The new, old El Chorro Lodge has been reopened for all of two days, and a friend of a friend managed to secure a reservation during their soft opening, so I got an opportunity to check it out.  I was impressed, but not blown away.  Everything I tasted was quite competent, but if I had to choose a word to describe the menu, I would suggest "staid."  Perhaps even "stodgy," but that may be more harsh than I intend.

Review the dinner menu.  http://bit.ly/aWqVVJ.  There, see what I mean?  Replete with Traditional American entrees and sides, at what I would consider fairly exorbitant prices.  I would say that I wouldn't go back to eat this food at these prices, unless someone else was paying.  

I should note that a big part of why I wasn't impressed is because this place is simply not my style.  The wait staff, attired in khakis and blue shirts, was a little too informal for the prices we were paying, I felt.  The menu options were a little boring for my taste.  The cocktail menu is exactly not what I'm looking for these days, although I will be very interested to see what Happy Hour looks like.  The decor is a tad heavy on the Old Southwest theme, although to be fair, this place not only pulls it off rather stylishly but also is among the most authentically old and southwestern establishments in the Phoenix metro area.  

The patio and open bar are fantastic.  The bar area is considerable, and the patio is palatial - up above Lincoln Dr enough to be fairly quiet, with a gorgeous view of Camelback, sunset here must be incredible.  

Anyway, back to the food.  Everything was very well executed, from the sticky buns we were served upon being seated to the desserts we ordered.  I chose the soup of the day to start, a tomato/basil concoction that was quite hearty and thoroughly enjoyed it.  The salads my dining companions ate looked boring to me, but they all claimed them to be excellent, with "the best Caesar dressing ever" and "polenta croutons?!?" being the verdict for the Caesar salad, at least.  On to the entrees.  I ordered the crispy duck, which I found to be delicious and quite hearty, though not what I would call crispy by any means.  It was a very sizable portion, and very well prepared.  My dining companions ordered the pork chop, the lamb, and the salmon, and we each sampled from each other's plates.  I would try the lamb if I went back, but the consensus seemed to be that everything was very well prepared, with the duck being a winner.  It was served with a heap of mushy sweet potatoes (just like my mom makes at Thanksgiving - delicious!) and red cabbage, which I sampled and declined to finish.  Again, not quite my style.  

We moved on to dessert - sticky bread pudding with a bourbon glaze and the warm chocolate cake.  The bread pudding was a winner at the first two or three bites, but grew one-dimensional as I continued nibbling at it.  The chocolate cake was decadent, among the best I've ever tasted.  It was clearly made with a considerable amount of dark chocolate, which seals the deal for me.  And in case you were wondering, my dining companions apparently have no stamina when it comes to dessert.  Suckers.  

Anyway, as I've said now several times, this place is just not quite me.  It's totally classy and very high in quality, but not quite adventurous enough for my taste.  I'd love to come back for brunch, and once they unveil their happy hour menu, I'm sure I'll be back to check it out, but I won't be back for dinner unless I can convince someone else to pick up the check at the end of the evening.  

As a side note, this place is so very Paradise Valley.  It's a welcome relief knowing that there is a place that is so anti-scene out there.  It's been a little while since I've been both the youngest and among the poorest in a room, and I will say it was a little comforting.  Just don't tell the Scottsdale people about this place, and we'll all be happy.