I had the opportunity to attend a conference in
Phoenix. It’s a city with lots of good
memories for me and one very bittersweet one.
That bittersweet one is Shelly.
One of my dear friends who we lost WAY to early to melanoma many years
ago. Last time I was out there it was
for a women’s conference. Shelly and I
had a lovely breakfast together. It was
the last time I saw her.
During that same conference a group of us gals wandered down
the street to a lovely pizza joint. Little
did I know the delightful proprietor, Chris Bianco, was on the cutting edge of
the artisan pizza movement in the US.
All I knew was that we all shared an extraordinary meal.
Then, there are our friends Fred and Mary. They couldn’t decide exactly where they
wanted to wind up during retirement. So,
they tried Grand Rapids near one daughter’s employment. Then they were off to Phoenix. That was followed by Glacier, WA in a funky
house WAY up in the mountains. Finally,
they settled in a lovely home in Bellingham WA.
We visited them at each location.
Phoenix was probably our favorite because of Queen Creek Olives and the
Heard Museum. Oh, I can’t leave out the arboretum! This time we wanted to revisit Queen Creek
and the museum. Too much education time
for the arboretum. Sad but true.
Connie did his normal restaurant research. Most iconic, most romantic, most beautiful, best
sandwich… Nine different choices. I went thru and chose three and made
reservations at the two who accept reservations. Plus, of course, I wanted him to experience
Pizzeria Bianco! We had time open for three
lunches and two dinners. The rest of the
time we were noshing between sessions at the resort. Which I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention. The conference was held at Talking Stick
Resort and Casino. I’m happy to report
that we broke even at the casino. That’s
what happens when you don’t bet anything!
The resort itself was excellent.
The food was great as was our room.
And, the conference facilities were really fantastic.
First up was a return visit to Queen Creek Olives. It has expanded its footprint hugely in the ensuing years. The lunch choices had also expanded greatly. I got a chopped salad with crispy chicken and Connie got the kalamata sandwich. That was salumi with kalamatas. Both of us were VERY happy with our choices!!
Our next opportunity for a meal out was to be Pizzeria
Bianco. I wasn’t certain which one I’d
been to and nothing on the maps looked right so we chose one of the
locations. And, it wound up being not
the same one but was actually a tad bit better.
It was in Heritage Square. Next
door was Bar Bianco. A charming house
converted to an equally charming bar.
The pizzeria itself was something to behold. There was the HUGE pizza oven and a herd of
servers and bartenders and cooks and folks zipping this way and that taking
care of all of us. We started with
spiedini. Unlike any we’ve had anywhere
else. Melty cheese wrapped with prosciutto
on top of lightly dressed spinach. Major
YUM! Then we got the Rosa pizza. Olive oil, rosemary, red onion and pistachios
on a perfect thin crust.
Lon’s at The Hermosa has been named the most beautiful
restaurant in Arizona. From what we
could see it totally deserves the honor.
Angela took such good care of us.
I had the shrimp cobb salad and Connie had the Caesar with white
anchovies. A stop in the gift shop meant
a cookbook. Phoenix Cooks. There are tons of fabulous recipes from many
Phoenix restaurants, including Lon’s. As
I was leafing through I realized we were sitting at the table shown in one of
the photos. Angela was kind enough to
snap a photo of us.
After Lon’s we headed to The Heard Museum. It’s very well done. I wish we’d had a bit more energy to take in more but we were both bone tired so headed back to the resort for naps!
That evening we were off to Quiessence at the Farm. Neither of us had any idea what to expect but it had been rated most romantic so we had high expectations. Those were certainly met. We splurged with the five course tasting menu. First up was an amuse bouche with a thin slice of smoked salmon and an edible flower and some other goodies. Then oysters with Meyer lemon mignonette. Those were followed a radish soup. With poached pears with cinnamon and red wine. Connie had to try the fois gras macaron. Despite my trepidation, it was this morsel of intense flavor. Then, the salad. Well, a lovely composed plate of leaves and flowers and all kinds of goodies. We had two choices for that course so we chose to have one of each. The other was parmesan tacos with beef tartare. Then, an incredible pappardelle with white bolognese. Beef, veal and duck bolognese. Next up was a kitchen tour followed by the intermezzo of pomelo sorbet. Then, our entrees. Connie had the duck breast with lentils and I had the salmon with chickpea puree, a grilled morel mushroom and a couple of ramps.
Looks like the photos loaded bassackwards... You need to start from the bottom.
Then, the romantic part REALLY kicked in. A young couple had been seated next to us. We’d not even exchanged pleasantries. Out of the corner of my eye I see him unfolding himself from his chair. And, getting down on one knee. My brain said PHOTOS! Yes or no? Intruding or would they want them? Do it before it’s too late! Turns out I was able to airdrop them to him and they were thrilled to have them
.
Last meal in Phoenix before the flight home. We had several choices. But, we’d chatted with Angela from Lon’s and
she’d said Valle Luna was the place to go.
It was listed as the most iconic.
We split a chimichanga and I was still stuffed five hours later. Turns out that was our one meal that
day. And, what a meal it was. Alicia was our exuberant and amazing
waitress. The food was perfect. And, the atmosphere was great.
All in all it was just about a perfect trip. I learned a LOT and met loads of delightful
colleagues. The resort was
spectacular. And, our meals? I just can’t say enough good things about the
Phoenix dining scene.
