restaurant – Page 31 – Pulling Corks and Forks

The Henry has arrived

Several times a year I’m an invited by a restaurant to dine on their dime and give my thoughts, this is one of those occasions.

Located in an unsuspecting office building just east of 44th St. on Camelback Road, The Henry is Fox Restaurant Concepts www.foxrc.com 15th concept and has a bit of something for everybody. A coffee bar that offers pastries opens everyday at 6:30 a.m., lunch Mon.- Fri. starting at 11 a.m. dinner that follows and breakfast on Sat. & Sun. starting at 8 a.m. Not to mention a full bar, lounge and soon to be opened patio with a fireplace.
On my dinner visit my dinner guest and I found an attentive and well trained staff, a very open decor and floor plan and a varied menu that offers varied appetizers, salads, sandwiches and entrees that should suffice all appetites, big or small.
As we sipped on our drinks we ordered the Prairie Breeze Cheddar Popovers served with smoked ham butter and herbed butter along Brie Toast topped with roasted pear, pomegranate seeds and hazelnut as appetizers and I would order the Brie Toast all day as I’m not a huge fan of popovers.

With 9 entrees on the menu my eyes immediately drawn to the Wild Mushroom Tortelli with brussel sprouts, butternut squash and parmesan and my guest went with the Heirloom Quinoa Tacos topped with smashed avocado, smoked corn, black beans and queso fresco. Both entrees are vegetarian options. Each entree was enjoyable, full of flavors and just enough portion size to leave room for Croissant Bread Pudding for dessert which itself could be a small meal.

On what they considered a slow Monday night it looks as if The Henry will be a staple in the neighborhood for years to come.

Binkley’s in Cave Creek to host Dukes Family wine dinner on Wed. Oct 30th

Binkley’s Restaurant in Cave Creek will be hosting a 6 course dinner paired with the wines of Dukes Family Vineyards, a Pinot Noir producer in Oregon on Wednesday, October 30th. The seasonally planned menu and wine pairing cost is $116 plus tax and gratuity per person and will include meat and seafood representative of the Fall season prepared by James Beard nominee Kevin Binkley including Elk, Sturgeon and duck breast. The dinner begins at 6:30 p.m. and reservations are needed and can be made at binkleysrestaurant.com or 602-437-1072. Binkley’s Restaurant is at 6290 E. Cave Creek Rd. in Cave Creek. Below is the menu and wine pairing.

House Cured Ham

Arugula, butternut squash jam, quince, confit cippolini onion, sumac lavosh

2011 Blushing Kate Rose

Smoked Sturgeon

Sunchoke salad, bacon, frisee, horseradish crème fraiche

2007 Nipple Hill Pinot Noir

Seared Duck Breast

Cottage cheese pancake, spiced pecans, pomegranate, red sorrel, foie gras coulis

2008 Alyssa Pinot Noir

Truffle & Porcini Pierogi

Shaved truffles, charred baby leeks, parmesan

2006 Thomas Pinot Noir

Braised Elk Shank

Blackberries, sweet potato, rapini

2005 Alyssa Pinot Noir

Epoisses Pot au Crème

Black pepper bread stick, apple, watercress

2009 Nipple Hill Pinot Noir

Liberty Market celebrates 5th anniversary by launching LM2.0

With their 5 year anniversary less than a week away, Liberty Market’s partner Joe Johnson has spent the past year getting feed back from customers and staff(known as “brigademembers”) wanting to know how to make their experience better. What he came up with was LM2.0, which started implementation on October 2nd.

Joe’s goal is to ” make a great place even better” and in order to do that you’ll see less signage, better flow through the dining room, new upholstered booths and new menus. On those new menus you’ll see more entrees, more healthy options and shareable plates. In keeping with Liberty’s local philosophy there will be even more locally sourced ingredients and the walls will include art from local artists.

On Monday October 14th Joe and brigademembers will celebrate the anniversary and showing off LM2.0 with $5 Tower burgers and $5 Liberty Ale’s from 11 a.m. – 9 p.m. They will also feature special desserts along with drawing for gift cards.

Liberty Market is at 301 N. Gilbert Rd. Gilbert AZ 85234 (480)892-1900 www.libertymarket.com

Photo: Arizona Restaurant Week preview.

Arizona Restaurant Week www.ArizonaRestaurantWeek.com returns Saturday September 21st – Sunday the 29th, 2013 and I recently was invited to preview some new restaurants along with some long time favorites and a few dishes of what they’ll be serving that week. If a picture is worth a 1,000 words then the following pictures are worth……

Pig & Pickle 2922 N. Hayden Rd. (at Thomas Rd.) Scottsdale, 85251 (480)990-1407 www.pigandpickle.com
Sapporo 14334 N. Scottsdale Rd. Scottsdale, 85254 (480)607-1114 www.sapporoscottsdale.com
Virtu 3701 N. Marshall Way Scottsdale, 85251 (480)946-3477 www.virtuscottsdale.com
Roaring Fork 4800 N. Scottsdale Rd. Scottsdale, 85251 (480)947-0795 www.RoaringFork.com

Virtu's Roasted Beet salad — Virtu’s Roasted Beet salad

Sapporo's Blue Jumbo Crab Cake w/ Grilled Corn & Cucumber Salsa — Sapporo’s Blue Jumbo Crab Cake w/ Grilled Corn & Cucumber Salsa

Virtu Starter Kit- Cocchi Vermouth di Torino, Plymouth Gin, Grapefruit Bitters, Bitter Lemon Soda

Pig & Pickle's Braised Duck leg on Kool wild rice & quinoa — Pig & Pickle’s Braised Duck leg on Kool wild rice & quinoa

Sapporo's Cougar Roll — Sapporo’s Cougar Roll

Grilled Flat Iron Steak with Truffle Parmigiano Reggiano Polenta

The Roaring Fork's White Chocolate Oreo Pie & Heath Bar Bark — The Roaring Fork’s White Chocolate Oreo Pie & Heath Bar Bark

Fleming’s offers a Surf & Turf deal for you in September

As the calendar flips to September this weekend, Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar is prepared with a 2 course prix fixe menu of Filet Mignon and Crab Meat stuffed shrimp. Those customers that make a reservation online to dine at any of the 4 Phoenix area locations will pay only $32.95 for this great deal.

1st course includes your choice of French Onion soup or New Wedge salad followed by a broiled Filet Mignon prepared to your request along with sweet freshwater prawns stuffed with lump crab meat and topped with a spiced crumbed crust. A side dish of mashed potatoes is also included. This online offer runs from September 3rd – September 30th.

There are four Fleming’s in Phoenix in Chandler, Scottsdale, North Scottsdale and Peoria:

o Scottsdale: 6333 N. Scottsdale Rd. / 480-596-8265
o DC Ranch-North Scottsdale: 20753 N. Pima Rd. / 480-538-8000
o Chandler: 905 N. 54th St. / 480-940-1900
o Peoria: 9712 W. Northern Ave. / 623-772-9463

To find a location near you and make reservations, please visit Fleming’s website www.flemingssteakhouse.com

My 1st Korean BBQ experience at Koryo Korean BBQ in Glendale

In all my years of eating I’ve never had Korean BBQ until recently. Being a fan of BBQ I ventured outside of my comfort zone and met up with some friends for my 1st Korean BBQ experience. Under new ownership, Koryo koryosushiandbbq.com offers a wide variety of food. Mostly meats and vegetables there are some fish selections on the menu so fear not vegetarians.

Japchae is a clear noodle dish that is sautéed with vegetables and beef and topped with sesame seeds. Eaten with chop sticks this light dish seemed to disappear pretty quickly, not before I was able to get a couple of plate full before our main course of BBQ’d meats.

Table side grilling of meats include pork belly and marinated Rib-eye and short ribs which were all very good and flavorful. A couple of traditional Korean dishes were served as well.

Short ribs, rib eye and pork belly on the grill — Short ribs, ribeye and pork belly on the grill

All meals are served with an array of side dishes including cabbage and cucumber Kimchi using various seasonings.

Bibimbap is Korean for “mixed rice” and came served in hot bowl with rice on the bottom cooking and topped with beef, peppers , mushrooms, bean sprouts and other veggies along with a fried egg laid on the top. Mix it up and add some spicy sauce and watch the egg yolk cook and you’ve a satisfying and filling bowl of food. Spicy and good flavors of the mixed ingredients I would put this up with any kind of bowl from any other cuisine.

Many other items on the menu include sushi, tempura and goyza.

I’m glad I had the opportunity to taste Korean and would recommend Koryo to the 1st timer or an experience Korean BBQ enthusiast as this restaurant is clean and very accommodating in addition to the good food served.

Koryo is at 10040 N. 43rd Ave. Suite 1K Glendale AZ 85302 (623)234-8530 and has hours of 11 a.m. – 10 p.m. Mon. – Fri. 12 noon – 10 p.m. on Sat. & 12 noon – 9 p.m. on Sun.

Fired Up Grill celebrating it’s 4th anniversary this Saturday June 1st.

Owner and chef Joe Busone is all fired up, that’s because his popular Chandler restaurant Fired Up Grill www.firedupgrill.com is celebrating its 4 year anniversary this Sat. June 1st. That’s a big victory in this day and age as many restaurants struggle to stay open after a year in the Phoenix area.

To celebrate Joe is offering up $4.00 draft beers, $4.00 glasses of house wine and $4.00 appetizers all day long. At 6 p.m. valley singer Kristy Dee will be providing entertainment for the evening. Fired Up will also be highlighting its New American cuisine and favorite menu items of some of their regular customers.

“This past year has been really great,” says owner and Chef Joe Busone. “We plan to continue doing what we do best, and that is create great food, and provide guests with a fun place to unwind and an enjoyable atmosphere.”

Fired Up Grill’s menu is seasonal and creative and includes the Seared Asian Salmon, Chicken Souvlaki and a Jalapeno-Ginger Chicken Salad. Joe offers Happy Hour everyday from 3 p.m. – 6 p.m. and has live entertainment on weekends.

Reservations are suggested, but not required. Please call 480-940-4040 for more details. Fired Up Grill is located just east of Interstate-10 in the upscale Shoppes of Casa Paloma 7131 W. Ray Rd. (56th St. & Ray) Suite 45, Chandler, AZ 85226.

My Sneak Peek of Arizona Restaurant Week Dine – Around

Celebrating Arizona’s more than 8,500 restaurants and their 260,000 employees while making Arizona a top culinary destination.

With the always popular Arizona Restaurant Week www.ArizonaRestaurantWeek.com starting in just 10 days May 18th- 27th, the Arizona Restaurant Association invited myself and a few other lucky media people to take tour, and taste, of 4 of Scottsdale’s newest restaurants participating in Spring 2013 celebration. Here is a sample of what you can expect.

Top to bottom : cappuccino dei Funghi, Insalata manago & Caprese

We met at Taggia at The Firesky Resort & Spa to taste a sampling of the 3 choices they will be offering for their 1st course.
The Cappuccino dei Fungi was a personal favorite as I love all things mushrooms, this mushroom soup uses Portobello and porcini along with some truffle spuma.
The Caprese was a soft burrata, yellow heirloom tomato slice and pink peppercorns.
Insalata Manago is roasted red peppers wrapped in thinly sliced mango tossed with pickled red onions and arugula.
All were prepared by executive Chef Massimo De Francesca and his staff. To read more about Taggia see my post about Massimo’s coastal Italian cuisine https://pullingcorksandforks.com/?p=840

On to our next stop at Searsucker we were provided with transportation by Uber www.uber.com the newest way to catch a ride with their app on your cell phone for on-demand car service with professional drivers.
Greeted at Searsucker with a Peter Rabbit cocktail we enjoyed a sampling of Farm Bird lollipops with snake bite hot sauce for those of us who enjoy a little heat with their chicken.
The squid “sweet heat” is Searsucker’s unique take on calamari with sweet and spicy a taste.
www.searsucker.com/scottsdale

After a quick ride in one of Uber’s Escalades we arrived at Ben & Jack’s Steakhouse for our main course of Sirloin steak or salmon filet. My filet was perfectly cooked to medium rare and was served with mashed potatoes and steamed broccoli. There is nothing wrong with a good steak from Peter Luger’s alums Ben & Jack and their first foray outside of NYC. www.benandjackssteakhouse.com

Ben & Jack's Steahouse's Sirloin steak w/ mashed potatoes and steamed broccoli — Ben & Jack’s Steakhouse’s Sirloin steak w/ mashed potatoes and steamed broccoli

Almost full, we all saved room for dessert and we were off to Davati Enocteca for executive chef Peter DeRuvo’s Millie Foglie which is berry sauce and whip cream in between a puff pastry and a drizzle of creme anglaise. A perfect way to end the evening as the dessert was not to heavy and cured my daily sweet tooth. www.davantiscottsdale

Davanti Enoteca's Millie Foglie — Davanti Enoteca’s Millie Foglie

Based on what I tasted and saw this should be another record-setting week for the twice annual culinary celebration and reservations are highly recommended if you plan to check out your favorite restaurant or get to a new restaurant you’ve been wanting to try.

Customers Pay it Forward at Mark’s Café

This past Sunday something amazing happened at Mark’s Café, a local mom and pop restaurant in Tempe.

Two ladies had just finished their meal, and quietly called Mark’s Café owner Karen Vojtek over to their table. They asked if they could pay the bill for another couple sitting just a few feet away.

The unknowing regulars received their “tab” just a short time later, and Karen shared with them that it had already been paid for. Grateful, they decided they wanted to pay someone else’s bill. So they did…and the chain reaction began. It happened over and over. Customers who didn’t know each other at all, all anonymously paid each others bills and it went on for hours. Mark’s total table count at the end of the day was around fifteen tables, all whom had paid for each others meals.

Coming up on the 2 year anniversary of their extreme community makeover, Mark’s Café is a locally owned cafe who is well-known for both giving back to the community and who has also been on the receiving end when local businesses teamed together and donated the time and materials to modernize the cafe, including changing its name, branding, the interior, exterior, etc.

The community’s successful makeover in May of 2011 continues to bring the cafe new breaths of life including Mark’s largest record-setting day which just happened on March 25, 2013 and has brought a very heavy meaning of giving to others in need.

Photo below is table #10 in the “Pay it Forward” succession.They received a meal and gave a meal.

Mark’s Cafe
6340 S. Rural Road, Suite 120, Tempe, AZ
7:00am-2:00pm Wednesday-Sunday
www.markscafeaz.com
480-839-6455
www.facebook.com/markscafeaz

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Posted on April 10, 2013Categories restaurantTags Arizona, Mark's Cafe, pay it forward, restaurant, TempeLeave a comment on Customers Pay it Forward at Mark’s Café

ButterBurgers, Frozen Custard and Gift Cards at Culver’s this holiday season.

In addition to ButterBurgers and other menu items Culver’s is featuring the Turtle Concrete Mixer, a Culver’ classic! Indulge in this Creamy Vanilla Fresh Frozen Custard with ribbons of sweet caramel, hardening chocolate and toasted pecan pieces all blended perfectly, and for those looking for a decadent treat try the Raspberry Cheesecake; which is a mix of real raspberries and cheesecake pieces blended in Culver’s frozen custard and If you are a traditionalist try Culver’s Eggnog shake; a mix of the classic taste of eggnog blended with the sweet flavor of Vanilla Fresh Frozen Custard, enjoy for a limited time only now through December 31, 2012.

Theses tasty treats are only offered at all Phoenix Culver’s locations in Arizona for a limited time only. More information can be found at www.culvers.com

For those of you who are searching for the perfect holiday gift be sure to ask your Culver’s Team Member about Culver’s gift cards, available in any amount ranging from $5 to $250 or you can take care of your holiday shopping on your smart phone! Also available for all your holiday gifting needs are Culver’s eGifts, available in amounts of $5, $10, $15, or $20. Spend $25 on any gift card for a limited time, as part of the “Give a Gift, Get a Gift” deal, guests will receive a free Value Basket which includes a ButterBurger® or sandwich with choice of a classic side and medium drink, when a $25 in Gift Cards is purchased for the giving season. And for goodness sake, redeem the offer by end of February 2013!

Peoria:
8271 W Ludlow Dr
Peoria, AZ 85381
PH 623-242-8826

Surprise:
16145 West Bell Rd
Surprise, AZ 85374
PH 623-218-6575

Avondale:
1025 N Avondale Blvd
Avondale, AZ 85323
PH 623-792-8649

Casa Grande:
Culver’s of Casa Grande, AZ
2453 E Florence Blvd
Casa Grande, AZ 85194
PH 520-426-4225

Scottsdale:
8668 E Shea Blvd
Scottsdale, AZ 85260
PH 480-636-8480

Glendale:
5127 N 99th Ave
Glendale, AZ 85305
PH 623-328-9282

Mesa:
Greenfield
1841 S Greenfield Rd
Mesa, AZ 85206
PH 480-892-2430

Mesa:
1909 S. Country Club Dr
Mesa, AZ 85210
PH 480-733-5330

Phoenix:
Cave Creek
20835 N Cave Creek Rd
Phoenix, AZ 85024
PH 602-788-1616

Phoenix:
Camelback
825 E. Camelback Rd
Phoenix, AZ 85014
PH 602-595-7876

Phoenix:
Metro Center
10225 N 28th Drive
Phoenix, AZ 85051
PH 602-861-2000

Phoenix:
Paradise Valley Mall
4506 E Cactus Rd
Phoenix, AZ 85032
PH 602-889-5057

Phoenix:
Deer Valley
1825 W. Deer Valley Dr
Phoenix, AZ 85027
PH 623-580-4567

Chandler:
3155 W Ray Rd
Chandler, AZ 85226
PH 480-268-7249

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Posted on December 8, 2012Categories restaurant, ScottsdaleTags burgers, Casa Grande, Culver's, dessert, frozen custard, gift cards, Glendale, holidays, limited time, Mesa, Peoria, Phoenix, restaurant, ScottsdaleLeave a comment on ButterBurgers, Frozen Custard and Gift Cards at Culver’s this holiday season.

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