Scottsdale steak prices follow a simple rule: the closer to the resort corridor, the more the ribeye costs. Cholla Prime, the white-tablecloth steakhouse inside Casino Arizona at Salt River, breaks the rule, because the casino is happy to lose a little on dinner if you stay in the building.
The prime rib is the reason to go — carved generously, priced a tier below the resort chophouses. Add the lounge’s live music and it becomes the supper-club night Scottsdale proper mostly stopped offering.
When to go: early on a Friday or Saturday. Spring training in March and casino concert nights fill the room, so book those.