When you combine the top chefs and restaurants in the Valley, and you gather them in one place for foodies to mingle with and enjoy, it’s a total pandemonium.
Jeff and I were first timers on this annual Phoenix event and we are sure that Phoenix Cooks! will be a Labor Day weekend tradition for us. Held at the JW Marriott Desert Ridge Spa and Resort, this gastronomic symposium had a lot to offer for foodies or OHP (ordinary hungry people) alike.
Restaurants and chefs in the Valley presented some of the popular dishes and best sellers in their menu in bite size, taster pieces. Jeff particularly like the pulled pork bonanza on a sesame seed waffle cone, pork ranch tacos, banana-pineapple muffin con coconut italian ice from the Ritz-Carlton. District American Kitchen and Wine Bar made this strawberry shortcake spin-off that we could have sworn tasted like red skittles! Yum!
Staff From Chelsea's Kitchen Prepare A Brussel Sprout Salad
There was a big feast of Asian and ethnic food that I loved, thanks to Roka Akor, Sushi Roku, Cafe ZuZu, The Arrogant Butcher, The Melting Pot, Mastro’s and PURE Sushi to name a few. Indulgence was the name of the game. Several live cooking demos made the whole event an educational and inspiring event. Who would know that farm raised salmon are usually injected with dye to make them appear redder thus fresher?
So whether you like to eat or you love to cook, Phoenix Cooks! is a sure-fire way of nudging that hungry soul out of you.
Homemade Pasta Crafted While You Wait
Brittney Shipp (3TV) and Chef Michael Cairns (Urban Chefs AZ) Serve Freshly Prepared Salmon
I am torn between airports and hospitals.
I can never make up my mind which place strikes me the most, or should I say interests me the most. I used to be an airport brat, racking up reward points for free flights almost every month. I would go by myself and be by myself while waiting for departure. And a big part of my anticipation of being in sky harbors is when I get to see all kinds of human drama imaginable in this soap operatic world.
I love seeing soldiers coming back to their families, I share the sadness when I see Army men being deployed and leaving their families for awhile. It is at the airport when you see the best and the worst of human emotions, and that fascinates me. Because I think that we become our true selves when we feel the most vulnerable, when we leave or see a loved one or when we embody our social nature as human beings.
Right now, Im sitting by myself waiting for my appointment in the hospital and like airports, hospitals carry a certain air of emotional lability. I might see someone relieved after getting good news from a doctor or someone who is tearful because of a health scare. Either way, Im looking at human emotions again and how people have the ability to empathize and to be drawn to others.
Are you looking for a vegetarian noodle recipe that comes with a kick? Hazel made these firey noodles during one of our Iron Chef challenges.
- ~15 ounces of soba noodles or whole wheat pasta*
- 2 cups chopped fresh broccoli
- 1 bunch of asparagus, cut in bite-sized pieces
- 1 cup shredded carrots
- 2 tbsp toasted sesame seeds (lightly toast them in a dry skillet or buy toasted seeds)
- 1/2 cup green onions, chopped
- 1/4 low sodium soy sauce*
- 1 tbsp chili garlic sauce (or other hot sauce or chili flakes, adjust amount based on desired spice level)
- 1 tbsp rice vinegar
- 1 tbsp toasted sesame oil
- 2 tsp aji-mirin (rice wine), optional
- Cook the noodles according to the package directions. In the last minute of cooking, add the broccoli and asparagus to the pot. When finished cooking, drain and rinse with cool water to stop the cooking and rinse away the starch that makes the noodles stick together.
- In a large bowl, toss the noodle mixture with the carrots, sesame seeds, and green onions.
- Make the sauce by whisking together the soy sauce, chili garlic sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, and aji-mirin. Pour the sauce over the noodles and toss well. Serve at room temperature or chilled.
*Gluten free: This dish can be made gluten free by substituting rice or other gluten free noodles and using a gluten free tamari (soy sauce). If using full-sodium soy sauce, reduce the amount by 1/4 to 1/2 (down to 2-3 tablespoons).
Recipe Source: Get Natured
For our faithful followers, we apologize for the downtime. A bizarre backup incident with our web host resulted in the loss of nearly three years worth of posts. Rather than dwell on what we lost, we decided to start fresh.
In this section we will focus on everything food. From local foodie joints to our very own “Iron Chef” challenges direct from our home kitchen…
If you are interested in experiencing the art and science of food with us, come on, let’s go while were young!
Posted in
Cuisine |
Comments Off on A Fresh Recipe For our faithful followers, we apologize for the downtime. A bizarre backup incident with our web host resulted in the loss of nearly three years worth of posts. Rather than dwell on what we lost, we decided to start fresh.
In this section we will focus on everything travel. From travels to the other side of the globe, to relaxing cruises, to quick weekend trips around the desert Southwest…
If you are interested in experiencing new places with us, come on, let’s go while were young!
Posted in
Adventures |
Comments Off on A Change In Our Itinerary Just got back from our short Vegas getaway and as usual, our Vegationing wouldn’t be complete without seeing a Cirque show. So, after an hour of discussion and brainstorming, we decided to see “O” at the Bellagio. And here, ladies and gentlemen, is what I think about it.
“O”, which is Eau (n.water) simplified and Americanized, is an okay Cirque du Soleil show. It has its wow moments and of course, those moments when you feel like a slow learner, trying to figure out if you should pay more attention to the show because you just don’t get it. And at the very end of the show, you get to realize that there is nothing to GET. Period.
For one, “O” does not have a storyline for crying out loud, no dialogue or even gibberish vocalization that you can at least decipher yourself (depending on how good your imagination is), and no coherence whatsoever. It’s a conglomeration of various scenes all depicting the wonderful world of H2O. And it’s okay because it does not take a quantum physicist to realize that the show is all about water. Now if you came to see it for tigers and lions, then you’re in the wrong show.
Technically speaking, it is awesome. There’s a stage that transforms into a massive body of water in just mere seconds and transforms back to a flat surface without you even noticing it. The depth of that body of water can be manipulated by water portals that are invisible to the blurry eye. One minute actors will be diving on it, the next minute they’d be walking on water. There is a bunch of acrobats that float, sink, dive, squirm, go airborne and plop in the water giving Greg Louganis a run for his money. Synchronized swimming plays a big part as well as airborne somersaults and clown acts. And of course, Cirque shows will not be complete if there are no random, weirdly clad beings of all kinds parading on the stage to distract the viewers from the next scene preparation.
So here’s my take on it. Good but not spectacular. Ka still reigns supreme. And it’s not even comparable to Ka in so many aspects. It’s worth seeing once but it won’t leave any lingering feelings of happiness and joy. My recommendation? If you’re really itching to see “O” and you want to at least appreciate it, man up, shell out some cheese, grab the seats up front, get wet and be refreshed.
We drove up from the Phoenix area after work and arrived in Las Vegas just before 10:00pm. Being regular visitors to Las Vegas, we had a general idea of where the Vdara Hotel & Spa was but did make the mistake of turning into the main City Center entrance instead of the Harmon Avenue entrance. After getting onto Harmon, we looked in vain for the self park. We were disappointed to learn that the hotel has only valet parking on site. It wasn’t a cost issue, as the service is complimentary, but I am just a control freak so hate letting some hooligan behind the wheel of our car.
We waited only a minute or so for those in front of us to check in and then were greeted by a friendly staff member. We were soon on our way up to our 20th floor room in a very classy elevator with blue glass textured walls. Our room was equipped with a kitchenette, a spacious combo sleeping / living room, and a sparkling clean bathroom. Furnishings are modern with dark brown wood, tan walls and carpet, and citron colored accents. The beds are very plush. My wife loved the included bath robes and slippers. The TV was a relatively large LCD unit with a large selection of crystal clear HD channels. Wireless and wired internet are free for guests and are relatively speedy.
We had Mother’s Day brunch at Silk Road restaurant. Chef Martin Heierling, who also oversees Sensi at the Bellagio, put together a tasty selection of food including homemade ginger ale, fresh fruit, Lox and bagels, homemade breads, eggs, bacon, chipotle sausage, salmon, beef sliders, apple french toast and banana nutella crepes.
Speaking of crepes, be sure to check out the Jean-Philippe Patisserie at the adjacent Aria Resort & Casino, for a truly decadent treat.
Although the hotel is quiet, smoke-free, and is a great place to decompress, it is conveniently a few hundred feet from Aria. There you will find the hustle and bustle of the casino floor, Cirque du Soleil’s Viva Elvis, Haze nightclub, and several additional restaurant options including a reasonably priced buffet. The upscale shops and restaurants of Crystals at City Center, Planet Hollywood’s Miracle Mile Shops, and the famous Fountains of Bellagio are within easy walking distance.
Our room overlooked the entrance to the hotel and the pool area, and the north entrance to Aria. We did not use the pool during this stay, but it appears there are a total of five pools / jetted tubs along with private cabanas and plenty of chaise lounges.
Aside from the annoyance of valet-only parking, we found two very minor issues in the hotel. First, the slick do not disturb / housekeeping requested indicator did not work initially. We notified the front desk and it was promptly repaired and worked flawlessly for the rest of our stay. Also, the sliding bathroom door was not hung quite plumb and was hard to latch. We notified the front desk on check out and the desk attendant noted it down for the maintenance staff to fix. Neither of these issues was a deal breaker and are to be expected in such a new hotel.
Don’t expect to see anything like your normal Best Western here. After taking a few steps DOWN from the street level, you will find yourself in a brightly lit lobby that is home to gigantic ovoid couch, three TVs playing anime videos, vending machines of gadgets, and crazy ceiling murals. Staff are generally helpful and pleasant, but nothing out of the ordinary.
The rooms are decorated in IKEA-like furnishings of natural wood, and a low platform bed. One wall of the room is home to a cute Japanese-inspired mural that covers the whole surface.
Beds are quite comfortable and the television had quite a few channel selections, including a few HBO channels.
The in-room noise levels are not bad for being on the street corner of a major city. We were quite close — maybe 30′ from the restaurant — but were did not notice any excessive noise or smells coming from that area. We did get breakfast at the restaurant one morning but found it only average.
The only two complaints we had were about heating/cooling and parking. The heating/cooling system is quite odd and seems to ignore any manipulation of the thermostat — it seemed to be either on or off which is problematic if you find the room too warm and the sytem only wants to blow out warm air. The parking is very limited, there are maybe 20 – 25 spaces for all the hotel guests. This means you either have to circle around the street hoping to find a spot or park at the Japan Center garage which is more than a block away. This could be a hassle when you realize that you forgot something in the car when you are in your room.
These complaints aside, the Hotel Tomo is a great experience and a great departure from the normal hotel design. It’s proximity to Japantown and short drive time to everything else in San Francisco are a plus.
My wife and I stayed at this hotel this weekend while on a roadtrip to play in the 4+ feet of snow that Flagstaff got over the last week or so.
This is quite a new hotel located just as you enter the city of Flagstaff from Phoenix. It is close to I-40 and I-17 but not so close that freeway noise is a problem.
The check-in process was very quick and the desk staff were friendly and professional.
The hotel is decorated with a sleek, modern style … nice touches in both the lobby / dining area and also the rooms. Our room was decoarated with spring-like green and blue tones. The room is not huge but is adequately sized.
The bed was one of those that you sink deep into — that may be a good or a bad thing — depending on your taste. There are very cool LED reading lights on either side of the bed which are nice in that one person can read a book or newspaper without blinding the other person who might be trying to sleep.
The bathroom is clean and modern with a walk-in shower. The door to the bathroom is a sliding heavily frosted glass model. This looks very nice but leads to one problem. When your partner wakes up to use the facilities in the middle of the night, you can be woken up by the brightly glowing door. We did notice a couple of the handles and towel hooks in the bathroom were loose but this is most likely due to it being a very new hotel where a few things got overlooked while preparing the rooms.
There was a 37″ Philips flat panel TV that can swivel to be visible from either the couch or the bed. The in-room literature states there are over 50 channels of TV including HBO, Food Network, etc. Unfortunately approximately half of the channels just show up as a black screen. I am unsure if this was just in our room, or if these channels were not were working in our room.
We took a look at the heated indoor pool and gym and both looked quite adequate for most travelers.
The only REAL downside we encountered was the breakfast buffet. It seemed quite understaffed and disorganized while the sausage looked greasy and oddly colored, the eggs and muffins were — eh. I would definitely stay at the hotel again, but might skip the breakfast as it just doesn’t seem up to par.
My wife and I booked this room for just $99/night for a Friday and Saturday. The hotel is clean, and very conveniently located next to I-5. I was somewhat concerned that the hotel’s close proximity to the freeway make for a noisy stay. However, the hotel must be well insulated because we had a very peaceful room.
The beds are super comfortable. The included continental breakfast is on par with other hotels of this class. The hotel is located just a mile from the entrance to Del Mar beach and a short drive to La Jolla. Downtown is an easy (at least during the weekend) 15-20 minute drive away.
The few downsides are.. the bathroom was clean but could use an update. There was absolutely no counter space in the bathroom. The TV is an older CRT model with just a handful of channels. Parking spaces in the parking garage are definitely not designed for larger vehicles. We had fun squeezing my wife’s small car into the spots — would have hated to try to park our Jeep in there.
When you combine the top chefs and restaurants in the Valley, and you gather them in one place for foodies to mingle with and enjoy, it’s a total pandemonium.
