approach, while maintaining the style, traditions and prestige T. Cook’s reflects,” said Steve Benson, Royal Palms Resort and Spa General Manager. “Both longtime patrons and visiting guests will recognize a stronger focus on smaller, sharable portions and plates that combine fresh and locally sourced ingredients to create big flavors, but executed with simple preparations.”
Diverse flavors permeate the menu as first introduced in the selection of appetizers, referred to as Tastes. Crispy Sweet Breads offer a unique sweet and salty twist with house-made estate orange preserves, salted caramel and rosemary. Penn Cove Mussels with charred chorizo, garlic, fennel, saffron and Parmesan toast and Maya Farms First Crop Beet Carpaccio with Fossil Creek goat cheese and spiced pecans showcase the highest quality ingredients prepared simply, yet deliciously. Starters maintain seasonality in the Shaved Asparagus & Preserved Lemon salad with first of the year morels, Reggiano and heirloom tomatoes and the Truffle Spring Pea Soup with butter poached lobster, sweet pea tendrils and porcini mushroom cream.
This new, contemporary approach to highlighting Mediterranean flavors is further exemplified in the menu’s Mains as showcased in a Lamb Duet – an olive oil pressed rack, celeriac pudding, spiced shank, pearl pasta and pine nut crumble. Local produce, handpicked directly from the property’s citrus grove, adds a bright citrus element to Crispy Black Cod with estate-grown orange salad, truffle creamed corn, roasted asparagus and sea salt. Modern comfort food best describes the Gnudi – doughless cow’s milk ricotta ravioli with spaghetti squash, charred tomato broth and pesto. Completing the dinner menu is an offering of Essentials, sides of vegetables such as Spiced Rapini & Reggiano and Caramelized Petite Root Vegetables.
T. Cook’s Lounge menu has also experienced a revival with an offering of casual bites mirroring the flavor profiles and sophistication of the new dinner menu. Bar classics have seen a makeover as shown in the Bison Sliders with black fig ketchup, smoked onion marmalade served on toasted brioche and Flash Pan Calamari with mint, capers, fire-roasted tomatoes and garlic bread for dipping. Zucca Chips take the place of fried zucchini; the crispy slivers are served with fried Italian parsley, Parmesan and fire-roasted red pepper dipping sauce. Traditional Mediterranean fare such as Marinated Olives, Marinated Feta, Garlic Hummus and Bruschetta are each served with special accompaniments to liven up the dish.
Royal Palms Resort and Spa will soon introduce new brunch and lunch menus to debut mid-March. In addition, T. Cook’s offers specialty menus for holiday dining, as well as seasonal specials.
To learn more, visit www.royalpalmshotel.com/restaurant and follow T. Cook’s on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/TCooksPhoenix and Twitter at @TCooksPhoenix.
