THE 19TH HOLE By Carey Sweet
The Lope House sports a bright purple entrance featuring the school’s colors and mascot, the antelope (left). Bartender Justin Calloway (below) pours a glass of red wine, the perfect complement to pear spinach salad with blue cheese (above).
Our (Lope) HOUSE
GRAND CANYON UNIVERSITY GOLF COURSE’S MENU FEATURES FRESH, INVENTIVE, SEASONAL CUISINE
officially opened in west Phoenix on New Year’s Day, most eyes were on the course’s rebuilt greens. It was a major transformation of the former Maryvale Golf Course, with the staff gearing up for more than 200 rounds each day, free weekly junior golf clinics and events like the Arizona College Football Championship Golf Classic. But chef Kevin Walton
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was more concerned with the greens on his plates at the property that is located on the corner of 59th Avenue and Indian School Road. With the Lope House restaurant as the centerpiece
18 | AZ GOLF Insider | FALL 2016
hen the Grand Canyon University Golf Course
of a new 22,000-square-foot clubhouse, he was determined to elevate the typical public golf course dining experience past everyday hot dogs and hamburgers. Today, with inventive
dishes like a spinach pear salad ($8) and a balsamic steak salad ($12), the chef can claim a job well done. Whole-leaf spinach shines with crisp-tender texture and a mild, slightly sweet flavor, tossed with juicy cubed pear, candied walnuts, a snowstorm of blue cheese crumbles and homemade blue cheese dressing. Peppery fresh wild arugula brings punch to a steak salad, the grilled meat tumbled with tomato, pickled red onion, Parmesan and balsamic vinegar ($12).
To be sure, the menu
does feature a hot dog and hamburger through lunch and happy hour, yet Walton draws on his previous resort experience to dress things up. He’s worked at Valley destinations like the Scottsdale Princess, Phoenician and CopperWynd, so the frankfurter is Hebrew National Kosher, topped with anything from Dijon mustard to green chilies to Cheddar Jack fondue ($6), while the burger is Southwest style, mounded in green chilies, chorizo and Oaxaca
cheese. And while the chef offers some signatures, he changes the menu frequently for a seasonal touch. Named for the GCU
mascot, the antelope, the Lope House sports the bright purple school color, judiciously reserved for an accent wall, ceiling trim, cloth napkins and server aprons. The space feels warm and modern, sleek with wood floors, round pendant lighting, and architectural wood and fabric chairs. We can watch the action in the open, stainless steel-clad
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COURTESY GCU
CAREY SWEET
COURTESY GCU
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