{"id":65324,"date":"2023-12-30T00:01:16","date_gmt":"2023-12-30T06:01:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/?p=65324"},"modified":"2026-04-06T09:45:51","modified_gmt":"2026-04-06T15:45:51","slug":"alter-ego-tempe-arizona","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/?p=65324","title":{"rendered":"Alter Ego – Tempe, Arizona"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The Dining Room. Take a look at that ceiling.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Ever since my wonderful 94-year young mom was no longer able to prepare and host lavish Christmas Day dinners at her home, my Kim and I have been “snowbirding” it with annual trips to the Valley of The Sun. \u00a0Every year I try to surprise my Kim with a better than the previous year’s Christmas dinner at some fancy schmantzy restaurant. \u00a0Last year it was at the magnificent Zinc Bistro<\/strong><\/a> in Scottsdale. \u00a0The previous year, we dined at Roy’s Restaurant<\/strong><\/a>, also in Scottsdale. \u00a0Our inaugural Christmas dinner in the Phoenix area was at the Fat Ox<\/strong><\/a>, a \u00a0James Beard nominated restaurant in Scottsdale. \u00a0All served us fabulous (albeit very expensive) meals.<\/p>\n

My criteria for selecting a restaurant includes, of course, a restaurant that accommodates The Dude, our debonair dachshund. \u00a0It wouldn’t be a family Christmas without our four-legged fur baby. \u00a0This year (2023) rather than another Christmas in Scottsdale, I scoured various sources for something closer to our Tempe rental. \u00a0At the very top of that list was Alter Ego, the signature restaurant of the Canopy Hotel in Downtown Tempe directly across University Blvd. from Arizona State University (ASU).<\/p>\n

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Prime Rib<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

That location set off alarms, but only because my experiences with restaurants directly across the street from the University of New Mexico don’t inspire visits after the sun sets. \u00a0Not only is the area frequented by Albuquerque’s most downtrodden, but the area is fraught with crime. \u00a0Perhaps in protest of the pitiful parking situation, motorists on Central Avenue tend to rev their cars at volumes normally heard from supersonic jets. \u00a0The area is neither clean nor reflective of the historical standards Route 66 aims to showcase.<\/p>\n

Tempe’s swanky Canopy Hotel is a lavish exemplar among Hilton’s family of hotels. \u00a0Just beyond the check-in counter, you’ll espy Alter Ego Kitchen & Cocktails, a vibrant, artsy milieu. \u00a0Retractable doors and windows make it a more expansive venue. \u00a0During our inaugural visit (on Christmas Day), we were seated on the patio–mere feet from University Blvd. \u00a0We were seated for well over an hour and didn’t once have to shout to hear one another. \u00a0It was an entirely ruckus-free and welcoming environment. \u00a0The restaurant manager Marc Resnick, a peripatetic presence visited our table several times. \u00a0A kinder, more attentive manager we’ve rarely met. \u00a0One of Marc’s previous gigs was at the Waldorf Astoria so he’s definitely got creds.<\/p>\n

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Mixed Berry Cobbler<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

25 December 2023<\/strong>: Our Christmas dinner was a very reasonably priced three-course feast. \u00a0Our starter was a beautifully composed salad<\/strong><\/em> (winter greens, lemon balsamic vinaigrette, tomatoes, feta cheese, candied pecans). \u00a0Having studied Alter Ego’s menu, we were very impressed by the restaurant’s salads–definitely not your run-of-the-mill salads. \u00a0Every element of the salad worked well with every other element with the lemon balsamic vinaigrette tying things together like a conductor of a mellifluous orchestra. \u00a0Ingredients were fresh, crisp and delicious.<\/p>\n

25 December 2023<\/strong>: Our main course was a slow-roasted prime rib<\/strong><\/em> with Yukon gold mashed potatoes, asparagus, horseradish cream sauce and au jus. \u00a0A good ten to twelve ounces and three-quarters of an inch thick, the prime rib was a perfect shade of pink. \u00a0Much as I love prime rib completely unadorned, the lure of potential napalm-fiery horseradish gets to me every time. \u00a0Alter Ego’s horseradish cream was a bit on the mild side, but good nonetheless. \u00a0The mashed potatoes were creamy and rich, made even better with au jus.<\/p>\n

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Thai Peanut Noodle Salad<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

25 December 2023<\/strong>: \u00a0Alter Ego’s dessert menu<\/strong><\/a> is not to be missed. \u00a0The chef’s creation ice cream flight is very highly regarded on public sourced review sites such as Yelp. \u00a0Our server raved about the house-made gelatos, too. \u00a0Because we ordered the Christmas meal, our only option was a mixed berry<\/strong><\/em> (blackberries, blueberries, raspberries, strawberries) cobbler<\/strong><\/em> with house-made vanilla gelato. \u00a0It may well be the best cobbler we’ve ever had. \u00a0The crumbly, cinnamon-rich streusel atop the cobbler was superb, counterbalancing the tangy tartness of the berries. \u00a0The warm crust was also a wonderful complement to the cold, fresh berries.<\/p>\n

30 December 2023<\/strong>: We were so impressed by Alter Ego and amiability of the staff that we returned a few days later. \u00a0The menu, of course, also had something to do with our return. \u00a0It’s a wonderfully eclectic, fusion menu with elements from various culinary cultures. \u00a0It will be interesting to see how new Executive Chef Russell Skall will influence that menu being that his last gig was as a corporate chef for Fleming\u2019s Steak House. \u00a0I encouraged Marc not to change things up too much because it’s a terrific menu with something for everyone.<\/p>\n

\"\"
The “Veg”<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

For us, the first “something” was a Thai peanut noodle salad<\/strong><\/em> (Napa cabbage, arugula, petite heirloom tomatoes, chow mein noodle), an exciting Thai inspired melange of crisp, fresh ingredients enlivened by a terrific peanut blessing. \u00a0Crispy pan-fried chow mein noodles provided a unique textural contrast to other ingredients. \u00a0Juicy petite heirloom tomatoes may not be an ingredient you think about when pondering a Thai salad, but these added just enough acid and personality to an otherwise excellent salad.<\/p>\n

30 December 2023<\/strong>: \u00a0An entire section of the menu is dedicated to flatbreads. \u00a0In this case, flatbread is just another name for pizza, albeit not a round pie but more oval. \u00a0There are four of these gems on the menu. \u00a0My Kim’s choice was called simply The “Veg”<\/strong><\/em> (grilled artichokes, roasted tomato, garlic roasted mushroom, pesto and goat cheese. \u00a0There are strong flavors atop this flatbread. \u00a0Especially vying to wreck your breath are goat cheese a plenty and the garlic mushrooms. \u00a0It’s a breath wrecking experience you’ll delight in with every bite. \u00a0The crust was thin, but not overly crispy.<\/p>\n

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Sesame Ginger Salmon<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

30 December 2023<\/strong>: \u00a0Marc told me his favorite entree was the sesame ginger salmon<\/strong><\/em> (scallions, fried noodles, jalape\u00f1o, bak choy, shrimp broth). \u00a0It’s an interestingly composed dish with the salmon nestled atop a tangle of noodles swimming in the shrimp broth. \u00a0The salmon was perfectly prepared with a pronounced char at the bottom that lent a delightful crispiness. \u00a0The rest of the salmon was flaky, tender and absolutely delicious. \u00a0It was one of the best salmon dishes I’ve had in years. \u00a0My Kim took almost all the noodles as she often does at Vietnamese and Asian restaurants. \u00a0The shrimp broth wasn’t especially interesting, but the bak choy and scallions were very pleasing.<\/p>\n

The term alter ego means “a person’s secondary or alternative personality<\/em>.” \u00a0Spiderman, for example, is Peter Parker’s alter ego. \u00a0I don’t know what Alter Ego’s alter ego might be, but surmise it’s probably some super culinary hero. \u00a0This is a wonderful restaurant for Christmas dinner or any other meal.<\/p>\n

Alter Ego<\/strong>
\n108 East University Drive
\nTempe, Arizona<\/strong>
\n(602) 612-7871
\nWebsite<\/strong><\/a> | Facebook Page<\/strong><\/a>
\nLATEST VISIT<\/strong>: 30 December 2023
\n1st VISIT<\/strong>: 25 December 2023
\n# OF VISITS<\/strong>: 2
\nRATING<\/strong>: Excellent<\/strong><\/span>\u00a0\u2013 High quality dining experience; very good to excellent food, attentive service, and a well-maintained atmosphere; worth a detour.
\nCOST<\/strong>: $$$
\nBEST BET<\/strong>: Prime Rib, Sesame Ginger Salmon, The “Veg,”, Thai Peanut Noodle Salad, Mixed Berry Cobbler
\nREVIEW #1367<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Ever since my wonderful 94-year young mom was no longer able to prepare and host lavish Christmas Day dinners at her home, my Kim and I have been “snowbirding” it with annual trips to the Valley of The Sun. \u00a0Every year I try to surprise my Kim with a better than the previous year’s Christmas dinner at some fancy schmantzy restaurant. \u00a0Last year it was at the magnificent Zinc Bistro in Scottsdale. \u00a0The previous year, we dined at Roy’s Restaurant, also in Scottsdale. \u00a0Our inaugural Christmas dinner in the Phoenix area was at the Fat Ox, a \u00a0James Beard nominated restaurant in Scottsdale. \u00a0All served us fabulous (albeit very expensive) meals. My criteria for selecting a restaurant includes, of course,…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":65431,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[28,703,36,563,553],"tags":[3558,3557,3560,3556,3559],"class_list":["post-65324","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-arizona","category-dog-friendly","category-fusion","category-rating-excellent","category-across-america","tag-arizona-state-university-area","tag-canopy-hotel","tag-christmas-day-menu","tag-downtown-tempe","tag-hilton"],"yoast_head":"\nAlter Ego - Tempe, Arizona - Gil's Thrilling (And Filling) Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/?p=65324\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Alter Ego - Tempe, Arizona - Gil's Thrilling (And Filling) Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Ever since my wonderful 94-year young mom was no longer able to prepare and host lavish Christmas Day dinners at her home, my Kim and I have been “snowbirding” it with annual trips to the Valley of The Sun. \u00a0Every year I try to surprise my Kim with a better than the previous year’s Christmas dinner at some fancy schmantzy restaurant. \u00a0Last year it was at the magnificent Zinc Bistro in Scottsdale. \u00a0The previous year, we dined at Roy’s Restaurant, also in Scottsdale. \u00a0Our inaugural Christmas dinner in the Phoenix area was at the Fat Ox, a \u00a0James Beard nominated restaurant in Scottsdale. \u00a0All served us fabulous (albeit very expensive) meals. 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