10 restaurants that know how to target Baby Boomers

Baby Boomers dine at restaurants more often than younger adults, who have cut back on visits over the past several years, according to research from NPD Group.

That means restaurants can't afford to ignore the age cohort and the things that entice them into a dining room. And that's not early-bird specials.

Boomers, roughly ages 51 to 69, are interested in healthful food. But they'll also spend money on a full steak dinner. Both the kitchen's menu and the dining room's atmosphere should be sophisticated. Above all, service is expected to be friendly, prompt and knowledgeable.

Here's a look at 10 metro-Phoenix restaurants that have what Boomer diners are looking for.

Rancho Pinot

Chrysa Robertson's decades-old restaurant in Scottsdale is first class all the way. The menu emphasizes seasonal ingredients, so it changes frequently. But there's always a nice selection of healthful dishes, such as a grilled seafood salad with celery, fennel, parsley and persevered lemon; roasted multicolored cauliflower with toasted caper crumbs; and roasted half chicken from Two Wash Ranch with potato-celery root smash, snap peas and tarragon pan sauce.

Details: 6208 N. Scottsdale Road, Scottsdale. 480-367-8030, ranchopinot.com.

Christopher's & Crush Lounge

Chef/owner Christopher Gross shows off international ingredients at his award-winning Biltmore establishment. Pick a few dishes from the Petite Plates menu to make a full meal. Croque madame, beef ribs with Pedro Ximenez, Merguez sausage in pastry and scallops with vanilla dust are among the 20-plus offerings, each presented with a wine-pairing suggestion on the menu. Or order from Christopher's menu, with jewels like house-smoked salmon, mushroom soup with foie gras, and Cedar River smoked truffle-infused filet mignon. Keep an eye out for Gross' wine dinners, which are a steal (it was $65 in May) and typically include a reception, four courses, wine pairings and amuse bouche.

Details: Biltmore Fashion Park, 2502 E. Camelback Road, Phoenix. 602-522-2344, christophersaz.com.

Bink's Midtown

You'll feel like you're eating at a neighbor's house here, with beautiful exposed-wood walls and white tablecloth tables. Farm-fresh produce is the star here, with a seasonal lineup of salads and vegetarian dishes such as citrus salad, grilled bok choy, kale and couscous, and charred broccoli. For an extra-special dining experience, visit on Sundays for the all-you-can-eat pig roast ($24.95 per person). Flavor profiles of the dinners change weekly, and recently Bink's has dressed up the pig Italian-style and served it with eggplant Parmesan, marinated pasta and grilled asparagus. It also has been Asian-inspired, with lemongrass-steamed rice, stir-fried spring vegetables and green garlic-sesame fritters. Bink's sister restaurants include Bink's Scottsdale, Cafe Bink in Carefree and Binkley's in Cave Creek.

Details: 2320 E. Osborn Road, Phoenix. 602-388-4874, binksmidtown.com.

Steak 44

The group behind Dominick's Steakhouse at Scottsdale Quarter opened this prime-grade beef and seafood restaurant outfitted with a contemporary style in the former Cork 'N Cleaver space at Camelback Road and 44th Street in Phoenix. Steaks, such as rib eye filet and New York strip, are cut on site and then wet-aged for 28 days. Sauce companions include bordelaise, sauteed blue cheese and crab cake. You'll also find a raw seafood bar, Chilean sea bass, chicken francese, half rack of Colorado lamb, bone-in veal chop and prime steak-house meatloaf on the menu.

Details: 5101 N. 44th St., Phoenix. 602-271-4400, steak44.com.

Elements

If the views at this Paradise Valley resort restaurant aren't enough to dazzle you, then chef Beau MacMillan's inventive, Asian-inspired menu and the Wine Spectator Magazine "Award of Excellence" wine list will. Begin the meal with kimchi bacon and brussels sprout hash topped with an organic Hickman's egg and red dragon sauce. For the main dish, you can't go wrong with the roasted Kurobuta pork chop served with shishito grits, smoked ham hock and pickled turnip greens.

Details: Sanctuary Camelback Mountain Resort and Spa, 5700 E. McDonald Drive, Paradise Valley. 480-948-2100, sanctuaryaz.com.

Franco's Italian Caffe

Tuscan-born Franco Fazzuoli shows us what Italian food is at its most stunning. Creamy seafood risotto, curly endive Gorgonzola salad, rich fettuccine, hearty bistecca Fiorentina and veal chop in a decadent demi-glace. Don't dare leave without dessert. The merenghata, a meringue semifreddo with hints of almond and amaretto, is one of the best after-dinner treats you could dream up.

Details: 4327 N. Scottsdale Road, Scottsdale. 480-481-7614, francosscottsdale.com.

Roka Akor

This Scottsdale steak-and-sushi spot manages to be edgy without being obnoxious. Black bandana-wearing chefs look like rock stars as they prepare Wagyu bone marrow on the impressive Robata grill and build delicate slices of butterfish tataki with white asparagus and yuzu. Japanese flavors permeate the menu, which features shishito peppers with ponzu and bonito flakes; salmon sashimi; prime beef filet with chile-ginger sauce; and yuzu-miso black cod with pickled red onion.

Details: 7299 N. Scottsdale Road, Scottsdale. 480-306-8800, rokaakor.com.

Vincent on Camelback

Lobster chimichanga; duck tamale with Anaheim chile and raisins; roasted rack of lamb and spicy bell pepper jelly: Chef-owner Vincent Guerithault has perfected the art of combining Southwestern flavors and classic French technique at his namesake restaurant, near Camelback Road and 40th Street in Phoenix. In 1993, Guerithault was Arizona's first chef to win the James Beard Foundation's best chef-Southwest award. On Saturdays from October through May, the French-born chef hosts a marketplace outside the restaurant, with champagne, fresh bread, produce and other deliciousness.

Details: 3930 E. Camelback Road, Phoenix. 602-224-0225, vincentoncamelback.com.

Arrowhead Grill

The kitchen at this Glendale gem understands that you eat with your eyes first. Presentation is a matter of paramount importance. Take the shrimp cocktail: three succulent shrimp served over a foggy bed of dry ice with a cloth-wrapped lemon (to prevent seeds from falling in your food). Wood fire-roasted chicken is carved tableside, grill marks on wild-caught salmon are just so, and prime rib is impeccably pink. The must-try dessert is the signature butter cake served with a scoop of ice cream. Chef Charles Schwerd, former executive chef at Mastro's, also operates Preston's at the Citadel, a steak house in the former Bice space at Pinnacle Peak and Pima roads in north Scottsdale.

Details:

8280 W. Union Hills Drive, Glendale. 623-566-2224, arrowheadgrill.com.

Tarbell's

French-trained chef Mark Tarbell has casual fine dining down to an art at his eponymous, 20-year-old restaurant at Camelback Road and 32nd Street in Phoenix. Start off with savory-sweet bacon candy with frisee, radicchio and soft-boiled egg. Follow that with housemade ribbon pasta topped with chicken fennel sausage, Campari tomatoes and Parmesan broth. Finish with Tarbell's signature vanilla cheesecake with rosemary caramel sauce.

Details: 3213 E. Camelback Road, Phoenix. 602-955-8100, tarbells.com.