ShinBay

I recently read an interview with chef Anthony Bourdain, where when asked in which country would he choose to live for the cuisine, he replied simply, "Japan".  After having visited Japan, I get it.  It is a country where food is presented with such perfection, such grace, that it resembles a work of art.  (New Year's Resolution #1: post some of our most memorable moments from Japan.)  

It was with this thought in mind that, over the holidays, Hubby and I treated ourselves to a evening in Japan, if you will, at Scottsdale's own ShinBay restaurant.  Open a little over 3 years, ShinBay is a small, exquisite, jewel box of a Japanese restaurant located in the Scottsdale Seville that is the closest experience to eating in Japan you will find in Arizona, and certainly is on par with similar concepts in the large West Coast cities such as LA and San Francisco.  Upon arrival, the tranquil nature of the dining room sets the mood with design elements such as polished wood and stone, dimmed lights, and soft, acoustic music playing in the background.  You will feel as though you have stepped out of the arid desert and into a Japanese ryokan.

Executive chef Shinji Kurita's beautifully crafted dishes place an emphasis on the freshest ingredients.  But it is also about the understated elegance, the meticulous attention paid to every detail.  Reservations are required, I believe for the explicit purpose that they only order as much as they need for any given night. 

Feeling hungry and in the mood to celebrate the holidays, we opted for the six-course omakase chef's tasting menu.  Each flawlessly crafted course is served in equally elegant and sleek Japanese china.  We enjoyed each course while sampling the various sparkling sakes, like Poochi Poochi, and Mio, the latter is served with lime wedges and a chiffonade of shiso.  Enjoy the parade of courses I have downloaded for you, and I encourage you to make a reservation for a truly unique dining experience.     

First course included a light and melt-in-your-mouth Fluke Carpaccio, served with garlic, ginger, and scallions in a ponzu sauce, and seared in a hot grape seed oil.

Fluke Carpaccio

Second course was a selection of sashimi, including kampachi (Hawaiian yellowtail), amberjack, o toro (tuna belly), and Mirugai clam with fresh wasabi and shiso.

Next came the Tsukuri Six, otherwise known as Seafood Bites: Ahi tuna tartare blended with avocado and pine nuts, and served with a wonton chip and a "wafer-thin" fried lotus slice; blue shrimp topped with shrimp paste and sturgeon caviar; Orange clam with Japanese mustard, Japanese sea scallop (Hotate) with shaved truffle, Kumamoto oyster with ponzu jelly and uni (sea urchin), and octopus with Japanese mustard sauce.

Tsukuri Six

Check out this tuna tartare one more time...one of the best ever

I hope you are lucky enough to find yourselves in ShinBay when the Madagascar tiger prawn is in season.  The meat is removed and sautéed with with garlic, ginger, scallions, in black bean paste/oyster sauce, then replaced in the shell for this exceptional presentation.

Next came the Shinshu Mushi, a savory soup of green tea soba noodles, shimegi mushrooms, white sea bass, and konbu seaweed.

The second to last dish was the Nigiri Sushi, which included a tasty selection of (left to right) halibut, sweet shrimp, golden snapper, horse mackarel, pike mackarel, and (my fave) o toro.

Desert is a Japanese sweetened custard with fruit called Chawanmushi, and is a perfect finale for any of the tasting dishes.  Duozo Meshiagare!  

Wishing everyone a very Happy and Healthy New Year!
'xo M

ShinBay

7001 N. Scottsdale Rd.

Scottsdale, AZ  85253

(480) 664-0180

www.shinbay.com 

All photo by Marci Symington for texaztaste.blogspot.com.
PS  I was not compensated for any of my opinions....I just like what I like.

Holiday Entertaining

I have been looking forward to decorating for Christmas in our new space since we moved in.  We were able to uncrate all the leaves of our dining table, which was Hubby's grandmother's, as well as unpack all of the nutcrackers that I chose from my mother's collection.  With the help of my friend, florist/decorator/planner Steve Bader, we incorporated some of the nutcrackers into the tablescape.  

The Chinese screen was from my mother's collection of antiques

Yikes...forgot the knife...Martha Stewart, I am not

In lieu of hosting our annual Christmas open house, we held a small dinner party for 7 couples.  I asked Todd Sawyer, owner of Atlas Bistro, to design a 4 course menu that I paired with wines.  Coincidentally, the same day of our party, Atlas Bistro was named Best New Restaurant in Phoenix by Arizona Republic's Howard Seftel.  Todd has actually had Atlas for 14 years, but closes every year for the summer.  This fall, he hired Cory Oppold as executive chef, who has cut his teeth at many well-known restaurants in the valley, such as Binkley's and Tarbell's.  Todd and Cory did not disappoint with a menu tailored for cold weather.  We poured the wine, opened the party crackers (crowns included!) and had a wonderful, laugh-filled evening.  Here's to wishing you much of the same this holiday season.  xo M
 

Cheers!

The camera gets a bit wobbly halfway into the dinner

 

	Le Menu
	First Course
	Roasted Winter Squash Soup
	Crispy Quinoa, Housemade Lemon Ricotta
	Piquillo Peppers and Squash Confetti  2012 Cristom Pinot Gris (Willamette Valley)
	Second Course
	Thyme Brown Butter Sauteed Chanterelle Mushrooms
	Poached Farm Egg, Shaved Toast, Chervil
	Shaved Burgundy Fall Black Truffles 2009 Rully 1er Cru (Vauvry), Vincent Dureuil
	Third Course
	Roasted Breast of Goose and Confit of Leg & Thigh
	Spanish Saffron Polenta Cake
	Heirloom Carrots and Carrot Nage
	Cranberry & Golden Raisin Mostarda
	2005 Opus One Cabernet Sauvignon (Napa Valley)
	Fourth Course
	Dark Chocolate Ganache Torte
	Dulce De Leche
	Pickled Pomegranate Seeds   1994 Dow's Vintage Port (Duoro Valley)

   Atlas Bistro

Wiltshire Plaza, 2525 North Scottsdale Rd. 480-990-2433

www.atlasbistrobyob.com

Entertaining in the Desert

We broke in our new digs with a luncheon held in honor of Hubby's brother and new bride on the day after their wedding.  It was a light brunch menu with a Bloody Mary bar, and we were able to host outside with the glorious fall weather in AZ.

Poolside at the end of October in AZ

I rented these great long wooden tables from Classic Party Rentals

The luncheon was held the day after the wedding and we were able to use the wedding centerpieces

Tamara from Petal Pushers in Avondale was the florist for the wedding

 

The incredibly talented AZ local Steve Bader created the tablescapes

He used grapevines, succulents, hydrangea and sunflowers

I set out a homemade lunch in our courtyard

The Bloody Mary bar, with accoutrements, was inside the pool house

As it was near the Day of the Dead, I had a bride and a groom

Vases designed by San Antonio Artist Nancy Powell

Have a beautiful weekend, and a shout out to big sis' Liza Belle for a fabuloso birthday.
'xo M

Rudy's Country Store and BBQ

Imagine my joy when in 2012, Rudy's Country Store and BBQ opened its smokey, red doors in Chandler, AZ.  Based in Leon Springs, Texas, just north of San Antonio, Rudy's smokes some of the most quintessential Texas barbeque that has been a staple in my diet for the last 25 years.  Rudy's currently has two locations in the Valley of the Sun, the first being in Chandler, and the second one now in Goodyear.  Now, why would you go all the way to Chandler or Goodyear for barbeque, you ask?  Well, for example, I was in Costco the other day behind two guys from Honey Bear's BBQ who had two of those giant shopping carts filled with Costco rotisserie chickens.  I am not saying it is a bad thing (as I too love Costco rotisserie chicken)...I'm just sayin'.  So go ahead and fill up those gas tanks because I am about to convince to you make the trek down the I-10.

Leon Springs was founded in the mid 1800s by Max Aue.  In 1929, Max's son, Rudolph "Rudy" Aue, opened a one-stop gas station, garage, and grocery store.  Barbeque was added in 1989, and Rudy's Country Store and Bar-B-Q was transformed into one of the most sought-after BBQ destinations in the San Antonio area.  The meats are dry-rubbed (as opposed to being covered in sauce) and smoked in 100% oak-fired pits (as opposed to using mesquite).  The theory being that this type of smoking produces the most tender, juicy, and melt-in-your-mouth delicacies. 

Pick out a soda from the large stainless tubs while you wait

 
Order at the counter from a wide variety of smoked meats, which can be purchased in increments: quarter-pound, half-pound, pound or more.  Don't forget the sides.  Most love the creamed corn, potato salad and coleslaw, while I save room for the beans. 

  

Seating is family-style on wooden picnic tables surrounded by big screen tv's.   There are condiment bars with jalapeños, pickles, onions, to name a few. 

 

A typical meal features your choice of smoked meat wrapped in butcher paper, accompanied with bread slices (white bread is a must).  My favorites are the brisket and the turkey, hands down.  I also really love the "spicy chop with sause", where several of the smoked meats are all chopped up in Rudy's yummy barbeque sauce.  The sauce, or sause, as they call it, is on the picnic tables, and here in AZ comes in two strengths – the original Rudy's Sause, which is big and peppery, and the more benign Sissy Sause, which you will be hard pressed to find at the original Leon Springs store (don't even ask for it as they may laugh you out of there).  

If you have any room left, you can order from a fantastic variety of desserts that make me long for "home": banana pudding, pecan pie, chocolate pudding, buttermilk pie, Rice Krispy treats, Blue Bell ice cream and peach cobbler.  If you have never had buttermilk pie, a trip to Rudy's is a must.  They also have praline cookies!  A praline is the perfect little bite-size bit touch of sweetness you need after a large, heavy meal.  The sales gal had never tried them, so I bought one for her.  You can't sell it if you haven't tried it!

The sauses and rubs are sold in the Country Store, along with pralines and...

 

...Big Red...the kids love it

T-shirts for sale that might tick off a few vegetarians

Friendly reminders

 

Cheers to our brave service men and women who fight to protect our freedoms

Have a wonderful weekend!  xo M

Rudy's Country Store and BBQ, www.rudysbbq.com, has two locations in the Valley:

7300 W Chandler Blvd
Chandler, AZ
(480) 874-6440

  845 N Litchfield Rd

Goodyear, AZ 85338

(480) 663-6311

This is not a sponsored post...I just like what I like.   All photos by Marci Symington for texaztaste.blogspot.com.

Aarti Paarti

Over the weekend, I had the pleasure of meeting Aarti Sequeira, celebrity chef, cookbook author and host of Food Network's Aarti Party.  In 2010, Sequeira was catapulted to culinary fame by winning Season 6 of The Next Food Network Star, a reality show on The Food Network.  She was among 12 contestants participating in cooking competitions and on-camera challenges to determine who would be awarded their own culinary show on the network.   Aarti's diverse background and work experience, along with her enchanting personality - I feel she has what Tim Sanders would describe as "the likeability factor" - provided a strong platform on which to outshine her competition.  Born in India, raised in Dubai, educated at a British school in the Middle East, and then at Northwestern in Chicago, Sequeira started her career at CNN with the dream of becoming a journalist.  After coming to the realization that her heart was not in journalism, she moved to LA with her husband, fellow Northwestern alum and actor Brendan McNamara, who gifted her a certificate to a local cooking school.  She parlayed her unique background into a stage at Suzanne Goin's Lucques (one of my culinary idols), where she was inspired to blog and post YouTube videos based on her own creations.

I am looking forward to cooking my way through her cookbook, Aarti Paarti, as it shares easy ways to enhance American dishes with simple but unique Indian influences.  I got inspired to pull out my Indian recipes, and would love to share one of my favorites with you, a recipe for Kheema Matar, a ground meat dish spiced with turmeric and garam masala.  


Kheema Matar

1 onion, roughly chopped
2 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
1 T ginger, roughly chopped
1-2 green chiles, seeds removed (I use jalapeños)
3 T of oil
2 bay leaves
1/2 - 3/4 lb. ground lamb
1/2 - 3/4 lb. ground beef (not being Hindu, I like to cut the lamb a bit with beef)
pinch of asafoetida **
2 T tomato purée
1/4 t. ground ground turmeric
1/2 t. chili powder
2 T natural yoghurt, drained
3 t. salt
1 t. ground black pepper
8 oz. fresh or frozen peas
1/4 t. garam masala
5 T finely chopped cilantro

Place the onion, garlic, ginger and chiles in a food processor until finely chopped.  Heat the oil in a heavy skillet, add the onion mixture and bay leaves, and sauté for 3-4 minutes, or until golden brown.  Add the ground meat and sauté for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally to break up the clumps.  Add the asafoetida and tomato purée, and lower to a simmer.  Add turmeric, chili powder, coriander and cumin and stir for a minute.  Add the yoghurt, salt and pepper.  Add some water, about a cup, a little at a time until absorbed.  Add the peas and simmer until peas are cooked, 5-10 minutes.  Add the garam masala and chopped coriander and stir well before serving.  

** Asafoetida, or heeng, is a spice used as a digestive aid and flavor enhancer that, along with turmeric, is a standard component of Indian cuisine.  It is a yellowish powder made from the dried latex of a type of fennel that has an extremely pungent smell, giving it the nickname "devil's dung".  No doubt, based on that description, you are dying to run out and buy some...or not.  It can be found at Indian markets, such as Little India Grocery in Tempe should you find yourself craving the smell.

xo M

Not Your Typical Country and Western Concert

I have always loved going to concerts.  But it was one thing that slipped through the cracks when our kids were little...we were just too tired.  The thought of staying up till midnight just exhausted me thinking about it.  Now the kids are growing older and want to go to concerts so it is more on our radar.  We have been to Katy Perry and Taylor Swift, and Ariana Grande is definitely in our future.  But it has been a coon's age since I have attended a country western concert.  In the 80's and 90's I saw countless acts, like King George (of course), Reba, Brooks and Dunn, Alan Jackson, Conway Twitty, Vince Gill...you get the picture.  I am loving the new Country artists I hear on the radio, like Florida Georgia Line, Zac Brown and Darius Rucker.  So when I heard Luke Bryan was coming to town, I sought out the few country fans I know here in AZ and begged to go to the concert.  Please please please, let's do this.  And, wow, did I get an indoctrination into the new Country culture, namely of Fireball Whiskey and the proliferation of Daisy Dukes (do the kids these days even know who the original Daisy Duke was???...Catherine Bach, thank you very much...or the Dukes of Hazzard for that matter, and yes, of course I saw Waylon Jennings live).  And can we talk about Fireball Whiskey?  Has no one ever tried Hot Damn before?  Tastes exactly the same, but some guy is making a mint off that brand.

So on to Luke Bryan: Academy of Country Music's Entertainer of the Year for 2013, Georgia boy, singer, songwriter, performer, Country cutie.  "Rain Is A Good Thing" has been one of the most popular songs on my iPod for a few years.  "Rain makes corn, corn makes whiskey, whiskey makes my baby feel a little frisky."  Clever, catchy, how can you not love it?  And speaking of loving it, let's move on to the topic of these jeans he wears.  Definitely not your run of the mill jeans.  Good bye Wranglers, hello shrink-wrapped jeans, apparently his signature.  Seriously, how does he get these on?  Or off, for that matter?  

I start with a rear shot, and I am almost nervous about sharing what the front looks like...

...the boys were even blushing...

...but I have to admit I found him darling

The girls, and the crowd, loved it, especially during "Country Girl (Shake It For Me)".  There were so many great songs, it was hard to pinpoint a highlight..."We Rode In Trucks", "Crash My Party", "Drunk On You", "Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye", and one fabulous duet with Lee Brice, who opened for him, of Eil Young Band's "Crazy Girl".  At one point, he was drinking water out of a red solo cup claiming that the dry air was kicking his ass.  I think he was confused...his jeans may have been cutting off his circulation.  

In his life he has known some tragedy, losing both his older siblings, one in a car crash, and the other in unknown circumstances, according to Wiki.  So he dedicated his beautiful ballad "Drink A Beer" to all those for have lost someone.  One of the things I love about country music is the stories the songs tell, and how I can relate to many (not the mama got drunk in jail songs and run over by a train in the rain), but many others, and "Drink A Beer" is one I cannot listen to without shedding a tear.  So I feel I need to share the lyrics with you and hope you all raise a glass to a loved one lost.

When I got the news today
I didn't know what to say.
So I just hung up the phone.
I took a walk to clear my head,
This is where the walking led
Can't believe you're really gone
Don't feel like going home
So I'm gonna sit right here
On the edge of this pier
Watch the sunset disappear
And drink a beer
Funny how the good ones go
Too soon, but the good Lord knows
The reasons why, I guess
Sometimes the greater plan
Is kinda hard to understand
Right now it don't make sense
I can't make it all make sense
So I'm gonna sit right here
On the edge of this pier
Watch the sunset disappear
And drink a beer
So long my friend
Until we meet again
I'll remember you
And all the times that we used to...
... sit right here on the edge of this pier
And watch the sunset disappear
And drink a beer

Lyrics by Christopher Stapleton and Jim Beavers 

 

'xo M

Feeling a Little Cavalier

Our friends are well aware of how crazy we are about our dogs.  And when I say crazy, I mean off-the-wall mad.  There are times when Hubby even feels that he ranks below the dogs on the totem pole (what he doesn't know, and hopefully you will remain mum, is that he is even below the goldfish).  We love to snuggle, cuddle and dote on our dogs.  We take them everywhere with us as long as they can fit in the car (Pixie, the young female, has surpassed the weight restriction on commercial airlines).  So I have wanted to write a post, a little ode to our dogs, Gigi, Pixie Mae and Charlie, our dear Cavalier King Charles Spaniels.

Our first Cavalier was sweet Gigi, who was a gift for my 30th birthday.  She was loyal, loving, and very, very spoiled.

Gigi Pie

When we brought home our 1st child, Gigi would not leave her side for any reason...well, maybe to eat

When it comes to Cavaliers, one is not enough.  So after the birth of our 3rd child, we adopted Sir Charles III, or Charlie, lovingly know as le chasseur des lapins (chaser of bunny rabbits).

Hubby with Gigi (left) and Charlie (right)

We had 10 wonderful years with Gigi, who left us for doggie heaven in May of 2010.  She died just 5 days before Hubby's birthday, and all he wanted was another Cavalier. Along came our (then) little Pixie Mae.

Charlie didn't know what to make of Pixie at first, but he warmed up pretty quickly.

At first, he wasn't wild about sharing his bed ("Mom, please get this interloper out")

We have made a mission out of converting people to Cavaliers.  When my brother and his wife became empty-nesters, we gifted them with a Cavalier to fill the void (my hermano was not thrilled to start off, but he soon came around...).

Hubby, Charlie, a fabulous niece of mine, with the newly arrived Clover

How did he come around, you ask?  You just have to experience the wonderful qualities of Cavaliers.  They are the most easy going dogs.  They enjoy the daily walk, but don't obsess over them.  They are just as happy hanging out in bed with you when you are sick.

From climbing Montecito Peak in Santa Barbara...

to the red rocks of Sedona (watch out for those red paws!)...

...to hanging out when I am sick.  ("Mom, can I please have the Kleenex when you are done with it?")

They love to travel, play barbies and dressing up.

In the Texas Hill Country

Poolside with My Little Pony

Pumpkin and Sweet Pea

My only word of warning...do not get a Cavalier if you are not ok with having dogs on the furniture.  They enjoy the finer things in life.

Via the Waterlogue iPhone app...super cool if you don't already have it

The weather has broken here in AZ and I am going to spend the day outdoors...Happy Fall!

xo M

Our thoughts and prayers go out to Nina Pham, the nurse being treated for the Ebola virus, and her Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, Bentley.

 

All photos by Marci Symington for texaztaste.blogspot.com