Airport Eats – Cowboy Ciao – Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport

Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport is one of the largest in the United States.  Sprawled out across four different terminals, you can find more than your fair share of in this major hub in the Southwest.  With my Air Canada flight scheduled to depart out Terminal 4, I ended up picking the closest restaurant to my gate – Cowboy Ciao.  You gotta love the play-on-words here with the name of the restaurant.  It was a bit busy with a lineup of several people at front waiting for tables.  One could only assume that a busy restaurant would only equate to great food and service, so I figured I would check it out.  Plus, the interior décor was visually appealing with several televisions available to occupy my time.

Cowboy Ciao

I noticed that there were some tables at the back with window views of the tarmac.  As tempting as it would be to have waited for a window seat, I opted to sit at the bar instead.  In hindsight, perhaps waiting for a table would have been a better option for me as I found the bar service extremely slow.  After waiting for about 10 minutes, I was finally able to order a Barrio Blonde.  Brewed by the Tucson-based Barrio Brewing Company, this Blonde Ale was very light and crisp with a hint of Malt and a 4.53% ABV.  The sweetness was balanced out by the Czechoslovakian Saaz Hops.  Just for fun, I added a Lime in it to give it a bit more flavour.

Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport

Since I was exhausted from this trip, I wasn’t overly hungry.  Having looked at the Specialty entrées on the menu, I opted for the “Cure for the Common Salmon.”  For $20 US, it included a quarter-pound, grilled Salmon atop a chilled orzo/arugula salad.  The arugula salad was tossed in lemon and red chile with avocado, cherry tomatoes, pickled shallots, and spiced/fried corn kernels.  All-in-all, a very light, but enjoyable lunch and one that I knew I could finish unlike the pastrami-style smoked short ribs, filet mignon or the exotic mushroom pan fry.  And there you have it.  If you’re looking for some decent from the American Southwest with some Italian and Mexican flair, then check out Cowboy Ciao.

Cure for the Common Salmon with a Barrio Blonde

Cowboy Ciao – Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport

Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport

Terminal 4 – After-Security (USA) – Gate B22

Hours of Operation:  Sunday – Saturday: 6am PST – 10:00pm PST

Phone: (480) 946-3111