By Alison Bailin Batz

The North Valley’s finest restaurants are always innovating new ways to tantalize guests’ tastebuds. Here are some of the hottest high-end menu items right now across the best menus in town.

Truffle burger at Toca Madera

This decadent take on the classic burger starts with Santa Carota beef, which has been grass-raised and finished with carrots. It is a double patty topped with sharp Tillamook white cheddar and a proprietary blend of shimeji, portobello, cremini, oyster and maitake mushrooms, all cooked in white truffle oil. The fluffy brioche bun is toasted with truffle butter and then brushed with a truffle sauce. Once constructed, it is finished with fresh Italian truffle slices and served alongside French fries with truffle hot sauce. $48

Hay-smoked tomahawk at Bourbon Steak at the Fairmont Scottsdale Princess

This impeccably 32-ounce marbled cut arrives tableside atop a pile of hay. Said hay is set ablaze in front of diners’ eyes so it may lightly smoke the crust of the meat. Once the fire is put out, the meat is butter-bathed with a rosemary sprig, sliced, and served with a variety of grilled vegetable kabobs. $185

Cresto Di Gallo Norcina at The Italian Daughter

This creamy pasta is a love letter to the Umbrian town of Norcia, which is famous for its pork and truffles. Each comes together in perfect harmony here through the sauce, a combination of wild mushrooms, Norcia-style sausage, tomatoes and truffle cream sauce. Married with the pasta on the plate, additional studded mushrooms and sausage are added on top for good measure. $25

Sashimi chef’s selection at Roka Akor

When guests choose the sashimi chef’s selection, they are treated to a selection of exceptional fish sourced from across the globe, each deboned and fileted by hand. A single order includes two pieces of five types of fish, often yellowtail, tuna, halibut and a selection of whatever is freshest. The fish are arranged atop crushed ice with floral garnishes, resulting in a head-turning presentation. Larger platters, including the addition of nigiri, available for an added charge. $38-$250

Two Wash Ranch chicken roulade at Hearth ‘61

Chicken is the star of this savory dish. It features sausage made from thigh meat and surrounded by chicken breast with the skin still attached. The entire roulade is poached, bathed in ice, deep-fried, and served with leeks, roasted cauliflower and cauliflower sauce. The chicken is sourced locally from Two Wash Ranch in New River, where farmer Dave Jordan raises chickens, ducks, geese and pea fowl in a cage-free environment, free of hormones and antibiotics. He delivers his poultry fresh to local restaurant partners, resulting in a more sustainable operation and better-quality food. $37

Truffle steak and egg at STK Steakhouse

While most extravagant dishes are served at dinner, every weekend STK Steakhouse offers a sophisticated brunch that is self-indulgent in the best way possible. Among its most impressive offerings it this eight-ounce Wagyu cooked over a flat iron grill. It is topped with a fried egg and crispy potatoes before a generous portion of truffles are shaved all over the dish. It is served with brioche bathed in truffle-infused butter as well. $52

Toro carpaccio at Sushi Roku

Only the highest-grade fatty belly of sustainably sourced tuna — a piece called the toro of the tuna — makes it to the plate on this dish. It is served raw, cut ever-so-thin, lined up on the plate atop soy sauce infused with truffles and then garnished with rich Oscietra caviar, among the most prized and expensive caviars, second only to Beluga. A pop of color, courtesy of dollops of Kizami wasabi, which may only be made from plants indigenous to Japan, completes the angular dish. $46

Kvarøy Norwegian salmon belly crudo Santé

Offering a “beyond organic” menu is part of Santé’s credo, and not just with the crudo. The restaurant partners with multiple regenerative organic farms around the world and locally, including RhibaFarms and McClendon Farms. The salmon here is sourced from Kvarøy Arctic, a company that champions for sustainable salmon farming in Norway. Meeting official standards and their own stringent ones, the company farms for 16 months then allows the water to be undisturbed for up to eight months, a choice that goes beyond the standards. The gluten-free Kvarøy Norwegian Salmon Belly Crudo features tropical slaw, citrus ponzu and black sesame seeds. $18

Pan-seared swordfish at Talavera at Four Seasons Scottsdale Troon North

The chef hand-selects each cut of the swordfish for this dish daily, simply searing it with herbs and spices and then enhancing it with bilbaina sauce, a classic Spanish salsa made by frying chilies and garlic in olive oil and adding vinegar for balance. Talavera also adds capers for added bite. Piquillo pepper puree, made by sweating onions, peppers and white wine, as well as blanched haricot verte tossed with frisee lettuce, cress leaves and lemon oil complete the dish. $56

Egg in an egg in an egg at Christopher’s at Wrigley Mansion

A dish made to honor Jean-Georges Vongerichten’s famous egg caviar (itself an homage to Vongerichten’s mentor Louis Outhier) that has graced New York’s famed Jean-Georges menu since 1978, this dish is meant to delight and surprise. Served as part of Christopher’s award-winning eight-course (plus surprises) tasting menu, the dish comes under a large ceramic egg-shaped cloche and is revealed tableside to be a hollow eggshell filled with creamy scrambled eggs topped with Osetra caviar and an edible golf leaf. $275 (tasting menu cost)

Pluma Iberico de Bellota at Fat Ox

This top-tier cut of pork is sourced from Iberico pigs in Spain that are fed specialty acorn their entire lives resulting in flawless marbling that naturally tenderizes the meat. Simply seasoned and seared to golden-brown perfection over a wood-fired grill, Fat Ox uses a mix of both pecan and mesquite woods for that perfectly smoky, savory and slightly sweet flavor profile. $70

Veal chop parmigiana at The Americano

This 14-ounce, bone-in cut is thinly pounded and lightly breaded in an herbed-Parmesan panko crust. The chop is quickly pan-fried and basted with brown butter to give it its beautiful golden color. Over the veal chop is chef Scott Conant’s signature pomodoro sauce, reduced with melted baby tomatoes to give a sweet but tangy note to the dish. To finish, four ounces of burrata and fresh basil are placed atop the chop to add an herbaceous creaminess. $65

Wagyu New York Strip with Foie Gras and Tableside Flambé at Bourbon & Bones

Among the most popular preparations of the 12-ounce strip, this cut is equal parts dinner and a show. Once cooked to order, the Wagyu is rubbed with B&B butter, which is Wagyu beef renderings deglazed with bourbon and herbs. It is paired with rich, creamy foie gras and once tableside topped with the restaurant’s proprietary blend of Knob Creek whiskey, which are individually selected by general manager Christopher Marshburn after aging up to 14 years. The whiskey is lit on fire to enhance the flavor profile and served with a selection of sauces. $133