SCOTTSDALE CULINARY NEWS QUARTERLY UPDATE – SUMMER 2009

07-16-2009

 

A quarterly tourism industry news update from the Scottsdale Convention & Visitors Bureau

 

 

WHET YOUR APPETITE FOR FINE FARE AT SECOND ANNUAL FOODIE EVENTS

Relish in the state’s renowned dining scene at Arizona Restaurant Week Sept. 19-26. Sam Fox, a Scottsdale-based restaurateur known for his creative establishments in Arizona, Colorado, Texas and Kansas, is the catalyst behind this event where an estimated 100 restaurants, including many of Scottsdale’s finest, such as Don & Charlie’s, Olive & Ivy Restaurant & Marketplace, Eddie V’s and McCormick & Schmick's Seafood Restaurant, offer a three-course menu for $29 per person or $58 per couple.

 

A month later, Crave Arizona (formerly Eats³) invites you to “Taste the Desert” at this culinary festival, which focuses on independent restaurants in the Scottsdale area. It will be held Oct. 22-24 in downtown and is presented by Savor Scottsdale and Food & Wine magazine. This year’s event includes in-gallery private dinners, the 2009 National Mix-It-Up Competition and kick-off party at the SouthBridge district, the signature BBQ & Bubbles event, and the Arizona Grand Tasting with more than 40 of the state’s top signature restaurants. 

 

 

SCOTTSDALE’S SUMMER DINING SPECIALS: BOLD FLAVORS, LOW PRICES

The Estate House in downtown Scottsdale is offering a summer menu at $40 per person. Nosh on delectable starters like tuna carpaccio or porcini pannacotta before indulging in a main course of pork Milanese with roasted campari tomatoes or pan roasted salmon. Desserts include mouthwatering options like spiced chocolate truffle torte and vanilla reisling panna cotta. Estate House also offers $20 and $30 special menus with similar items that allow you to choose from two or three main dishes and a selection of appetizers and desserts. 

 

            Using popular items from their dinner menu, Chef Travis Watson of Avalon created a $29 Prix Fixe experience of contemporary coastal dishes that the restaurant is known for. Choose from appetizers like French onion soup or crispy calamari frittes. For an entrée, pick your favorite between shrimp carbonara, flat iron steak salad, crispy Pacific Northwest salmon or stuffed free-range chicken breast. Top off the culinary feast with your choice of chocolate decadence cake, frozen tiramisu, roasted banana bread pudding or crème brulée. 

 

            SASSI, a restaurant focusing on the traditions of Southern Italy and nestled at the base of Scottsdale’s Pinnacle Peak, is offering its three-course menu for $29 per person. Menu items change monthly and in August will include aged prosciutto with organic melon, wood oven-roasted Pacific halibut with artichoke Caponata and tomato pesto, and an almond pound cake for dessert. Enjoy preselected wine pairings for an additional $19. 

 

 

NEW MENUS ADD SPICE TO SIZZLING DINING SCENE

The pop-culture fueled Geisha A Go Go in downtown Scottsdale added an eight-seat sushi bar, dishing out specialty Americanized “rock and roll” style sushi creations. There’s the Gaijin, a sinfully good combination of spicy tuna and crab mix, avocado, and cream cheese, wrapped in seaweed, rice and a spring-roll, which is then – wait for it – deep fried. The Pokemon melds Fritos, breaded salmon, spicy crab mix and avocado.

 

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Talavera at the Four Seasons Resort Scottsdale at Troon North recently debuted a new menu focusing on fresh, seasonal dishes including starters like the Caramelized Onion Tart with prosciutto and melon and Goat Cheese Salad with baby beats, Asian pear and arugula. For those who can’t decide on just one item, Talavera now offers the Chef’s Two-Course Tasting menu where guests pay $34 (or $45 with wine pairings) to sample a selection of chef-recommended dishes like the Chicken Fried Quail with heirloom tomatoes and haricot vart. The menu rotates every week.

 

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Michael Mina’s BOURBON STEAK at the Fairmont Scottsdale created a new Bar Burgers menu offered exclusively at the restaurant’s bar and lounge. The interactive menu is easy on the wallet and allows you to create burgers just the way they like them by choosing the burger type, up to six toppings, and accompaniments like the famous duck-fat fries and onion rings. The five signature burgers range from $14 to $18 and are the all-beef, heritage turkey, falafel, lamburger, and salmon steak burger. And what is a burger without a frosty shake to comfort the soul? Try a signature adult milkshake like Bourbon Praline, the Grasshopper and Rum Raisin.

 

GET IN ON THE CULINARY ACTION AT WESTIN KIERLAND RESORT

Delight in an end-of-the-week treat at deseo loc
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