Noshtopia Phoenix

Culinary Dropout: Wonderland of Design

 

Normally when I talk about restaurants, I focus on the food. But for Culinary Dropout, I am going to focus on the decor and atmosphere because wow! I was so blown away.

Before I get more into the decor, let me spend a brief moment on the food.

I'll be honest up front and say that I thought the food was okay, and I say this because I've been spoiled by my other Fox Restaurant Concepts favorites like True Food, Greene House, and Olive and Ivy. People may argue with me on Culinary Dropouts food compared to those three, but I speak too as someone who eats mostly vegan with a little meat, and CD is pretty nil on vegan options. In CD's menu, there are plenty of fancy bar foods plus meat dishes, I will say that.

The one dish that I did enjoy that was a special of the day was the beets. I don't remember what they did with the beets but I have lingering memories of its goodness so that's what matters. They should make the beets a regular thing.

The other touch I really enjoyed is how the wine comes out in these glass carafes and they have these beautifully designed tags on them. The designer in me was so impressed with that detail because good design anywhere involves attention to even the smallest of details. Whoever, was responsible for the overall look and feel of everything in Culinary Dropout did an amazing job.

 

So, let's get back to the decor because the place is so cool looking that I can overlook the food. I just like hanging out in there in the big comfy Alice in Wonderland type chairs. The energy in the place is hip without feeling too hipster, if that makes sense especially since the place is also smack dab in the middle of "the scene" in Scottsdale. Coming from Northern California, I'm tickled by how pockets of Scottsdale are very LA. Nor-cal and So-cal are two entirely different planets in my book.

I don't know who Fox Restaurant Concepts hired to decorate and style the place but the designer in me was really impressed with the combination of patterns, materials, and colors. There were so many strong patterns, colors, and textures in that place that in other hands it could have quickly gone, "what were you thinking?" with Carson Kressley in the background making his ick face. These designers here are truly talented and have an amazing eye.

Let's go on a little tour shall we...The second you walk in the door at the host stand you are greeted with a visual stylish candyland. On the left side is this huge open bar area where you can hang out and enjoy appies and drinks, or you can eat at a table. All the tables have huge cushy chairs.

 

The feature I loved the most in the place are the huge chandeliers. Those things are absolutely stunning without being too girlie or garish. Chandeliers just remind me of Barbie houses in Texas. Okay sorry, a bit of my mean girl just slipped out. Look at these things. I couldn't stop staring at them.

 

The kitchen is open to the floor and the entire wall is a vibrant purple with swirly patterns. Again, a combo like that can easily go South but here it works well.

 

In one of the open table areas near the front door, the tables and chairs are different. Again, there is a whole lot of action going on with colors, patterns, and textures. Usually in interior design, you will see a consistency in materials but in Culinary Dropout they are able to mix velvet, leather, and wood, with swirls and stripes, and with bold colors. Again, it takes amazing talent to make these busy combos work well together.

 

In the back from the entrance, where we sat is the stage where a band will play at night. I loved how they had the old B&W pictures of legendary musicians like the Boss. He looked so young back then.

 

So, there you have just a few shots of the inside of Culinary Dropout, and you can see why it was a visual heaven for me. One day, I would really love to meet the designers who made the place such a stunning place to hang out. Again, mucho kudos to their design genius.

If I can add in my two cents into the suggestion box, Culinary Dropout please work on adding more vegetarian/vegan options to the menu...just saying!

 

Note: all photos taken with an iPhone 3GS

My Odd Yet Yummy Greenish Breakfast

I've been writing about how one of the side effects of this sugar wean is that I've been having these weird yet wonderful cravings for greens when I wake up. I mean now I'm eating salad for breakfast.

 

Even weirder, but again fabulous, I woke up the other day with a craving for fresh squeezed green juice and cucumber sushi rolls. I know! Weird huh. I went to Whole Foods and from the coffee juice bar, I got fresh squeezed carrot, beets, spinach, and kale. The juice was as thick as it looks in the picture.

Next time I'll get cucumber instead of beets because I forgot how raw beet juice can just take over everything. I bet my poop will be all red tomorrow too...okay TMI. Sorry my inner Dr. Oz just came out.

The interesting thing about fresh raw juices is that sometimes it can feel like a shot of too much goodness to my body. I know that sounds odd.

With fresh raw juices you are basically getting a concentrated dose of all the vitamins and nutrients of the fruit and veggies at their enzyme peak. My body kinda reacts like, "whoa! what's up with the flood of pureness!" Sometimes, I even get a little buzz. It's not a drunk buzz but perhaps again just a buzz of concentrated nutrients. It's all good though!

How about you. Do you enjoy fresh raw juices in the morning?

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Picazzo's Gluten-Free, Cheeseless Pepperdew Veggie Pizza

 
 

Friend Jess is gluten-free and she suggested that we try one of her favorite places in town to try gluten-free pizza, Picazzo's Organic Italian Kitchen. I hear "organic" and allergy-friendly food, and so of course, I immediately want to try it out. Picazzo's is also a chain so there are multiple locations. We went to the one in Paradise Valley.

I am not gluten-free but I am gluten-light because I find that when I eat less gluten, I feel lighter. I will never give up on pasta because I love it so, but there are pastas I've tried made from other flours like spelt, quinoa, and rice flour that are tasty.

But back to pizza. Picazzo's has this really cool lunch menu where you can get a slice of pizza, regular or gluten-free crust, with either soup or salad. It's a great deal except for people like me because the pizza is pre-made and has mozzarella on it which I can't have because of the cow milk allergy.

So, in order to try the gluten-free pizza crust without cheese, I have to order a medium size pizza which was about $19.00. Yeah, a bit of a wallet ouchie. They cannot make a small pizza with the gluten-free dough which I didn't ask why, I just accepted and paid.

Indeed, the pizza is a bit on the pricey side, however, if you cannot have gluten and you want pizza, then you will pay it. I recommend that you go with a couple friends if you order the gluten-free pizza because even a medium will serve 3 people plenty.

Some of the Whole Foods in town will serve vegan pizza by the slice (but on a regular crust), and the one in Scottsdale, I know for sure, will serve individual about 6" diameter size gluten-free pizzas made from rice flour. Awhile back I custom ordered a gluten-free vegan cheese pizza with pineapple, olives, and sausage on it. Next time, I'll get cheeseless because the vegan cheese was kinda ick.

 

 

The gluten-free Picazzo's pizza comes thin crust and the crust itself is hard, like almost cracker hard which threw my off a bit. In fact, in the picture, you can see that the crust crumbles some. The Whole Foods rice flour crust is a bit softer and closer to regular wheat crust although, yes, you can still tell the difference from wheat.

What really excited me about the Picazzo pizza ingredient list is that they have Pepperdews which are one of my favorite antipasto eats. You almost never see Pepperdews in a pizza place so I give Picazzo's 5 stars for that added touch.

I ordered the Vegetarian pizza with the Pepperdews instead of mozzarella. I really liked Picazzo's organic heirloom tomato pizza sauce. It's a bit on the sweet and tangy side and I love that combo.

The overall experience of Picazzo's gluten-free cheeseless pizza was okay. I really enjoyed the flavor of the pizza fixings, just not the crust itself because it was too hard for me. With gluten-free crusts hardness is always going to be a challenge, but I've had softer crust so I know it can be done.

On the upside, Picazzo's does have a plethora of other signature crusts which I would like to try particularly the organic whole grain crust made of quinoa, amarath, wheat germ, bulgar wheat, flax seed meal, pshyllum husks, rolled oats, fennell seed, ginger powder, seaweed kelp and sea salt. That lineup sounds like a total Noshtopia thing.

Picazzo's also has a whole lineup of pasta dishes and salads, so next time I go I'd like to try a pasta dish. The Avocado Delish and Butternut Squash ravioli with fresh vegetables (minus the cream sauce) sounds really tasty.

Have you tried Picazzo's gluten-free pizzas? What did you think?

P.S. In the women's bathroom, they have mouthwash, so if you're on a date and ate some garlic, no need to worry, Picazzo's got ya' covered in case that smoochie might happen!

 

Happiness Is Finding....

....more vegan baked goods around town like this mocha latte vegan cupcake made by Treehouse Bakery. What's awesome about this vegan cupcake is that you'd never know it was vegan, and that is how a good cupcake should be...just good!

For baked treats, I have to eat vegan desserts because I have an allergy to cow milk and chicken eggs. In the Bay Area, there are vegan desserts all over the place, in fact, it's practically mainstream over there. Here in Phoenix is a whole other story...but I shall remain optimistic. 

 

In fact, I clapped with glee when I went to @wfmRaintree and saw not one, but three vegan cookie choices...usually you'll only see one choice. The choices were chocolate chip, peanut butter, and oatmeal raisin. I got the peanut butter and was in heaven.

In terms of allergies, I have noticed a plethora of gluten-free options, but very limited vegan options particularly  in the baked goods department. In fact, I'm still in search of a place that makes vegan banana nut muffins. 

It still boggles my mind that in the 5th largest city in the US, there is still not one place you can go and buy a vegan banana nut muffin. I mean, it's a common muffin flavor. Who's stepping up people!

Treehouse Bakery via @jwillensky was so nice to make me some vegan banana nut muffins (not on her menu....yet...crossing fingers) which we shared with other friends.

Tea Lite Cafe: Pho And Bun That Remind Me Of The Bay Area

I live in North Scottsdale, and I love it up here because the vibe reminds me of the Bay Area, but...and no offense but I'm being for realz....there are like hardly no Asian restaurants or Asian people for that matter here. Sometimes, I feel like an anomaly...never in a bad way, almost like a pearl in an oyster which I'm going to look at in a positive way :)

The Asian food pickings pretty much go to the extent of Panda Express which is like the McDonald's of Asian cuisine. I'm sure there is more selection out here, I'm being a bit sarcastic, but when compared to the Bay Area wherest I came, well you can imagine what runs through my mind.

Thanks to Yelp, I joyfully found Tea Lite Cafe up here in the Nordale, and I love the place as the food reminded me of Vietnamese places back in the Bay Area.

 

When friend Huong came to visit, I took her there and we started off with some fried egg rolls for appetizer as I was having a major craving for something crunchy and salty. Something new I learned is that you can make an egg roll burrito with the lettuce leafs, carrots, and cucumbers that come on the side.

 

I got my tried and true favorite Pho with chicken and rice noodles. I love pouring black bean sauce the soup. There is something about Pho that is just warm magic.

 

Huong got the Bun with egg rolls over rice noodles. It was a fabulous time, and I am soooooo happy that Tea Lite Cafe is here in my hood!

Why Not Green Salad For Breakfast?

 

Since I started doing this sugar wean in January where I'm trying to get from eating 80g of sugar/day down to 25g whether from natural or added sources, one of the things I have noticed is that I have been craving greens more like kale, arugula, and spinach.

Admittedly, last year, I did start making a conscious effort to eat greens every day, and perhaps, now that I have been cutting down on the sugar, the green cravings are rising in its place.

I will take it because it's nothing but a health win all around!

Although, admittedly, it's been kind of weird to wake up and crave a kale, tomato, and avocado salad when before I'd be craving a bagel with peach jam or oatmeal with bananas and walnuts. Perhaps, the only thing that is weird is simply getting over the preconceived notions of what breakfast food is supposed to be, so I'm being open minded and tried something new, and trying green leafies for breakfast.

In the picture above is what I ate for breakfast the other morning. It's basically greens from a bag of Herb Salad Mix along with some cut fresh corn from the cob, slices of avocado, tomato, and a slew of other salad bar veggies I had for dinner the night before. For dressing, I used honey mustard and drank a side of orange juice which was my morning sweet.

Over there in the corner is a small slice of a sesame bagel with slices of honey turkey and some sauteed Portobello mushroom and onion from the same previous night dinner. Let me tell ya, that combo of Portobello with turkey was really delicious!

So, you want to try something new, how about green salad for breakfast? I think it's a great way to start the day.

You Heard It Right: Kombucha On Tap

 

Over @wfmscottsdale in their coffee and juice bar, they now have Kombucha on tap. Seriously! These people are hard core. Of course, I had to take pics because you almost have to see it to believe it. Looks just like beer on tap. When the kombucha comes out, it gets really foamy and the barista has to scoop it out.

I tried the Hawaiian Island and it was tasty. What I enjoyed was that this kombucha doesn't have as strong a pungent taste as some of the bottled brands.

Giuseppe's on 28th Is Good Italian Fun

 

Probably one of the best food experiences including great food, company, and environment, I've had thus far in my short time in Phoenix involved girlfriends @haveawonderful, @jawaani, and @wisdomsoul over at Giuseppe's on 28th. The woman behind the counter, who forgive me I forgot her name, was quite the hoot. @wisdomsoul guessed that she was a biker chick at one point, and sure enough, we asked, and she was. Cool!

Hanging over on the wall is a huge picture of Guy Fieri of Diners, Drive-ins and Dives to memorialize his visit to Guisseppe's. Again, another cool in my book because I like Guy. He doesn't eat the healthiest, but he is entertaining.

 

Let's get to the food. @haveawonderful got the penne with a cream sauce and walnuts.

 

@jawaani got the Bolognese Ragu which has 6 different meats in it, and boy howdie, that dish sure was meaty.

 

@wisdomsoul got the Penne al Salmone which has Guisseppe's own cured and smoked salmon tossed with asparagus and a rich cream sauce.

 

I started with the Lentil soup which was very warming in my tummy...

 

...and then your basic Rigatoni with meat sauce. As the dish is plentiful, I enjoyed half at lunch and the other half the next for lunch and it was still good.

 

Since it was my birthday recently, we got a slice of the Tiramisu to celebrate, and the lady behind the counter along with some of the cooks in the open kitchen, sang me happy birthday. It was so fun! I will tell you that this Tiramisu is basically decadence on a plate. Thank goodness there were four of us sharing the dessert.

 

This smiley woman sitting at the next table who could be my grandmother, came by, patted me on the shoulder and said happy birthday on her way out. She was so sweet. This is one reason I love Phoenix. People are so friendly!

Note: all photos taken with an iPhone 3GS

Baiz Falafels And Ginormous Tubs Of Tahini

I met @bmok over at Baiz Market to eat lunch at Al-Hana restaurant which occupies a small corner of the market and is basically a hole in the wall type place. I'm all for hole in the wall places as long as the food is good, and here, the food we had was indeed delish.

But first, I have to show you this because I have never seen anything like it. Here are 40lb tubs of Tahini. Yes, 40lbs of Tahini! These tubs remind me of industrial tubs of paint. In most stores, you see small 8oz sizes of Tahini but at Baiz they got these ginormous containers to 4lb bottles. I've never seen so much Tahini in my life. Have you?

 

Speaking of Tahini, we start off with a baba ganoush appetizer. It's creamy and hummus-like.

 

For lunch, both Bryan and I get the Falafel sandwich. It's a great deal for $2.99. I got a mango nectar drink to go along with my sandwich. The Falafel sandwich is best with the hot sauce they got there. Without the hot sauce, the sandwich is a bit on the bland side...at least to me.

Next time I go back to Baiz, I'd like to try one of the kabob plates. Watching them cook all that food in the open kitchen was quite fascinating.