Beckett's Table....New Restaurant

Last night, one of my good friends, from eateraz.com, introduced one of my best girlfriends and I to a new restaurant called Beckett's Table located at 3717 East Indian School Rd. They have been open for only two weeks.  
Upon arrival, it seemed quite inviting with patio seating out front and walls of windows that open up to let the outside in.  The interior was very open as well with wooden table’s strewn through-out, as well as a long high-top community table that sat approximately 20 people.  It was fairly crowded, so we grabbed a few seats that were open at the end of one of the high-tops. Immediately, we were approached with menus and water. 
At first, as we grazed the menu selections, the food choices seemed amazing with the different elements in each dish.  We couldn't wait to dig in.  When our waiter arrived and learned it was our first time, he started his "script" of what dish was best from each category on the menu, including what the specials were.  Quite honestly, it was way too much information and took a long time for him to finish.  Don't get me wrong, he was awesome with his description of the menu and his service all night long, but it was just too much at the time. And to top it all off, we had a really hard time talking because of how loud it was in the restaurant.  The tables seem to be extra wide as well, which didn’t add to the problem of being able to hear each other.
We didn't recognize many of the wines on the list, but we were game for trying at least two different kinds each.  Unfortunately, none stood out as spectacular, and we had to send one back for a trade-in.  As a side note: we decided to go to The VIg after in order to get a decent glass of wine.
Our first course at Beckett’s Table was the paté of the night, which was a chicken paté.  It was served on a plate with caramelized onions, parmesan cheese, crustini bread, and roasted tomatoes.  For an appetizer to start, I would give the over-all flavor and presentation a seven out of ten.
Our second course was the vegetable chopped salad. Those ingredients included pumpkin seed brittle, cucumber, fennel, carrot, potatoes, tomatoes, green beans, celery, red bells, corn and brussel sprouts in a champagne basil vinaigrette.  Sounds awesome, right?  What's interesting now as I write this, I don't remember seeing half of those ingredients actually in the salad. Weird. That may be why we all felt it needed something more.  The brittle was a nice touch to add sweetness (cuz I am a big fan of anything sugar), but a good salad has to offset that sweetness with something tangy, like feta cheese.  That would have been an excellent addition.  But it didn't, so my rating for that salad was a four out of ten.  Disappointing.
The two main courses we decided on were the wood fired mussels and the cast iron petite chicken.  Again, all in all, slightly disappointing.  The mussels were slightly undercooked and tough to get out of their shell.  They were served in a shallot white wine fennel broth with garlic toasts.  I must say, the broth was excellent.  The best part of the meal was dipping the toast into the broth.  But it would have been an awesome dish had the mussels not been undercooked.  As for the chicken dish, I could have made a more flavorful chicken at home. It needed more salt or seasoning of some kind. It was just kind of bland. One would think that the light mustard white wine sauce would have given it more flavor, but it didn't.  On the plate were also sautéed garden greens that had more flavor than most of what we had eaten so far.  Ratings on both dishes come in at a 5 out of ten.
We also had a side dish of their mac n cheese (C'mon...you always gotta try the mac n cheese).  But we were disappointed once again.  The spiral noodles had a thick, white cream sauce.  The only problem with this dish.... needed salt.  It was very bland. Or perhaps a more flavorful cheese, like adding some parmesan to spruce-up the flavor. We didn't even finish it, and that in itself is a shame. Our rating for the mac n cheese was a four out of ten.
To summarize, we wouldn't go back to the place. Chef Justin Beckett, who used to head up the kitchen at Canal in Scottsdale, had a great idea, and started with what seemed a great menu, but just didn't pull it off with enough flavors for us foodies. 

Lolo's Chicken & Waffles

Okay, okay.... I know it sounds weird, but let me tell you....it was delicious!  Everyone was talking about the new chicken and waffles place in Scottsdale.  And every time I drove by, it was packed. On the weekends, there is a line out the door.  So, they must be doing something right. Which is why my brother, niece and I decided to try it one Sunday morning.
We sat up at their breakfast bar, which was cool.  We could see right back into the kitchen, where about 10 waffle makers lined up against the back wall.  On the bar were 4 large cake displays, displaying incredible cakes.  There were about 4 large flat screen TVs through-out the place for visual affect, as they pumped some hip-hop and pop music for audio affect.
My brother and I order the Tre-tre, which was 1 waffle and 2 chicken legs (see pic below).  The waffle was quite large, and I don't think I have ever seen such large chicken legs either.  After prepping my waffle with butter and syrup, I shredded some chicken from the bone, took a little of the chicken and a little bite of waffle.  All I can say is OMG!  It was delicious.  I am a big fan of the salt/sweet thing, so this was perfect.
The waffle tasted as if it had some cinnamon flavor or something.  My niece agreed that she has never had a better waffle.  She was too scared to try it with chicken.....but she is totally missing out.
I highly recommend trying chicken and waffles, no matter how weird it my sound to you.  I think you will be pleasantly surprised.

P.S. They also have many other breakfast and lunch items that have nothing to do with waffles mixed with chicken.  We can't wait to go back and try a bunch of other items that looked good.

Scottsdale Farmer's Market

It's that time again.....for the Farmer's Market!  Can you believe that I have lived here for 16 years now, and this was the first time I went to the Scottsdale Farmer's Market?  I know, I know....I can't believe it either.

It was a blast. I think I spent about $120.  I got raw honey, peach jelly made from peaches grow in AZ, cow fed beef, herbs to plant in my garden, homemade tamales, organic crackers, and more.  I was so excited to see all the different types of vendors selling such healthy and yummy foods.

This week, there will be a huge corner occupied by a local farm selling amazing produce.

I definitely recommend checking this market out.  They are open on Saturdays from 8:30am to 1pm, and located in Old Town on Brown and 1st Street.  

Have fun!  So much to see and discover.

Asparagus Tip

Did you know......

When I cook asparagus, and I am guessing when you do too, you start by first washing them, then cutting off the bottom of the stems.  After cooking them (whether it's grilling, roasting or sauteing), you may notice that there is always a small area near the bottom stem portion that is much more chewy and stringy in texture, not crunchy like the rest of the tip.

Well...... her is how to avoid that.  It's so easy, it seems false.  After washing the asparagus, hold the tip in your left hand and the bottom stem in your right hand, using just your thumb and index finger. Gently bend the stem as if you were planning to snap it in half.  Bend it until it actually does snap, only the great part is that it snaps in the exact place to lose the bad chewy part that doesn't ever cook correctly.  Isn't that cool?!

Try it!  Happy snapping......

Dine Out with Chefs

Yesterday, around 1:30pm, I was actually working from home (ugh!), when my girlfriend called me to offer me two free tickets to the Dine Out with Chefs event at the Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts.  Her husband, who works for a wine distribution company, was working the event, and she couldn't go.  I quickly accepted the tickets and called my girlfriend, Mindy, to join me. I knew she couldn't say no to free food and wine. I mean, c'mon.
It started at 4pm and only lasted a couple hours.  It was a bit crowded at first, but quickly died down.  Of course, upon entry, we headed straight for the wine booth my friend, Phil, was working. We filled our glasses, said thanks for the tickets, and headed toward the rows of food.
It was a very quaint event, with over 20 different restaurants and chefs handing out small tastes of some very delicious food.
Some of the restaurants, to name a few of my favorites, included Arcadia Farms (served up butternut squash soup and a fig chutney bruschetta), Wildfish Seafood Grill (served up their scrumptious crab cakes), J&G Steakhouse, Lon's, Cowboy Ciao, and more. The head chef's were there themselves, so it was fun to actually meet them and talk to them about the food and what was in it. There were definitely a couple things I tried that I will try to put together on my own.
All in all, we almost couldn't taste everything because we got a little full. But it was definitely worth the time. 

Lots'o Fruit

There are times that I have a bunch of pears or apples, or even nectarines in the frig that don't ever get eaten. So, this week, I was determined to figure out something to do with them that would be fabulous.  I put together an apple and pear cobbler dessert.  It was amazing (I must say so myself).
First, a little more background story.....my mom, who sometimes likes to pass on extra food or paper towels (to help out), brought over this Costco size bag of oats.  She claims that it is supposed to be the best.  What the heck am I supposed to do with a giant bag of oats, when I don't even eat oatmeal?  Well, wanting to make this cobbler, I called mom and asked her how those crumbly scrumptious crusts on top of deliciously baked fruit is made.  My first thought was Bisquick, or something similar.  But she mentioned oatmeal and sugar and butter.  Ah hah!  I got online and checked out some recipes for this cobbler crust. Of course, there were many variations, but they all had the same ingredients....and why wouldn't they.  So I put a recipe together that looked good for the crust.
The crust has to top something though, and that's where the extra fruit comes in.  I peeled and cut into chunks two pears, two apples, and two nectarines.  Next, I sauteed them in a couple tablespoons of butter and a little brown sugar until just tender.  Transferred those to a baking dish, topped with my crust mixture, baked for 20 minutes, and tah-dah!  

Zinburger

Did you know that this week is Restaurant Week in Phoenix?  There are approximately 50 restaurants that participate.  My girlfriends and I love this week because it gives us the opportunity to try restaurants we otherwise may not, due to price, because they offer 3-4 courses for only $29 or $39.  It’s truly awesome.

Well, last night, we went to Zinbuger at the Biltmore.  Their menu includes burgers, salads, fries and desserts.  And let me tell you, hands down, the best burger I have ever had.

We sat up at the bar inside, facing south.  They open up the window wall on the south side of the bar, which is also connected to a very large outside patio that practically loops the whole restaurant. Once the tempuratures drop, I can see this place being a hot spot for happy hour.

Ready to dive in, I ordered the Zinburger, and Dena ordered the Ahi Tuna Salad.  The burger was served on an incredibly soft bun, made of combined wheat and white bread, topped with Zinfandel braised onions, Manchego cheese, and mayo.  However, I substituted the mayo for bar-b-que sauce, and added Applewood smoked bacon.  Cooked medium, which is slightly pink, every bite was so moist and juicy …..AWESOME!

As our side dish, we shared a basket of sweet potato fries with a yogurt dipping sauce.  And to end the evening appropriately, we ordered a cookies n’cream shake, as well as a chocolate cream pie.  WOW!!  That is all I have to say about that.

This is definitely a place you should check out for yourself. Next?

Why Keep it in the Kitchen?

Last year, during restaurant week, my two girlfriends, Dena and Des, and I tried out Ocean Prime.  It was delectable. We started with a seafood tower and a bottle of wine.  At this point, I can't remember what else we had, but I remember it was super yummy. My point is, we got a little tipsy.  However, that led to great brainstorming.  This is how we came up with the title Keep it in the Kitchen. I have developed approximately 100 recipes and would love to put together a cookbook.....that is next on the list. 

First, I started the website, made some videos, and taught some friends how to cook.

Second, started this blog.

Next steps are to send in an application for The Next Food Network Star, and see what happens.  After that, I move on to trying to publish my cookbook (with a spin)......so if you have any connections, please let me know.

To my friends and I, Keep it in the Kitchen refers to all things good when friends and/or family are gathered.  I mean, seriously, think about it. When you are at ANY type of party, where can you find the most people hanging out?  IN THE KITCHEN.  Great food, great conversation, great friends, and great libations all come from the Kitchen.  Heck, we all have our own "kitchen" stories, whether they are clean or dirty.....lol! No pun intended.

Welcome to my new BLOG.... it's my first.

Thank you for visiting my Keep it in the Kitchen blog.  I thought I would try this out and begin writing about "whatever" comes up regarding food, cooking and entertaining in my life.  So if you find my stories and/or posts interesting, please come back. I plan to write something every other day.  And don't forget to view my website where you can find tons of original recipes that are definite crowd pleasers.....I know this for a fact because they are always tested on a group of good friends. If the recipe doesn't pass the "Conway" test, it doesn't make it to the public.
What is the "Conway" test you ask?  He is a great friend of mine who stands at 6'5" and loves good food. But he is always honest with how it tastes.  There have been a few recipes that have been trashed.  Hey....it happens to the best of us.  It's all about trial and error, baby.