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4/27/2007 Portland Indie Wine FestivalThis looks like a fun event! The Portland Indie Wine Festival will be held on May 5th and 6th at Urban Wineworks and Chown Garage in the Pearl District.
Limited to just twenty wineries (many serving several wines) festival attendees will have the opportunity to sample wines not normally widely available. And, from a quick scan of the list, it seems there are some great wineries participating!
Food from local restaurants will help round out the offerings.
Check the site for all the details and to buy tickets.
4/25/2007 Vagabond Dinner "Underground" dinners have become quite the thing in the foodie community and there are several ways to get involved if you are so inclined. If you have not heard about them yet, they normally employ known chefs who, instead of working from a traditional restaurant or commercial kitchen, present a dinner at a home or other non-restaurant location. Sometimes the chef is someone just breaking into the business or a foodie who doesn't really plan to make this a career but likes the occasional challenge of cooking beautiful food for an appreciative crowd and being able to charge for the meal to cover their costs.
The reason these dinners are underground is basically that you cannot charge for food (run a food business) without a commercial kitchen, being registered as a business (paying taxes), and being subjected to the normal inspections done by the Health Department. So technically these dinners are illegal, which of course adds to the attraction for many people. There is always a set menu, often based on seasonal ingredients and often covering several courses, mostly the food is fairly high-end and always creative. These dinners often are a playground for the participating chefs as they are not bound by the restraints of their own restaurants. Many of these dinner associations require that you be a friend of a friend sort of thing but some are more open. And then there are also pseudo-underground dinners.
Monday night M2 and I attended a Vagabond Dinner, which I classify as a pseudo-underground dinner. Pseudo because Vagabond Dinners are held in a licensed establishment yet keep all the primary elements that make an underground dinner so much fun. There are rotating chefs; the menus are always creative and served family style; reservations are generally hard to get; and maybe the best part you'll find that all of your dining companions are focused on food, wine and the communal dining experience as much as you are! Also, Vagabond Dinners are more approachable for everyone, in my opinion. They are three-course meals; more high-end family, than haute-couture; and priced more affordably.
Our dinner on Monday was presented by Tyler Hefford-Anderson, formerly at The Rainier Club and, as of this coming Friday when it opens, the chef at Opal at the top of Queen Anne. We have to give big kudos to chef in presenting this Vagabond dinner just a few days before opening Opal - and even more amazingly just a few days after the birth of a new child! The baby will be just one week older than the restaurant!
 About an hour before the official start time, folks started gathering at Portalis Wine Shop in Ballard to select their wine, a place at one of the communal tables and to mix and mingle with others at the event. M2 and I selected a lovely Pinot Noir (one of the recommended dinner pairings) from Walnut City Wineworks in Oregon's Willamette Valley.
 While we were still mingling, baskets filled with lovely, thick-sliced country breads were placed on the tables along with a carrot-almond spread. The spread was good but seemed to be missing just a little something, which we soon found could be remedied by adding a bit of the olive oil with aged balsamic which also graced the tables.
As some point we all settled into our places, the opening remarks prepared us for what we'd experience that evening and the service began.
 Our first course was a beautiful Vichyssoise. Our bowls were first garnished with Humboldt Fog Blue Cheese and it was topped with a little bit of micro-greens. Next the cold soup was poured over the garnish and finally finished with a lovely swirl of balsamic. The freshness of the soup, richness of the soft, ripened cheese and the little bite of the microgreens blended into a beautiful experience in the mouth with both flavors and textures making the whole greater than the sum of the parts.
 Next up was the entrée of apple-cider braised pork belly accompanied by sautéed fiddlehead ferns and richer-than-rich super buttery mashed potatoes. The pork was all you would want it to be: tender, full of juicy-flavor; and fragrant so that the experience began before the meat reached your mouth. The fiddlehead ferns tasted of spring. The potatoes were very good but my personal preference is for potatoes with a bit more texture and not quite so overwhelmingly buttery. This dish was really more butter with potatoes then potatoes with butter - but I know that many people would think this was the be-all, end-all in potatoes, it's just not my favorite style.
 For dessert we were served walnut bread French toast, topped with piles of fresh berries and (I think) a balsamic reduction. The toast was a bit dry (and this was the conclusion by all dining around us); the berries were gorgeous but the overall impression was rather disappointing. But not disappointing enough to ruin the evening!
As mentioned earlier in this post, one of the best aspects of these dinners is meeting like-minded individuals and sharing the meal and conversation with them. We were surrounded by fun and interesting people who made our dining experience very special.
For inquiries email: dinner@codenamevagabond.com
There are a few more photos of the evening here.
4/24/2007 Victrola Opens New Location Victrola Coffee Roasters has opened a new location and it's really not all that far from the original. The original shop, referred to as Victrola Coffee and Art, is on 15th Ave E on Capitol Hill. The new one, also on Capitol Hill but farther to the west is the location for their roasting operation and is called Victrola Roaster and Café. It's located at 310 E Pike Street near Minor.
The new location offers beer and wine as well as the normal coffee and tea lineup. They also have weekly cuppings that are open to the public. I plan to check one of those out in the near future to continue my coffee education.
It's a very handsome space and I gave it a little test run Monday morning as a mobile office location. I liked it and with free WiFi, I bet I'll be back again!
  Bartell Drugs and Northwest HarvestI noticed in yesterday's paper that Bartell Drugs is setting up food collection sites in their stores from now through April 29th. As you may know I'm a big supporter of NW Harvest and thought I'd call these collections points to your attention. We all tend to think about donating during the winter months but what most people don't realize is that the need is actually greater during the summer.
Many children are fed through school breakfast and lunch programs. When they are out of school for the summer they no longer have access to these programs and therefore more demand is on the families to provide. You can help out by donating non-perishable goods at the Bartell locations or you can donate cash online or through the mail.
For a list of Bartell's locations see this store locater. 4/22/2007 Culinary Communion: Charcuterie Class I just spent the better part of today wallowing in pork. And beef and lamb and chicken. But mostly pork. And I loved every minute of it! This is my third class at Culinary Communion, the school run by Chef Gabriel Claycamp and his supporting crew - of which there are many!
You may remember that I first took a bread class, Enriched Doughs to be specific, back in September. As a side note I am still using the recipes and techniques from that class. Then, a couple months ago, I took a sinfully indulgent class all about Fois Gras - I have yet to write that up but I learned a ton! And then today, I was back again to learn the art of charcuterie - or basically all about salami, salumi, sausages, curing, aging, smoking, etc.
As has been the case with past classes Chef Gabe doesn't just give you some recipes and send you on your way. There is background information - both provided as a handout and as a little lecture/presentation at the start of the class. Then the class splits up to begin work on the recipes, stopping every now and then to watch the presentation of a technique that we may need. Today's class was five hours and I left with my head bursting from all the info presented! Luckily I have that handy packet of background information to jog my memory in the future.
We made 11 types of charcuterie - although I may have lost one recipe, as I thought there were 12 - plus spaetzle and cabbage to have along with lunch. As with all classes here the beginning instruction covers all recipes but then you break into small groups and only do hands-on for some of the recipes.
And, as with all the classes I've been part of, all the other students are a lot of fun. There are always a range of ages, people from all walks of life and many interesting stories to hear. The one thing that struck me today was that this class was all men. The only other woman besides me was married to one of the other students - although it seemed she was the one who had scheduled the class. Who knew you could get so many men to spend a Sunday at a cooking class?
Anyway, I'm not sure that I can really give you specific information about making these recipes - you really need to take the class to understand all the ins and outs and potential challenges you might come up against. But I will leave you with a few photos and highly encourage you to sign up for this (or any other class) at Culinary Communion. You'll be glad you did!
Culinary Communion Schedule of Classes and Travel Events.
       New Urban EatsDid you miss Twenty Five for $25? Or maybe you made it to a few places but wished you had time for more? Well, there's a new promotion running this year that might be just what you are looking for. This new event is called New Urban Eats. It's sponsored by NW Source and while similar to the Twenty Five for $25 has a few interesting differences.
First, there's no limit on how many restaurants can participate.
 Next there are a couple of requirements for those who wish to participate: they have to have been in business for three years or less; their average entrée price must be between $15 and $25; and they must have had a major review of 2 stars or more. These rules are meant to do a couple things. The first rule means that you'll see new and different places participating each year - while that's a good idea, I do enjoy getting back to some of my "old" favorites. And the next two rules help ensure that you receive quality for your dining dollar. Also, the price for the three-course dinners will be $30 - still a pretty good deal for an appetizer, entrée and dessert!
The promotion runs from May 1 - May 31, Sundays - Thursdays (except Mother's Day). So far there are twenty restaurants on the list - it's possible that more will be added so check back to see. And you should check the website for all of the details.
4/21/2007 Just Say Cheese! Rogue Creamery's Smokey Blue - creamy, a little sharp, a little sweet smoke - spreadable happiness. Go find it. 611 Supreme One of my favorite little places for breakfast is 611 Supreme. It's one of those places that sits quiet and unobtrusively on the stretch between downtown and Broadway. So many places line that stretch that sometimes it's hard to find the gems, but 611 Supreme definitely is worth the discovery. This is actually the place where our cooking club was officially born - R, M and I met to hammer out the details and then started recruiting others.
The menu is not extensive but what they do they do very well - the menu is nearly 100% crepes, although there is one option at the end of the menu that is something like bacon and eggs. But I don't know why you'd want anything other than one of their yummy crepes.
 And the mochas are great, too. And there's fresh-squeezed orange juice, too! Oh, and some time ago, they added a bar on the other side of the building. I keep meaning to go in and check that out but haven't quite made it yet.
I did learn something new on my last visit, however. Apparently I don't like hot smoked salmon - or maybe it's just that there was so much in the crepe I ordered that it was a little overwhelming. I can't really say it was bad but I didn't care for it. But that's the first thing ever in my history of visits that I didn't like.
I highly recommend this place. And lots of others like it, too, so if you plan to visit on a weekend morning get there on the early side. With only about a dozen tables it doesn't take long for the place to fill.
 611 Supreme
611 E. Pine St.
Capitol Hill Seattle
206.328.0292  4/19/2007 First Look: Qube R and I visited Qube Restaurant a few nights ago. Open since November it's in a bit of an odd location - not necessarily somewhere I'd be looking for a place to find a cocktail or dinner. Not that it's a bad (as in scary) location, it's just not in the primary flow of normal restaurant traffic. It's a little too far south if you are out and about in Belltown and not far enough south to be part of the normal financial district traffic. Located almost kitty-corner from Macy's parking garage it will probably someday be in the thick of things but not quite yet.
We planned our meeting to coincide with Happy Hour which, the site said, features 1/2 off food and additional discounts on drinks. Thinking back I'm not sure we were charged properly. I know we didn't get discounts on drinks - but I hadn't asked what specifically was included so that wasn't surprising - but I also remember thinking that if those were Happy Hour prices on the food then Qube was over-priced. Maybe we were charged full price? Hmmmm. Normally I'm better at checking the tab - bad me!
  Well, the food was good, the drinks were good too. I "accidentally" ordered an Ultimate Martini and it was very good. My accident was in that I wasn't paying attention to the price - at $15, it should have been good! Then again it's made with Ultimat Vodka, which runs $50 - $60 for a fifth. So I should have been expecting that.
R's Pearsuasion was yummy and smelled great. For appetizers we ordered Beef Keftah, lovely little meatballs, and Curry Pork Dumplings. Both were good.
  I think that Qube has potential but I fear it will not survive. The night we were there it was pretty dead. And while the food and drinks were good, they weren't so exceptional that I'd be drawn out of my way to go there again. If I was in the area? Sure, I'd stop in. But it's not going to be top of mind for most occasions. And I actually think that's too bad. It's a nice space; the bar has a really cozy seating area as well as some small tables and the bar itself. And I like what they are trying to do. So I guess if you are looking for a quiet place to have a conversation you might want to check it out. But for Qube to make it? I think they will need to drop prices a tad and maybe think about how to attract the dining crowd.
 Qube
1901 Second Ave
Seattle
206.770.5888  4/18/2007 Pan-Grilled Sea Scallops Although there are lots of times that I live to make complex recipes I am just as likely to pull together something rather simple. And that is especially likely to happen when the base ingredients are just so good and fresh that you really don't want to hide them in anyway. Instead the goal is to showcase their attributes.
Sea scallops are something that I generally keep to a super simple preparation, as in this case. These were giant scallops - over an inch thick and two to two and a half inches in diameter! I pan grilled them in olive oil for 3 to 4 minutes per side, which still left them a bit rare in the middle. I drizzled a plate with Black Bean Sauce (I was trying a bottled version which I really didn't like - too salty), heaped some jasmine rice that had been cooked in chicken stock in the center, added three scallops (two would have been enough!) and then sprinkled some chopped green onions and black sesame over the whole thing. That was it.
The rice took some time to cook but the whole meal was done in less than 30 minutes. Take that Rachel Ray! ;-)
 4/15/2007 Caffe Lusso One of the items I purchased at the benefit for Moses Olmedo was a cupping at Caffe Lusso, a microroaster located out in Redmond.
A cupping is to coffee what tasting is to wine - sort of. There's a little more of a process around it to make sure that what you experience represents the coffee at it's best. Our cupping entailed more than just sampling, however, as we were also treated to a full-on learning experience about the company, coffee growing and selection, a recent trip to a Nicaraguan farm and more.
We sampled four coffees, one from: Costa Rica; Peru; Ethiopia; and Sumatra.
Caffe Lusso uses a lighter roast than most Seattle companies, thereby allowing the individual flavor profiles to be more evident. What surprised me more than the flavor differences, though, were the mouthfeel differences. The coffee from Ethiopia was especially lush and almost creamy in the mouth.
Tea has always been my primary beverage but I often venture into the coffee world so I found this event to be really interesting and to give me a good basis for further exploration. And since there are so many similarities to wine tasting - coffee even has it's own flavor wheel - I can see that researching coffee might be one of my new avocations.
There is a ton of information on the web about coffee cupping so I won't go into full detail here but instead will let the photos tell the story.
If you live in the Seattle/Redmond area Caffe Lusso offers public cuppings - not as detailed as our private event - every Thursday from 2pm - 4pm.
Caffe Lusso Coffee Roasters
17725 NE 65th Street Suite A-150
Redmond, WA 98052
866.587.6800 (toll-free)
     4/13/2007 Food & Wine Magazine Names 19th Annual Best New ChefsSeattle's own Matthew Dillon from Sitka & Spruce has been named in this annual event!
Other winners include:
Food and Wine's July issue will feature all ten chefs, a bit of their history and a recipe from each of them. Dining Out for LifeI love that there are so many ways to eat and make a difference at the same time! Coming up on Thursday April 26 we'll all get another opportunity to put our money where our mouth is - so to speak!
It's the annual Dining Out for Life night - where restaurants across the country donate a portion of their proceeds from this one special night of dining to the licensed agency in their city to help fight AIDS. Over $2 million dollars a year is raised to support the missions of agencies throughout North America. Here in Seattle it's our 14th year of participation and funds go to the Lifelong AIDS Alliance.
In Seattle we have 150 dining options that day - in fact you can plan your breakfast, lunch and dinner at participating restaurants! So check out the list of participating restaurants and start making your plans and reservations today!
4/12/2007 Early Taste of Spring While at my Dad's house over the Easter weekend I took the opportunity to pick a big batch of rhubarb from his garden. Although I grow a little at my house he has so much and it comes up a little earlier than mine that I take advantage of the abundance whenever possible. I picked 6+ pounds and didn't even make a dent in his crop.
I've already enjoyed rhubarb crisp and think I'm going to can/freeze about half of it for later use. With the rest I think something like a Rhubarb Galette might be in order. If you don't have your own rhubarb plants start checking the local farmers' markets as it should be available now or very soon!
 4/11/2007 WBW #32: "Regular" vs Reserve This month's Wine Blogging Wednesday is hosted by the folks at The Wine Cask Blog. Our assignment this month was to select two wines; one a standard release and the other a reserve release of the same wine. We were to compare the wines to decide if the reserve was worthy of it's name and the additional cost that is normally associated with a reserve. At first I thought about comparing local Washington wines but then decided this was a good time to revisit two wines that I buy on a fairly regular basis and really test my love of the reserve.
 My choice was Shingleback Shiraz. Shingleback has a whole line up of wines but their Shiraz was the first I tried and still remains my favorite. I messed up on this one though, as I thought I had two bottles from the same vintage only to find that they were actually a year apart. Oops. Well, the time was short and so I decided to go ahead and complete the challenge with what I had. These wines are produced in South Australia in McLaren Vale, a region long known for it's wines and boasting over 60 wineries. The region is bounded on one side by the Gulf St. Vincent which helps moderate the climate. Shingleback's first release was their 1998 vintage. Since that time they've won several medals for their wine.
The two wines I tasted were the Shingleback 2003 Shiraz (pdf) and the Shingleback 2002 D-Block Reserve Shiraz (pdf). Both wines come from the same vineyard but the grapes for the reserve come from a specific area of the vineyard (D-Block) which John Davey, the grower and winemaker, feels is located in an area that comprises the perfect growing conditions. Both wines are 100% Shiraz.
I opened both bottles and poured a glass of each. To the eye there is not much difference between the wines. Both are a deep, inky garnet. The D-Block may have been a tad bit darker but not obviously so.
The first difference you notice is in the nose. The 2003 Shiraz has a very pleasant aroma of raisin and plum. The 2002 D-Block was also pleasant but more intense. Although there was some raisin there was brighter fruit, predominantly blackberry and some raspberry. I also caught a hint of plum.
I started the tasting with the 2003 Shiraz. This wine's retail price is around $15 - $20. You can often find it at Costco or on sale for around that $15 mark. This wine is very earthy with a taste of plum followed by berry and also a little tobacco. There was a slight acidity, especially just as it left the mouth. I think that will mellow a bit with time as I noticed this acidity decreased after some time exposed to the air. Overall it was a very pleasant wine that would pair with a variety of foods and is nice on its own. At $15 I think this wine is a great value and it presents itself as a more expensive wine.
I then moved on to the 2002 D-Block Reserve. This wine retails around $40 - $50. It has developed a real personality! After sipping it I went back to the 2003 and the 2003 seemed almost flat, but that was only because of the comparison.
The D-Block taste is primarily of deep berry - maybe red, maybe purple. Yet there is a hint of oak that adds to the structure. This wine seemed more integrated than the first. The flavors and elements have become a more unified whole. The effect was of a big, luscious wine with an explosion of berry flavor. It pleasantly lingers on the palate making friends with all of your tastebuds! I really love this wine.
Although this was not a true vintage to vintage comparison I think the results are still representative of what I have tasted before. At $40 the reserve is more then twice the cost of the non-reserve. I'm not sure I could say it was twice as good but I can say it is worth $40. And after this comparison I would continue to buy both, keeping the non-reserve as an excellent everyday wine or something I might take to a party to contribute to the overall pool of wines. It's a good steady wine and I wouldn't be embarrassed to serve it to anyone. The reserve will be pulled out for occasions when I want something a bit special or maybe to share with someone who I know will get the nuances of this more complex wine. I think the challenge here is that the non-reserve is a really great value, not that the reserve is not worth the additional cost.
Thanks to the folks at the Wine Cask for hosting! They have already started the summary of the wines tasted for this event. Check it out to see what others tasted and their ratings.
4/4/2007 Moustarde Violette When I travel I generally try to bring some foodstuff back that is a specialty of the area or reminds me of my visit in some way. Since there are so many rules and regulations about what can be brought back across borders (and also looking at what is most convenient to pack and carry) these items are often a sauce or condiment of some sort.
A few years ago while strolling Rue Mouffetard in Paris I came across a shop selling all kind of interesting things - jams, jellies, sauces and mustards. Lots of mustards. I was in my own little heaven while perusing the shelves there. While I don't remember the name of the shop at this moment (I'm sure I have it in a file) I would be able to walk right back to it.
Eventually a little jar caught my eye. It contained a deep, dark purple mustard and the label said it was Moustarde Violette. I don't speak French but I can understand a few words and what I gathered from the label was that it was somehow a grape and mustard concoction. Between the idea I had in my mind of what it might taste like and the cute shape of the jar I was sold.
I returned a bit later that week to buy a smaller jar when it turned out that I was going to cook dinner for some friends living in Paris. (In fact, the whole dinner came from the markets on Rue Mouffetard!) I decided it would be fun to taste it before I left Paris to see if the bottle was worth schlepping home!
At my friends' house we got the kids fed and then settled in to prepare dinner for the adults. We started the meal with a course of fresh country bread, ash-covered Chevre, the Moustarde Violette and, of course, a couple bottles of wine. The tangy-slightly sweet mustard added just the right complementary note to the cheese and went beautifully with the wine - something you can't say for all mustards!
I was so happy to find I'd made a great purchase. I brought my Moustarde Violette home and happily served it along with cheeses and meats for various occasions and events. My bottle was starting to get low and I was feeling a little sad - but luck was coming my way!
I happened to bring some of the mustard along on a afternoon excursion on my friend EE's boat. Also on that afternoon trip were MG and DW, two people who have since become some of my best friends. Well, everyone loved the mustard and it turned out that MG and DW were planning a Paris trip a couple months later! Being the sweet and thoughtful people they are, soon after they returned I found myself with a brand new jar of Moustarde Violette!
Some time later, while browsing the aisles of Urban Fare in Yaletown (Vancouver, BC) I was thrilled to find my Moustarde Violette amongst the mustards! Since that time I've purchased a couple of jars to keep my addiction fed. But the last few times I've been to Vancouver I haven't been able to find it. I am so sad.
So yesterday, I scraped the final remains of my last jar of Moustarde Violette onto a plate, along with some cheese, salami and a bit of bread. (In the photo there is also a bit of Framboise mustard - that's the yellow one.) I took a photo and then settled in to enjoy that little condiment that brings back memories of that trip to Paris and many other good times with friends.
I'm heading back to France this fall and will have a few days in Paris at both the beginning and end of my trip. Guess where you will find me?
4/3/2007 Free Knife Sharpening at Sur La Table They are doing it again! The folks at Sur La Table are offering free knife sharpening during the month of April. This time you are allowed two free knives and can also bring in others that will be charged the regular rate. I've had a few done during the last couple of promotions and it's a great deal. The earlier in the month you go, the faster the turnaround time is - often it's same day. You'll need to check with your local store to find out the specific details in your area.
There are 55 stores nationwide, so there's a good chance there is one near you! Check the site for promotion details and to find a location. 4/2/2007 Dine for DarfurWhat started as a Chow Foods event has now spread to many locations throughout the community! Tomorrow is Dine for Darfur (you can also drink Lattes or Pints for Darfur) and 25% of what you spend at participating establishments will be donated to the cause. To find the list of participating locations and to find out more about where the money goes check out the Dine for Darfur site. 4/1/2007 Scottsdale: WildFish Seafood Grille Not only was our trip to J Bar not what we expected but our night at Furio was a bit disappointing, too. The food is still great, the staff pretty friendly but the clientèle is just not quite right. Nice people, I'm sure, just not bringing the feeling that I hope to find in the place - at least that was the case on this most recent visit.
So we found ourselves at loose ends, not having had enough for dinner yet not quite sure where we wanted to go. I'd seen a place on my morning walks called WildFish. Now it was in Fashion Square Mall which normally would not be my first choice of locations for a dinner but when we drove by we noticed that it was very busy - usually a good sign.
So we made our way (through pouring rain) into the restaurant and found that it was indeed very popular! There was a 90+ minute wait for a table and even the bar was jam-packed. We put our name on the list and starting cruising the large circular bar, looking for a place to squeeze in.
  We found a little stand-up spot near one of the server stations. In no time the bartender was serving us and making us feel right at home. Standing wasn't really an issue except that we wanted to eat; but the bartender was taking care of us! He told us that the next two open seats at the bar would be ours. We ordered drinks and kept our eagle eyes open especially focusing on two women across from us who had closed out their tab. And then they sat and chatted. And chatted.
We decided to order half a dozen oysters before Happy Hour ended. They were served with horseradish, cocktail sauce and a mignonette - all very good! And the horseradish was so fresh it nearly made me cry! And that's a good thing!
In the meantime we struck up a conversation with three crazy Canucks sitting next to us. One offered a chair and then the bartender secured another for us from a nearby table. We were set! We ordered a few bites to try - some at the recommendation of our Canadian friends who were quasi-regulars.
 We started with a blast-from-the-past, a wedge of iceberg lettuce with blue cheese dressing. It was served with marinated tomatoes on the side. The combination of the fresh, clean lettuce, the tangy blue cheese dressing and the vinegary tomatoes was heaven! There are good reasons much of the food that was popular in the 50s deserves to be included in today's menus!
 We followed our salad with Crispy Salt and Pepper Shrimp, a deep-fried, with Ginger, Scallions, Red Chiles and Sugar Snap Peas - it was very good. We also ordered a side of Truffled Macaroni & Cheese "Gratinata". Apparently we weren't worried about anything like fat or cholesterol this night! It was yummy - rich and creamy; smooth and satisfying. Desserts are not something we normally order - by the time we've tried the savory there's generally not much room for the sweet! M had a hankering though and I knew a bite or two would be fine with me! So we ordered Hot Chocolate Godiva Cake with Vanilla Bean Ice Cream. We'd been warned that this dessert took 20 minutes or so but we just chatted with our new friends and patiently waited. I only had a couple of bites but I can tell you the dessert was well worth the wait!
We liked this place so well that we actually stopped in the next night for a little nightcap. Again the place was packed but the bartender remembered us and in a flash the manager was hauling chairs over to the bar for us. You gotta love a place that treats you that well!
If I lived in Scottsdale I'm sure I'd be in here on a regular basis. We will at least try it next year but after this year's experiences of trying to return to places we like who knows what we'll find. One can always hope, though.
WildFish Seafood Grille
7135 E. Camelback Road Scottsdale 480.994.4040  Scottsdale: Asia de Cuba When returning to a place I've traveled in the past I always look forward to a few restaurants or bars that were "discovered" on previous trips. And it was the same for this most recent trip to the Phoenix area for my annual spring training trip.
One place I was really looking forward to experiencing was the J Bar in the James Hotel. Last year we had made a quick stop in the J Bar as it was one on a list of places that we wanted to check out. As we looked back over that evening we wished we had just stayed at J Bar. The food was amazing and the drinks creative, plus it had a very cool vibe with James Bond movies silently playing on big screens and lots of pretty people meeting and greeting.
So this year we anxiously made our way to the James Hotel but as we approached we could see that things had changed. There was no J Bar sign where we expected to see one, the colors and outdoor furniture was different, and as we rounded the corner to enter through the main doors we found that the hotel is now the Mondrian and all of the restaurants have changed.
Mondrians are nice, though, so we made our way to the bar on the main floor. It was sleek and beautiful but they do not serve food. So instead we chose to enter the restaurant, Asia de Cuba, a chain of restaurants that can be found on the East and West coasts as well as in London.
 We each ordered a cocktail -which were expertly prepared - and a couple of appetizers. Everything was wonderful: the Beef Dumplings Two Ways provided nice contrasting textures and flavors using one simple center ingredient; the Asian Spiced Spareribs were succulent, tender and a little spicy.
 Everything was really great - except the tab. Not that we were unprepared, we had read the menu, but our bill for two drinks and two appetizers was $70, before tip. Although everything was really good that cost is just out of line. There are plenty of other great places where $70 will buy me a whole lot more and I'd rather take my business there.
 Asia de Cuba7353 East Indian School Road
Scottsdale
480 308 1131
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