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.
Check out the June/July 2023 issue of SOMM Journal for my latest Sonoran Scoop column featuring Course in Scottsdale. You can find it on page 20 of the digital issue on the SOMM Journal website.
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A weekly Tuesday feature, I publish Rubee Tuesday as a photo recap of my recent drinking and dining adventures. You can read past Rubee Tuesdays HERE.
At Chilte in downtown Phoenix, diners can add on WorldClass caviar to a savory dish like the green chorizo vampiro (pictured below) or sweet such as the fabulous guava tart with white cheddar and shrimp dust here.
Tuesday, June 6: Trevor’s on Mayo Blvd (North Scottsdale). I had a fun time with my fellow judges for a blind seltzer tasting. Look for the results in an upcoming issue of Tasting Panel magazine.
Wednesday, June 7, 2023: Chilte (downtown Phoenix). In the July issue of A Taste of AZ magazine you’ll be able to read all about Chilte, one of Arizona’s most exciting new restaurants, and my interview with Chef Lawrence Smith. Since I wrote that feature, Lawrence introduced some new menu items, so here’s a peek at a fantastic feast where I was joined by my friends from WorldClass. You can also watch a video Reel HERE.
I wasn’t able to fit them in my article, but the craft cocktails created by Chef Lawrence are just as spectacular as his creative Mexican dishes. Clockwise from top left:
Green Chile Margarita with house-roasted green chiles
Por Siempre with sotol, piloncillo and mole bitters
El Verde Peligroso with gin, kiwi, epazote and celery bitters
Whiskey Sour
Sangre De Maize, a mezcal and corn Negroni
One of many signature dishes, Lawrence created Black Pink for his episode on Food Network Chopped where the secret ingredient was chocolate. It’s an amazing combination of WorldClass langoustine red shrimp in a chocolate-spiked agua chile with pink grapefruit, cucumber, and house tostadas.
Black Pink at Chilte with WorldClass langoustino red shrimp
Other must-orders:
Yuca fries with furikake, queso cincho, and Buddha’s Hand aioli.
Chicharrones with charred tomatillo guacamole, jamaica and chile de árbol salsa and Benny Blanco flour tortillas.
Chorizo verde vampiro with handmade tortillas, green chorizo, queso Chihuahua, and salsa macha.
Quesadilla with queso Chihuahua wrapped in a hoja santa leaf with salsa verde, goat cheese, chiltepin, salsa macha, and a sprinkle of chicatanas (Oaxacan roasted ants).
Birria with miso consommé and salsa tatemada
Marrow Burger with green chile, bone marrow, white cheddar, caramelized onions, lettuce, and Chimayo aioli on a Noble Bread bun served with Frites Street fries dusted in togarashi and cotija.
And tip: On Wednesdays, wine by the bottles are half-price, like the Mexican chardonnay below, Château Camou from Guadalupe Valley.
The Grilled Romaine with goat cheese and smoked corn was another new addition that debuted on June 7. Be sure to add the option of three juicy WorldClass Patagonian lamb chops to your salad (or a double order like we did!)
WorldClass Patagonian lamb chops can be added to the grilled Romaine salad
I had to order two of Chef Lawrence’s favorite cocktails as an after-dinner drink(s) and they were just as stellar as my first cocktail: Hada Madrina (absinthe, gin, and pineapple garnished with queso cincho and chiltepin) and the Carajilllo (local Provision espresso, Spanish 43, orange, and lavender).
The perfect ending? Guava tart with cheesecake and guava curd in a sablée crust with coconut tres leches and white cheddar and shrimp dust (don’t forget the option of caviar for $10; it was a brilliant combination!) and a round of sotol.
Thursday, June 8: Mother Road beer dinner at McArthur’s at the Arizona Biltmore resort. I became a fan of this craft brewery after visiting them on a Flagstaff press trip for Arizona Beer Week (check out my write-up here). I partnered with Mother Road Brewing for this event, so look for my detailed recap next week. For a preview, you can watch my video Reel by clicking HERE.
Friday, June 9: Course (Scottsdale). As I mentioned in this Rubee Tuesday, Course just opened last month and it’s a fantastic addition to our dining scene. I’m also featuring GM and sommelier Nick Padua and chef-owner Cory Oppold in my next Sonoran Scoop column in SOMM Journal, and stopped by for an interview. Look for it in the August issue.
Rice Paper is located in the same shopping center, so afterwards I picked up lunch to bring home (and enjoyed a Mexicanese Margarita while I waited for my order). Nick had recommended the Bruce Lee roll with pork, shrimp, crispy roll, jalapeño, Grandma’s hot sauce, Thai chile, and Ssiracha served with Asian pesto sauce, and it’s now my new favorite here.
Also in the shopping center is one of our favorite pizza spots, Il Capo Pizzeria, so dinner that night was a NY-style sausage pizza.
Check back on my next Rubee Tuesday for visits to Rough Rider, The Mexicano, Arboleda, and Trevor's on Mayo.
