Write On Rubee

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.

Filtering by Tag: We-Ko-Pa

RUBEE TUESDAY: Global Ambassador, Hermosa Inn, Ember at We-Ko-Pa Resort and Casino, Valentine, Bar 1912

January 02, 2024  /  Christina Barrueta

I publish round-ups every Tuesday as a photo recap of my recent drinking and dining adventures. You can read past Rubee Tuesdays HERE.

Quiche at Le Âme at The Global Ambassador in Phoenix

Wednesday, December 27: Le Âme at The Global Ambassador (Phoenix). I headed back to Sam Fox’s gorgeous new hotel, The Global Ambassador (first visit here), this time for lunch with Meridith May, publisher and Editor-in-Chief of SOMM Journal and Tasting Panel magazines. On the way out, the croissants at Le Market were also too tempting to pass up (and were a treat for breakfast the next day).

I’m wrapping up my 2023 cocktail assignments for Experience Scottsdale, and Hermosa Inn was my next stop.

The award-winning patio at Hermosa Inn

It was a beautiful afternoon to fall in love with these two killer cocktails: Tale of the G.O.A.T. (Suncliffe Gin, Campari, sweet vermouth, lemon, lime, rosemary syrup, and Fee bitters foam), and head bartender Victoria’s off-menu Eggnog Espresso Martini (homemade eggnog, Whistlepig Piggyback Rye, Torres Brandy, local Roc2 espresso, Kahlua, Creme de Cacao, and Bailey’s Irish Cream). Stay tuned for a website Q&A with Victoria!

Thursday, December 28: Ember steakhouse (We-Ko-Pa Casino Resort). My next SOMM Jourmal column features two of the superstars at We-Ko-Pa and Ember, one of our favorite restaurants as seen in past Rubee Tuesdays.

Chef Richard Pelz and Advanced Sommelier Dennis Payne of Ember at We-Ko-Pa

We-Ko-Pa Casino Resort Executive Chef Richard Pelz and Advanced Sommelier Dennis Payne of Ember steakhouse

I was there to shoot photos of property executive chef Richard Pelz and advanced sommelier Dennis Payne, so, of course, had made reservations for dinner. Thank you to Chef Richard who spoiled us with amazing off-menu surprises such as “eggs and hash” with duck confit hash topped with an oozy egg and crispy duck tongues, and quail with veal sweetbreads, Madeira sauce, and Perigord truffles.

It was also nice to meet sous chef Austin, who treated us to a tableside baked Alaska. We’ll be back next month for a special wine dinner featuring Burgundy, France.

Friday, December 29: Valentine (Phoenix). High on my list of “places we need to visit more regularly” is Valentine, led by Chef Donald Hawk, a 2022 James Beard Award nominee.

Donnie is known for his distinctive menu (which landed Valentine on Esquire’s Best New Restaurant list) celebrating Arizona ingredients. My feast started with a G&T with a blend of Arizona gins and house elderflower tonic before diving into tempura BKW Farms mushrooms (details here), Chula Seaood oysters with Chinese chorizo butter, Fripper’s smoked bologna with mesquite pecan-chile honey and rosemary, smoked lamb egg rolls with prickly pear gochujang, and Rovey Dairy Farms ribeye with Ramona Farms tepary beans and tortillas brushed with huitlacoche butter.

We were thrilled to snag a table afterwards at one of our city’s best cocktail lounges - Valentine’s Bar 1912 (which I recently featured here in A Taste of AZ magazine),

You’ll want to explore co-owner Blaise’s signature drinks representing Arizona’s ecological biomes like my Grassland and Woodland below. And save room for the fantastic desserts by pastry chef Crystal (who was nominated for a James Beard Award this year) such as the best Basque cheesecake I’ve ever had and her sweet corn sundae with miso caramel, mimolette, and masa pizzelle (I’m obsessed!).

Check back on next week’s Rubee Tuesday for visits to The Vig Park West, Christopher's at The Wrigley, Pho Tan Thanh, and Casa Filipina.

My last recap featured: B&B Cocktail Lounge, Talavera at Four Seasons Resort Scottsdale, and The Italian Daughter.

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categories / Rubee Tuesday
tags / Global Ambassador, The Global Ambassador, Hermosa Inn, We-Ko-Pa, Ember, Valentine, Bar 1912

RUBEE TUESDAY: Arboleda, Cafe Monarch, Ember at We-Ko-Pa Casino Resort, The Mission Kierland, and La Famiglia

September 12, 2023  /  Christina Barrueta

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.

Cappelletti pasta at La Famiglia in Scottsdale

Monday, August 21: Arboleda (Scottsdale Quarter). Back to one of our favorites! This time, we stopped by for sherry and an array of tapas, including gambas píl píl, and of course, WorldClass

Tapas and sherry at Arboleda in Scottsdale Quarter

Wednesday, August 23: Cafe Monarch (Old Town Scottsdale). I had made special arrangements with Ben Wald, Executive Chef of both Cafe Monarch and Reserve, for a Scottsdale City Lifestyle Magazine assignment. Keep an eye out for the Food issue to see what he created!

Cafe Monarch dining room

That night, we had reservations at Ember at We-Ko-Pa Casino Resort (Fountain Hills). I was already a fan of sommelier Dennis Payne, Chef Richard Pelz, and the team when we recorded this Taste of AZ podcast, but during our chat, I learned about their sold-out wine dinners. Since then, we’ve tried to attend every one.

Executive Chef Richard Pelz and team at Ember at We-ko-pa

Ember recently received Wine Spectator Magazine’s Best of Award of Excellence for the third year in a row, so it’s no surprise that their wine dinners are outstanding. This time, they welcomed Frias Family Vineyard of Napa Valley and special guest Fernando Frias for an unforgettable evening celebrating these exceptional Napa wines.

You can also watch my video reel here.

Frias Family Vineyard wine dinner at Ember at We-ko-pa

Thursday, August 24: The Mission Kierland (North Scottsdale). Acclaimed mixologist Christian Röllich is another podcast guest we’ve had on A Taste of AZ, where he told us about his new position as Beverage Director for Matt Carter’s stable of restaurants.

Röllich’s first menu overhaul was for Fat Ox, and now he’s done the same at The Mission, where we had a chance to sample some of his stellar cocktails, including: A welcome mamajuana (rum infused with herbs, roots, and spices, red wine, and honey); Rio Naranja (tequila, coconut, ginger, lemongrass and yuzu), Diosa Verde (tequila, arugula and cucumber); Little Tree (vodka, passion fruit, sarsparilla and turmeric); Chicha Sour (Pisco and chicha morada, a Peruvian purple corn drink), Mission Martini (Panamanian rum, honey, cinnamon and espresso); and Archbishop (bourbon and mole orgeat).

Stay tuned for my Christiaan Röllich feature in the next issue of Tasting Panel magazine!

Christiaan Röllich’s cocktail book, Bar Chef

Since we were so close to Famiglia, we wrapped up our evening at this hidden secret. This Italian gem owned by the talented duo of Sommelier Broc Chavez and Executive Chef Richard Rangel is one of my top restaurant recommendations. While it might fly under the radar, Famiglia is the kind of place that deserves more buzz and popularity, thanks to its warm, comfortable vibe and sophisticated Italian menu.

Yet another fantastic meal - this time, beet salad with gorgonzola, candied pecans, apples, and citrus, Calabrian cappelletti with ricotta, eggplant, and brown butter, and garganelli with braised chicken, peas, mascarpone, and lemon sauce. In fact, we enjoyed it so much that we made reservations to return in two weeks for Arizona Restaurant Week.

Check back on next week’s Rubee Tuesday for visits to Merkin, Jade Palace for a Tequila Corrido dinner, Sweet Republic, Anhelo, The Rose Garden, Tia Carmen, Osteria Mia, and a rebrand launch party for Lauren Allen Culinary Events.

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categories / Rubee Tuesday
tags / Arboleda, Ember, We-Ko-Pa, The Mission, Mission Kierland, La Famiglia, Merkin Old Town Scottsdale, Old Town Scottsdale, North Scottsdale