Why I am 192 lbs...

So I am in Tempe: Tempe/Phoenix/Scottsdale.  It’s all the same.  Welcome to the Southwest region of the US.  This is my third time to these cities.  The first trip was in 2003.    I am beyond happy to be back.  Especially with respect to the hunt for exceptional food.

I started doing research for somewhere noteworthy and came across two places.  This is the first -Le Grande Orange Pizzeria in Phoenix.  Le Grande Orange started approximately 10 years ago as a coffee shop, which eventually started selling gourmet pizzas. It later grew into a pizzeria, then expanded to a grocery store which has now morphed into a ‘strip mall of dreams’ for this traveler.

I debated for a few days whether to write about this place or not.  I have already mentioned two places with similar cuisine, which then made me realize that gourmet pizza’s are everywhere.  Not just LA and NY, but throughout the country.  What I predict will be fun  is seeing different cities approach to this trend, especially since different regions have different local ingredients, and most of these places do buy locally.  (that was a generalization, whether this is true or not I don’t know, but we'll go with it for the time being).

I went to Le Grande Orange Pizzeria not knowing what to expect.  Imagine my childlike wonder when I pulled into the parking lot and saw everything I previously mentioned.  As I sat in the dinning room, I was pleased at how laid back the atmosphere is.  Our waiter, whos name I wish I could remember, was more than happy to give me information about the place, his favorite dishes and also other restaurants, bars, and live music clubs in the area.  

The menu consisted of sandwiches, pizzas, burgers, and breakfast till 5 in the afternoon.  A late breakfast is always a plus.  I came for the pizzas, so lets focus on that.  

I came here for a pre Valentine’s day dinner with Bud.  Upon sitting we immediately ordered their Avocado Pizza with Prosciutto.  I’ve never had avocado on a pizza.  Here is why it works... Avocados have a light flavor.  I feel we can all agree on that.  It’s a mild taste, with the salt the cheese and prosciutto provide, all ingredients compliment each other extremely well.  To top this all off, lemon zest.  I love lemon anything, so imagine my excitement to have this added to this already light and refreshing dish.  Pizza, refreshing?  Yes.  Yes, it is.  At least this one.

They have a limited bar here, but why order hard alcohol when you have a wall of wine, and a freezer full of beer at the adjacent grocery.  The prices for the wines are reasonable as is the bottled beer.  Also with this economy, just buy the bottle, if you don’t finish it they will gladly re cork it for you.  Don’t like their selection?  Bring your own, because guess what?  There’s no corkage fee.

I had to come back here one more time and try one more thing to make sure it wasn’t a fluke.  In the day time this place is just as busy as it was in the evening.  This time around, instead of ordering from a waiter, its a walk up counter.  Le Grande Orange began as a coffee shop, so I order an iced coffee (they have almond milk so this already made me happy), I got their version of a cobb salad to go for later that day, and I ordered their Rocket Man Pizza. Roasted vegetables, broccolini and spicy red fresno chiles.  I ordered this pizza in a rush, there was a line, I hadn’t really paid attention to the menu, and honestly, I am not a fan of roasted peppers on anything (roasted vegetables on their own, period) unless I grill them myself.  Most restaurants tend to drown their vegetables in olive oil prior to roasting, which leaves them soggy and end up over powering any other flavor they are being served with and a slug like consistency.  I don’t know how they cooked them here, but they were a fantastic addition to my pizza.  Perhaps, peppers are a plenty in the southwest so it wouldn’t surprise me that their freshness is why they added a sensible flavor to this pizza instead of what I feel they usually do.  The broccolini added texture and the chiles added a nice kick. THANK GOD for the pizza crust to ease the fire in my mouth.  

I ate the whole pizza.  I have a problem.  I’m off to the gym.

Deep in the Heart (more like hip bone) of Texas.

Here's a confession...I had no expectations of El Paso, Texas.  I truly had no idea where in Texas it was located.  You can imagine my surprise when I became aware of the fact that it's a border town.  Not a border town like San Diego, but a border town in which stray bullets from the infamous Ciudad de Juarez are not as uncommon as you would think.  Alas, work has brought me here for 12 nights.  

Now, a few days into El Paso, I have come to appreciate this city for what it is: a modern day border town where both American and Mexican cultures have found balance and coexistence.  

My experience with the residents of this city has been excellent.  Everywhere I have gone I have felt welcome, and people are more than happy to share their thoughts on the city, and again more than happy to share their favorite local spots in town.  So here it goes.

I went to a restaurant called Crave Kitchen and Bar my first couple days in town.  Not expecting much, imagine my surprise when I entered an uber trendy restaurant with an extensive beer and wine selection and a fun menu that experiments with what we as Americans consider traditional Mexican cuisine infused with items you would find at any local gastropub, AND TONS of Mexican/ American hipsters wearing Tom's and indulging in artesian beers, from Magic Hat #9, to a sensible glass of Cakebread.  I however did not order wine or beer this particular visit.  But from the looks of it, there is plenty to choose from, whether you want bottle or draft.  Red or white.

I was so impressed with this place I brought about 10 friends a few days later for brunch.  I haven't eaten like this in years.  After all, we are in texas, everything is much bigger, including the portions at Crave.  With every breakfast entree comes a side.  I ordered the "Biscuit and Green Chile Gravy" and a side of tomatoes.  The plate was about the size of my torso.  Two perfectly cooked eggs sunny side up sat on top of a mountain of biscuits, mouth watering sausage and green chile gravy which had enough heat but not enough to over power all of the other flavors.  I tend to not always order biscuit and gravy because they tend to just end up in a big pile of mush.  These however did not.  The biscuits were so soft and flaky on the inside but crunchy enough on the outside to keep the gravy out.  I ate about half before I had to take a break.

One of the perks of bringing friends to a place like this is trying what they ate as well.  From a Monte Cristo, to just plain old eggs with sausage, bacon (which was peppered to perfection and oh so crispy), and hash.   And of course I cannot forget the blueberry pancakes with a lemon curd.  YUM!

All of us were stuffed.  We were also very appreciative of the server and the friendly staff that was more than accommodating and willing to give their own personal input on menu choices.

After shoveling this delectable food down our throats we continued on with our day.  If you ever find El Paso, take the 90 minute drive into New Mexico to the White Sands National Monument.  Words cannot describe how incredible this place is.  

Picture driving through what seems like the background to the movie "The Hills Have Eyes", which eventually turns into an oasis.  Once you turn into the National Park, the brown of your traditional desert disappears and you are surrounded by miles and miles of white sand dunes.  I don't think words do justice to what this place actually looks like.  It looks like a winter wonderland in the middle of New Mexico.  What is fascinating to me is that this beauty exists in only one other part of the world, Africa.  

Take time to stop by the gift shop, pick up a sled and find a place to plop down, sled down a dune, and just take in the beauty that is around you.  Also, take as many photos as you possibly can, this is a place you want to remember.  If you happen to go during summer or on a full moon, prepare to experience something you would think would only happen on a movie set.  This is truly a miracle of nature.

One night in New York...

I am now in New York.  I think the last time I was in New York during winter may have been in 2007.  Let's just say it's been a minute since I've faced the elements in this incredible city.  Lucky for me, it was one of those incredible January days that is around 50 degrees and sunny.  God, I love this city.

You would think that after a 13 week hiatus from Manhattan I would be in a rush to eat somewhere new, somewhere familiar, somewhere in general.  Not this trip.  After 8 weeks in Los Angeles, the last thing I wanted to be was social at a restaurant.  Naturally, I decided to cook.  Honestly, this all stemmed from picking up this months "Food and Wine" magazine and being inspired to undertake their somewhat complicated recipes. 

Since I was in someone else's kitchen -without my tools and without my ingredients, I decided to keep it simple.  I was cooking for four; I also wanted to be able to interact with my guests.

I decided to make soup:  Beer Cheddar Soup (www.foodandwine.com/recipes/beer-and-cheddar-soup).  If you watch "30 Rock" you may be thinking I made Cheese Stew.  I did not, nor does this taste like it sounds. I made this soup last fall and fell in love with its flavors.  Between the smokiness of the cheddar (The recipe calls for sharp and smoked cheddar, the latter is difficult to find, I tend to just use a smoked Gouda), the bite the jalapenos have and the lightness that the pilsner infuses (in this particular case Delirium), make this a perfect soup for winter, and simple enough to prepare ahead of time.  Also, getting thyme and other fresh herbs in the middle of winter in New York City turned out to be a bit of a challenge.  However, I tend to add a little more of their dry counterparts to balance out flavor.  A sensible bowl of this soup is plenty to satisfy your craving, open your appetite and warm up your soul.  Not to mention, this soup has bacon.  We all know everything with bacon is just better.

For a main course I kept going back and forth between white or red meat.  My friend Nicole doesn't eat red meat, so once I remembered that it made my decision much easier.  After doing a quick recipe search on the "Food and Wine" website I came across a recipe for chicken breast with a salsa verde (www.foodandwine.com/recipes/sauteed-chicken-breasts-with-salsa-verde).  After reading through the recipe, I realized that it was more of a "chimichurri", but what was new and different was using it on chicken breasts.  Chimichurri is an Argentine salsa that is used to accompany grilled meats, usually flank steak.  Being that it's New York, and the middle of winter, using a stove top and a stainless steel pan is my only option.  Moderate heat and 5 minutes later per side, I had perfectly cooked chicken breast.  This "salsa verde" as my recipe called it has a lemon and anchovy paste base which add natural seasoning to it, along with parsley and garlic, very little salt is needed, and the chicken breast needed no seasoning what so ever.  All of your flavor will be coming from the sauce, and with the chicken coming straight out of the pan, you're in for a treat.  

To go along with this dish, I decided to make fried green plantains, tostones as they are called, and a cherry tomato side with a beer (basically the rest of the Delirium) white truffle oil vinaigrette.  That was my own concoction which was inspired by the salad dressing of a restaurant called Beer Bistro in Toronto.

All in all, a successful dinner party.  My friend Emilie brought dessert, so I cannot take credit for that.  I haven't had this much fun in NY in a long time.  Sometimes a simple dinner party can generate great memories, and is a little easier on the wallet without losing flavor nor style.

P.S.  Shout out to the guest of the night, Harley, the Frenchie.