“Eureka, eureka” — Archimedes’ excitement when he exclaimed (in Greek), “I have found it” can be matched by guests visiting Eureka! the restaurant.
It’s no coincidence it is located on the ASU campus; Eureka! owners aim to create a sense of discovery “like the innovation and uniqueness that college campuses offer,” explains Paul Frederick, founder of the Eureka! Restaurant Group, expressing excitement at being in the campus-adjacent Novus Innovation Corridor.
Aiming for a desert urban ambience with its modern distillery look, the restaurant décor mixes a lot of natural elements of leather, wood and brick enveloping both the table dining area and the conversationally arranged lounge area for a guest experience that is stimulating while emphasizing comfort. The vibe has a distinct attitude, as servers’ T-shirts set the mood: “Soup of the Day? Bourbon,” “Save Water. Drink Whiskey,” and “The best drink? The next drink” are examples of the messages, many of which, Frederick explains, result from contests the restaurant group holds to incentivize creativity among team members.
Taking creativity to the menu, Eureka! puts its own spin on such popular dishes as fish tacos — adding pineapple to the more usual toppings of cabbage and green onions — and brussels sprouts, made with an orange chile glaze that takes “tang” to a new level. Most notable is Eureka!’s hamburgers: The beef comes from Santa Carota in California, where, as the name implies, the cattle is fed on carrots and produce meat that is richer in flavor than from grass-fed cattle while also being lower in calories and cholesterol. It’s one of a kind, award-winning, and, says Frederick, “We’re the only multi-unit restaurant with Santa Carota beef.”
Recent additions to Eureka!’s menu are all about creativity, from the Dorito-crusted shishito peppers topped with tajin, Parmesan cheese, bourbon-smoked honey and green onions and served with avocado cilantro dressing for dipping to the New York strip steak served with grilled broccolini with cashew pesto and caramelized shallots and with an option to add bone marrow butter. The new roasted veggie tacos — made with carrots, pickled onion, avocado, cilantro bean smear and salsa verde — hit sales of double the restaurant’s usually popular veggie burger, according to Frederick, who notes, Vegetarian is growing and you can do a lot of neat food items.”
To develop the new menu items, Eureka! reached out to higher-end chefs — including one Michelin-starred chef — in Eureka!’s home base of Southern California. “It was an opportunity to pull some of these geniuses out of their own environment to share their special skills with us,” says Frederick. “The great thing about chefs is, they’re fresh and have new perspectives on things we might have been doing the same for 10 years.”
Drinks were not overlooked in the new menu rollout. Among the new cocktails are Campfire!, featuring Buffalo Trace bourbon, graham cracker syrup Amaro Montenegro, cinnamon and chocolate bitters, topped with hickory smoke and — of course — roasted marshmallow; and Spa Day Margarita, made with Corazón Blanco tequila, lime, cucumber, triple sec, agave nectar and salted cucumber air foam. Drinks, in fact, are a special focus for Eureka! and are more individualized for each location, with offerings that lean heavily to local distilleries and breweries and include “drinks that might be more specific to that region,” says Frederick.
With several locations in California and a presence in a handful of other western states, Eureka! brings its scratch-kitchen dining to Arizona here in Tempe.
Eureka!
690 S. Novus Pl., Tempe
(602) 242- 4431
 Beer Dog
Beer bratwurst with goat cheese, caramelized whiskey onions, apple cider-braised cabbage, porter mustard and Parmesan cheese, served with signature fries $19 |
 Pastrami Quesadilla
RC Provisions pastrami, cheese blend, sauerkraut, chipotle sauce and house-made pickles, served with signature fries $18 |
 Barbecue Bacon Burger
Santa Carota beef patty with shoestring onions, bacon, cheddar cheese and beer barbecue sauce $18 |
Did You Know: The Archimedes story may be apocryphal, but it relates to the mathematician’s supposed discovery of the truth around a fraud perpetrated on King Hiero II of Syracuse.
