An Arizona-based food, beverage and travel writer since 2008, I launched this website in 2015 to document my culinary adventures, beverage escapades, gardening endeavors, and travel in the Phoenix area and beyond. Also find a comprehensive calendar of Phoenix-area food and drink-related events on my Events page.
A weekly Tuesday feature, I publish Rubee Tuesday as a photo recap of my recent drinking and dining adventures. You can readpast Rubee Tuesdays HERE.
Tuesday, March 14: Spanish wine dinner at Prime at Gila River Resort and Casinos. Last year, Prime launched what is one of the state’s premier wine dinner series and I was back for the kick-off to 2023 featuring Spanish wines. We were greeted on the rooftop patio with stunning views, sangria, and pinchos before moving to a private dining room where guest Master Carver Fernando Ortegawas carving acclaimed WorldClass Cinco Jotas jamón Ibérico.
It was the perfect introduction to a fabulous Spanish tasting menu paired with spectacular Spanish wines. As always, the talented team here knocked it out of the park, and before we left, we had April’s Italian wine dinner booked. Watch more HERE on my video Reel.
Wednesday, March 15: The Gladly (Central Phoenix). For a visiting friend’s last meal before heading to the airport, we were off to The Gladly. A perfect lunch for me was a Negroni Sbagliato (where the gin is swapped out for prosecco) and chef-owner Bernie Kantak’s famous chopped salad. It’s a dish I often make for out-of-town guests too - I share the recipe I use here.
Dirty Dough, Scottsdale. I had been invited to check out the new Scottsdale location of Dirty Dough, so we swung by after lunch at The Gladly. One visit and you’ll be hooked on these cookies too! Pictured below is the Brookie (a brownie cookie stuffed with cookie dough and caramel), Chocolate Chip, Caramel Apple Pie (sugar cookie stuffed with apple pie filling and topped with caramel and cream cheese frosting), Reverse with Reeses (peanut butter cookie stuffed with fudge and garnished with crushed Reeses). I also posted an Instagram video Reel HERE.
Thursday, March 16: “First Date” for the Fairmont Phoenix Hotel and Residences opening in 2025 (downtown Phoenix). It’s always nice to catch up with world-renowned chef Alex Stratta who will lead the culinary program at Fairmont Phoenix. Learn more via this Press Release, and click HERE for a video Reel.
Alessandro “Alex” Stratta, a two-Michelin star and James Beard Award-winning chef, will lead the culinary program at Fairmont Phoenix.
STK Steakhouse (Old Town Scottsdale). Afterwards, we were off for the unveiling of STK Scottsdale’s beautiful new rooftop deck. They always know how to throw a party! Click the photo below for a full video.
Our last stop on this fun-filled day was Second Story in Old Town. If you haven’t been in a while (like me), it’s high time to revisit this gem. Chef Jordano Sessions is back and I’d recommend every delicious dish we tried. Our feast included crispy rice cakes with furikake, cured egg yolk, and gochujang; yellowtail crudo with lemon-chile ponzu; Korean pork belly roll with sake-soy glaze and pickled cucumber salad; trenne and jamón Ibérico pasta special; grouper with sake steamed rice and passionfruit sauce; jerk pressed chicken with charred pineapple fried rice and coconut rum jus. You can see more pictures and listen in on Chef Jordano describing some of the dishes on my Instagram here.
Rice cakes and yellowtail crudo at Second Story Restaurant and Bar in Old Town Scottsdale
Friday, March 17:Little Pickle at The Esplanade. We’ve been friends with MercBar owner Rick Philips, whom we first met when he was owner of Bootleggers, and over the years we’ve been treated to the killer pastrami and lox he has been perfecting. So it’s no surprise that the opening of Little Pickle has been met with resounding success. He has a gift for coaxing melt-in-your-mouth tenderness and flavor from meat and fish to create superlative renditions of Jewish deli favorites such as pastrami, corned beef, and lox. We’re fans of the whitefish, latkes, matzo ball soup, and egg salad too - can’t wait to try more! Pro tip: Order ahead on-line to avoid a wait.
NOTE: Get there now as Little Pickle will close temporarily on April 7th before they relocate to a more permanent location (stay tuned for updates!)
Friday night: ZD Wine Tasting at Trevor’s Liquor in North Scottsdale. For our first visit to the beautiful new location on Mayo Blvd, a fun ZD Wine Tasting ($30 pp) was the perfect excuse. We were greeted with bubbly, treated to charcuterie boards, and owner and winemaker Brett Deleuze led us through tastings of ZD 2021 Chardonnay, 2021 Pinot Noir, and a comparison of the 2019 and 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon (insider’s scoop: Trevor's owns all of the 2012 Cabs in AZ).
And if you haven’t been, the newest location is spectacular! Watch my Reel below to see Beverage Director Jordan Chandler lead me on a tour of the 15,000 square-foot space offering retail space including champagne and whiskey rooms, a dog-friendly patio, pizzeria, humidor, cigar lounge, indoor golf simulator, and more.
Check back next week as I share photo recaps of visits to Vecina, ZuZu at Hotel Valley Ho, Pa’la Downtown, Eden Bar and Blue Hound Kitchen at Hotel Palomar, and Anhelo.
And follow along on my Instagram for this week’s visits to: Mariscos Playa Hermosa, Arboleda, Keeler’s Steakhouse, First & Last and Little Debbie’s.
A weekly feature, I publish Rubee Tuesday on Tuesdays as a photo recap of my recent drinking and dining adventures. You can see past Rubee Tuesdays HERE.
The team at Weft & Warp is always a Dish Fest favorite (L-R: Beverage manager Sergio Campos, executive pastry chef Morgan Malzahn, and executive chef Dushyant Singh)
March 5: Another great year at PHOENIX magazine’s Phoenix Dish Fest, one of the city’s most popular food festivals. In fact, it has been so successful that Dish Fest will be expanding to two days in 2024. Click here for a video Reel.
March 6-9: The next day, I was off to Paso Robles, California to cover Paso Cab Camp for The SOMM Journal.
I’ll be sharing more photos under my Travel section and video Reels on Instagram (Here’s one of our beautiful hotel, the Allegretto Vineyard Resort).
EDITED 6/1/2023: Here’s the link to my seven-page spread in the June/July issue of SOMM Journal.
DAOU Family Estates in Paso Robles
March 9: Arboleda (Scottsdale Quarter). Upon landing in Phoenix at dinner time, my husband picked me up and we decided to check out a new restaurant I’ve been hearing so much about. Arboleda, which means grove in Spanish, celebrates Mediterranean dishes spanning the cuisines of Spain, France, Italy, Greece, and Morocco. We not only loved the delicious hummus and lobster spaghetti, but check out the pan con tomate with WorldClass Cinco Jotas jamón Ibérico de bellota (the world-famous melt-in-your-mouth ham made from Iberian pigs fed on acorns and cured in centuries-old cellars in Jabugo, Spain). We already have plans to return before the end of the month to explore more of the menu.
We were also treated to delicious bites such as hamachi topped with WorldClass caviar, shrimp with ginger-chile koshu and togarashi, and wood-grilled WorldClass octopus with saffron, Chimayo chile, artichokes, Controne beans and Steadfast Farm daikon radish salad. You can see more on my video Reel here.
Top Bars at The Croft: Once again, award-winning bars from around the country were gathered downtown, such as New York’s Clover Club and Double Chicken Please, NOLA’s Jewel of the South,Chicago’s Three Dots and a Dash and Portland’s Palomar, to name a few. International pop-ups included Amaro Bar and Coupette from London, Analogue from Singapore, Penicillin from Hong Kong, Handshake Bar from Mexico City, and more.
Executive chef Rochelle Daniel of Atria, Christina Barrueta, and Atria chef Maribel Silva
You can see more of Top Bars (my favorite AZ Cocktail Weekend event!) on my video Reel.
March 13: Tarbell’s (Central Phoenix). A friend was visiting from Massachusetts, so we had to bring him to one of our favorites! Pictures below: Mylk Punch (clarified punch with pineapple, aloe, black English tea, citrus and spice) and my decadent cacio e pepe with Perigord black truffles.
And follow along on my Instagram for this week’s visits to: Vecina, ZuZu at Hotel Valley Ho, Pa’la Downtown, Eden Bar and Blue Hound Kitchen at Hotel Palomar, and Anhelo for a special scholarship wine dinner.
Starting this month, I am relaunching Rubee Tuesday, a weekly photo recap of my recent adventures in dining and drinking. You can see past Rubee Tuesdays HERE
Lincoln Steakhouse at JW Marriott Camelback Inn
February 28:Sandfish Sushi and Whiskey, Melrose District. This was my second visit to the downtown Phoenix outpost of Sandfish Sushi and Whiskey (the original is in Palm Springs), and we loved it just as much as the the Friends and Family opening in December. You can see a video Reel of that visit HERE. This time, we joined our friend Peter McQuaid (executive chef at Cala Scottsdale) and his colleague Dominic. Our fantastic feast started with octopus carpaccio featuring thin slices of tender WorldClass octopus adorned with preserved lemon, citron oil, herb oil, microgreens and a sprinkle of sesame seeds.
Any time I know there is octopus sourced from WorldClass (known for seeking out the best ingredients all over the world) on a menu, I have to have it. Our group of four also quickly polished off the char-grilled octopus served with creamy edamame hummus and crispy pops of bubu arare (round rice crackers).
We chose to dine omakase (meaning "I leave it up to you” where the chef chooses the courses - highly recommend!), starting with spicy tuna tostadas and ending with matcha cheesecake. Some of our delicious dishes:
And did I mention killer drinks? Pro tip: Order the Omakase Cocktail and be prepared for Josh to make you a spectacular off-menu libation.
March 1: Lincoln Steakhouse at JW Marriott Camelback Inn, Paradise Valley. Last month, I returned to this beautiful steakhouse to check out the new menu curated by Senior Sous Chef John Fraser. My husband and I were joined by Meridith May, editor-in-chief and co-owner of The SOMM Journal and Tasting Panel magazines, and her husband Bill, and the four of us were duly impressed! You can see my video Reel HERE. On this month’s visit, we returned with a party of five who were just as dazzled with previous favorites like tableside French 75s and mussels with a caramelized onion and chorizo Kiltlifter beer broth, and new-to-me dishes such as Dover sole flown in from Europe with a velvety citrus beurre blanc. I also made a video Reel of this visit HERE.
Although I tend to order one of the stellar seafood dishes, Lincoln is also known for its steaks grilled to juicy perfection in a Josper high-heat hardwood charcoal-fired oven. You can order optional toppings such as king crab Oscar or the blue cheese and bacon pictured below, and for one of my go-to sides, try the decadent potatoes au gratin presented in a pool of creamy sauce made with local Crow’s Dairy goat cheese.
March 2: Hillstone, Central Phoenix. So many of our chef friends have recommended this spot as a go-to, so we were long overdue for a first visit. The French dip is justly famous (great fries too!) and I was just as happy with my roast chicken and kale salad.
March 3: Phoenix City Grille, Central Phoenix. I’m such a huge fan of this spot led by talented chefs Micah Wyzlic and Uriel Telix, and I’m not the only one as evidenced by the DMs I received when I posted these pictures. Be sure to check their website for weekend specials like these winners: A Spring Smash with PCG Wilderness Trails Barrel bourbon, peppercorn-strawberry syrup, basil and mint topped with sparkling Topo Chico, and and an incredible Broccoli Saltrado with sesame-chile glaze, papas fritas, oyster mushrooms and aji amarillo aioli - - one of the best veggie dishes I have ever had anywhere.
It’s also home to one of Phoenix’s BEST ribeyes - juicy, smoky WorldClassArgentine ribeye with local Ramona Farms tepary beans, roasted tomato salsa, avocado and pickled onions.
And whiskey fans already know, but PCG also hosts sold-out pairing dinners such as this Garrison Brothers experience I attended in 2021, and at any given time has four or five Old Fashioned variations like the Espresso and Freaky Tiki Manhattans we loved on this month’s visit.
Check back next week as I share photo recaps of: Phoenix Dish Fest, Arboleda, Paso Robles Cab Camp, and Arizona Cocktail Week events.
And follow along on my Instagram for this week’s visits to: Prime Steakhouse at Gila Rivers Casino Resort, Dirty Dough cookie shop, Little Pickle, Second Story Liquor Bar, a First Date with Fairmont Phoenix Hotel and Residences, the Grand Opening of STK’s new rooftop deck, and a ZD wine tasting at Trevor’s Liquors.
