FlourPower!

Asian Food Fest 2012 Cook-Off Series

noreply@blogger.com (FlourPower) — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 19:14:00 +0000

Exciting news!

The Asian Food Festival is sponsoring a cook-off series in March to help gear up for the event in May.

Cook-Off Categories

March 4, 2012 - Fried Rice
March 11, 2012 - Congee
March 18, 2012 - Curry
March 25, 2012 - Asian BBQ

There are fantastic prizes each week to the winners and let's not forget a lot of yummy food. Be there or be square at Findlay Market to get in on all the Asian Food Festival Excitement!

Peruse the official site for more details on rules and how to enter.

http://www.asianfoodfest.org/cook-off-series/

Full Disclosure: I am currently on the operations committee for the Asian Food Fest.

J Gumbo's

noreply@blogger.com (FlourPower) — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 05:29:00 +0000

I received a gift card to J Gumbo's for my birthday from my wonderful husband. He is however not someone who would be a fan of most Cajun foods. I somehow talked him into trying it with me. I especially love J Gumbo's because you can try samples of everything so you can find something that you really like. Last time I had the Drunken Chicken which is delicious.

Pat ordered the Bourbon Street Chicken which he LOVED. So refreshing that he likes more ethnic foods than pizza. I tried a bite and the chicken is so moist and tender with the buttery bourbon street sauce.

I had the Voodoo Chicken with is the spiciest dish they have. It basically burned my mouth as soon as I took a bite, but in a good way. The sauce was thick and rich and full of delicious chicken. The rice underneath gave a wonderful texture.

They serve wonderful cornbread here also which is moist and sticky, one of my favorites. Now I can drag Pat here whenever I want which as soon as I go to working days might be more often than he thinks.

Dilly Cafe

noreply@blogger.com (FlourPower) — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 05:24:00 +0000

I had a long overdue lunch with a friend from work who I haven't seen in way too long. Lisa and I went to Dilly Cafe and had a great time. Our server was friendly and helpful with the menu. We decided to stay light and have some salads. Their salad portions were very generous. Note to self: must go back for crab cakes.

Below you see Lisa's Chef salad minus dairy. There was a copious amount of ham and turkey with hard boiled egg. The lettuce was fresh and crisp. Nothing is worse than a soggy salad!

I ordered the seared Ahi tuna nicoise salad which was good. The picture indeed shows only 2 little slivers of Ahi tuna which was good. It might have changed the salad for the better if the tuna was warm instead of cold. But the flavor of the tuna was delicious with a sesame seed crust. Also in the salad was hard boiled egg, green bean, and chilled boiled red skinned potatoes and kalamata olives. The salad came with a shallot vinaigrette which was more vinegary than I expected and I can't say I could taste any shallots. Aside from that, it was delicious. Okay, maybe one more sliver of tuna would have been good.

I took the opportunity to peruse their wine store and made some purchases for home. I am becoming very fond of these restaurants with wine stores attached. Dovetailing interests.

Enoteca Emilia

noreply@blogger.com (FlourPower) — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 11:13:00 +0000

Yum, yum, yum! Enoteca Emilia is very similar to my favorite restaurant in Chicago, Quartino which is a salumeria/charcuterie and Italian restaurant. And actually, if you compare the two menus they look almost identical in format and content. We waited for a table for a bit and had some of their house wine at the bar. I'd love to try their pizzas but this day was meant for pasta.

We settled on some proscuitto di Parma, tartufo, robiola and pecorino. They served quince paste and sage honey with the toasts. Delicious!

Then we ordered the stuffed figs. These were so, so delicious. Beautiful figs stuffed with nduja and wrapped in bacon in a delicious red sauce. I could eat an entree of just these.

I ordered the garganelli pasta which had mushroom, truffle, oregano and parmegiano. I would have liked this more if the pasta was filled in some way. It became a bit dry. The truffle and mushroom combo was a great flavor, very classic.

We ordered sides of the roasted cauliflower with lemon and anchovy and the Brussels sprouts with pancetta and balsamic. I could eat a whole plate of the cauliflower and if they wanted to put a big spoon of the sprouts on there, I wouldn't complain.

Ann had the squid ink pasta. I tried it, it tasted good but was a bit bland in my opinion. She enjoyed it but probably would order something else next time. I at least appreciate the idea that I can ORDER squid ink pasta in Cincinnati. Very special.

We split an olive oil cake after dinner. This was dee-licious. It was a little cake with a cherry sauce.

Love, love, love EE. I want to go back more often but not sure I can withstand the wait if I'm really hungry. I recommend you go, very hungry.

Celestial

noreply@blogger.com (FlourPower) — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 10:47:00 +0000

We went here for a special night out and our friend works the bar here. I do not know why I haven't been here before. The Celestial is such a beautiful restaurant. We ate at the bar and it was gorgeous.

We started out with lobster bisque and their scallop appetizer. The lobster bisque was delicious, very creamy and velvety. Pat loved the scallops. He had never actually had scallops before and loved the flavor with the lemon.

I had the regular filet which was amazing. Beautiful presentation, cooked just right and just delicious. My steak came with onion straws and the creamed spinach and mashed potatoes.

Pat had the NY Strip Oscar style but not just plain old Oscar. They made it with a crab cake. Yeah. Serious business. I had a bite, Pat's steak was so rich and delicious it was something you for sure couldn't eat every day.

I would definitely make this a spot for a special occasion or just a nice dinner for the two of us.

Yat Ka Mein Noodle House

noreply@blogger.com (FlourPower) — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 10:37:00 +0000

I have driven past Yat Ka Mein for years and never been inside. When I used to go to Aveda to get my hair done it would always smell so good.

We went on a cold Saturday evening. We had egg rolls to start, standard fare nothing special. I had the Cantonese Pan Fried noodle with beef which was good. I like the crsip noodles and I love water chestnuts. The beef was pretty tasty with the brown sauce. It tasted really good as leftovers.

I was a little disappointed that it wasn't really fantastic. It was good but just middle of the road. No wow factor here. But based on what we ordered it seems like it has some pretty standard quality making it a reliable choice.

Goodie's Southern Style BBQ

noreply@blogger.com (FlourPower) — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 10:25:00 +0000

I had a groupon for Goodie's. We went on a weird evening. It was one of those wintery nights that was kind of like fall, kind of like winter and raining. Thanks Cincinnati.

I ordered a brisket sandwich. The brisket itself was tasty but I did not care for the soggy bun. I'm not sure there's any way around that though with a sandwich. The brisket and sauce were very good, tender brisket and sweet tangy sauce. I had a side of their greens which were delicious.

Pat ordered the pulled pork sandwich which he enjoyed. He had the macaroni and cheese on the side which was good. I gave Pat my cornbread because it was way too dry.

I liked Goodie's but I'm not sure I'd make a special trip back. We have a lot better places that are closer to my house.

Sankalp

noreply@blogger.com (FlourPower) — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 10:18:00 +0000

I wanted a quick lunch and wanted to check out Sankalp for a while. I was seated pretty promptly for a quick buffet lunch. I must say this is the first buffet I have been to since I had lapband surgery and it went okay.

They brought a basket of complimentary naan which was good.

I am no expert on Indian food for sure but I have never seen anything like this before. What is it you guys? Indian crepe? It was good whatever it was.

I had a little bit of everything I think my favorite was the chicken tandoori. I do think it's some sort of Indian buffet law that they must serve Saag Paneer. Sankalp didn't find it necessary to do so.

The food was good but at $10 for a lunch buffet I coulda done without the naan and the weird Indian crepe and they could have knocked off some of the price.

Bayou Fish House

noreply@blogger.com (FlourPower) — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 09:48:00 +0000

Dangerously close to my work. This is a delicious spot in the old place where Mokka was in Newport on York. This is not like Alabama if you're curious. This fish house serves fresh fish (I saw it being hand battered) in a cornmeal batter as opposed to a beer batter or a thick greasy batter. The serving setup is similar, served with fries and bread. The fries are quite tasty and crunchy for being frozen fries.

Bayou features a catch of the day if you're wanting to try something new. Their prices are very reasonable also.

The typical setup is there of having tartar sauce, ketchup, hot sauce and mustard. You'll get a free packet of sauteed peppers and onions with your fish. On one occasion I ordered the gumbo which was delicious with okra, chicken and sausage and a medium spice.

Bayou tastes good even cold. I'm a fan! There's a location in Price Hill if you're so inclined on the West side.

Make It: Homemade Pore Cleanser

noreply@blogger.com (FlourPower) — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 08:00:00 +0000

Whether it's for Valentine's day today, another special occasion or just a good old fashioned pick me up everyone wants clear skin. Some of us can't afford regular trips to the spa or to even splurge on the many expensive facial products on the market today. But fear not, you don't need to suffer through bad skin.

Get back to basics. The following recipe produces a pretty reliable and inexpensive facial product that will work similarly to the pore strips that you can buy for about $8 a box.

1 tablespoon gelatin (I bought a box of 4 1/4 ounce packets for $1.70 at Kroger, use 2 packets)
1 1/2 tablespoon milk

Put ingredients in a microwave safe bowl and stir. Microwave for 15-20 seconds. Allow mixture to cool a bit so that it doesn't burn the skin. Use a cheap facial brush to apply the mixture to your face ensuring that you avoid the eye areas. Allow this mixture to cool completely and dry which takes about 30 minutes. At that point you can begin peeling off. If you're brave you can examine what the mask took out of your pores.

Happy Valentine's Day everyone!

Silverglade's

noreply@blogger.com (FlourPower) — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 20:03:00 +0000

I love this place! I don't get downtown a lot and when I do it's generally not in the morning/business hours time. I had an Asian Food Fest meeting here with Alex from Yelp and I stayed after to enjoy their food.

Silverglade's has a really inviting space and friendly, helpful staff.

Upon Alex's recommendation I had to try their chicken salad which was the "best he's ever had". That's high praise from anyone. And I always enjoy a delicious chicken salad. I tried their Renaissance sandwich on a croissant with the chicken salad with walnuts and grapes. Very tasty. Really. I will second that it was the best chicken salad ever.

Silverglade's had a really large menu of options to satisfy pretty much every kind of appetite. I totally need to get up early more often so I can have delicious chicken salads. I wandered around their little market area for a bit and picked up some blueberry yogurt covered pretzels for my husband. Yum!

Enzo's

noreply@blogger.com (FlourPower) — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 19:46:00 +0000

We were having an Asian Food Fest meeting next to Enzo's and when we were done we went here for a quick bite and a post-meeting meeting. Thuy, Bao and I had some delicious coffee and bites while we discussed the upcoming Asian Food Fest in May.

I had their cafe au lait which I first got hooked on in French class in the country. Seriously. It's just coffee with steamed milk. No big deal, but their coffee was delicious! It really makes all the difference.

I ordered their Mediterranean breakfast burrito which was delicious. They really could have just put salami and eggs in the burrito and I would have been stoked. There was also feta cheese and some veggies inside. Not so sure that salsa should be served on the side but it tasted good never the less.

Bao and Thuy both had the fully customizable breakfast sandwiches on croissants. The croissants looked fresh and the sandwiches smelled delicious.

I loved Enzo's. I wish I lived closer to make going here less of an effort on my part because I'm really lazy as a morning person.

The Wine Guy Bistro and Wine Shop

noreply@blogger.com (FlourPower) — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 19:34:00 +0000

It's a whole week of birthday dinners! I had a groupon about to expire so we landed here. I am intrigued by this place. They have a full blown wine store where you can purchase anything there for dinner at the retail price for a $10 additional uncork fee. They also have a selection of 8 $15 wine flights. Ann and I chose the International flight which was really good.

We also chose the antipasti platter for 2. It was a really large portion for 2 people. Grilled vegetables, broccolini, squash, zucchini, asparagus. A cold orzo dish, hard boiled egg, mushrooms, olives, bread and meats.

I ordered the crab cakes which were really good. If you don't want 2 you can get a tapas portion for a lower price. They are not lying about these cakes. I don't even think they had bread in them, they were ALL crab. The sauteed veggies was delicious with them.

I ordered a side of the mushroom risotto cake which was delicious. What makes risotto even better, crisp risotto.

Ann ordered the lamb chop with crisp grit cakes which was ah-mazing. I am not much for lamb usually but this chop was incredibly flavorful and delicious. The grill on it gave it a great flavor that went well with the grit cakes.

And since it was my birthday they gave me a free dessert which was a molten lava cake. I have actually never had lava cake. It was really delicious. I'm glad it was for two cause I never could have finished it.

I am super happy with this place. The staff seemed knowledgeable about the wine and helped me make a retail selection for home. They had some familiar favorites that you would know if you're not as adventurous with wine.

Via Vite

noreply@blogger.com (FlourPower) — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 19:20:00 +0000

Fancy Sunday lady dinner was underway. I chose Via Vite because I've heard a lot of good things. We happened to go on half price wine night (yes!) and our server was really great, she selected a great red wine for us.

For appetizers I settled on the soup of the day which was a kale/bean soup. Very delicious, incredibly flavorful and hearty. Danielle ordered the cioppino which was right up her alley. Cioppino is a hearty seafood stew served with some bread. It was an incredibly fragrant portion of stew with tons of seafood.

I had the sausage rosemary infused pappardelle. I really love pappardelle and this one was the best I'd ever had. There were giant pieces of sausage that tasted freshly made with beans and a delicious sauce. It was so good I ate the leftovers cold.

I definitely want to go back so I can try their pizzas which looked amazing.

Ferrari's Little Italy and Bakery

noreply@blogger.com (FlourPower) — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 07:57:00 +0000

Birthday dinner was afoot, but where to go? Pat suggested Buca di Beppo but I thought we could do a little better.

I chose Ferrari's which is very close to our house. Reservations were a snap. I was happy to find they had a coat check in this horrid weather it was welcome. We were seated promptly and I was really amazed by the size of their menu. BTW Sunday is $5 martini night, just so you know.

Martini in hand, I perused the menu. After a bit of looking we ordered the fried mozzarella which came promptly. It was quite delicious and tasted very fresh. The herbed bread crumb coating was crunchy and delicious.

I ordered the Linguini Aglio Olio with shrimp which was really delicious. It had the right amount of spice and garlic and just an obscene amount of vegetables. There were some of the largest shrimp included for a small additional price. Our entrees came very quickly and were piping hot.

Pat ordered the Meat Trio pizza which had sausage, pepperoni and meatballs. Pat really liked the pizza a lot. I had a bite and the crust was very good. It got very crisp, but was still fluffy for being a thin pizza. The sauce and toppings were great.

Pat got a side of fettuccine Alfredo with scallops. I had a bite it was really good, creamy and of a good thickness. They threw so many scallops in there for a side it was ridiculous.

We decided to split a tiramisu which was delicious. Rich and flavorful while still being large enough to share. Pretty decadent.

It's a full service bakery, wine store, you can buy olive oil as well. I would love to make Ferrari's my regular little Italian spot.

Slows Bar BQ

noreply@blogger.com (FlourPower) — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 02:14:00 +0000

I heard from several folks that Slows was the place to go in Detroit. We had no luck on Friday night so we tried again Saturday afternoon and only had to wait about 30 minutes for a table.

We ordered pretty quickly and our food came shortly after. The decor is very nice, dark hardwood floors and a casual atmosphere.

Pat ordered the Triple Threat pork sandwich which was ham, pulled pork and bacon. He ordered waffle fries with cheddar cheese on the side. From what Pat said the sandwich was really good and he loved their apple barbecue sauce. The waffle fries with cheddar practically sell themselves.

I opted for the Mary Ann which was pickle, white onion on top of cubed brisket with macaroni and cheese. Their mac n cheese is pretty damn delicious. It's large shells with a rich cheddar cheese sauce, cooked until bubbly and brown. The sandwich had a good portion of brisket on it and was sauced before coming to the table. Not my preference but it was okay. I would have preferred to sauce it myself. I like the spicier sauces and with the pickle and onion I think it would have been better. It was a pretty hearty portion and it made quite a mess.

I liked Slows but I'm not sure I would endure the 30-40 minute wait for it on a Saturday afternoon.

Krazy Jim's Blimpy Burgers

noreply@blogger.com (FlourPower) — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 01:53:00 +0000

ANOTHER Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives establishment! We did indeed drive all the way from Detroit to Ann Arbor, Michigan just to have a tasty cheeseburger at Blimpy Burger.

I read ahead of time on their menu for their ordering decorum (nothing too difficult, I assure you). 1. order your fried items, 2. order your # of patties, 3. request any grill items, 4. request bun type, 5. request cheese, 6. request any condiments, 7. pay.

Upon arrival I ordered the fried veggies and a double cheeseburger. Pat ordered the quint cheeseburger with bacon. Yes, that is 5 patties. They make everything before your eyes. they grind the beef daily and its placed on the grill in a meatball sized portion and smashed on the grill to make a nice brown crust.

Here is my double with cheddar. A very tasty burger, I probably shouldn't have wolfed it down.

Here's Pat's quint. Bacony, cheesy, beefy goodness.

Fresh cut steak fries were a nice touch.

These fried veggies were delicious. Fresh cut/battered veggies, absolutely delicious.

Blimpy Burger doesn't need my help. There are 3 generations of Wolverines that can attest to the deliciousness of their burgers.

New York Red Hots Coney Island

noreply@blogger.com (FlourPower) — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 01:39:00 +0000

I am a fan of the diner foods. Since we were in Detroit I had to try a Coney Island dog. Being from Cincinnati I know a thing or two about Coneys but these were different. The Detroit Coney Island is more of a chili dog, and is quite tasty. The bun was perfectly steamed and the hot dog appeared to be a natural casing, it had that certain "snap" to it.

I had an order of the spinach pie which was great. It was HUGE and delicious. I was expecting more of a spanikopita sized portion but this was as big as a slice of bread. Lots of delicious onion, garlic, cheese and spinach and wonderful phyllo dough.

Pat had a ham and cheese melt with fries. As you can see they don't mess around with the fries. Pat said that the ham and cheese was good however the fries were more than likely frozen. Not bad for diner food though.

NY Red Hots Coney Island much like other CI restaurants is open 24/7 and has an expansive Greek American diner menu serving breakfast classics and dinner entrees all day. Good comfort food anytime or enough to soak up all that booze you just drank!

Zack's Hot Dogs

noreply@blogger.com (FlourPower) — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 01:24:00 +0000

Before our concert we went to Zack's for a quick snack/meal.

Pat ordered the Chicken Fried dog which was battered, deep fried and then smothered in gravy. Pretty tasty!

I ordered the Baltimore dog which is a regular dog wrapped in bologna and then grilled. It was reaaaaally good!

I also had their onion rings which were pretty good. A little greasy as you might expect but still pretty good.

This location had less than stellar reviews from the other one and they did have some missteps upon our arrival but everyone was very friendly and I would definitely go back. So should you if you're not in the market for coney island style dogs in D-town.

The Spinning Fork

noreply@blogger.com (FlourPower) — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 01:10:00 +0000

We went to Spinning Fork on a whim one Sunday. The decor was quite nice kind of like an Italian diner.

We ordered the garlic bread with cheese which was good. The marinara sauce is very good, smooth but substantial.

Pat tried the Italian Wedding Soup which he enjoyed. That surprised me. I wouldn't normally think he would like this soup. I tasted it, it was very flavorful and a nice portion in lieu of a salad.

I had their side salad which was okay. The house Italian dressing was too sweet for my liking. I can't believe I had to say that Italian dressing was sweet. Meh, it's not a deal breaker.

I ordered their Fettuccini Alfredo which was pretty good. I've had better but it was good. It tasted freshly made and the pasta was cooked perfectly. If I had one complaint is that it could have used more salt in the cooking process. Still a hearty portion.

Pat had the Spaghetti with meatballs, 2 large meatballs to be exact. Pat liked the marinara, which was smooth and flavorful. The meatballs were large and flavorful due to the beef and Italian sausage. Really tasty.

Spinning Fork was a great alternative to other "Italian" restaurants that you could try. This is going in our regular rotation.

Union Woodshop

noreply@blogger.com (FlourPower) — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 00:50:00 +0000

Union Woodshop was both worth the drive and the wait. My god, was it ever. This is another Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives location. I actually didn't know that in advance! The decor was cute, kitschy Americana with wood details. The floor was made of wood particle paneling complete with lumberyard stamps.

Nothing was really photogenic here so you'll have to trust me.

We ordered the burnt ends appetizer which was a large portion on a piece of toast. The Burnt Ends were delicious. They have a really great sauce that's smoky and slightly sweet with a little heat. The burnt ends are a misnomer they're not burnt at all but tender and flavorful. It will make you want more.

Pat ordered the back ribs platter with fries. It came cleverly in a baking pan for ease of cleaning. Pat really liked their ribs and sauce. The smoke ring on the ribs was rich and deep. And by the way, I had a bite of Pat's mac and cheese that came on the side. UW makes the BEST macaroni and cheese that I've ever eaten. It was a really creamy sauce, penne pasta, and a crunchy crust. MMM!

I ordered the pineapple and tasso pizza. Yes, ma'am you read that right. Grilled pineapple and house made tasso ham on a wood fired pizza crust with San Marzano tomato sauce. God. Was. This. Good. I am a fan of the tasso ham and with the grilled pineapple it was really tasty. I added roasted garlic for an extra kick. In fact I just had some as leftovers. MMMM!

For dessert pat had the deep fried twinkie which he enjoyed a lot. I can't do them, they're too sweet. I opted for the Butterscotch Pudding which was topped with house-smoked sea salt & our fresh whipped cream. I would drive 4 hours from Cincinnati to Detroit for that pudding ALONE. Damn!

UW has a great craft beer selection and the bar staff is more than capable of making any cocktail that you could want.

Stockyards Steakhouse

noreply@blogger.com (FlourPower) — Sun, 16 Oct 2011 23:37:00 +0000

After Phil's graduation from MMI we decided to treat him to a steak. I found Stockyards and it was a really cool joint. they have a giant cow on the roof. How could you go wrong?

We were greeted with a bread/cracker basket while we perused the menu.

I had the filet mignon with their parmesan potato stack which is simply au gratin potatoes with parmesan. It was very tasty and dense. Their filet was very good. Nicely seasoned and cooked perfectly. It was at a right price at $36 for 8oz., in my opinion. It's also worth mentioning that they were running a side item special that day on sauteed chanterelle mushrooms at $10. Worth it! God those are my kryptonite.

Pat opted for the Buffalo steak which was $55 for a 20oz Ribeye. Pat really loved it and pretty much cleaned the bone. Pat had a nice loaded potato on the side which was a generous size.

Phil on the other hand had the world's largest, bloodiest piece of prime rib ever. He had the "Cattle Baron's Cut" of prime rib which was $36 for 18oz. He also had the parmesan potato stack and horseradish on the side. This was a really generous portion and according to Phil it was top notch. I don't know why but I am always really happy when all of our food comes out perfectly cooked and at the same time. I mean look at my filet and this big old slab below... same time!

We ended up sitting in the same booth that John Wayne liked to sit at as did Barry Goldwater. Yep, we're that cool. The Duke also blessed us with delicious food and great staff to take care of us. On your next trip into Phoenix please swing by the Stockyards. It has a wonderful atmosphere and great food to keep you coming back.

Matt's Big Breakfast

noreply@blogger.com (FlourPower) — Sun, 16 Oct 2011 23:07:00 +0000

We were going to our friend Phil's graduation from MMI. Thankfully we had time for food. This is also another delicious installment from Diners, Drive-ins and Dives.

I ordered for the side their house made bread toasted with their mixed berry spread. I am a fan of even the most mediocre breads and this was exceptional. Crusty, delicious bread with fresh berries and butter.

Pat had the Hog and Chick sandwich that had eggs, bacon and off-the-bone ham and a side of hash browns. Pat really liked this sandwich. It was a hearty portion and hit the spot for that period of time between breakfast and lunch...or brunch as it were.

I had the salami scramble which was ah-ma-zing. Really, really good. I am a big fan of salami and eggs. this was just wonderful. The eggs tasted really fresh and the rosemary homefries were a wonderful compliment. This was also a really hearty portion for most appetites.

It's also worth mentioning that they have the most delicious Honey Lemonade known to the planet.

'Pomo Pizzeria Napoletana

noreply@blogger.com (FlourPower) — Sun, 16 Oct 2011 23:00:00 +0000

This was a beautiful restaurant in Scottsdale which was really pretty. We ordered a few pies. Only one was sort of photogenic which was the Bianca. Which was white pizza, proscuitto and house made mozzarella. They serve the delicious pizza with a crushed red pepper oil for the crust. Wood fired pizza really is my favorite of all pizza. So delicious and light. Their crust was exceptionally delicious. Crisp outside and fluffy inside crust.

Below is the Profitterol which was: Cream Puffs Filled with Chantilly Cream and Chocolate Topped Mousse. Really delicious. The chocolate mousse was delicate and not too sweet. Profitterols were really good.

Pat had the Semifreddo Di Mandorle which was: Traditional Italian Dessert Term for “Half Cold”, Very Light Cold Mousse Topped with Amaretto Cookies. This was wonderfully simple but a bit too almond-y for me.

Phil had the MILLEFOGLIE Layered Puff Pastry: (thousand leaves) with Pastry Cream and Flavored with Amarena Fabbri ( Wild Cherry). I had a bite of it and it was really tasty. Beautiful pastry layers and fruit.

Anyone who knows me knows I am not a dessert-y person. These desserts were totally worth saving room for.

La Piazza Al Forno

noreply@blogger.com (FlourPower) — Sun, 16 Oct 2011 22:42:00 +0000

I really love wood-fired pizzas. This is another location that comes recommended by Diners, Drive-ins and Dives. This is a beautiful location with a great atmosphere. We were seated promptly and ordered 3 pizzas (2 Italian Stallions which have: San Marzano Tomatoes D.O.P., Homemade Mozzarella, Prosciutto di Parma (cotto), Sopressata, Schreiner’s Sausage and Pepperoni and a Bianca which has: Homemade Mozzarella, Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Ricotta Cheese, Fresh Garlic and Basil).

The one below is the Bianca. I had some of both and the Italian Stallion was really delicious, the meats all worked well together and weren't overpowering. The Bianca was really light and delicious. Their house made mozzarella really made the difference between plain old pizza and a wonderful authentic wood fired pizza.

If you can stand the heat in Phoenix, try to make it to La Piazza Al Forno. I don't lie about pizza.