Culinary Fool

Scottsdale: Pink Pony Steakhouse

05-Apr-2006

M and I have been trying to get into the Pink Pony Steak House for three years and this year we were finally successful! Oh, with a little more patience we could have been in a year or two ago but the place is amazingly popular and always packed with a waiting list one to two hours long. It sits smack dab in the middle of Old Town Scottsdale right on Scottsdale Avenue, in all it’s pink glory. It has actually been designated a Historical Landmark.

The place has been around since the 40s, I believe, and even before we knew how popular it was it was on our list as M had read an article that said a lot of the baseball players hung out there during spring training. We wanted to get close to our heroes! Then we saw the crowds, and the lines and moved on down the road. That is until this year.

This was actually an odd year for spring training. We’re not sure why – maybe the conflict with the World Baseball Classic? We don’t know but the result was a very quiet spring training – nice in some ways since we didn’t have to wait in line anywhere; disconcerting in other ways as the only energy in the town was provided by the few remaining snowbirds – although many are very active it’s in a different way that your normal 20 or 30 something baseball fan.

On Thursday night after I’d picked M up from the airport and we finally found our way back to Scottsdale (there was a little freeway confusion and we ended up on a bit of a sightseeing tour…) we made our way into Old Town. At one point we were met by yellow "DO NOT CROSS" police tape surrounding Banderas where, apparently, there had a little kitchen fire. We made our way to the Pink Pony, only to be told the wait was about 90 minutes since they had just absorbed all the Banderas patrons. While M and I were discussing our options, the hostess (I’m sure the very original hostess from the day the place opened…) said, "Unless you don’t mind sitting in the bar". Have we ever minded sitting in the bar?!?!? And she didn’t even mean at the bar just in the bar at a nice little booth!

We settled in and dropped back into the past. While surveying the menu I ordered a Vodka Martini with a twist. It was good! Cold and cheap – just like I like them! :-)

When I say we settled into the past, I mean the past where steak houses served steak and prime rib and another cut of steak and maybe chicken. Okay, there was really more than that on the menu but there was a big focus on beef – they even had calf’s liver with bacon and onions! I almost ordered it but the fillet sounded so good. And it came with everything – a salad, your choice of potato, some vegetables (okay they were onion rings…) and biscuits with honey, just as a matter of course. Like in the old days. I loved it!

The entire time we were eating we were serenaded by sort of the original form of karaoke – a gent with electronic keyboard that he didn’t actually play – just used the midi functionality as the accompaniment to his extensive repertoire of tunes.

The place was packed the whole time we were there. Groups of fans; family units; couples on dates – all seemed equally at home and well taken care of. I’m not sure you would put this on your list of gourmet dining spots but it’s definitely on the place of good, solid meals at reasonable prices. And between the paid performer and the parade of characters coming in and out you certainly get a lot of entertainment to boot!

Pink Pony Steak House

3831 North Scottsdale Road

Scottsdale

(480) 945-6697 phone

Phoenix: U.S. Egg

04-Apr-2006

The last several times I’ve been to Phoenix I’ve seen these U.S. Egg Restaurants around the area. There are only two of them but I guess at least one must have been on our way to and from wherever. I liked the name and for some reason the place had just appealed to me but they were never quite in the right place to stop by for breakfast.

This year that all changed. The hotel we stayed in was directly across the street from the Scottsdale location. Couple that with the fact that my previous favorite breakfast place, Jacqueline’s Market Place, is now called Caramba! and you have the perfect setup for a visit to the new place!

Saturday morning M and I wandered over to check the place out. It’s big, full of light and we were greeted and seated by a very friendly host. The place was jumping – full of both locals and tourists.

The menu is very extensive and what I love about this place is that they are only open for breakfast and lunch so they really specialize in those items. It took M and I awhile to make a decision – so many great sounding choices! I believe M ordered the French Toast, although at the moment all I can remember is what I had – "The Border’!

The Border is an open faced omelet topped with cheese, onions, salsa and beautiful, spicy chorizo. Served with a side of potatoes (I really wanted hash browns but no one makes them any more!) and a tortilla. I was in heaven.

I really liked this place and will have to stop in next time I’m in town. The staff is friendly, the food is good and there were several more things I would have liked to try. I don’t know though – I can already here the chorizo calling my name….

U.S. Egg
3238 N Scottsdale Road

Scottsdale

480.947.7344

Hours: 6:30 am – 2:30 pm

Darjeeling Makes Me Happy

03-Apr-2006

Makaibari Darjeeling from Tealuxe – one of my favorite morning treats. Bin #113.

Eating Your Way Around Seattle

03-Apr-2006

So I’ve been a little behind in my blogging lately – okay maybe a lot behind, but I wanted to make sure you saw a recent article by Nancy Leson. In the article she goes around town, neighborhood by neighborhood, highlighting the great little places in each location. Print it off and use it the next time you are in a new area or are just looking to get out and explore something other than your own neighborhood!

Liquid Sunshine and Cumin Sticks

23-Mar-2006

For this week’s Happy Hour at Home I thought that we’d give a bit of a boost to the Spring weather and make up a big batch of lemonade; add a bit of vodka to bring it into the adult world; and mix up a big batch of Cumin Sticks to munch on while sipping the lemonade.

The Cumin Sticks are a recipe made by M2 for our Greek-themed Dinner Club meeting. We nearly couldn’t eat our dinner because those little sticks were so tasty!

Comfort Food: Pesto Pasta

21-Mar-2006

In the summer, when my basil starts going wild, I pick it and make up batches of pesto and then freeze them. In the winter, when I’m looking for a little summer memory, I make up a batch of pasta, mix in the pesto and sprinkle with some freshly grated parmesan. In this case, while the pasta was cooking I sauteed onions, shallots and zucchini and added them to the pasta once the pesto was evenly mixed in.

Healthy. Simple. Comfort. Tasty!

Last Week on The Spirit World

20-Mar-2006

Last week The Spirit World was packed full of St Patrick’s Day recommendations. But just because the day has passed by don’t think the information is no longer valuable!

Donavan covered lots of beer topics including: de Dolle Boskeun Speciaal Paasbier; Irish Red Ales and Irish Stout.
Robert gives you the lowdown on Irish Coffee
Rosanne educates about Irish Whiskey
As mentioned earlier, I talk about the traditional Ploughman’s Platter

This coming week, among other things, I’ll be talking about some highlights of my recent trip to Phoenix.

A Little Taste of Home

17-Mar-2006

When I’m on the road I generally try to eat and experience places that are specific to the location. For me a big part of a place is the local food and culture around food. But every now and then you want something that is just what you expect. In my case, yesterday afternoon it was a cup of tea at Starbucks. Earl Grey to be exact. I’d had to get up at 3:30 am to make my 5:30 flight. Once arriving in Phoenix and making my way to Scottsdale I spent my time wandering around town, took a little break to sit by the pool and read a magazine (and take a little nap…) and then I suddenly just wanted that soothing cup of tea. So I made my way to Starbucks, up loaded photos, wrote the Salty Senorita post, all the while sipping my Grande Earl Grey.

Phoenix: Salty Senorita

16-Mar-2006

Well, here it is – baseball Spring Training season again! I’m back in the Phoenix area planning to see a few games, drink a beer or two and sample some of the local food. And I hope to be able to spend plenty of time enjoying the Arizona sun, too. Although the current forecast doesn’t seem to be supporting that: showers are predicted for Saturday and thunderstorms for Sunday. :-( Oh well, I’m here now and it’s about 75º F at the moment so I can’t complain.

M will be joining me later today but I got a bit of a jump on the trip and came down early this morning. After getting checked into my room (a lucky break for me), I spent a little time wandering around Scottsdale and then settled in for a lunch (that was also breakfast, actually).

Although we’ve spent quite a bit of time in Scottsdale the last couple years it’s been a long time since I just wandered with no real purpose other than to wander. I came across a beautiful park that may have been there for some time but I’d never seen it before. Surrounding the park are local government offices, a few bars and restaurants and a few retail shops. The park is full of fountains and art – it’s really quite beautiful.

On my way back to the hotel I decided to stop for lunch at the Salty Senorita. I’m sure I’ve been in here for a cocktail or beer in the past but I’ve never really eaten here. It has always just looked too touristy for my tastes. But today I was craving something Mexican/Southwestern and I wanted to be outside. Their outdoor area was packed – pretty much the only place that was – and I thought that might be a good sign.

I picked out a table and in no time had a diet coke, basket of homemade tortilla chips and a roasted red pepper salsa in front of me. I tried to hold back from the chips and salsa as I wanted a proper lunch but the chips were so light and crispy and the salsa so earthy yet sweet it was hard to keep my hand from going back time and time again.

I did manage to order a plate of chicken tacos though. What a great dish! The handmade tortillas were fresh off the grill, they each had slices of grilled chicken Sinaloa style, shredded lettuce, pico de gallo and a bit of cheese. On the plate was fresh guacamole – more like sliced and slightly mashed avocado, crema agria (basically sour cream) and a pile of rice full of diced vegetables. The tacos were muy bueno! The rice was okay but it was light and felt healthy with all the veggies in it.

I lingered for a bit, enjoying being outdoors and just relaxing. Life is good.

The Salty Senorita
3636 N Scottsdale Rd
Scottsdale
(480) 946-7258