He Said: Camp Social the perfect place to get a warm meal on chilly nights

Ever get the urge to go camping? Maybe you want to see the stars in the sky, hang out with friends by the fire, play games, grill next to the camper, and, of course, enjoy some s’mores?

But then you think about the bugs and the snakes and who knows what else creeping and crawling around you while you sleep.

Lucky for us, we can have our camping experience without any of the downsides. Enter Camp Social, one of the newer establishments along the now busy Seventh Street corridor in uptown Phoenix.

We were recently invited to check out this new camping themed experience and, beyond the fun atmosphere, there is some really good food to be had along with quite a few drink options to boot.

We started off with the Herb and Bird Poutine. This unique take on a traditional poutine uses cheddar cheese curds, rosemary chicken gravy, and shredded chicken.

Of course, any base to poutine is reliant on the fries and these were fantastic. If you looking to try poutine for the first time, this might not be the way I’d go, but if you have had it before and are interested in mixing it up, this is a wonderful new rendition.

If you are hoping to get those fresh veggies in while on your camping journey, I’d recommend the Campground Vegetables board with a pesto or fresno vinaigrette for dipping. These veggies looked as if they were plucked out of the ground moments before serving and the taste confirmed it.

For me, the absolute winner at Camp Social are their burgers and sandwiches.

The Camp Fire Burger includes smoked mozzarella, a biting black pepper aioli, candied fresno chilies, lettuce, tomato and spicy pickle, all on a brioche bun.

I may have just been the lucky one, but my few bites of this burger included an extremely hot kick. The rest of the burger was tamer. Either way, I can’t wait to go back and try this again.

The Phoenix Rising is a crispy chicken sandwich with a Calabrian aioli — again on a brioche bun — and it rivaled some of my favorite chicken sandwiches.

The Elmer Fudd’s Duck Club is completely different with its confit duck and bacon jam aioli.

Pretty much anyone in your party will find something slightly different and yet very satisfying.

If you are looking for a more traditional meal, you best get there early. With limited quantities each day, Camp Social’s Pig Ribs come with camp-baked beans and corn bread. These ribs were fall-off-the-bone good and the sauce was the prefect compliment to the smoky meat.

One last dish to highlight is the Shroomin’ In the Woods — house-made pappardelle, short ribs, Shorty Love Sauce, wild mushrooms and carrots on top of a truffle crème. This screams glamping!

It was hearty and almost too nice to consider a camping dish but it was amazing. The pappardelle was almost melting in our mouths but with enough stiffness to hold up the dish. The short ribs shredded at the touch of my fork and the mushrooms and carrots were perfect for the rich sauce.

The cherry on the cake was the truffle crème. It was unexpected and yet completely perfect.

Trust me, if you want a hearty meal on one of our few cool evenings left, Camp Social is the place to try.

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