Must-Try

If you live in Mesa or anywhere in the vicinity, I beg of you to try out Caffe Boa Bistro if you haven't already. I love the original on Mill in Tempe, but am completely smitten with its little sister in Mesa. Cannot say enough good about it. Look over the menu and see for yourself. Try the house-pulled mozzarella, SoCal Love, and any of the handmade pastas (my husband loved the linguini with mushrooms). The starter course of bread with pesto aioli, olive oil and hummus is unforgettable. Best restaurant in Mesa without a doubt.

Culinary Dropout

Chris and I got to be some of the first diners at the newest Fox restaurant over the weekend, Culinary Dropout. It was an outstanding meal, and here were a few of our favorite things:

The Chandeliers. SO huge and fun.

The a la carte starter menu. At our server's suggestion, we tried the Champignon Montagnolo cheese, the Culatello prosciutto, grilled asparagus, and crusty bread with olive oil. Fabulous, every last one. I will go back just for this part of the menu.

We each got a house salad, which was really great. The dressing was light and tasty.

The only thing we ordered that we didn't love was the pork ribs, which was surprising because they've received rave reviews so far. We thought they were on the tough side and too fatty. We just love our Charlestons ribs and have yet to find better. The fries and coleslaw were delish.

We ended with the apple monkey bread. A cross between apple pie and a cinnamon roll, ice cream on the side. Crazy good stuff.

Have a look at the menu- lotsa tasty options. We will be back.

San Diego Eats

We just got back from a quick trip to San Diego. We enjoyed trying a couple different restaurants, and also have a to-try list for next time.

My husband Chris gets the credit for finding most of these...

Breakfast: The Mission. Steps away from the beach, the best pancake selection I've seen, big portions, very tasty way to start the morning, and look at that presentation! We spent less here than we did at IHOP the previous morning.

Dinner: Sammy's Woodfired Pizza. Get the arugula and pear pizza. The arugula is tossed in a yummy balsamic and basil dressing. Outstanding- they have a ton of San Diego locations.

Next time around we are dying to try Extraordinary Desserts. According to Jane at This Week for Dinner, The Viking is the thing to order. We also want to check out Leucadia Pizzeria. The not-so-secret ingredient on their Hawaiian pizza is a sprinkling of cinnamon. Sounds yum.

Please share if you have any favorite San Diego dining spots!

The Lady and Sons

A couple weeks back, Kelli and I went to Florida to visit Mason, Amanda and Jonah (our brother and his family). At the top of our to-do list was a road trip to Savannah, Georgia to dine at Paula Deen's restaurant, The Lady and Sons. It was a Saturday, and they were booked for lunch and also dinner. But Mason worked his magic on the hostess and within a few minutes we were seated. :) Just being there was so very fun. The staff was outstanding- so friendly. I don't know quite how to say this, I feel as though I am betraying Paula, but our meal was just OK. It was right up there with Chuck-O-Rama buffet. I am so glad we did it, just to say we did. All around our meal was a fun one, just not THE most delicious. We were spoiled the rest of the trip by Amanda's exceptional cooking, which IS something to write home about. I'm hoping she'll post her Mango Chicken recipe for us... whaddaya say Mandy?

Restaurant Week

Arizonans, it's that time again! Chris and I are at a loss as to which restaurant to try. Roy's, Flemings, Ocean Prime, Cowboy Ciao, and The Green House are all on our to-try list. The website has all the info you'll need. Hooray!

Eating Out

My husband has had the opportunity to be a part-investor in a new Phoenix restaurant that opened last week-

St. Francis. It's been in the works for a while so it was fun to go get the grand tour and try out the food. Aaron Chamberlin is the owner/chef and he is awesome! He has had several highly acclaimed restaurants in New York, San Fransisco, and was part of the opening team that started LeGrande Orange, Chelsea's Kitchen, and Radio Milano here in the valley. The restaurant itself was an old brick building that they renovated and they did an outstanding job. The architecture is amazing and there are lots of really cool details. St. Francis is a must-try.!

Important Notes:

*the rustic wood-burning oven

*the glass garage door downstairs that opens up to an outdoor courtyard

*kids under 6 eat free

*the custom bathroom sinks

*the chalkboard

*the crispy fingerling potatoes with lemon aioli

*romaine hearts and spring vegetables with buttermilk cheddar dressing

*the pepper crusted flat-iron steak

*the sticky toffee pudding with sweet cream gelato

Go here for the full menu. I'm sure we'll see you there, we're going tonight for the third time this week.

Green Beans at Joe's

If you haven't tried the fried green beans at Joe's Farm Grill, now would be a good time to do so.

Cafe Atlantico

The wedding of a friend necessitated a trip for Chris and I- to Washington D.C.

Months in advance, I let Chris know that I wanted to try one really outstanding restaurant during our time there. I happened to be watching Martha one day, and she was showcasing a chef named Jose Andres, who has 7 highly acclaimed restaurants in the D.C. area. I looked him up and learned of Cafe Atlantico, and also the restaurant inside a restaurant, Minibar. Minibar is an exclusive dining experience, located within Cafe Atlantico, seating only 6 people a night. Reservations are taken one month in advance and the experience runs you about $120, for 20+ tasting courses.

A few things you might expect to try during the meal: cotton candied foie gras (duck liver), tumbleweed of beet, and dragon's breath popcorn (fused with liquid nitrogen causing smoke to come out your nose and mouth as you eat- so awesome!!). Chris and I (being the penny pinchers we are) opted for the Cafe Atlantico pre-theater fixed price menu ($30) and enjoyed salad, lobster bisque, braised shortribs, warm chocolate cake and passion fruit sorbet. Everything we had was delectable and we enjoyed the experience thoroughly. For me, the highlight was being seated in perfect view of Minibar and watching the food-art being served and enjoyed before our eyes... at one fourth the cost. :)

The Lady and Sons

Jealousy!! Mom and Amanda (and Dad, Mason and Jonah) went to Paula Deen's restaurant in Savannah, Georgia last week. Their report included a most delicious buffet dining experience at the Lady and Son's, and that Paula was just as jolly in person as she comes across on screen. ;) They have each decided to fast for a week to balance out the calories consumed during that one meal, but they said it was worth it. Maren, Kelli and I have decided we have to go before the year's up. See here for the dinner menu.

North

Derek, Maren, Kelli, J.D., Candice and Chris jumped at the chance to enjoy a Valentine's dinner at North. Our meal began in the early evening. It was a fun atmosphere, and we ate at the prettiest table- with a really beautiful linear chandelier above. Great company, rose petals, candles, a multi-nosed vase, a waiter that wished us multiple "Happy Valentimes Day"s, and a single rose gifted to each female at the end of the meal- all made for a memorable and enjoyable evening. Onto the food!

We each tried to order something a little different, then shared around. That is, until the main course, when all the guys got seafood (bleh).

Favorite starters? the mushroom, arugula and parmesan pizza and the bruschetta.
Favorite mains? the herb-crusted pork tenderloin, the chicken parmesan and the braised shortribs with marscapone polenta
Favorite sweets? the nutella/banana crepes and the sour cherry bread pudding.

We could have passed on the mozzarella/tomato/bread appetizer (chalk full of red onions- and also soggy), the calimari (just OK, not great), and of course the fish dishes.

All in all it was a really delicious meal and I would recommend it. But of all the Fox Restaurants tried so far, Olive and Ivy is still my fave. There are still, however, a couple I haven't been to and will have to before I can give a final report.

Charleston's

We dined at Charleston's tonight- Chris' favorite restaurant. Here are some not-to-be-missed selections from their menu:

*Croissants. Lighter than air, melt in your mouth, sweet as honey.
*The glazed carrots. Divine. All their steamed veggies are yummy, we always order them on the side.
*The ribs. You can eat them with a fork, with one hand. THE BEST.
*The warm pineapple upside down cake. Baked in a bowl and topped with a huge scoop of vanilla ice cream. The hot pineapple cake and cold ice cream is a combination to die for.

Our bellies are happy tonight.

AZ Restaurant Week

To learn more about AZ restaurant week, see HERE!