RUBEE TUESDAY: January 16-23: Palo Verde, Kaiyo, Pa'la, Second Story Liquor Bar, Franco's, ZuZu
A semi-regular feature, Rubee Tuesday is a photo recap of my week's adventures in dining and drinking in the Phoenix area.
Hamachi at J's Kaiyo Sushi and Bar
Tuesday, January 16: Palo Verde at The Boulders Resort. With a kitchen led by Executive Chef Kyle Lipetzky and Chef de Cuisine Joshua Winters, this is one of my favorite resort restaurants (link to a recent visit with Culinary Director Brian Archibald). Last Tuesday, our group of six were spoiled with a surprise tasting menu by Chef Winters. Winters is a master of charcuterie and his skills shone in our starter, a platter of chicken liver and pork pate studded with pistachios, spicy Calabrian salami - Chef Josh says he is in the process of making another batch ("you'll see my name on salumi one day") - white cheddar, cornichons, whole grain mustard, honeycomb and rosemary grilled bread.
Austin Bergeron was in charge of well-crafted cocktails and food and beverage manager Eric Beers expertly paired wines (you can see him entertaining us with the "Mollydooker Shake" on my Instagram video here). Other wonderful dinner highlights included cured salmon with Rogue Creamery blue cheese smoked in-house, fresh apple, apple butter, and a rye crisp, and gnocchi with dried corn, corn puree, Winters' ndjua which he started curing last year, and 18-month aged Grana Padano.
To find out the details about my favorite dish of the night, watch the video below.
(not pictured were our desserts paired with Mumm Napa sparkling wine - sweet potato Napoleon with star anise sponge and bourbon marshmallows and a Gianduja chocolate tart with hazeltine nougat and caramelized bananas).
Wednesday, January 17: J's Kaiyo Sushi and Bar. If you haven't been to Kaiyo, you are missing out! With a superstar culinary team in the kitchen of Executive Chef Jason McGrath and Josh Bracher, this is not only a great neighborhood spot but a destination restaurant, so make your reservations now. Look for a detailed feature to post next week, but, for now, here's a sneak peek.
Hamachi special with honeydew melon, jalapeno and cucumber water
Thursday, January 18: Pa'la. I've been a long-time fan of Chef Claudio Urcioli since his Noca and Prado days (you can read my 2009 recap of a Prado dinner here), and have been wanting to try his new spot which opened two months ago. I had a morning meeting at Sanctuary on Camelback with the team of Nirvana Food and Wine Festival (tickets go on sale next week!), and lunch at Pa'la was part of my plan.
A partnership with Omar Alvarez of Tortas Paquime, this tapas restaurant is a casual, order-at-the-counter spot ensconced in a 1920s bungalow. I loved everything about it and can't wait to return. In fact, they just launched dinner service last week. The menu revolves around the wood-fired oven with tapas, open-faced sandwiches on Italian flatbread called schiacciata, and Navarro grain bowls. You'll find a lot of fresh fish options, and Claudio tells me that he will be putting a bigger focus on seafood in the coming months. For a first-hand description of the menu from Chef Claudio himself, click on the video below.
Friday, January 19: Second Story Restaurant and Liquor Bar. The last time I had Executive Chef Chris McKinley's food was when I judged the Dish it Out Competition in 2016 and he won for the second year in a row (you can read that recap here). I also loved his food when he owned The Local (2014 Instagram photo link). Well now, I can have a fix of Chris' food anytime, and that includes his best-selling WTF biscuits with fermented pink peppercorn honey, creme fraiche butter, and rye whiskey jam. And be sure to order the optional "nip" of Whistlepig barrel-aged maple syrup for $5.
Looking for suggestions on what to order on your next visit? These were all winners. And with Allison and Tyler behind the bar, you can expect excellent cocktails too.
Saturday: January 20: Franco's Italian Caffe. According to my Swarm check-in, this was our 20th visit. You can read my first article about Franco's, one of our favorite Italian spots, here.
Franco kindly set before us complimentary prosciutto and melon ("because the melon is so good today") and asparagus wrapped in prosciutto in a white wine butter sauce. My husband ordered his usual - fettucine and meat sauce as a primi, and then the Orecchie Elefante, a pounded, breaded veal chop with a request of lemon-caper sauce on the side. I tend to explore the specials, as I did on this visit - pappardelle with rabbit ragu, and grilled New Zealand snapper. Dessert is always Franco's grandmother's merenghata, a cake layered with semifreddo and meringue.
Monday, January 22: ZuZu at the Hotel Valley Ho. As a media guest, I attended my first Monday Night Chefs Table, which this month featured the Prisoner Wine Company. Executive Chef Russell LaCasce is one of the valley's shining stars, and this dinner was just another example. While scrolling through the pictures of our delicious dinner, keep in mind that this was for a sold-out crowd of 90! Perfect execution.
Chef LaCasce
First course: Pear and citrus salad with warm goat cheese fritter, watercress, hazelnuts, and a barrel-aged vinaigrette, paired with the 2015 Blindfold
Second course: Coffee-rubbed duck breast with salsify puree, cherry-zinfandel syrup, braised oyster mushrooms and cippolini onions, paired with the 2013 Thorn
Third course: Braised veal cheeks with Anson Mill grits with aged white cheddar, Swiss chard, and black truffle, paired with the 2015 Derange (the unique etched bottle is designed by Stranger & Stranger).
Dessert: Executive Pastry Chef Audrey Enriquez' brown butter financier with spiced anglaise, blackberries, and caramelized apples, paired with the 2015 Saldo
And we'll be back...in two weeks! We left with reservations already made for a return visit with family visiting from out of town. ZuZu's Monday Night Chef's Dinners take place monthly at at cost of $75 per person plus tax and gratuity. More information can be found here. Upcoming dinners include:
February 19 | Opolo Vineyards
March 26 | Rombauer Vineyards
April 16 | Hess Collection Winery
And bonus - I got to try two brand-new additions to the cocktail menu:
Second Star to the Right with Star Punch (pineapple juice, orange juice, guava nectar, passion fruit puree, and lemon-pear marmalade) and the barrel-aged 'Silk Tie' (Ultimat vodka, lemongrass, kumquats and yuzu juice) with a Zacapa rum float.
From the Ashes with Arizona's Del Bac whiskey, pineapple juice and prickly pear and barrel-agd TY KU coconut sake, Patrón Citrónge and Captain Morgan Black spiced rum.
To browse past Rubee Tuesday recaps, visit this link.