The only thing getting me through this scorching summer heat is the anticipation of new menu rollouts as restaurants around the Valley create fresh dishes utilizing this season’s flavors. One of Biltmore Fashion Park’s popular dinner spots, Seasons 52, unveiled its new summer menu on Tuesday, June 19th. We were invited to attend a live stream overview of the menu with the Seasons 52’s Director of Culinary, Chef Clifford Pleau, and Master Sommelier George Miliotes and tasted a few of the new dishes. If you aren’t familiar with the concept behind the restaurant, it’s important to note that each dish is under 475 calories (so don’t feel guilty ordering that extra appetizer and dessert!). The culinary team strives to create healthy, figure-friendly dishes without compromising flavor.
Two new flatbreads have been added to the menu – the smoky/sweet BBQ Chicken Flatbread with glazed BBQ chicken, sweet balsamic onions, sliced scallions, and melted Parmesan, and the tangy Artichoke & Goat Cheese Flatbread with leaf spinach, balsamic onions, and roasted peppers.
New Flatbreads
George paired these with Aveleda Vinho Verde, Portugal ‘10/’11, “Crisp and clean – it goes with everything,” as he described. I’ll definitely be adding this wine to my collection of favorites.
Highlights from the summer tasting included the Organic Arugula Salad with watermelon, grilled golden beets, goat cheese, jicama, and toasted pistachios and the Summer Vegetarian Tasting. The arugula salad was a lovely take on the usual beet-and-goat-cheese-salad favorite. Its addition of juicy watermelon and crisp slices of jicama was a refreshing treat and paired well with the grilled, yet still firm, golden beets.
Organic Arugula Salad
The Summer Vegetarian Tasting was a feast for non-meat eating eyes and featured their “Grains of Life” (a tasty medley including different shades of quinoa, farro, citrus, jicama and mint), a vegetarian soft taco, chili relleno, roasted vine-ripe tomatoes and vegetables, mustard-rubbed cedar-roasted tofu and mango chutney. I particularly enjoyed the Grains of Life – what a light treat at the end of a hot, summer day!
Summer Vegetarian Tasting (Photo courtesy of Seasons 52)
Entrée highlights include the delicious, always-popular Wild Alaskan Copper River Salmon atop a sweet corn risotto, served alongside a mustard dill sauce and fresh asparagus and roasted red pepper.
Wild Alaskan Copper River Salmon
Though the salmon was cooked perfectly and incredibly savory (a definite re-order for me), the star of the evening was the Piedmontese Bone-In Strip Steak. Piedmontese beef is an essential source of fatty acids and is recommended by the American Heart Association as a “hearth healthy” food. It is low in saturated fats and has half the cholesterol and 25% less calories than regular beef. And, less fat than a skinless chicken breast, salmon, or swordfish filet! For the summer, they are serving up the 11oz (yes, you read that right – and it’s under 475 calories) Piedmontese Bone-In Strip Steak “steakhouse style” with a rich, red wine reduction, cremini mushrooms and sides of grilled, jumbo asparagus and roasted fingerling potatoes. The steak was seasoned with black pepper, freeze-dried molasses and lavender for a smoky-sweet crust.
11oz. Piedmontese Bone-In Strip Steak
After dinner, don’t forget dessert! The restaurant’s spread of Mini Indulgences offers up something sweet for any craving. My current favorites are the Carrot Cake and Belgian Chocolate Rocky Road. Mmm…
Seasons 52 is located in Biltmore Fashion Park and open for lunch and dinner. The Biltmore location is headed up by Executive Chef Partner Steve de Barril – a true professional and always a delight to be around. Read our interview with him here.
For more information about Seasons 52, visit seasons52.com.
Seasons 52 | 2502 E Camelback Rd Suite 140, Bldg J |Phoenix, AZ | 602-840-5252
*This meal was provided to us complimentary as a part of a media invitation. However, this has no effect on our opinions and comments regarding our experience. View our Disclosure Policy for further explanation.