A New View

A new emphasis on farm fresh ingredients (and a $39 summer menu) has this mountaintop masterpiece back on our radar screen

Carved into the mountains of north central Phoenix, the Pointe Hilton Tapatio Cliffs was one of the Valley’s first super resorts when it opened back in the early 1980s. Along with its sister properties at Squaw Peak and South Mountain (now the standalone Arizona Grand Resort), these mountainside stunners were the place to stay and play in the Valley. However, despite a AAA Four Diamond rating, and a handsome remodel, Tapatio Cliffs often gets overshadowed by the new generation of Valley super resorts. However, we just discovered the perfect reason to put Tapatio Cliffs back on top of your dining to-do list.

Housed inside a castle-like estate perched several thousand feet above the broiling Valley floor, Different Pointe of View is the resort’s signature restaurant. Here, you’ll discover stylish indoor-outdoor dining spaces, a sleek cocktail lounge and a posh private dining room—all featuring near 360-degree views of Phoenix, Glendale and Scottsdale. That said, the formal atmosphere and super-traditional menu (think belt-busting, buttery sauces and four-hour dinners), has always made DPOV more of a special-occasion spot.

However, thanks to a new focus on fresh, seasonal ingredients and a savory summer special, this fine dining aerie is less black tie and more casual Friday. Led by chef Anthony DeMuro, a 30-year veteran of resort kitchens across Arizona and California, the emphasis has shifted to local first. “We first try to source our ingredients locally, then look to nearby states such as Oregon or California,” chef DeMuro told us. Meanwhile, he’s cut the fat, literally, in the restaurant’s traditional French-style sauces such as the famed beurre blanc, by replacing butter with olive oil. Combined with a wall-to-wall refresh, this “is not your grandfather’s Different Point of View,” he says.

Mountain Majesty: 11111 N. 7th St., 602-866-6350