Keeler’s Neighborhood Steakhouse — Restaurant in Carefree

Chef Anthony Apolinar at Keelers is one of my favorite chefs in the valley, and I am also a big fan of Keelers Hospitality Group. From the food to the cocktails, they excel at hospitality and bringing diners comfort foods with a passionate twist. Not to mention, the cocktail menu designed by Adam Downing is as diverse as it is fun to sip!

Why I love Keeler's Chef Anthony Apolinar? He brings a deep passion for food and people and a commitment to fresh, from-scratch cooking to Keeler's Neighborhood Steakhouse.

Apolinar's culinary journey began at age six, learning to make chorizo from his mother and “Nana“. His formative years were spent honing his work ethic through baling hay and tending livestock. Those early experiences instilled in him a love of food and a connection to his roots.

The Keeler family, a family owned and operated hospitality group, offered Chef Apolinar a haven for his creativity across their three concepts. For the past nine years, he has revolutionized their menus, transitioning from pre-made dishes to fresh, from-scratch comfort foods.

Chef Apo understood Cave Creek's love for "meat and potatoes," which inspired his "Keelers Loaded Baker." This behemoth baked potato impresses with tender filet mignon, bacon, and a symphony of cheeses. This exemplifies Apolinar’s philosophy of elevating comfort food. "My job is to create dishes that evoke memories of childhood and comfort.“

The Keelers kitchen boasts a close-knit team which is evident in the staff's longevity. Chef beams with pride as he mentions his sous chef's journey from dishwasher four years ago.

A highlight of the menu is Apolinar's favorite cut, a 16-ounce prime rib eye. It bursts with flavor and tenderness. The brisket blend beef burgers with house-made buns sell over 2,000 a month.

Apolinar's Mexican-American heritage shines through in dishes like the Baja Sea Bass, topped with crab meat and a cajun beurre blanc, in addition to a chunky cilantro crab cake finished with chipotle aioli.

For dessert, try Apple Pie, which uses 10 lbs of Granny Smith applies for every pie, or the New York Cheesecake and Creme Brulee.

As you sit at the bar, enjoying one of Keeler’s incredible cocktails, you'll likely encounter the regulars. They come not just for the food and cocktails, but for a place that feels like home. There is also a rooftop patio!

Recommended cocktails: Judy's Bloom Agave Suave Island Fever When in New York Keeler's Smoke Show

Happy Hour Daily 3p-5p $8 features such as Steak Tartar and French Onion Soup $6 Well Cocktails $8 Margaritas $8 Martinis $6 Sangrias $5 Local Draft Beers $5 Wines $16 Combos of sandwhiches and HH...

Well about a year ago my wife and I had an incredible Keelers dinner, and I YELPED immediately with 5 stars of joy. In fact, since then we've returned multiple times and always been very pleased. I like giving restaurants positive reviews considering the hard labor for all staff from maître d, server, waiter, bar, sous-chef, and chef.

But last Saturday night was a disaster. Firstly, Carefree was hosting the Thunderbird Art show and Keelers was jammed when we got there with our 7:45pm reservations.

The bad experience started with the server, who - you know the pushy type - didn't seem to like our not ordering alcohol. Interesting that he was a late middle aged man, serving at a restaurant on a Saturday night.

I asked him if I could substitute a small salad for the green beans and smashed potatoes - which I'd done several times before without incident. He refused saying, "we don't do that unless you order a steak . . . but I can bring you a salad if you still want one." I said no, but my wife asked for a moment to see if anything caught her eye, and she asked the server to start my order anyway. He abruptly left saying, "I'll put both in at the same time." He disappeared as I steamed.

After what seemed like forever, he returned and took our orders - 2 steelhead trout. My wife asked if the green beans could be cooked a bit more, as they often had a tendency to be tough. He responded, "We make them al dente." So I'd had it by then and responded, "We just don't want to dent our teeth." He then agreed to ask the kitchen staff to check the green beans.

WHEW! What a hassle. I mean I know inflation has hit terribly in the last 6-8 months, but when you're ordering $100 meals for 2, after tax and tip without alcohol, you want to be treated agreeably.

I asked for same waiter for lemon slices for our fish. At this point we were worried about how our orders would actually be. A young congenial guy returned shortly with the lemon.

When the trout was brought to us, we started to eat it and both thought it undercooked with an underlying fishy flavor. (You know how there's always a disclaimer on the menus warning patrons about undercooked seafood/shell fish!) So we got the waiter's attention and asked for the steelhead to be cooked more. He took it to the kitchen. Ten minutes later another congenial guy (Ryan) returned with the trout and followed that with additional almondine sauce.

So the one star is well deserved, but sad given our wonderful meals in the last year. Moral of story is don't go to Keelers late on a Saturday night, and hope you get a better waiter...

First the positives! It's a lovely venue. Very interesting lighting, very new and clean. Comfortable seats (we were in a booth) and pretty attentive wait staff. Pacing of dinner is a bit slow, but it's something that less hungry people may really like. Bread rolls were plentiful & served in a nice presentation. The wine was a particularly lovely (Hahn Pinot Noir) red.

Now for the unfortunate negatives... Ceasar salad was pretty fishy. I don't mind anchovies, but my husband sure does & these were pretty overwhelming. The onion soup was a little sherry heavy so once you got done with the cheese it just tasted off.

Now for the big negative: the steak. I got a 12 oz. Filet & it was clearly a wonderful cut of meat & cooked perfectly to order. BUT it was absolutely encased in kosher salt. Altogether it had to be about 3-4 tablespoons at least. To the point my tongue was sore from it. I love me some salt, but this was just too much. To the point my feet were swollen before we even left & I couldn't get enough water into me throughout dinner. This could be better.

The sauteed mushrooms were pretty tasteless & the scalloped potatoes were (and I can't believe I'm saying this because I love cheese) over-cheesed. If you'd have asked me yesterday I'd have said there's no such thing as too much cheese, but I guess if you live long enough you can be proved wrong on anything.

Also, this restaurant is LOUD. I could barely hear my dinner companions & not just at Happy Hour, though that was clearly banging. Tables seem to be packed in maybe a little too tightly. Once the place was fully seated it was just too warm. Too many bodies in too small of a space. And the music was really loud. Weird flex to blast Hall & Oates "Baby Come Back" but whatever. I'm sure that this means I'm too old but I felt like I was shouting to talk to my tablemates.

So, for me this all adds up to a 3. Good service, nice place, good ingredients but execution is just a tad off. For a price point of roughly $150 per couple, you sort of expect...