Archive for February, 2008
February 27th, 2008, 6:44 pm by Jess Harter
The chef at Genghis Grill is one talented guy. Never has an East Valley restaurant served up a selection of dishes so perfectly designed, in my opinion.
Take their Thai chicken bowl. It’s equal parts chicken and stir-fry vegetables, just the balance I like it. It has a sprinkling of cilantro and goes light on the spinach. There’s a lot of spicy seasoning — too much for most people, I would guess. For my taste, though, it’s perfect. The guy who makes it knows exactly how I like it.
 Of course, the guy who creates it is me. At Genghis Grill, like other Mongolian barbecue joints in the East Valley, diners prepare their own dishes just the way they like them.
If my recent visits are any indication, it’s a concept with great appeal. Even at mid-afternoon on weekdays, when most restaurants are all but empty, Genghis Grill is nearly full with a mostly under-30 crowd.
Located in the open-air Tempe Marketplace, the eatery is narrow and deep. The front portion is a dining area, where a hostess seats diners along two long banquettes, and a bar, which serves beer, cocktails and wine by the glass.
 The menu is limited to build-your-own bowls ($7.99). The hostess hands you a stainless steel bowl, which you carry to the back of the space where you’ll find a smorgasbord of ready-to-cook ingredients (shown above). There are 15 types of meats, 16 vegetables or vegetable mixes, 12 spices and 13 sauces.
At this point, your meal is up to you. You can create a one-of-a-kind concoction based on your personal preferences. Or you can follow one of a dozen suggested recipes posted on the wall.
The recipes include traditional bowls like teriyaki chicken, beef broccoli and sweet and sour pork. Signature bowls include surf and turf (beef and crab in honey soy sauce), bayou (chicken, sausage, shrimp and fish in roasted tomato sauce) or firecracker (calamari, scallops and shrimp in hot “dragon” sauce).
 All ingredients are in clearly labeled bins. To make it even easier, recipes also are numbered and color-coded. So to make Thai chicken — recipe No. 3 — just grab all the ingredients labeled with a No. 3. Want to add a little beef? Extra jalapenos? Fewer snow peas? A different seasoning? It’s entirely up to you.
Once you’ve piled up your bowl, you select a starch — rice, noodles, pasta or tortillas. Then you hand over everything to one of the grill masters and return to your table. The ingredients are cooked on a large, flat-top iron grill. In a few minutes, a server brings a lopsided red bowl filled with your food.
Just the way you like it.
>> Genghis Grill, 2000 E. Rio Salado Parkway, Tempe, is open 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday. (480) 777-2695.
Posted in: Tempe | 1 Comment »
February 26th, 2008, 9:01 pm by Jess Harter
Clearing out recent press releases from my e-mail in-box (viewable as PDFs):
• More than 50 beers will be on tap at the World of Beers Friday and Saturday at Phoenix’s Margaret T. Hance Park.
• The popular annual Taste 2008 will take place April 6 at Kierland Commons in Scottsdale.
• Ristorante Tuscany, the fancy restaurant at JW Marriott Desert Ridge Resort & Spa, is now offering wine tastings and private dining rooms. It’s also released its Easter brunch menu.
• The Desert Botanical Garden’s annual Agave on the Rocks, which includes tequila, food and Latin music, will be March 28.
• Scottsdale-based El Paso Grill & Bar-B-Que, which has nine restaurants in Arizona, has started a reverse happy hour with special $4 appetizers.
• Morton’s The Steakhouse is offering some limited-time deals to highlight their seafood offering.
• Chef/owner Bryan Elliott has taken over sole ownership of The Painted Horse in Scottsdale and named Todd Pearson as the new executive chef.
• Lon’s at The Hermosa Inn in Paradise Valley has been named best Southwest/eclectic in Arizona for the third year in a row by “Ranking Arizona: The Best in Arizona Business.”
Posted in: Paradise Valley • Phoenix • Scottsdale | Post a Comment »
February 26th, 2008, 7:33 pm by Jess Harter
It’s hard to think of a Valley neighborhood that hasn’t had a sushi restaurant open in the past few months. From Scottsdale (Roka Akor) to Mesa (Ra Sushi) to Gilbert (Blue Wasabi) to Queen Creek (Sushi Creek), East Valley diners are mackin’ on maki. Sushi rolls are on a roll.
But sometimes I wonder how any new sushi place can set itself apart from its horde of competitors.
 One place where that’s not a problem is Sushi Eye in Motion, which opened three months ago in restaurant-rich downtown Chandler. The offspring of acclaimed Sushi Eye in south Tempe got the addendum on its name because it features Arizona’s first sushi belt.
A long, oval conveyor belt (shown at left) carries a steady stream of sushi and other dishes around a bar, allowing customers to grab whatever they want. Such belts are a common sight in Japan, although many aficionados consider them the equivalent of fast food.
In America, though, the convenience and novelty of the concept seems to have caught on with diners, particularly on the West Coast.
At Sushi Eye in Motion, plates have clear-plastic covers and a bar code that lets the restaurant track the food’s freshness. A plate’s color and pattern indicate the price — $2.75 to $4.50 — which is listed at numerous places around the bar.
 Personally, I like to order my meal from a server, which you also can do at Sushi Eye in Motion. But I have to admit it’s fun to grab a bowl of edamame ($3.50) and started snacking on the slightly salty soybean pods while scanning the menu.
Speaking of which, Sushi Eye in Motion’s menu (see menu pdf) is identical to that of the no-belt Tempe original Sushi Eye. That means the same excellent sashimi and sushi.
If you want to go the sashimi route, I recommend the mix combo of tuna, yellowtail and salmon — all of which are delicious — which comes with rice, miso soup and salad ($15.95). There’s also a nigiri mix combo, 10 assorted pieces of the chef’s choice ($15.95).
 The most popular items, though, are found in a creative lineup of 40-plus rolls, such as an ASU roll ($13.95, made with shrimp tempura, spicy tuna, cucumber and jalapeno), a Cardinals roll ($7.25, tuna, eel, avocado and cream cheese) and a popular Climax roll (spicy tuna and cucumber rolled with tuna, pictured above).
Not crazy about raw fish? Perhaps my favorite item on Sushi Eye’s menu is the spicy chicken sushi roll ($5.55, shown at left). Another good option is the chicken karaage appetizer ($6.50), fried nuggets seasoned with garlic and ginger.
Kitchen dishes ($6.95 for lunch combos and $9.95 for dinner combos) are available, although the ones I’ve tried — pork katsu, gyoza and agedashi tofu — aren’t nearly as good as the sushi.
>> Sushi Eye in Motion, 58 W. Buffalo St., Chandler, is open 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Monday through Friday for lunch; 5:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 5:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday for dinner. (480) 686-8183.
Posted in: Chandler | 1 Comment »
February 25th, 2008, 10:27 pm by Jess Harter
Lee Hillson’s beefy frame shifts uncomfortably on the small sofa in his cramped east Mesa condo.
The executive chef at T. Cook’s, the prestigious restaurant at the Royal Palms Resort & Spa in east Phoenix, is talking about the pressure of following in the footsteps of Beau MacMillan and Mark Tarbell as the Valley’s latest challenger on “Iron Chef America.”
MacMillan, from Elements in Paradise Valley, defeated Iron Chef Bobby Flay on the Food Network’s popular television show in 2006. Tarbell, from Tarbell’s in Phoenix, beat Iron Chef Cat Cora last year.
Hillson filmed his episode in September. It airs at 11 p.m. Sunday.
“Those guys were amazing (at helping me prepare),” the shaven-head Hillson says in his English lilt. “Beau would come to the restaurant and watch me cook. One day, the three of us sat down and chatted at Tarbell’s.”
Their main advice?
“Just practice,” Hillson says.
The 39-year-old is sworn to secrecy — not only about the outcome of Sunday’s show but also about the identity of the secret ingredient. When the ingredient is revealed at the start of the episode, the two contestants have 60 minutes to prepare five dishes with it.
The Food Network has disclosed a few details. Sunday’s episode is titled “Hillson vs. Cora,” so the only female Iron Chef apparently will be trying to redeem herself after losing a battle of apple dishes to Tarbell.
Also known are the three judges who will decide Hillson’s fate: food author Ted Allen, best known as one of the “Fab Five” from TV’s “Queer Eye for the Straight Guy,” public relations consultant Karine Bakhoum and fashion designer Marc Ecko.
Hillson, who was born in England and raised there and in Australia, began cooking school at age 16. He was hired at T. Cook’s in 2000 and named executive chef in 2005.
Although he was trained in classical French style, he describes his cuisine as “Meditteranean-inspired.”
Without revealing too much about the dishes he made on the show, he says, “I think they were very true to how I cook. Not overcomplicated, with simple, clean flavors.”
Hillson will watch the show at a private T. Cook’s party with his wife, Kim, and the two assistants he chose for the competition, Matthew Holmes, sous chef at T. Cook’s, and Chris Mayo, now sous chef at Estate House in Scottsdale.
Regardless of the outcome, just competing on “Iron Chef America” is its own reward, Hillson says.
“I think it does wonders for your career — win, lose or draw,” he says. “It also does wonders for your restaurant because people can’t wait to go and see what you do.”
>> “Iron Chef America airs 11 p.m. Sunday on The Food Network.
Posted in: Mesa • Phoenix | Post a Comment »
February 25th, 2008, 10:24 am by Jess Harter
Dunkin’ Donuts isn’t just for breakfast anymore. The coffee and baked goods chain has launched a new menu of flatbread sandwiches and personal pizzas to target the afternoon and evening crowd.
The breakfast crowd accounts for two-thirds of the chain’s sales.
There are three types of flatbread sandwiches: turkey, bacon and cheddar ($3.49), ham and Swiss ($3.49) and three cheese ($2.99). Five-inch supreme and pepperoni pizzas are $2.99, while cheese pizzas are $2.49.
To accommodate the new menu, Dunkin’ Donuts is replacing all its microwave ovens with convection ovens, which it says will also improve the quality of its current breakfast sandwiches.
Dunkin’ Donuts tried launching a soup-and-sandwich menu in the 1980s, but eventually abandoned it.
Posted in: Valleywide | Post a Comment »
February 25th, 2008, 10:14 am by Jess Harter
Valley chefs Mark Tarbell (Tarbell’s) and Beau MacMillan (Elements) will square off in a culinary showdown for charity April 7 at MacMillan’s restaurant at Sanctuary Camelback Mountain Resort and Spa in Paradise Valley.
Both chefs won in their recent appearances on the Food Network’s “Iron Chef America.” The April event, a fundraiser for the Careers through Culinary Arts Program, is an “Iron Chef”-style competition called “The Heavy Medal Challenge.”
High school students will serve as the chefs’ assistants, and judges and the audience will determine the winner. Everyone in attendance gets dinner and wine.
Tickets are $175 and available at blacktie-arizona.com. Info: (623) 594-0117.
Posted in: Scottsdale • Tempe | Post a Comment »
February 24th, 2008, 6:44 pm by Jess Harter
Alejandro Arce, who has worked at Remington’s since 1996, has been named the Scottsdale Plaza Resort restaurant’s executive chef.
Arce replaces 20-year veteran John Cruz, who “has decided to pursue
new endeavors,” according to a resort spokesperson.
Info: (480) 951-5101.
Posted in: Scottsdale | Post a Comment »
February 24th, 2008, 6:41 pm by Jess Harter
Dish Market, the combination grab-and-go market and sit-down bistro on the southeast corner of Scottsdale and Doubletree Ranch roads in Scottsdale, has started wine tastings on Fridays.
For $25, you can sample morre than 25 wines accompanied by small bites — salads, breads and cheeses — from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
Info: (480) 584-6190
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Posted in: Scottsdale | Post a Comment »
February 22nd, 2008, 5:33 pm by Jess Harter
For those who missed Chris Bianco’s appearance on “The Martha Stewart Show” today, the owner/chef of nationally acclaimed Pizzeria Bianco showed the homemaking diva how to make his delicious lemon focaccia bread. You can find his recipe here.
Posted in: Phoenix | Post a Comment »
February 22nd, 2008, 5:22 pm by Jess Harter
Geisha A Go Go, the East Valley’s newest Asian-themed restaurant and bar, opens tonight in Old Town Scottsdale. After a VIP party, doors open to the public at 10 p.m. Dinner service will begin Saturday.
Bryan Chittenden and Greg Donnally, co-founders of neighboring Stingray Sushi and Drift Polynesian Restaurant, are the guys behind Geisha A Go Go, which was inspired when Donnally took a month-long trip to Japan, Vietnam, Cambodia, and Thailand.
The open interior features weathered wood walls with brass and copper accents, as well as a granite “rock garden” (mosiac-like floor) in front of the bar. In a nod to Japanese pop culture, Geisha has flashing Pachinko machines on the walls of the entry and backlit shoji screens in the ceiling above the rock garden. There are four private karaoke rooms, and the restrooms have Japanese toilets with computerized control panels.
The kitchen, under the direction of chef Patrick Boll (Roaring Fork) offers traditional Asian cuisine (see menu pdf), including hot-rock appetizers, wok-seared albacore over Japanese noodles and stir-fried Kurobuta pork in lobster sauce.
The bar boasts an extensive collection of Asian beers and spirits, including an ever-changing selection of house-made sake and shochu.
>> Geisha A Go Go, 7150 E. Sixth Ave., Scottsdale is open 4 p.m. to 2 a.m. (with food service until 10 p.m) daily. (480) 699-0055.
Posted in: Scottsdale | Post a Comment »
February 22nd, 2008, 4:30 pm by Jess Harter
I’ve received updated dinner and dessert menus, plus the new lunch menu, for Digestif, Peter Kasperski’s new Cal-Ital restaurant at SouthBridge in downtown Scottsdale. So I’ve updated the menu links in my previous post.
Posted in: Scottsdale | Post a Comment »
February 20th, 2008, 4:40 pm by Jess Harter
Every summer, legions of Arizonans — known as Zonies — invade San Diego in order to escape the Valley’s scalding temperatures. Now the tables are being turned: San Diego-based Submarina California Subs is coming to Arizona in a big way.
The casual dining chain plans to open 140 sub shops in the state. The first opened this winter on the northeast corner of Dobson and Baseline roads in Mesa. There’s another at SanTan Village in Gilbert.
 The mood: The small Mesa strip-mall space is bright and clean. There’s seating at three booths and two high tables. Walls are painted a light aquamarine color, except for a 12-foot mural of the San Diego coastline. A high-definition TV is showing a daytime talk show.
Like most sub shops, you order at the counter, choose your type of bread and oversee the selection of toppings and condiments. Besides the basics, toppings include such items as sliced avocado, havarti cheese and sprouts.
In addition to the standard 6- and 12-inch sizes, you can split the difference with a 9-inch sub. For an additional $1.99, you can turn any sub into a combo meal with a side and drink.
The food: We order a 9-inch version of the ATC sub ($7.19, above right), Submarina’s bestseller, which comes with avocado, turkey and cheese. We choose Swiss cheese and load it up with lettuce, tomatoes, onions, pickles and mayo. For our side, we choose a delicious potato salad sprinkled with paprika.
We also get a 6-inch Sante Fe sub melt ($5.79, above left), one of Submarina’s hot subs, which is made with slices of roasted chicken, jalapeno bacon, avocado and pepperjack cheese. After we add onions and green peppers, it’s got a pleasant kick. For a side, we get a small side salad.
Both sandwiches are very good. We’re particularly impressed with the salad, which is prepared to our specifications from a separate toppings area.
The drinks: Our fountain drinks are included in the combo price.
The damage: $18.33. There’s definitely a healthy California vibe to Submarina that differentiates it from other sub chains. With any luck, it’ll be enough to hold Zonies over until their next visit to San Diego.
>> Submarina California Subs, 1960 W. Baseline Road, Mesa, is open 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday. (480) 289-2095.
Posted in: Mesa | Post a Comment »
February 20th, 2008, 12:42 pm by Jess Harter
Actress Diane Ladd — who will premiere her new film, Jake’s Corner, at the Sedona Film Festival — will be the featured guest at a March 2 artist-in-residence dinner at Lon’s at The Hermosa in Paradise Valley.
 The evening will begin with a 5:30 p.m. wine reception where Ladd will mingle with guests, followed by a four-course dinner by chef Michael Rusconi.
The menu will include foraged mushroom bisque with white truffle crema, fresh shrimp with baby field greens citrus fruits and elderberry vinaigrette, Maine lobster and grilled beef tenderloin with cilantro espuma and triple chocolate napoleon with raspberry and lemon compote.
Wines will be personally selected for the event by sommelier Robert Ofstedahl.
After dinner, Ladd will do a question-and-answer session and sign her book, “Spiraling Through the School of Life.”
Cost is $125 per person, including tax and gratuity. Reservations: (602) 955-7878.
Lon’s at The Hermosa is located at 5532 N. Palo Cristi Road, Paradise Valley.
Posted in: Paradise Valley | Post a Comment »
February 20th, 2008, 12:20 pm by Jess Harter
Tapino Kitchen & Wine Bar will host its first “Locavore” wine dinner at 6:30 p.m. Sunday. “Locavore” is the newly coined term referring to someone who only eats foods that are locally grown and produced.
The Scottsdale restaurant’s five-course meal from chef James Porter only will feature foods and drinks from Arizona farmers, ranchers, artisans and winemakers.
The menu:
· Amuse bouche
· Arizona sweet shrimp with roasted garlic and charred cactus relish (Callaghan 2005 - Lisa’s Selection),
· Roasted house smoked pork belly with candied pecans and pepper glaze (Callaghan 2006 - Buena Suerte),
· Lamb duo with dates and native tepary beans (Callaghan 2005 - Z5),
· Arizona citrus sorbet,
· Double chocolate souffle with fresh farmers cream and mini prickly pear vodka slushy
Cost, with wines, is $75 person, plus tax and gratuity. Reservations: (480) 991-6887.
Tapino is located at 7000 E. Shea Boulevard, Scottsdale.
Posted in: Scottsdale | Post a Comment »
February 20th, 2008, 11:44 am by Jess Harter
Mike & Ike candy is one of my favorites, so I was excited when a sample of its newest variety - Lemonade Blends - arrived in today’s mail. Flavors include lemonade, raspberry lemonade, strawberry lemonade, lime lemonade and tangerine lemonade.
 Even better were some of the little-known facts I learned about Mike & Ikes:
• Each piece of candy has eight calories and no fat
• Celebrity Mike & Ike fans include Steven Spielberg, Jimmy Fallon (is he still a celebrity?), Will Smith and Brooke Shields.
• Enough Mike & Ikes and its south-of-the-border cousin Hot Tamales are produced each year that if you lined them up end-to-end they’d stretch 47,000 miles, or circle the Earth nearly twice.
Posted in: Uncategorized | Post a Comment »
February 19th, 2008, 9:27 pm by Jess Harter
Pears, potatoes and pistachios — these are pizza toppings? If you don’t think so, Humble Pie, a cozy pizzeria and wine bar that opened last month at Scottsdale’s Hilton Village, will make a believer out of you.
That should come as no surprise, though, since Humble Pie is a joint project from three of the East Valley’s most successful restaurateurs: Tom Kaufman (Rancho Pinot Grill), Patrick King (What’s Your Beef) and Rick Sullivan (P.F. Chang’s, Taneko Tavern).
The trio have teamed up to create a fun, casual restaurant with a simple menu (see menu PDF), focused on quality meats and organic vegetables, that lives up to its name.
 Unlike most pizza places, Humble Pie offers its wood-fired, gourmet pizzas in just one size, about 11 inches in diameter, plenty big for one hungry person but small enough so a group can get several to share.
And rather than provide an extensive list of ingredients from which to create countless variations, the menu consists of just 10 pre-selected combinations. Don’t worry, though. There’s a pizza that will appeal to just about everyone.
For traditionalists, there’s pepperoni, mozzarella and tomato ($10) or sausage, roasted fennel, mozzarella and tomato ($12). The meat for the latter is supplied by Schreiner’s, the family-run Phoenix shop that’s been making fine sausages for five decades.
 But the majority of the pies, all of which feature a thin but chewy crust, don’t come with tomato sauce.
Prosciutto, pears and gorgonzola ($12) are covered with fresh arugula from acclaimed McClendon Farms in the West Valley. There’s also grilled chicken with house-made pesto and oven-roasted tomatoes ($11) and, perhaps my favorite, ground pistachios, roasted leeks, shaved red onion and parmensan ($10).
Apart from pizzas, Humble Pie’s menu includes only a few other items.
I was disappointed that the crispy penne appetizer, which I really liked at Kaufman’s recently closed Union Wine Bar & Grill, is no longer available. Of the remaining four starters, I most enjoyed the cheese and meat board ($10, pictured at left).
Four salads are available in small and large sizes. There also are five sides of organic vegetables, not counting daily specials, such as a dish of oven-roasted brussel sprouts with bits of pancetta ($6).
 Olive oil gelato ($5), a vanilla-flavored treat from the Queen Creek Olive Mill, is a highlight of the dessert menu.
With Kaufman’s well-deserved reputation as a wine guru, Humble Pie boasts an impressive selection of bottles, which are showcased in a climate-controlled, glass-fronted room with the vegetables. Wine also is available by the glass and in flights, as are craft beers.
Besides 18 tables, mostly two-tops, the 2,500-square-foot space has seating at an exhibition food counter and a bar that also serves a sidewalk patio.
>> Humble Pie, 6149 N. Scottsdale Road, Scottsdale, is open 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. Friday and Saturday. (480) 556-9900
Posted in: Scottsdale | 5 Comments »
February 19th, 2008, 9:13 pm by Jess Harter
Digestif, the first of four restaurants that Peter Kasperski (Cowboy Ciao, Kazmirez Wine Bar) will launch this year in downtown Scottsdale’s SouthBridge development, has opened.
The menu is described as “Cal-Ital,” or Napa Valley Italian, since chef Payton Curry honed his skills in California wine country. Seasonal ingredients, locally grown when possible, are featured, and pastas are made in-house daily.
The menu (see lunch menu pdf or dinner menu pdf) includes:
 • Crostata (pizza-like pastry) with eggplant capomata, house-pulled mozzarella and torn basil ($9) or house chorizo, roasted peppers, fennel and pecorino ($9),
• Bruschettone (knife and fork bruschetta) with meatballs, stewed onions, Parmigiano, arugula and crunchy baguette ($9, shown at right), burrata, pepperonata, saba, smoked sea salt and ciabatta ($9) or calamari, house chorizo, borlotti pears and garlic bread ($9),
• Tajarin noodles with pecorino, herbs, salsa cruda of capers, tomatoes and Kalamata olives ($15),
• Cannelloni with brasied short ribs, Tuscan kale, horseradish cream and Fernet drizzle ($15),
• Seared black bass with braised greens with pancetta and garlic croutons ($24),
• Crispy skin duck breast with potato gratin, turnips and lingonberry/game jus ($25, pictured below),
 • Drunken strip steak with forest mushrooms, wilted spinach and trebbiano reduction ($27),
Desserts by Cowboy Ciao pastry chef Tracy Dempsey (see dessert menu pdf) include:
• Tiramisu chiffon cheesecake with cocoa tuile, espresso sabayon and chocolate sauces ($9),
• Vanilla bean-chevre panna cotta with cranberry-cherry marmelatta, saba and pinoli macaroons ($9),
• Queen Creek Olive Mill vanilla olive oil cake with warm berry-pepper sauce, roseberry sorbetto and rose sabayon ($9).
The casual restaurant has a “Beatnik basement” decor with brick walls and concrete floor. Mostly indie rock plays on the sound system, and employees wear rock ‘n’ roll T-shirts.
>> Digestif, 7114 E. Stetson Drive, Scottsdale, is open 11 a.m. to midnight daily. Info: (480) 425-9463.
Posted in: Scottsdale | 1 Comment »
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