Doughbird – Pizza & Rotisserie – Out on the Town

Fox Restaurants Concepts newest restaurant Doughbird – Pizza & Rotisserie is running hot in the Arcadia Neighborhood in Phoenix. Pizza and Chicken…A match made in a kitchen. For this outing my roommate Kelly Butler, friend from college Michel Corso and nephew Sean Duggan joined me. A fun crew who all love to eat!

Ambiance

Energetic Hipster. Very welcoming open floor plan and things were happening. Clean and fresh. its as if someone looked at a cool foodie who lives in Williamsburg, New York who has a slick apartment and asked that person to consult the design. Thankfully, the Italian pizzeria vibe is not entirely lost as there is a massive oven and open kitchen right by the entrance. Apart from that however, the colors of two hues of blue, mixed with the butcher block and white marble-esque countertops and a vibrant patterned floor bring an overall new age modern vibe. Very cool to be there and yet all are welcome. A lovely balance of esthetics.

Menu

Everything looked good on the menu. Although the concept of pizza and chicken sounded like a trendy concept that was on its way out, it really sat well with everyone. Both are comfort foods and lend themselves to being ordered together. Let’s start with an appetizer. Going completely against the grain, we ordered the cast iron shishito peppers umami. Legend has it that one out of every 10 or 12 is super hot on the spice meter. Thankfully, no one was the fire mouth. They were very tasty in fact and Mikey was in heaven. Nice crunch and cooked to perfection. As was recommended we had the pizza come out first. The group went classic when it came to our Pizza. A mouthwatering Margherita pizza pie arrived on the table with burrata, organic tomato, basil and Parmigiano Reggiano. Pizza is its own food group to me and this was just as it should be. Seriously, they rest of the group with fascinated with chicken and multitude of sauces and sides. I, on the other hand, really appreciated this delightful creation. Would totally get it again. Now on to chicken. The way to do it is to order the whole chicken, a few sides and even more dipping sauces. Ordered the whole chicken for the table which was a perfect amount for four adults who like to eat. The sauces were quite the variety. Michael ordered the Horseradish Crème Fraiche. Kelly the Jalapeño Pesto. Sean the Chipotle Barbeque. And I the Pineapple Teriyaki sauce respectfully. Now mine was the “safe” choice as far as the group was concerned, but it was also by far the best choice! Yeah! Although the others were “good” according to those who like those things, the Teriyaki was the most flavorful. I would get an entire bottle of that sauce and use it on everything at home. The sides were each bowls of deliciousness. Cauliflower Mash and Macaroni & Cheese were solid choices. Last but not least a sweet treat at the end of a fabulous meal. Dessert was a their signature dessert. “The Elvis” is a peanut butter & chocolate parfait topped with banana, whipped cream and bacon sandies. It went quick I can tell you that!

Drink

Watching their figures, the boys only ordered iced tea and water. Kelly and I were loving our Malbec and Reisling. Both quite yummy.

Highlights

The vibe is a highlight of Doughbird. Somehow they created a restaurant that lends itself to a good time, yet is not a bar. Everyone in the place was there for a good meal and no one was disappointed. For the group I would say the Pinapple Teriyaki sauce, Macaroni & Cheese and “The Elvis” were gold star worthy. For me I would add that the pizza was gooooooood. Crust, sauce, toppings, cheese… All were ideal for a tasty pizza pie.

Improvements

If I were to change anything it would be the portion size. Making everything a little bit bigger in how much food was on the plate would make my stomach and wallet more satisfied. Specifically, the side dishes lacked a little on the plate. The four of us wanted to try a little of everything and it really was a little of everything. Talking along the lines of just barely 1 tablespoon of mac and cheese. Providing guests with more than 4 table spoons of a shareable side dish would be ideal. Obviously the size of a chicken cannot be changed, but the size of the pizza could stand to be a bit larger too.

Check out the video of my snap story!