MFM

The food was not good and the salad bar was scary.

Yesterday I walked across the busy road from Beach Pea Bakery to check this place out and I’m really glad I did.

It is a tiny store front – only about 15 feet long and 6 feet wide – packed with a case of prepared goodies like lasagna and crab cakes and stuffed peppers, a soup bar, an olive bar and 2 huge fridge and freezer cases with pasta, sauce, bread, cheese and other things to take home.

As a first timer, they greet you and give you the “tour” including little tastes of every thing they sell. The counter has even more samples and people are behind the counter cooking and prepping and wrapping.

When you make your first purchase, they will gift you with a package of fresh pasta. We chose parsley and garlic linguine. I just finished the leftovers for lunch – yum.

It feels as if I already wrote this post so if I find the duplicate someday, so be it.

A cheery little house on a busy road is where you find Beach Pea. They have cases full of mouth watering desserts and a bread selection that goes fast. The salad and sandwich menus each have wonderful choices of pre-built items (such as #1 which is roasted chicken on rosemary batard with provolone, pesto and tomato). No subsitutions please because there is also an extensive build your own menu.

Yesterday (on November 21st) it was warm enough to eat lunch outside. I ordered the leek and potato soup and a half sandwich with chicken, avocado and carmelized onions.

This summer I bought my sister the Encore cake from Beach Pea as a birthday cake. It is four layers of chocolate cake, separated by alternating layers of white chocolate cream cheese frosting and ganache and finished with dark chocolate shavings. Oh my.

We were in town for business and driving around just looking for something local that wasn’t a national chain and we saw Thai Place on the GPS so we decided to go. The GPS said “Arriving at destination” but the street was dark and we did not see anything resembling a restaurant so we drove up and down a bit then I saw a light in a group of closed stores which turned out to be Thai Place.

There was limited parking out front so we followed another car around back then followed the people inside. It was pretty busy for a Tuesday night with at least 6 tables filled and more came in while we ate.

The decor was a mish mash of Thai clothes and musical instruments hung on the wall and Halloween decorations. The atmosphere was marginal and the smell of some cloying perfume was so pervasive that it was the taste in my mouth when we left.

The food was typical Thai fare. We shared chicken satay, pad Thai and green curry. None of it was great bit it was abundant and not too pricey.

This is a colonial inn that has been renovated. The rooms are adorable and each individually decorated with all the modern comforts – including free wifi everywhere. The price is right and the room comes with continental breakfast or $3.50 off full breakfast in the dining room.

We wandered around in the heat looking for a place for lunch and everything seemed closed. Maybe it was Monday, maybe the economy. I asked in a local salon where they go for lunch and they said “Get the chicken sandwich as AZ/88” and gave general directions.

So we tromped around some more and by the time we rounded Scottsdale Mall and came upon the cool, white almost empty minimalist space that it AZ/88, we would have stayed as long as they gave us water and a place to sit.

However – it was worth the heat and trouble. The staff was super friendly and the menu was simple but interesting. 1 person did indeed get a chicken sandwich – marinated in lime juice, topped with grilled
jalapeño peppers and honey – an amazing contrast of tastes and textures. I had thin crust galette topped with
bacon, sweet caramelized onions, black olives and a sprinkling
of Parmesan cheese and ordered a plate of Hell’s fire chips for the table – homemade chips, sprinkled with
melted bleu cheese and hot sauce.

I engaged the manager in a discussion about the music and artwork (varied and funky – there was a cab hanging from the ceiling) and he mentioned that the owner has at least 3 other places inclduing Elsa’s in Milwaukee. What a coincidence we exclaimed – we ate there when we were in Milwaukee but it actually turned out that we ate across Cathedral Park at Mikey’s – oops.

This place is really great. They are well known for their yearly Christmas tree which has been made of everything from champagne flutes to stilleto shoes to Barbie dolls in glass jars filled with colored water.

The bar is named for the state AZ it is in and the year 88 it opened.

OH – and we sure to check out the restrooms – floor to ceiling glass with entrances that are intentionally cryptic!

They are currently relocating to a new store front, but Kelly will deliver in Scottsdale without a delivery charge. I was staying at a hotel and arranged a next day birthday delivery (for myself!) to the pool at the spa!

I chose chocolate fudge brownie cupcakes with mocha buttercream topped with bacon toffee. They were almost (but not) too sweet. The crunchy sweet smokiness of the bacon in the toffee was a perfect compliment.

My friend Allen described the sandwiches there as the kind of sandwich you have day dreams about and that you feel sad starting to eat because you know that it is going to be gone too soon.

Last weekend I had my first – a handmade Italian roll that had been lightly spritzed with oil and red wine vinegar then topped with thinly sliced sopressata, fresh mozzarella, paper thin tomatoes and cucumber, chiffonade of basil and a sprinkle of salt, pepper and grated parmesan cheese. We split it 3 ways.

I was sad before it was over and in the car headed to High Street for another almost as soon as the last bite was gone.

The museum was cool – lots of old cars, gleaming and displayed with clothing and posters from their eras. We had our final dinner there which was decent. The food was all locally sourced including the herbs and onions that were grown on the roof of our hotel (the Hyatt).

The speeches were too long (as usual). I’m glad they recognized the volunteers but there was too much talking (and we never got coffee).

Every day this week I have taken a seat on the balcony of the mezzanine level of the hotel to sit and read or make a phone call. My view out the glassed wall of the atrium is of the gold dome of the Bank Building and the white tower of the Electric Building along with the exterior entrance (now incorporated inside the lobby) of the old Genessee Building.

Cons: WiFi in rooms extremely weak, no fridge or safe in room, parking in lot across street and not included with room, area around hotel has no businesses

Pros: service is excellent – all staff very friendly, breakfast included with room is best buffet I’ve ever seen for breakfast – there are even macadamia nuts every morning, parking is cheap (even if it isn’t free), downtown location right on free overground train, central location is wonderful for walking around city.