Phoenix Eats

Happy 2015!!! Hope you had a safe and festive New Years' Eve!

In addition to visiting with friends and running a 12K, Raisin Bread and I hit up a variety of eateries during our weekend in Phoenix.

Essence Bakery

825 West University Drive

Tempe, AZ 85281

We wanted a light breakfast prior to our 12K and decided on Essence Bakery in Tempe, which was near our hotel. 

Essence Organic Granola - organic oats, barley flakes, wheat flakes, walnuts, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, organic honey, dates, organic soy milk with yogurt

I really did not enjoy this dish, especially the soupy consistency it had. It was also lacking any flavor of honey whatsoever. It sounds like such a simple dish to construct but was not executed well at all. 

Hummus Xpress

930 West Broadway Road

Suite 11

Tempe, AZ 85282

Salad with rice, gyro, lemon garlic braised kale, roasted red pepper hummus, tabbouleh, pickles, olives, cucumbers, pepperoncinis, beets and tzatziki sauce 

This was probably my favorite meal of our trip. Hummus Xpress is sort of like the Chipotle model, where you choose your food delivery vehicle (salad, pita, bowl or plate) and then customize the rest of the elements of your dish. Everything was fresh and tasty and the salad was very filling.

Nobuo at Teeter House
622 East Adams Street
Phoenix AZ 85004

Our final lunch was at the stunning Teeter House, located in Heritage Square.

I started with a pot of genmaicha (roasted brown rice green tea), which I found to be a little weak.

Grapefruit and Hamachi with avocado and white truffle oil. Beautiful and delicious!

Tuna Tataki - seared with roasted beet puree. I only had a few bites of this dish, but the combination of beet puree and seared tuna was fantastic.

Okonomiyaki - This brought me back to our trip to Japan this spring. It was so similar to the version I had while I was there.

Warm Duck Salad with grilled greens and yuzu vinaigrette. This was by far my least favorite dish. I don't know what the grilled onions added, and I felt like the dish as a whole was underseasoned.

The Vig
4041 North 40th Street
Phoenix, AZ 85018

We still had some time before we had to head back to the airport, so we decided to grab some dessert and watch some football at The Vig.

It seems as though this place is for the bottomless brunch crowd, evidenced by the fact that the men's bathroom was closed due to an episode of vomiting.

We went with iced teas and an order of the bread pudding, instead.

Well, Phoenix, it was a fun trip with beautiful weather. Hope we can visit again soon!

Christmas 2014

Merry belated Christmas! And for those who do not celebrate Christmas, happy belated holidays!

This year we decided to keep things low-key. This year has been crazy and we did not want to travel over the holiday, so Raisin Bread, Gus and I celebrated just as a little family. It was nice to have a relaxing holiday, but I also missed spending time with our families. 

Since Gus is still little, we decided to forgo a new tree this year and used our tiny apartment-sized tree for one last year. 

Christmas Eve

I ordered live Maine lobsters that arrived via next day air for our Christmas Eve dinner. As soon as I opened the box, I came to the realization that I have never prepared live lobsters before. A few quick Google searches and I was on my way.

I decided to go with steamed lobster and they came out perfectly tender. Yum! Lobster dinner is not complete without corn on the cob, in my opinion.

I also ordered some clam chowder, which I just had to heat up and serve.

For dessert, I used some leftover Harry and David pears to make a pear pie. This is probably the best pie I have ever made! Cinnamon-y and sweet, but not too sweet.

Christmas Day

Christmas Day started off with a breakfast of banana fosters pancakes and bacon. Yummy x 2!

Then it was time for presents! Gus was spoiled by us and our other family members and received so many nice gifts! I got many nice gifts as well including a lot of ski equipment, household items and a day at the spa! Thanks, husband and family!

I went all out for Christmas dinner as well with pistachio-crusted rack of lamb, rapini and cranberry sauce. The rack of lamb was my masterpiece of the meal.

After dinner, we headed over to see some Christmas lights. We didn't get to do many Christmas-y activities this year in Albuquerque, like the River of Lights or the Luminaria Tour, but I hope we can next year.

When we arrived home, it was time for dessert. I made Raisin Bread's number 1 favorite pie: coconut custard pie. I am not a fan of coconut so this pie was all for him.

Boxing Day

Although we didn't have a white Christmas, we had a white Boxing Day. This was the first real snow we have had since moving to Albuquerque, and it was Gus's first experience with snow. He absolutely loved it.

I'm sad Christmas is over, but I am looking forward to a fantastic new year!