UPDATE: Calistro California Bistro has closed.
Tucked into the southern part of the DC Ranch Crossing shopping center in Scottsdale is Calistro California Bistro. Calistro’s menu is based on the freshest food sourced from local farms and vendors and almost everything is prepared in-house.
Calistro is a neighborhood dining establishment. Its decor is contemporary, yet comfortable. There is a decent size bar area with televisions for folks who want a more casual dining or drinking experience. A large portion of the kitchen is open to the restaurant so you can watch the team prepare the wonderful food. A wall of wine visually separates the dining area into two sections. There is also a covered patio for dining or enjoying a cocktail al fresco.
We have had the opportunity to dine at Calistro for both lunch and dinner and we have enjoyed both. Many of the dining options appear on both menus. A few of the starters we really enjoyed were the falafel bites and crab cakes. The falafel bites were moist and flavorful while the crab cake was full of tasty lump crab meat. I have also enjoyed the beet salad terrine the couple of times I have ordered it. There are several flatbread options and the duck confit flatbread with BBQ fig sauce is delicious. For entrees, we most recently had the Sockeye salmon and the Tilapia Francaise and both were delicious. Overall, the food is very fresh and healthy, but not at the expense of taste. One of the interesting things Calistro does is lighten up a lot traditionally heavier recipes by using soy and other methods to remove some of the calorie and fat content. So, you can enjoy things like creamy chicken pasta alfredo without worrying about ruining your diet. There are also many gluten free items for individuals with dietary restrictions.
As far as specials, there are Happy Hour specials that take place daily. In addition to Happy Hour, there is a nightly special in the dining room. Specials range anywhere from tacos all day to discounts on menu favorites and drinks.
Calistro is easy to get to. It is just north of the Pima/Princess exit off of the 101 freeway in the DC Ranch Crossing shopping complex. If you are in the area, be sure to stop by and give it a try.
More information:
Calistro California Bistro
DC Ranch Crossing
18221 North Pima Road
Scottsdale, AZ 85255
(480) 502-0235
~ Open daily for lunch and dinner
