Review: Don & Charlie’s displays serious game
September 2nd, 2008, 9:05 pm · Post a Comment · posted by Jess Harter
I can’t tell whether Don Carson is a restaurateur who loves sports, or a sports fan who loves food. His 27-year-old Scottsdale landmark, Don & Charlie’s, is equal parts old-school chophouse and sports memorabilia museum.
From outside, the low-slung, stand-alone building Carson’s father purchased a half-century ago looks a little like ‘60s motor lodge. But step inside and you feel like you’re in Cooperstown or Canton.
Glass cases of autographed baseballs — more than 800 in all — line both walls of the entryway (pictured below). In the spacious dining room, photos and magazine covers, many signed, completely cover the walls and continue across parts of the ceiling.
In the lounge hang dozens of autographed NFL and NBA jerseys, from Michael Jordan’s to Joe Montana’s. There’s even a golf bag signed by all the players from the 1995 Phoenix Open.
• View a slideshow of Don & Charlie’s
• Check out Don & Charlie’s menu (pdf)
• Previous: Don & Charlie’s launches burger bar (Aug. 1, 2008)
What did it cost for Carson to assemble this impressive collection? Almost nothing. With one exception — a baseball autographed by Babe Ruth — the items were given to him by the famous athletes, as well as media personalities and politicians, who frequent Don & Charlie’s.
The restaurant is a throwback to the north Chicago chophouses Carson grew to love as a boy. TV shows like “Mad Men” recently have made the early ‘60s cool again, but thick steaks, strong cocktails and male bonding have never been out of style at Don & Charlie’s.
Meals start with a delicious chopped liver spread and a basket of rye bread, bagel chips and other assorted treats (pictured below). If it’s your first visit, you’ll get a free appetizer. If it’s not your first visit, you’ll still want to get the baked spinach and artichoke dip ($7.95).
Entrées run the carnivore spectrum. Steaks are sure bets, like the char-crusted filet mignon ($29.95 for 8-ounce, $33.95 for 12-ounce, pictured below), tender and flavorful, or the “Carson cut” prime rib ($34.95 for 20 ounces).
Chicken schnitzel ($17.95), a breast that’s pounded, breaded and served with lemon butter, also is a winner. Garlic chicken ($15.95) is moist and juicy, the barbecue chicken ($15.95) slightly less so.
The only letdown during my visits are the barbecue ribs. Billed as award-winning, the baby backs ($22.95 full slab, $16.95 half slab) are a little tough, although a pair of tasty sauces — a sweet “original” sauce and smoky Southwest version — help the cause.
All entrees come with salad or large dishes of cole slaw — the creamy slaw is good, the sweet deli style even better — and several potato options.
If you manage to save room for dessert — a huge challenge — a huge slice of banana cream pie ($6.50) or crème brulee with an eighth-inch layer of dark chocolate on the bottom ($6.50) are sure to push you over the edge.
Service, during my visits, ranges from attentive to average, depending on the evening. One constant is Carson, who walks the dining room and shares nearly three decades of stories with guests.
Like the one about a diner who interrupted his meal in 1991 to go to Carson’s office to watch the U.S. bombing of Baghdad at the start of the first Gulf war.
That diner? Senator Joe Biden, who on this evening — 17 years later — is accepting the Democratic nomination for vice president.
Somewhere on one of Don & Charlie’s many crowded walls, I’m sure there’s an autographed photo.
Don & Charlie’s
Where: 7501 E. Camelback Road, Scottsdale (between Miller and Scottsdale roads)
Open: 5 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Monday through Saturday, 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday
Prices: Appetizers $5.95-$14.95, salads $6.95-$14.95, sandwiches $10.95, entrees $15.95-$41.95, desserts $6.50
Info: (480) 990-0900 or donandcharlies.com.
