RUBEE TUESDAY: May 17-23: Arizona Foothills Best of Valley Party, New Menu at Cafe ZuZu at Hotel Valley Ho, Arrowhead Grill, Mix Up Bar and T. Cook's at Royal Palms

May 23, 2017 / Christina Barrueta

A weekly feature, Rubee Tuesday is a recap of my week's adventures in dining and drinking in the Phoenix area.

Cafe ZuZu: Chef LaCasce's Hokkaido scallops with shellfish butter, asparagus, fried meyer lemon, and toasted pearl couscous

On Wednesday, March 17th, I was honored to celebrate two wins at Arizona Foothills Best of Our Valley party - Write on Rubee as Favorite Local Food Website, and my Instagram as Best Food Feed! I am so grateful for the support. The cocktail party was held at the beautiful Desert Mountain private golf club.

We couldn't be in the area without stopping at a favorite for a nightcap on the way home - Liberty Station. Thanks to Kyla who chose two excellent cocktails for me: A Gimlet (lime-infused vodka and housemade lime cordial) and the Spaghetti Western (Altos Reposado tequila, mezcal, Aperol, orgeat, lime juice).

On Thursday, May 18th, I joined fellow media at the Hotel Valley Ho for a delicious introduction to Executive Chef Russell LaCasce's new dishes and Executive Pastry Chef Audrey Enriquez' latest dessert creations. Chef Russell debuted a wonderful menu which offered his sophisticated take on familiar and approachable ingredients. Think scallops draped in shellfish butter and complemented with Meyer lemon slices cured and then fried in tempura batter, or burrata partnered with pickled green strawberries and mint pistou. Loved our sampling, and I'm already making plans for a return visit to explore more of the new menu. Bravo chefs!

Here are some of the fantastic dishes, desserts, and cocktails we tried:

Hawaiian tuna tartare with avocado mousse, Fresno chiles, chicharrones

Burrata with pickled green strawberries, toasted pistachio, mint pistou, thai basil, strawberry vinegar, smoked sea salt

Mini lobster rolls with tarragon and celery

Hudson Valley foie gras with honey poached rhubarb, ginger, five spice brioche french toast + caramelized milk crumb

Hokkaido scallops with shellfish butter, asparagus, fried meyer lemon, toasted couscous

Baker's Bacon Chop cured, smoked + honey lacquered, served with green harissa, burnt orange, fresh herbs, pickled chiles

PJ and his barrel-aged cocktail with Johnny Walker Red, roasted dandelion root, blood orange peel, rosemary, Carpano Antica, Cherry Heering.

Milk and Honey: almond Madeira cake, honey roasted apricots, honeycomb pieces, milk crumble, burnt honey cremeux and toasted almond milk ice cream

Lemon meringue posset: Meyer lemon posset with chamomile shortbread, fresh berries, Meyer lemon curd and dehydrated meringues

The signature Showstopper Shake! Currently it is a Banoffee Cream Pie shake featuring roasted banana ice cream, a banana cream pie, banana bread, caramel-dipped banana, vanilla wafers, candied walnuts, dulcet ganache, toffee crumbles and toffee sauce...all made by Audrey in-house.

On Friday, May 19th I joined my parents for one of our favorite neighborhood happy hours at Arrowhead Grill. We shared filet mignon sliders, lamb chops with goat cheese fondue, and BLT deviled eggs (our usual Happy Hour order).

On Saturday, May 20th, we met friends for cocktails at the Mix Up Bar before dining on the new summer menu at T. Cook's at the gorgeous Royal Palms. Look for an upcoming detailed recap, but below is one of my favorites - lamb with fava beans, morel mushrooms, green garlic and leeks.

Stay tuned next week as I visit Gertrude's at the Desert Botanical Garden, Jamie's Wine Bar, take a trip to Sedona, and celebrate my parents' and my aunt's and uncle's anniversaries at Different Pointe of View.

For past Rubee Tuesday recaps, visit this link.

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categories / Rubee Tuesday
tags / hotel valley ho, Cafe ZuZu, Downtown Scottsdale, T. Cook's, Arrowhead Grill, AZ Foothills Magazine

SanTan Beer Dinner at Cafe ZuZu

September 28, 2015 / Christina Barrueta

This summer, Cafe ZuZu at the Hotel Valley Ho launched their inaugural Brew Master Series held once a month on a Thursday night. Each dinner features a beer cocktail with passed bites and 3 courses paired with beers from a featured craft beer brewery. On September 17th, I was invited to visit Cafe ZuZu as they hosted SanTan Brewing Company, a local award-winning brewery crafting seasonal and Southwestern-style ales.

We were greeted with a refreshing beer cocktail made with Sunspot Gold, a blonde ale with light hops, combined with Campari, grapefruit juice, and St. Germain elderflower liqueur. A perfect welcome beverage on a sunny Arizona afternoon.

Delicious mini-Reubens and crispy pork belly bites were passed to accompany the cocktail.

We were seated in the colorful mid-century modern atmosphere of Cafe ZuZu as Executive Chef Charles Wiley described his menu and introduced SanTan Brewing Brand Ambassador Erin Garlock. "I love to work with wineries and craft breweries, chefs and beverage professionals that are passionate about what they do," he told us. "We have some great craft breweries right in our own backyard and one of those happen to be in historic downtown Chandler. They opened their doors in 2007 and they helped to really pioneer the whole craft beer movement here in Arizona.”

Erin informed us how this month marks Arizona’s second largest brewery's eight-year anniversary, that SanTan brews fresh Southwestern-style ales, it is the only brewery in Arizona that brews an Oktoberfest, and every October they throw a party in front of the brewery [this year it was October 3rd]. And what makes it Southwestern style? "We ferment our beers to completion, which creates a lighter-bodied beer, what you want in Arizona. We up our carbonation levels just a little bit above US standards so it’s not so heavy - it's quenching, it’s refreshing, it's effervescent."

Mr. Pineapple, SanTan Brewing Company’s most popular seasonal beer, accompanied a flavorful first course of prawns and manila clams in a charred tomato broth with smoky Spanish chorizo. This fruity wheat ale was originally created for the SanTan annual luau, but due to overwhelming demand is now being brewed year round.

Oktoberfest, a malt-forward lager, was an equally winning pairing with a hearty braised beef short rib topped with a slab of melted Shaft's blue cheese and served with crispy shoe-string potatoes tossed with spinach and honey jus.

Dessert paired Devil's Ale, a beer that Erin told us is their "flagship beer that pretty much put SanTan on the map", with a decadent toffee cake with creme anglaise and ice cream. I especially liked how the citrus notes and caramel malt paired with this finale. A fun night was had by all, with excellent pairings that made me a bigger fan of both Cafe ZuZu and SanTan Brewing Company. We had fabulous service from Cali, and it was also nice to chat with Erin Garlock and Meg Hebert of the SanTan team.

Follow the Events Calendar to keep up to date with the 2016 Brew Master Series.

I was hosted by Cafe ZuZu and this dinner was complimentary.

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categories / Beer Dinner
tags / Brew Master Series, Cafe ZuZu, Hotel Valley Ho

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RUBEE TUESDAY: May 17-23: Arizona Foothills Best of Valley Party, New Menu at Cafe ZuZu at Hotel Valley Ho, Arrowhead Grill, Mix Up Bar and T. Cook's at Royal Palms

SanTan Beer Dinner at Cafe ZuZu