He Said: Corduroy menu is full of luscious, exotic food, terrific drinks

Corduroy is another adaptive reuse restaurant, showcasing all the amazing things that are happening in and around central Phoenix.

The 1928 building used to house a grocery store and the renovations have kept that 1920s era feel.

While swanky-looking and makes you wish there was a speakeasy, it’s as casual and comfortable as you’d want it to be. Our server sported a bow tie and vest and made us instantly feel at home.

It took us a while to make choices — the menu is that enticing and that’s just the cocktails.

There is a good variety of international wines to choose from and a half page of craft cocktails. We tried the High Ball, which is made with Jack Daniel’s whiskey, small-batch ginger ale, and lime on the rocks. Refreshing was the first word that came to mind. Put this place on your next light-rail bar call for sure.

The first choice you’ll have to make is whether to share some small plates or go it alone with an entrée.

Either direction will take you on a great dinner journey. We opted for the tapas and ordered way too much. The good news is most of the small plates comes in two sizes.

We chose the smaller of the two, which comes with two of each. We started with bacon-wrapped Mission figs, which come with fresh fruit and a blue cheese garlic sauce.

Next up was the chimichurri shrimp, combining prawns, heirloom tomato, arugula, radish and chimichurri on sesame toast. The best part of this dish was the sizable shrimp and the fresh chimichurri.

After the shrimp we opted for for a couple of pork dishes, barbecue pork empanadas (flaky pastries stuffed with braised pork), jalapeño crema side and the Cuban cigars, crispy wontons with ham, pulled pork, Gruyere, sweet onion and pickle Dijon sauce.

If you are looking to stay away from meat, there are plenty of alternatives.

Crispy potato croquettes with manchego chive filling and dill ranch cream for dipping are so creamy you’ll want the full order.

By far, the most surprising and wonderful small plate was the crispy cauliflower. The herb and parmesan breaded cauliflower includes aioli hot sauce and blue cheese sauce sides.

The side sauces were good if you wanted to give it a little kick, but I happily ate them plain. It’s a good way to get veggies in your diet, even if they are fried.

While we had no room to partake, there is a good selection of desserts to cap off your meal.

There are seasonal selections, daily chocolate options, and a few regular items.

The difficulty is always going to be controlling yourself with all the great dinner dishes.

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