Archive for the ‘Fine Dining’ Category

In late June I found myself in L.A. for the weekend, all alone on the Sunset Strip. The first night I was there I decided I needed to go have a great dinner by myself.  Take my time, relax, really enjoy the meal and enjoy some “me” time.  I didn’t want to go far because it was dark and I had never been to L.A. before and I’d be on foot.  I decided BLT steak, just up the strip from my hotel would be perfect! BLT restaurants are part owned by executive chef Laurent Tourondel, the title of his restaurants “BLT” stands for Bistro Laurent Tourondel.  They have BLT Steak, BLT Burger, BLT Fish, BLT Prime, BLT Market, BLT Bar & Grill, Fish Shack, and Nonna.  I have also been to BLT Burger inside the Mirage resort, in Las Vegas,  and it was really really great.  Juicy burgers, sweet potato fries, hand made milkshakes..can’t go wrong there as well.

Even though Open Table didn’t seem to have any reservations left for the evening, I figured there’s always room at the bar for a party of one.  I went pretty early, about 7:30pm and the restaurant was almost entirely empty.  I bellied up to the bar, ordered a dirty martini and my relaxing delicious evening had begun.  The bartenders there were awesome, fun to talk to and totally let me park there for 3 hours while I tried a little bit of everything and watched the restaurant fill up and come to life.

half eaten popover

Of course, first thing’s first.  If you are at BLT Steak, you need to start your meal with a delicious, airy yet rich popover with butter and sea salt.  They are complimentary and simply delicious.  They even include the cutest little recipe card on the plate so you can attempt to make your own at home.  I will include this near the end of the post.  I haven’t made my own yet, but I can’t wait to try.

Next, the chef de cuisine, Brian Moyers sent out an array of small bites for me try.  Marinaded olives, beautiful charcuterie, grilled cheese bites, and chicken livers were all delicious with the chicken livers and charcuterie being my favorite.  Growing up amongst a family of butchers may have swayed my picks, but their pate was so delicious and simple, pretty much just ground livers with a very light seasoning.  It was so delicious smeared on a piece of the warm popover.  The charcuterie was also very elementary, but the meat was superb and the dry salami was my favorite.  It has the  perfect texture and bitterness to it.

yummy chicken livers

a little taste of their charcuterie

 Next came my most favorite dish of the evening, their mussels.  Not sure if this item is on their menu any longer, but, when I was there it was on their dinner menu as well as their Happy Hour menu.  These mussels were steamed perfectly in a delicious savory broth that had bits of the holy trinity (onions, celery, and bell pepper) as well as thin slices of chorizo sausage.  This dish changed me for all other mussel dishes I will ever have.  Since my trip to BLT Steak L.A., I have had mussels twice and they don’t even come close to being as good as these mussels were.  I hope if I stop in at BLT Steak Scottsdale, they may have them as well, one can only dream.

no words to describe how good these were

After all of this delicious food I was getting full, but I couldn’t give up yet, as I really wanted to try their lamb.  Since I wasn’t sure when I’d have the money or the chance to return to BLT…I was going big or going home!! After taking a break and sipping on a cocktail for awhile, Iordered the Rack of Lamb ($40.0) medium rare and under recommendation of my bartender paired it with the red wine sauce.   This lamb was out of control good.  Perfectly cooked, easy to cut, melted in my mouth and served with a whole bulb of roasted garlic! Did they know that garlic is one of my favorite foods? I don’t know, but all I had to do was gently squeeze the garlic out of it’s skin and smear it on the lamb, pour on a little red wine sauce and viola!  It was so perfect.

whoa, what a rack!

Already planning a trip back to BLT Steak, this time at the Scottsdale location for my husbands birthday in January.  BLT Steak L.A. was just fantastic.  Amazing food, kind and friendly service, and a beautiful atmosphere.  They also have a great location on the Sunset Strip, you can’t miss it.  Remember, Monday thru Friday they have a fabulous $5.0 Happy Hour from 5pm-7pm.  I highly suggest you stop in on your next trip to Los Angeles.  Tell them the Food Tramp sent you

BLT Popovers

makes 12

Ingredients

4 Cups Milk, Warmed
8 Eggs
4 cups flour
1 1/2 heaping tbsp salt
2 1/4 cups grated gruyere cheese
Popover Pan

Directions

Makes 12. Place the popover pan in the oven. Heat oven and pan to 350 deg. Gently warm the milk over low heat and set aside. Whisk the eggs until frothy and slowly whisk in the milk (so as not to cook the eggs). Set the mixture aside. Sift the flour with the salt. Slowly add the dry mixture to the eggs and combine until mostly smooth. Once combined remove the popover pan from the oven and spray with non stick vegetable spray. Fill each popover cup 3/4 full and top each with 2 1/2 cups of gruyere cheese. bake at 350 deg for 50 minutes, rotating pan half a turn after 15 minutes. Serve immediately.

For one thing, Radio Milano has a pretty genius Twitter page, boasting their happy hour “when Camelback turns pink it’s time for drink!”  I love it!  They’re always advertising neighborhood night which is Mondays and Tuesdays where you can get an entree + salad or dessert for only ($20.0) which is an amazing value for the quality and quantity of their food.  I first heard about Radio from a fellow food writer who did a review for FoodiesLikeUs and it just sounded yummy!  Then, after continuously reading their twitter posts from RM I was just waiting for a fellow foodie invite or a chance for my husband and I to get a night out so I could go see for myself! 

I got the chance two weeks ago thru a fabulous new food networking company called Tastecasting that I joined here in Phoenix.  A really stellar concept:  we all know how networking is taking over the internet and is driving the decisions people make and the places people go.  Tastecasting is simple.. we go to a restaurant that would like media exposure and they trade a fabulous menu sampling for us and in turn we plug the crap out of them on Twitter, Facebook, Stumble Upon and other social outlets.   It really works and it’s a great chance for foodies on a budget to get to try out some really great fine dining destinations in Phoenix and surrounding areas.

I believe this was Phoenix Tastecasting’s third restaurant since it started in our area.  This is where the food tramp hopped on for the ride and it was a great one!!  After being seated our server and their general manager came out and greeted us.  We were served warm bread with fresh olive oil and garlic and offered a drink on the house.  I started with their ginger press ($9.0) which coincidentally tasted exactly like my favorite martini at Metro!!  A gin based lemony ginger cocktail that included ginger ale as well, mmm mmm tasty.

Next we were bombarded by almost every appetizer on the menu.  Deviled eggs ($5.0), shattered potato chips ($6.0), crispy calamari ($9.0), celery Caesar ($9.0), and the caprese salad ($10.0).  I was utterly stunned when I saw the deviled eggs as I have never seen them in a restaurant and they were out of this world!  The calamari was probably my favorite, nice and lightly crispy.  I wasn’t a fan of their caprese salad.  I am a real traditionalist when it comes to caprese.  I want cold tomatoes, soft fresh mozzarella and basil.  Radio’s version had roasted tomatoes and a stronger cheese and I was just a little surprised.  But, try it because you may just love it!

loved this bread w/garlic oil

yummy calimari and deviled eggs

homemade chips

Entrees were flowin as well.  I wish I could show every single picture I took but I just don’t have room.  There were seven of us dining that evening.  We each ordered an entree and Radio threw in a few extra entrees just so we wouldn’t leave hungry!!  Talk about amazing food! Everything looked remarkable and tasted even better.  At first glance I wanted to order the house made parpadelle ($17.0) but then, I saw the cowboy ribeye steak ($25.0) which is my favorite cut of meat on earth so I chose that.  I’m glad I wasn’t shy cause that was one major cut of meat, wholly moly!! The taste was also better than any steak I have had in a restaurant this year.  They cook it over mesquite wood chips and wow, you can really taste the smoky flavor.  It was so juicy and delicious.  It needed no accompaniment at all.  It was so humongous that I saved half for my husband and will soon be taking him there so he can have his own!  

parpadelle (i'll get this next time)

what a ribeye!

salmon

even better-meatball sammie w/fried egg!!

Dessert..oh Radio Milano, you’ve spoiled my sweet tooth with your amazing treats.  I was excited to try the olive oil cake ($7.0) as it stood out and was a different concept that struck my curiosity.  We also received three scoops of amazing gelato from Grateful Spoon Gelato that were to die for!  I have to admit, I am pretty committed to The Gelato Spot, as they make the most amazing coconut gelato I have ever tasted.  When I tasted Grateful Spoon’s pistachio gelato I felt bad and wrong, like I was cheating on the Gelato Spot, but it was just so amazing, I couldn’t stop myself.  Let’s not forget those sinful mini butter cookies in the basket by the door.  You know the ones…with the mini chocolate chips?? Yeah, next time I’m there if that basket goes missing, I know nothing about it  

the triple threat from Grateful Spoon

FnB you’ve got my full attention!  Okay foodies, I’m sure you’ve read about FnB in the past months or so.  In the place of where Digestif used to be, hails a new victor in culinary truth. In a quaint yet sophisticated space featuring a remarkably glossy multicolored artlike tile floor,  FnB features a  menu that changes sometimes daily with the freshest produce, all from local Arizona farmers.  They also use other fresh ingredient from local vendors.  The freshness certainly shows in the taste and integrity of their food, it is so delicious!

I had been looking to come here ever since I saw a picture on facebookof their braised leeks/mozzarella/mustard breadcrumbs and fried egg phenomenon!  People, this is food porn worthy in my books.  One glimpse of that dish and I simply knew I was destined to dine there.  So, with a drooling comment on my friend Jay’s picture status, I begged him to PLEASE call me the next time you want to go to FnB!!   Happily for me, that day came about a week later Upon arrival we took a seat at the bar.  You could call this a bar, but I call it a food voyeur’s naughty pleasure.  You see, the whole kitchen is surrounded by the bar, so if you choose to sit there you’ll get to watch Charleen Badman work her magic while enjoying a nice glass of Arizona wine.

We were warmly greated by Pavle Milic, the restaurant’s owner and also our server for the evening.  We both got the “Vino del Barrio Blanca”  ($10.0/glass) from Pages Springs Vineyards right here in AZ.  We then ordered up two appetizers to share and relaxed with friendly conversation.  Of course, we ordered the braised leeks/mozz/breadcrumb/fried egg ($13.0).  We also tried their duck/pork pate which was a new addition to their changing menu.  Both were amazing, but I must pay close attention to the best salty and savory thing I ever ate in my life!  Yes, I just said “best…thing I ever ate,” because it is true.  That leek dish changed me forever, as I now crave it in my sleep, it was that amazing!  I watched as Charleen put the fresh mozzarella over the leeks and stuck it under the broiler.  Then,  she prepared the over easy egg in a small saucepan over an even smaller double burner, giving it a generous sprinkle of salt on top.  When the cheese was perfectly melted over the leeks, she pulled it out of the broiler, slid the egg on top and dusted with the mustard breadcrumbs.

best thing I EVER ate

I really could dedicate my whole article on this one plate, as it was for me, perfection.  The perfectly cooked greens, the melted stringy cheese, breadcrumbs,  and maybe my favorite part…the crispy around the edges, over easy egg! It had a salty, savory, creamy, slightly chewy,  and warm flavor in every bite.  I’m pretty sure they saw me scraping the plate to get the crusted mozzarella off!  Oh my god, it was just unbelievable.  When you go to FnB, you’d be a fool not to order this delight.

what a combo

Next was the duck/pork pate.  It came on the plate with two pieces of crispy bread, a few softly roasted cippolini onions, some pickled cauliflower and cucumber and a dollop coarse ground mustard.  This pate was very nicely put together with the perfect amount of fat content and seasoning.  The pate also had pistachios in it that gave a nice texture contrast.  It really tasted like my dad’s liverwurst that he’s been making for years from an old world German recipe.  For me to be able to compare it to something  homemade and authentic from my dad’s market, makes it top notch in my book!  The onions were great, as you could smear them onto the hard crusty bread and accompany with a piece of pate. I loved the bi-colored pickled cauliflower, it was delicious.

flat iron steak w/caper raisin goodness

For the entree it was a hard decision as all of the four entrees on the menu looked amazing.  We went with sharing the flat iron steak with cauliflower, caper, and golden raisin salsa verde ($21.0)  I totally didn’t realize until we got our entree that Pavle didn’t ask us how we wanted our meat cooked and I’m very glad that he didn’t.  This steak was cooked to an absolute perfection.  Nice sear on the outside with a juicy red medium doneness on the inside.  It had a very clear, pure beefy flavor and just melded so nicely with the caper raisin salsa.  You’ll notice we had cauliflower twice that evening, but that was not a problem at all as it was so different each time we got it.  In the pate dish it was cold and pickled. In our entree we were given a beautiful purple cauliflower that was roasted  with what tasted to me like some fresh grated parmesan, but I cannot be positive of this.  Either way, I really enjoyed the distinct flavors of the cauliflower each time, it was really great. 

When we thought we could feast no more we told Pavle we’d be skipping dessert.  However, Pavle simply wouldn’t let us leave without something homemade and sweet in our stomachs.  Such a kind man to make sure my sweet tooth is paid attention to   He brought us some homemade peanut brittle and also homemade butterscotch pudding.

Jay and I were really contemplating the pudding.  It looked super delicious, but we are both lactose intolerant…enough said.  I figured I’d endure the future pain because it just looked so darned good! With homemade, slightly sweetened whipped cream and freshly grated nutmeg, it was worth every taste!  The pudding, I could tell was totally homemade as it had a very buttery sweet caramel taste that you can only achieve from getting the sugar butter and cream cooked to the perfect temperature.  The nutmeg was a great accompaniment with the rich butterscotch pudding.  I’ll be ordering that again, it’s a certainty! 

In summary, for me, FnB is my second favorite restaurant and may soon be my first.  I love the simple, fresh, small menu concept.  Their hospitality is supreme along with their food and I can’t wait to return.  FnB without a doubt gets the FOOD-TRAMP-STAMP-OF APPROVAL!

FnB

7133 E Stetson Dr

Scottsdale, AZ 85252

480.425.9463

I ate the whole bag!

What is Cowboy Ciao’s addicting little secret you ask?  Country Velador’s bacon-chocolate-caramel popcorn!  It the most sinful salty and sweet treat that I have had in a long time and it is DELICIOUS!  Country is the pastry chef at Ciao and makes this naughty treat right in the restaurant’s kitchen. Country dubbed her fare The Country Store and sells them at Cowboy Ciao for $7.00 plus tax.  Worth every penny if you ask me!  This gourmet delight definitely gets the FOOD-TRAMP-STAMP of Approval

For those who have never been, Cowboy Ciao is a wonderful eatery that boasts “…modern American food with global influences..” It is located at Stetson and 6th Ave in the Southbridge district.  I had the my first dining pleasure there last night with Foodies Like Us and our Trolley Dine Around adventure.  I cannot wait to return for a full review, and of course, some more popcorn addiction!!

Cowboy Ciao

7133 E Stetson Dr

Scottsdale, AZ 85251