Bourbon Steak at the Fairmont Scottsdale Princess

March 28, 2016 / Christina Barrueta

It's about time I reported back on our last meal at Bourbon Steak, because WOW it was one of the culinary highlights of 2015.

We're long time-fans of Bourbon Steak, having been here multiple times - whether it be for happy hour, cocktail classes, dinner (and my husband's favorite lobster pot pie) or to celebrate our anniversary.

Back in December, we joined our close friends and frequent dining partners Bill and Lill of AZ Bitters Lab for dinner. As is our wont, we met for cocktails before dinner in the bar. Jason Caballero, one of my favorite sommeliers in Arizona (whom I had first met at a special wine dinner with Maynard James Keenan of Caduceus Cellars), came out to greet us and told us we had a special treat in store. Executive Chef Jeremy McMillan had kindly offered to prepare the four of us a tasting menu. Would we like to do that instead of ordering a la carte? Why, of course!

What followed next was a wonderful meal with course after course of creative, delicious dishes expertly paired with wines by sommelier Jason. I'd be hard pressed to pick my favorites, but three that I'm still thinking about include Jason's pairing of Lillet with an intensely flavorful chestnut and black truffle soup, Chef's juicy, crispy-skinned guinea hen (from local Two Wash Ranch) glazed with sorghum and whiskey with decadent foie gras rice, and the fantastic combination of beet-stuffed caramelle pasta embellished with raisins, poppy seeds, and freshly-grated horseradish savored with a glass of Moulin à Vent gamay. Our feast:

Starting with Domaine Chandon rosé

The signature duck fat fries

Sommelier Jason Cabellero

Domaine Long-Depaquit Chablis with oysters

Oyster trio with kimchi, mignonette, and ponzu with wasabi

Chestnut and truffle soup paired with Lillet

Dr. Loosen Blue Slate Estate Kabinett paired with smoked scallops

Smoked scallop with Purple Ninja radish, sorrel, and apple

Scarpetta Pinot Grigio delle Venezie

Miso-parmesan broth with kale-basil pesto and wild mushrooms

Castello di Ama Chianti Classico paired with raviolo di uovo

Egg raviolo with ricotta, maitake mushrooms, parmesan, and brown butter

Domaine Diochon Moulin-a-Vent Vieilles Vignes paired with the next pasta course

Pasta with beets, horseradish and raisins

Mon Coeur Côtes du Rhône

Stracci with lamb belly, lamb bacon, and spigarello

Thierry & Pascale Matrot Bourgogne Blanc with guinea hen

Guinea hen roasted and glazed with sorghum and whiskey

Carved and served with foie gras rice

For our steak course: Shafer Merlot and Lassègue Saint-Émilion Grand Cru

Beef trio: Wagyu A5, USDA prime, and sirloin cap. With chimichurri, bearnaise, and salsa verde.

Dessert wine pairing

Sticky toffee cake with caramel sauce and frozen yogurt

Thank you to Chef Jeremy and Jason for a superlative evening!

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tags / Bourbon Steak, Scottsdale, tasting menu

Imbibe 'N Dine: Caskwerks and Sonoran Brewing Dinner at Lon's

March 02, 2016 / Christina Barrueta

Travis Nass, Caskwerk's "Spirit Guide", Executive Chef Jeremy Pacheco, and Zach Schroeder, brewmaster and co-owner of Sonoran Brewing Company (photos by Debby Wolvos Photography) — Travis Nass, Caskwerk's "Spirit Guide", Executive Chef Jeremy Pacheco, and Zach Schroeder, brewmaster and co-owner of Sonoran Brewing Company *(photos by Debby Wolvos Photography)*

One of the highlights of Arizona Cocktail Week are the Imbibe 'N Dine Dinners featuring special tasting menus paired with cocktails, spirits, and in this case, beer and cocktails as a tie-in to Arizona's simultaneous Beer Week. On February 16th, a pairing dinner at the historic Hermosa Inn, teaming up Chef Jeremy Pacheco of Lon's with Caskwerks, an Arizona distillery of artisan spirits, and the craft brews of Sonoran Brewing Company, resulted in a winning trifecta.

On a beautiful Arizona evening, guests gathered on an intimate patio to enjoy Travis' Welcome Punch, a refreshing blend of Caskwerks Gin, oleo-saccareum, lemon juice, earl grey tea, Sonoran dfrnt IPA, and Boy Drinks World Serrano Cocktail Spice.

We mingled and sipped (with generous refills) and before we knew it, it was time to retire to the Library, a cozy room decorated with Lon Megargee illustrations and lined with bookshelves stacked with limited-edition art books.

Chef Jeremy Pacheco described what he had planned for the evening and we learned that we were in for a one-of-a-kind pairing. Each dish was designed to be paired with a beer, a cocktail, and then a combination of the two.

Our talented group of tablemates included Travis' wife Chianne and a friend, Layrd Mahler, co-owner of Sonoran Brewing, and his wife Dana, John Miller of Caskwerks, and Ram Udwin of Boy Drinks World.

Travis described his pairing for the first course. "This is the most traditional of the cocktails tonight. We're doing a boilermaker with Apple Pie Liqueur from Caskwerks. It's one of John’s family recipes, like liquid apple pie. When you try it, you’ll see. It has apple pie, honey, brown sugar, nutmeg and cinnamon. It’s super-delicious." Both the liqueur and the White Chocolate Ale were wonderful with Chef Jeremy's roasted beets with creamy Crow's Dairy goat cheese, candied pecans, slices of Fuji apples, mache, and Sonoran Brew IPA vinaigrette, but we were all pleasantly surprised how brilliantly the boilermaker combining the two paired with the dish.

The next course was a true collaboration as the Seven Wives Saison is part of Sonoran Brew's Chef Series with Chef Pacheco. The name is a nod to Lon's namesake Lon Megargee, who had been married seven times, and ingredients include wheat from the Pacheco family farm, orange, coriander, peppercorns, and fennel. These nuanced flavors were mirrored in the second course of silky hamachi crudo with pink peppercorn, fennel pollen, bright Meyer lemon and microgreens. Travis' cocktail combined Caskwerks Gin with Lillet Rose and aromatic Hum Botanical. Lovely on its own, combined with the Saison, it was another revelation into the thought that had gone into these outstanding pairings.

The main course brought tender braised Wagyu shortribs napped in a glaze of Inebriator stout and served with balsamic cipollini onions, parsnip puree, and grilled king oyster mushrooms. Zach Schroeder, brewmaster of Sonoran Brewing, introduced the stout. "This is probably my favorite beer I brew. Let it get a little air and let it get a little warmth. You get a lot of roasty, toasty notes, a lot of toffee, chocolate, and dark fruit. Make sure you savor it." Travis described his cocktail as a Jack Rose variation, made with Caskwerks Apple Pie Liqueur, grenadine, and lemon juice. Both were so delicious on their own that more than one at our table hesitated to combine the two. But Travis knows best. Somehow this unlikely duo combined into a genius beer cocktail that underlined the savoriness of the dish yet also provided a perfect acidic foil to cut its richness.

The evening ended with a sweet finale and a pairing of Sonoran's Smooth Rebel IPA with a cocktail of Caskwerks Gin, Fernet Branca, Yellow Chartreuse, and PX Sherry. Once again, this was a creative, innovative pairing, with the double IPA's malty sweetness and the herbal notes of chartreuse and Fernet marrying perfectly with bitter caramel date bread pudding topped with caramel ice cream and orange zest.

Kudos to the collective array of passionate craftsmen in the room. Not only was this another stellar meal at the hands of talented Chef Jeremy Pacheco, but it was also a wonderful introduction to the quality of our local beverages and Arizona-grown ingredients, and an eye-opening experience into what such a collaboration can achieve.

Visit these links for my recaps of other Arizona Cocktail Week 2016 events:
Day One
Day Two
Day Three: Artisanal Market
Day Three: Day of the Rabbit at Counter Intuitive
Day Three: Last Slinger Standing
Day Four: Jade Bar Reunion
AZCW 2016: Buchanan's Whisky Golf Cart Pub Crawl

I was hosted by Lon's as a media guest.

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tags / Caskwerks, Sonoran Brewing, Lon's, Hermosa Inn, Jeremy Pacheco, Imbibe 'n Dine