An Arizona-based food, beverage and travel writer since 2008, I launched this website in 2015 to document my culinary adventures, beverage escapades, gardening endeavors, and travel in the Phoenix area and beyond. Also find a comprehensive calendar of Phoenix-area food and drink-related events on my Events page.
A weekly feature, I publish Rubee Tuesday as a photo recap of my recent drinking and dining adventures. You can read past Rubee Tuesdays HERE.
Monday, January 8: Cucina Tagliani (Glendale). I spent the afternoon shopping with mom and we wrapped up our day at this family favorite (its scratch Italian menu has made Cucina Tagliani an Arizona institution for over 30 years). I usually get clams or spaghetti squash lasagna with Cucina Tagliani’s Dynamante pepperoncini sauce (photo on the left),but this time, I went for the baked spaghetti squash with Alfredo.
Tuesday, January 9:Arboleda (Scottsdale Quarter). I have three more spots to cross off for a cocktail assignment, and I always love a good excuse to visit Arboleda. Though I only had time for a cocktail this time, we have dinner reservations with friends in two weeks.
AZ Sour with local Del Bac whiskey at Arboleda in Scottsdale Quarter
EVO (North Scottsdale). We’ve been to the original EVO in Old Town many times, but this was our first visit to the second location which opened in November.
Chapeltini with Chelly limoncello liqueur, Ming River baiju, Lemon Juice, and simple syrup at EVO North Scottsdale
Our quick meal (chicken piccata for me, chicken parm and Alfredo gnocchi for Ernesto) was so good, we made plans to return for a more leisurely dinner.
Wednesday, January 10: Citizen Public House (Old Town Scottsdale). This beloved restaurant known for its craft cocktails and sophisticated gastropub menu has been welcoming guests for over a decade. Our brief visit was a great reminder that we need to return more often - starting with dinner reservations next month.
Negroni and Bee’s Knees at Citizen Public House
Donabe (W Scottsdale). We were invited to check out Donabe when it first opened last year, but it took me until now to carve out some time. It was worth the wait! Donabe is a sophisticated Japanese steakhouse concept from Alliance Hospitality Group, who also own FLINT By Baltaire. We loved the cozy, sophisticated vibe, its tucked away location on the second floor WET Deck, the fantastic menu, and friendly service.
The Bar at Donabe restaurant in W Scottsdale hotel
Once you find your way there, these are some of the dishes you should order: Kampachi sashimi with crispy potato threads, sliced jalapenos, and lemon-koji dressing…
Kampachi at Donabe at W Scottsdale
… and Vietnamese Ribs with pickled banh mi vegetables; Lobster Roll with tobiko, Meyer lemon, and nasturtium leaves; specials like Ōra Kingsalmon with truffles, ricotta, and capers (listen to Chef Gilberto Torres’ full description here); his namesake Handlebar Roll with lobster tempura. asparagus, A5 Wagyu, wasabi aioli, and caviar; Wagyu Hot Stone with shiso chimichurri and daikon-onion relish; and one of the best burgers in town with ground Wagyu, black truffle mayo, and aged white cheddar cheese on a Japanese milk bun (and we learned a great tip from our fab server - swap out the haystack potatoes for the togarashi fries).
I was just as impressed with the beverage program, overseen by manager Randy Kuang: A Fuji Spritz for me (lychee, strawberry, Aperol yuzu, soda, and prosecco), a Japanese Old-Fashioned for Ernesto (Toki Japanese whiskey, orgeat, and toasted almond bitters), and the phenomenal off-menu nori cocktail below as a finale. Click the photo to watch my video, including Randy pouring us a beautiful Hakkaisan snow aged Junmai Daiginjo sake.
Check back on next week’s Rubee Tuesday for Festivin at Wrigley Mansion, a sneak peek at Uchi Scottsdale opening February 1, and visits to Pyro, Pretty Penny, and Anhelo.
Last week’s photo recap featured visits toThe Vig Park West, Christopher's at Wrigley Mansion, Pho Tan Thanh, and Casa Filipina.
Some of my current favorites: Happy Hour lobster salad with caviar and, on the regular menu, burrata with peach, speck, and pistachio crumble, roasted clams, and Fiore di Vitae cocktail.
Wednesday, July 19: Toro at the Fairmont Scottsdale Princess was another stop on assignment.
Located on the Scottsdale’s TPC course, the menu showcases the diverse flavors of South and Central America and its Japanese and Chinese-Peruvian influences. Here are some must-orders:
WorldClass black cod with miso-chipotle glaze, kabayaki sauce, grilled asparagus, daikon radish, and togarashi aioli:
Danmari Negroni (Roku gin, Trakal, Japanese sweet sake vermouth, bitter liqueur, Banane du Bresil, and Sakura bitters)
Grilled avocado with corn pico de gallo
Fried rice with butter-poached lobster and chorizo
Thursday, July 20: This was a busy day with three fun stops. First, was back to Arboleda for a special cocktail creation by Richie Moe, gambas pil pil, and smoked salmon on potato rösti with caviar and champagne cream.
Stop Two was the Grand Opening of Bourbon and Bones in Peoria. I’m pretty excited that the newest location of this upscale steakhouse is only a 10-minute drive.
A perfect ending to the day was an invitation to a fantastic mezcal dinner at Proof at Four Seasons Scottsdale Troon North. So glad Proof has brought back these cocktail dinners! We were all impressed with this menu by Chef Edgar, Pastry Chef Yudith, and cocktail pros Jackie and Autumn:
Tune in to my latest episode of A Taste of AZ podcast as guest host. This time, I joined host Eric Walters as we sat down with co-owner Mitch Rosenthal and executive chef Evan Gotanda of Arboleda in Scottsdale Quarter. And special thanks to SOMM Journal for sponsoring this episode!
Gambas píl píl and patatas bravas at Arboleda in Scottsdale Quarter
A weekly Tuesday feature, I publish Rubee Tuesday as a photo recap of my recent drinking and dining adventures. You can readpast Rubee Tuesdays HERE.
Monday, March 27: Mariscos Playa Hermosa (Phoenix). After a fun time as a guest on In the Green Room chatting about food and wine, we visited this local favorite for Mexican seafood (they just celebrated 21 years). Recommended dish(s): If you can handle some habanero heat, order the agua chile tostada trio with black red, and mango-habanero salsas.
Wednesday, March 29: Back to Arboleda (first recap HERE). This time we returned as a hosted media visit (look for my upcoming A Taste of AZ podcast and article) and had even more fun chatting with executive chef Evan and chef Scott, owners Mitch and Bjorn, and beverage director Brandi - thank you for the excellent wine pairings! You can see more on my video Reel HERE.
Recommended dish(s): WorldClass octopus with cucumber and salsa macha, hummus and baba ganoush, hamachi with carrot purée and chili garlic crunch, patatas bravas with smoked pimentón espuma, gambas píl píl, and Argentine ribeye with Calabrian chili butter.
Argentine ribeye with Calabrian chile butter, aligot truffled potato purée and fire-roasted mushrooms at Arboleda
Friday, March 31: Keeler’s Neighborhood Steakhouse (Carefree). We were celebrating my parents’ 59th wedding anniversary and when dad requested prime rib, I knew exactly where we would take them! I’m a huge fan of the Keelers and their restaurants (they also own Liberty Station Tavern), and Keeler’s has been on my “bring mom and dad” list for far too long.
Thank you to Chef Anthony and Christian, Matt, Ryan, Michael and Steve for spoiling us. My parents loved it, as we knew they would - dad said “this is my kind of place” and mom has requested that we go once a month! Recommended dish(s): New England clam chowder, ahi poke, shrimp scampi, and, of course, prime rib.
Saturday, March 31: First & Last (downtown Phoenix). I was long overdue for a visit to one of my favorite downtown spots. You can learn more about First & Last in my A Taste of AZ interview with owners Robb and Ashley Hammond.
Recommended dish(s): Butter braised leeks with Bearnaise sauce, oysters with Bloody Mary mignonette, crab with brown butter and fermented garlic, grilled Thai carrots with fermented cucumber and ginger-lime vinaigrette, cacio e pepe with Sonoran Pasta bucatini, and rotisserie porchetta with spoonbread.
TIP: They have a great wine and cocktail list too - our drinks pictured below were an Old Fashioned and Vicar in a Tutu (Laird’s apple brandy, tequila, Amaro Nonino, tawny port, lemon and lavender). You can also see a video Reel HERE.
And don’t miss their new Italian-inspired amari bar downstairs, called Little Debbie’s. As old Italian movies play in the background, you can enjoy amari samplers, cocktails and snacks - I loved the lavender Marcona almonds and the buttery clam conserva served with crackers. Recommended cocktails: La Vie en Rose (Braulio, Forthaven Red aperitivo, cava and lime), Heavy Petting (Ford’s gin, cassis, Carpano Antica vermouth, Fernet Branca and lemon), and Culture Club (Rucolino, Montenegro, St. George spiced pear and pineapple rum).
Espresso Martini and La Vie en Rose at Little Debbie’s
Little Debbie’s is open 6 pm to midnight Thursday through Saturday, and be sure to ask John for his cocktail and amaro suggestions!
A weekly feature, I publish Rubee Tuesday on Tuesdays as a photo recap of my recent drinking and dining adventures. You can see past Rubee Tuesdays HERE.
The team at Weft & Warp is always a Dish Fest favorite (L-R: Beverage manager Sergio Campos, executive pastry chef Morgan Malzahn, and executive chef Dushyant Singh)
March 5: Another great year at PHOENIX magazine’s Phoenix Dish Fest, one of the city’s most popular food festivals. In fact, it has been so successful that Dish Fest will be expanding to two days in 2024. Click here for a video Reel.
March 6-9: The next day, I was off to Paso Robles, California to cover Paso Cab Camp for The SOMM Journal.
I’ll be sharing more photos under my Travel section and video Reels on Instagram (Here’s one of our beautiful hotel, the Allegretto Vineyard Resort).
EDITED 6/1/2023: Here’s the link to my seven-page spread in the June/July issue of SOMM Journal.
DAOU Family Estates in Paso Robles
March 9: Arboleda (Scottsdale Quarter). Upon landing in Phoenix at dinner time, my husband picked me up and we decided to check out a new restaurant I’ve been hearing so much about. Arboleda, which means grove in Spanish, celebrates Mediterranean dishes spanning the cuisines of Spain, France, Italy, Greece, and Morocco. We not only loved the delicious hummus and lobster spaghetti, but check out the pan con tomate with WorldClass Cinco Jotas jamón Ibérico de bellota (the world-famous melt-in-your-mouth ham made from Iberian pigs fed on acorns and cured in centuries-old cellars in Jabugo, Spain). We already have plans to return before the end of the month to explore more of the menu.
We were also treated to delicious bites such as hamachi topped with WorldClass caviar, shrimp with ginger-chile koshu and togarashi, and wood-grilled WorldClass octopus with saffron, Chimayo chile, artichokes, Controne beans and Steadfast Farm daikon radish salad. You can see more on my video Reel here.
Top Bars at The Croft: Once again, award-winning bars from around the country were gathered downtown, such as New York’s Clover Club and Double Chicken Please, NOLA’s Jewel of the South,Chicago’s Three Dots and a Dash and Portland’s Palomar, to name a few. International pop-ups included Amaro Bar and Coupette from London, Analogue from Singapore, Penicillin from Hong Kong, Handshake Bar from Mexico City, and more.
Executive chef Rochelle Daniel of Atria, Christina Barrueta, and Atria chef Maribel Silva
You can see more of Top Bars (my favorite AZ Cocktail Weekend event!) on my video Reel.
March 13: Tarbell’s (Central Phoenix). A friend was visiting from Massachusetts, so we had to bring him to one of our favorites! Pictures below: Mylk Punch (clarified punch with pineapple, aloe, black English tea, citrus and spice) and my decadent cacio e pepe with Perigord black truffles.
And follow along on my Instagram for this week’s visits to: Vecina, ZuZu at Hotel Valley Ho, Pa’la Downtown, Eden Bar and Blue Hound Kitchen at Hotel Palomar, and Anhelo for a special scholarship wine dinner.
On Tuesday night, I attended a media introduction to a sweet spot called Le Macaron at Scottsdale Quarter and fell in love. It's a bright and cheery space where you can settle in at tables or high tops, tufted chairs against the window, or on the cute and cozy patio.
Le Macaron French Pastries is a national franchise, but owners Axel and Sandrine Chagnot have opened the only location in Arizona. Both natives of France, they're enticing Valley of the Sun residents to experience the flavor of their homeland in their pastry shop offering macarons, pastries, desserts, gelato, chocolates and crepes. We were greeted with bubbly and had a chance to chat and learn more about Le Macaron as we sampled some of the wonderful indulgences.
Axel Chagnot
We started with crepes, and what a perfect beginning it was! Howard, resident crepe maker and former owner of a pastry shop, makes fantastic crepes and suggested one of his favorites. The cinnamon bun arrived as a delicate crepe graced with cinnamon, pecans, a drizzle of caramel and adorned with a scoop of vanilla gelato.
The apple pie crepe stuffed with apples likewise captured all the flavors of apple pie a la mode, but encasing it in folds of warm crepe layers made it even better. We were told that they will be soon introducing rotating pie flavors such as cherry, blueberry, and peach.
Gelato comes in a wide array of flavors, such as Arabica coffee, salted caramel, pistachio, and raspberry.
You can treat yourself to croissants, pastries, and chocolates in flavors of coconut, hazelnut praline, Cuban espresso, champagne, Morello cherry, peanut buttter and caramel, and more.
Of course, though, there are the classic French macarons (not to be confused with macaroons, the coconut cookie). Each macaron is made up of two airy-crispy almond-meringue rounds pressed around a flavored cream filling and at Le Macron they offer 19 varieties. You can't eat just one, but you don't have to. Not only are these gluten-free, all natural and made with no artificial flavors, but I loved the range of flavors such as Sicilian pistachio, lemon cream, rose, passion fruit mango, candied ginger and chocolate and more:
Macaron towers can be ordered for special occasions - perfect for weddings and bridal showers - and also packaged for gifts.
Le Macaron is a must-stop if you're shopping or dining at Scottsdale Quarter (after-dinner desserts and coffee!), but also worth a visit on its own.
Le Macaron is located at Scottsdale Quarter at 15323 N Scottsdale Rd #145, Scottsdale, AZ 85254. It is open seven days a week, 10 am to 10 pm (8 pm on Sundays).
