With tumbles of thyme at Lux Central.

Justin Drinks is a new regular column carrying the sole intent of highlighting beverages I love. Alcoholic and non, they are brief punches of drinkable love.

The Last Word is my kind of drink. Aromatic, sharp and provocative, it outlines the type of classy cocktails I adore.

Like many of history’s finest swills, the Last Word reads plain on paper. When painted precisely, however, it smacks with a delicate power that uncovers its quiet popularity. Perfumed by the witchery of green Chartreuse, rounded equally by gin’s juniper bite and the bitter cuff of maraschino liqueur―all electrified with the cut of fresh lime juice―as brief as the Last Word’s recipe card may be, this jade looker is no modest sip.

Too much Chartreuse? Too arresting. Too much gin? Too stiff. Too much maraschino liqueur? Too one note. Too much lime? Too abrasive. We’re talking a meticulous experiment in great booze.

Some garnish with fresh herbs, some instead trim with a complimenting slice of cucumber or wedge of citrus, however, most simply sink in a Luxardo or brandied cherry. The Last Word can be served up and proud, or humbly, washed over ice. Want to, dare I say, soften its might? Opt for a drip of simple syrup or agave.

Feeling moody? Substitute the gin with a fiery mezcal by ordering La Ultima Palabra, one of my favorite alterations. Or, have your barman make you the Last Word’s most well-known sibling the Final Ward, a rough, handsome sip that utilizes the distinct spice of rye whiskey in place of gin’s piney familiarity.

Whatever your method (or taste) may be, the Last Word remains one my gold-standards.

The Last Word:

• 1 part gin (Plymouth is a great stand-by; Junipero for a kick)
• 1 part green Chartreuse
• 1 part maraschino liqueur
• 1 part fresh lime juice

The cabin road under winter's hold.

Benefiting from increased abuse of my in-law’s mountain refuge in Show Low, Ariz., an alpine escape is never more than a two and a half hour drive from Phoenix. During the summer months especially, this translates to a welcomed contrast of 80 degrees, woodsy breezes and afternoon thunder showers, to 115 and melting.

The idea of dining out in the Show Low, Pinetop-Lakeside and general White Mountain area(s) of eastern Arizona can be painful. However, after sustained homework of the region’s buffet over the years, I can now vouch for a growing selection of spots I’d declare worth a venture out for.

First, let’s be frank with what’s in abundance here. There is zero shortage of so-so BBQ in the area – meats absent of their tender intentions, under seasoned sides that taste like warming lamp leftovers, and neon-hued sauces that could incite shock. There is also no loss for hyper-Americanized Mexican restaurants, sub-par bar food (burgers, sandwiches, fried everything) and Italian restaurants that make the label “red-sauce” read endearing.

Non-comprehensive and non-exhaustive (my eyes are always open), below are eight food and drink related highlights in the area worth visiting, listed in no intentional order:

1. Grumpy Jake’s BBQ & Catering:

Peanuts while you wait.

Grumpy Jake’s BBQ is a definite light in the field. In fact, this is some of the better pulled pork and beef brisket in Arizona outside of the major cities. The meats are smoked and tender, the sauce is rightfully tangy, and a range of above-average sides also help bolster this barbecue experience. Update: Grumpy Jake’s has recently come under new ownership since my last visit; menu changes reported.

2. Cafe Bocado:

Pulled pork special at Cafe Bocado.

In an area so defined by similarities, anything that breaks the mold deserves praise. Fresh, almost entirely homemade fare highlights a decisively upmarket eatery buzzing with local creativity. Open for breakfast, lunch and now dinner, Cafe Bocado is a well-loved neighborhood outpost for those looking for something a little more satisfying, with a little more care and personality. Hearty sandwiches and substantial salads absorb the menu’s majority, however, a rotating selection of house-made baked goods, and an upstanding selection of quiches (think airy, pillowy pies of egg and varied savories, inches thick), make for an eating experience that emerges from the local fray. The recent addition of a dinner menu continues to wow in a local climate that tends to lack. From daily pastas, fresh smoothies and vegetarian options, to fish and other meaty specials, Cafe Bocado is hands-down the best food in a radius of about 50-plus miles. Local growers Linden Market also regularly sells their organic produce at Cafe Bocado on select days of the week. Stay tuned: Full feature on Cafe Bocado coming soon.

3. Sal & Teresa’s:

Rope lights and best Mex in town.

For what it lacks in curb appeal and atmosphere (fluorescent illumination that makes Wal-Mart feel sultry), Sal and Teresa’s is one of the original workhorses in the vicinity serving that saucy, old-school, Sonoran-style Mexican food we native Arizonan’s grew up indoctrinated with. With small cues to New Mexican and Tex-Mex staples, Sal and Teresa’s elevates what Mexican can be locally. The chile is hotter, the flavors a bit rounder, and, despite the frothing neon-cheese, molten by salamander or microwave (hear no evil, see no evil), Sal and Teresa’s is easily the local gold-standard in south-of-the-border eating.

4: Darbi’s Cafe:

Darbi's Monte Cristo.

Darbi’s Cafe is tight, cozy, and, as it should be: straightforward and humble. This small cabin restaurant packs crowds for their soul-warming breakfasts, homemade baked goods and above-average casual eating. Open for lunch and dinner, it’s their sunrise menu that still earns Darbi’s its bounty of praise. Their decadent Monte Cristo sandwich will also satisfy.

5. Red Devil:

Common bruschetta at Red Devil makes for uncommon Pinetop eating. Photo courtesy of Ashley B.

An acceptable standby for pizza in Phoenix, in Pinetop-Lakside Red Devil seems downright indulgent. A classic Americanized pizzeria – thick, doughy crust; generous helpings of strangely sweet tomato sauce; common topping combos like “the works,” and “Hawaiian,” there’s no masquerading what’s happening here. It’s pizza that middle-America loves, but done well. Red Devil is easily one of the better places to eat in the area, and the unending daily crowds help prove this sentiment.

6. Coffee Mania:

Worth the stop.

A tiny bookend at the tail of an old motor inn in downtown Show Low presents Coffee Mania, probably one of the better java spots in the area. Independently owned and operated, and full of personality, Coffee Mania imports a worthy catalog of fine coffees and teas, as well as serves a respectable range of house-made baked goods.

7. The Turquoise Room:

Uniquely, proudly Arizona.

The acclaimed in-house restaurant at the historic La Posada Inn, in dusty Winslow, Ariz., might be an afternoon jog from Show Low, but it’s effort appropriately made. The small hotel itself, charming and pitch-perfect with airs of old Arizona, is full of surprising artwork and the regional character. The Turquoise Room, led by James Beard-nominated chef John Sharpe, does an impressive job showcasing its inherent geography, sourcing almost exclusively from independent purveyors located within the state. Though its dinner menu absorbs the majority of the restaurant’s press, breakfast and lunch are no hotel afterthoughts here. With hyper-local and intentionally seasonal offerings, from sandwiches to entrees, daily soups to desserts, The Turquoise Room presents genuinely fantastic Arizona eating. I’m always excited to return.

8. Red Rock Lavender Farms:

The aromatics in close view.

Located in Concho, Ariz., about a 20-minute drive north of Show Low, Red Rock Lavender Farms feels like an anomaly. After a brief guided tour, however, you once again realize how the state’s diverse topography can allow for yet another myth-buster in a procession of many – incredible Arizona wines, some of the best olive oil anywhere is made in Arizona, the bounty of fresh, organic produce grown right outside the deserts of Phoenix is astonishing, just to spout a meager few. Now, throw thriving lavender fields onto that stately pile of edible accolades. In fact, Red Rock Farms is one of the largest lavender farms in North America, benefiting from an immediate soil makeup that is apparently as nutrient spoiled as sacrosanct Provence itself. A small gift shop also exists, carrying everything from potted lavender plants to take home, essential oils and sprays to assist in sleep and relaxation, lavender-heavy items for the sole purpose of insect repellent, to yes, varied mixes for use in cooking and drinking.

As always, roundups like these are brief and never complete. More White Mountain eating on the horizon.

Chris Bianco is very talented, we know. Slinging those iconic golden pies for the unyielding masses (almost) every night, the James Beard Award-wining chef’s notorious work ethic at his fabled Pizzeria Bianco has never seemed anything south of remarkable.

At Bianco’s sharper and more accessible cousin Pane Bianco, the chef manages to parlay his drive for the perfectly tailored pizza–an intuitive ratio of inspiration, meticulous ingredients and masterful execution–into one of the best sandwich shops in the city.

One of my absolutes at Pane Bianco is their peerless mozzarella, tomato and basil sandwich. Buttery, handmade buffalo mozzarella makes face time with minty basil and ripe, glossy tomatoes (both of which are house-grown), all gently pressed between doughy rounds of Bianco’s fine-tuned ciabatta-lite bread, blistered briefly in the kitchen’s sizable wood-burning oven. It’s Bianco’s nuanced skill, stockpiled for our effortless consumption.

Not one player shines brighter than its neighbor–the endgame of all moving parts; an education in simplicity done right.

This edible affair is not monogamous, however. For my ode to Pane Bianco’s tuna sandwich (and dreamy rice pudding) in the Downtown Phoenix Journal, go HERE.

Pane Bianco | 4404 N. Central Ave | 602-234-2100 | Midtown Phoenix

Good things come, eventually.

In a city full of neglected culinary forces in constant search of a permanent anchor, painfully talented chefs and bright ideas often seem to float haphazardly with no center of gravity, lacking any sense of community. Absolute talent rarely lingers long, all too often leaving Phoenix behind when serious notoriety or success is reached. Many examples exist to the contrary, but unfortunately skill here is often overlooked for more generic pastures by far too many.

Chef Justin Beckett is one of the latest local characters to push against the forces that frequently burden Phoenix’s culinary map. The adept, severely affable chef not only made a name for himself here, he decided to stay put when things took a negative turn.

Chef Beckett’s cooking career ascended most notably several years ago after the rise and crash of Canal, downtown Scottsdale’s pre-Great Recession shrine to restaurant frivolity. And though that shrine is now a tomb, it wasn’t because of the food. The sole arsenal that kept Canal afloat for longer than expected was the food—it was not only solid, it was often exceedingly so. Underneath the muzzle of $30 lobster sandwiches (which were delicious, btw) and gratuitous fashion shows, ignited routinely down a raised island catwalk through the restaurant’s dining room (I can’t make this stuff up), chef Justin Beckett was creating some of the brightest food in the city. Beckett generated interest with confident cooking—sometimes serious, sometimes sensed with needed humor.

After Canal finally raised its white flag to the reaper of misguided restaurant concepts, chef Beckett (along with his wife Michelle and close friends Scott and Katie Stephens) immediately embarked on a pilgrimage to helm a restaurant guided entirely by his own reins. As the brainstorming finalized, and the new physicality of his dream began to form, Justin Beckett also made a consorted effort to remain an active personality in the local community. Through various big-ticket media appearances, and most notably, a strong presence via social media (follow him on Twitter: HERE), Beckett amassed a devoted following anxiously awaiting his every move.

Beckett’s visibility never waned, and it appears about to pay off.

Located along the Arcadia neighborhood’s western fringe, at one far end of an otherwise homely shopping plaza along Indian School Rd. and 38th St., the eagerly anticipated Beckett’s Table exists in the entirely revised, now unrecognizable space that once housed the tortured restaurant That’s Italiano. Beckett’s eponymous eatery is the year-long (if not life-long) culmination of his focus, and enthusiasm.

The interior of Beckett’s Table straddles cavernous and cozy, polished and honest. Restaurant centerpieces exist in the form of a wide exhibition kitchen centered toward the room’s rear (chef Beckett’s main stage), and the nearly room-length communal table procured and crafted from reclaimed wood. Transmitting the chummy vibe of a well-designed living room that somehow evolved in to an energetic dining space, Beckett’s Table is gearing for neighborhood longevity.

Tapping into Beckett’s drive for classic comfort foods with pointed quirks, Beckett’s Table plans to play with a seasonal menu of time-tested benchmarks, molded with contemporary flair and technique. Think chicken and dumplings with saffron cream ($16); beef bourguignon shepherd’s pie (you read correctly; $16); pork osso bucco with a squash spätzle ($17); grits with andouille sausage ($8); and wonderfully, a vegetable-bright version of matzo ball soup ($6). For dessert? I say the s’mores, thanks to chocolate-dipped bacon ($5), and the fig-pecan pie, served adjacent to house-made cream cheese and citrus ice cream ($5).

Besides a wine and brew menu hawking varieties from both Arizona and destinations beyond our borders, Beckett’s Table also has an equally sharp listing of specialty crafted cocktails.

Now open for dinner only (5 to 10 p.m., Tuesday-Sunday), lunch service will evolve in time.

Beckett’s Table | BeckettsTable.com | 3717 E. Indian School Rd | 602-954-1700 | Biltmore Arcadia

Excited? Expected?

Foodly politics aside, events like the already in-progress Arizona Restaurant Week (Sept. 18th-26th) not only benefit local restaurants directly, injecting often sorely needed adrenaline into otherwise deserved-but-stagnate establishments, it also helps sell to a wider society our inherent dining offerings as a whole.

In a perpetually insecure state like Arizona, often plagued with the complacency of mediocrity⎯in seemingly everything⎯the truth is, Phoenix (and Arizona) truly does pull some credible tonnage in its dining arsenal that could spar with some of the best in the nation. We may not always hold the largest in sheer numbers, the breadth of diversity, and, we may not always rank highest in the hallways of Condé Nast, but sometimes we frankly deserve a little more respect.

This week is another opportunity to help connect the dots. Widely participated events like AZRW (and others) assist in encouraging everyday diners to break from their often staid, routine trade routes, allowing them to discover local eating in an updated light.

AZRW 2010

I’m happily participating in AZRW as much as I can. Everyone should sincerely do the same, particularly in regard to the independent, one-of-a-kind establishments we need thriving so achingly⎯not the sleazy, overtly corporate spots that weaseled their way onto the list of otherwise standout participants.

For the local food-obsessed community in particular, we should never be satisfied with marginal rankings or ignorant perceptions. If you love Phoenix, if you love Tucson, if you love Arizona, we need to do a better job at selling what we already have to be proud of. What am I most excited about, every year? Observing freshman diners trying new restaurants, eating new foods, all the while discovering there’s more to their respective communities and neighborhoods than initially assumed.

Dependent on the restaurant level, special AZRW, three-course prix fixe menus are set at either $29 or $39 price points⎯some of which even work a glass of wine into the price. A very reasonable negotiation if you ask me.

What restaurants look interesting to you? Make your reservations, now.

AZRW attack plans? Pundits I respect–
+ Chef, author, critic Gwen Walter’s organizing: HERE
+ PR wizard, “food nerd” Ty Largo’s pointers: HERE

Times of change.

Laden with seafaring potential and New England bounty, at times the harvest delivered on Cape Cod doesn’t always match its geographic and human charms⎯even though it should.

From the area’s nutritious dirt, fertile for agriculture of all casts; its waters, perfect for stocks of fish, mollusks and crustaceans; and its chronicled fabric of colonial American, Portuguese, Italian and French Canadian pedigrees, Cape Cod should already be sucking on a silver spoon. In some cornered aspects it is, though with research. To the majority of lacquered tourists in fact, who flock to the seaside peninsula and islands each summer, I know they sure think it is. To genuine food lovers though, initial novelties of clam chowder, fried clams, lobster rolls and mom-and-pop homemade ice cream shops can all-too-often fade into gluey, chewy, overcooked and sweet beyond repair. One can paralyze quickly with this repeated cycle of gut-busting monotony. Food-wise Cape Cod as a region hasn’t always lived up to its inherent, God-given potential. Most gratefully, in the past 3-5 years however, things seem to be slowly evolving.

Smarter, sharper restaurants have begun sprouting, finally allowing the fantasy of a genuinely satisfying meal⎯after your tenth night of fried, fried and fried⎯not seem the stretch it had any longer. After spending ample summers on the Cape for the better part of the last decade, I’ve decided to expose a little run-down of such eye-openers. Albeit brief (and by no means comprehensive), the list below should help direct any visiting food enthusiast, wary of the generic trappings of stale Cape Cod eating, to brighter horizons. If for nothing else, to set off on sound footing.

Lobster, among other things, risotto. Mac's Shack.

Wellfleet's eponymous creatures. Mac's Shack.

Mac’s Shack: (Wellfleet, MA)
Upscale, bustling cousin of the Mac’s Seafood Co.’s family of salty establishments, Mac’s Shack delivers a full sushi bar, a manned raw bar and a rotating, seasonal roster of forward-leaning menu items⎯energetic, regional fare with refreshing worldly framings. The sushi product itself is indeed some of the best found anywhere on the Cape (though not exactly a tight race due to lacking local inventory to begin with), and the outdoor bar area alone is lively and optimal for people watching, full of polite but posing WASP-y mugs⎯pretension tailored enough to be tolerable, but after a second glass of wine, nearly enjoyable. Ordered notables on my most recent visit: briny oysters; lobster risotto, rich with local corn, oyster mushrooms and mascarpone; and, a hefty crab cake, layered atop a spicy bacon and corn salsa, and a brush of chive cream.

(click “Read More” below to continue…)

Wicked Oyster: (Wellfleet, MA)
Packed into a charming, historic colonial home, the Wicked Oyster is another altered take on the local upscale dining experience. With its weathered, original hardwood flooring, creaking with every jerk of your chair; and, its lemon-colored walls displaying expressive local art, the space is cozy, simultaneously uplifting and reserved. A casual breakfast and lunch service is presented early in the day before a daily afternoon closing to prepare the restaurant for its more formal, serious dinner service. Menu carries a wind of seasonal, playful California cooking, mixed with the gravity of sturdy New England traditions. Light buttermilk, tempura-like fried calamari; smoky, porky clam chowder; and, a cycling range of daily seafood specials quickly make the grade.

Dining room, Sesuit Harbor Cafe.

Roll en route to mouth. Sesuit Harbor Cafe.

Sesuit Harbor Cafe: (Dennis, MA; no official website.)
I’ve already written about this buried Cape Cod jewel several times (detailed last year by yours truly HERE), and still consider it one of the best no-fuss seafood stops in the area. If for nothing else, their lobster rolls. They do deliver⎯sweet, mouth-melting meat, flipped with enlivened (read: seasoned) mayonnaise, lazily packed into a classic, toasted New England hot dog roll. All things considered, a satisfying carnage. The cafe’s graveled, waterfront patio overlooking Sesuit Harbor can’t be a hinderance either⎯quintessential Cape Cod.

Trevi: (Mashpee, MA)
Located in Mashpee Commons, an upper Cape outdoor shopping and lifestyle center (naming aside, think New England version of Phoenix’s Kierland Commons), Trevi continues to surprise. Food-wise generally western Mediterranean, the menu focuses strongest on coastal, southern Italian, with noted Greek and Spanish blips. A casual lunch of sandwiches, salads and daily specials give way to a more sophisticated and creative offering of smaller plates intended to be shared, for happy hour and dinner. An expansive wine list and knowledgeable bar staff make for added indulgences. The modern indoor space plays with high tables, wide pendant lamps and dark woodwork throughout.

Bleu: (Mashpee, MA)
Modernized French that fails to disappoint. Also located in Mashpee Commons, Bleu is a casual, quiet lunch spot turned confident and high-er caliber as the sun sets. The menu is bistro-lite French with regional New England airs. A cozy bar area, separated at one end of the restaurant, is a welcoming corner to process the day’s thoughts over wine and well-made cocktails. It’s true, sometimes I visit late just for a nightcap.

Siena: (Mashpee, MA)
Consistently rated one of the top upscale Italian haunts on the entire landmass, I’ve always been cynical about this Mashpee Commons’ mainstay. And, I’m always (for the most part) made to eat my thoughts humbly with each visit. Modern, restrained atmosphere consistently brimming, Siena manages to serve a wholeheartedly tasteful range of pasta dishes and elevated pizza. Let the wine flow my friends, it’s a good choice.

Tuna pasta special, pre cheese. Osteria La Civetta.

Post cheese. (I know.) Osteria La Civetta.

Osteria La Civetta: (Falmouth, MA)
One of my biggest revelations this year. Discovered entirely at the benefit of local hearsay, and not, per usually, any sharp research skills on my part (ahem), Osteria La Civetta was a discovery I will not forget on subsequent visits to the area. Completely un-Cape, this charming Italian eatery has edge. Fresh, pointed, seasonal Italian food, all appropriately portioned, sauced and seasoned. This is not a Little Italy red-sauce mudslide, this is a well-designed experience overflowing with a serious European sensibility. The entire menu written in Italian, the lightning here is the selection of homemade pastas, breads and daily specials. Heavy on the seafood, Osteria La Civetta also pays homage to the local community’s noted oceanic abundance. A chilled pasta salad of the day, with buttery, firm rigatoni, piled with Italian ham and artichokes atop a plate of mixed greens; and, a bowl of thick spaghetti, twined with cubes of fresh tuna, basil, parmesan and a sauce made nearly entirely by the broth of blistered cherry tomatoes, were both definite kicks to the head⎯full of flavor, and precisely what a sour outlook (and appetite) needed that day.

Blurry black raspberry. Ben and Bill's.

Ben and Bill’s Chocolate Emporium: (Falmouth, MA)
Homemade, rich ice cream is to Cape Cod what empty coffee mugs are to my desk⎯on every corner, and unavoidable. Like a Norman Rockwell painting, the time-tested ritual of crowding mom-and-pop ice cream spots after dark, that last treat for children before heading home for their bedtime rituals, is an Americana time-warp unyielding in these parts. As twilight creeps, with towns closing up and cars alien on worn roadways, the ice cream shops remain long-lined with families, patrons foggy for the cold and creamy. Moving beyond the wispy sentiments however, much like finding worthy seafood on the Cape, locating the best ice cream here can be equally as strategic. Ben and Bill’s Chocolate Emporium in downtown Falmouth (with a few sister locations New England-wide), is easily one of the better examples of the truly homespun. As “chocolate emporium” states in the title, many may not realize their ice cream overrides, but the antiqued retailer of all things fudge, chocolate and hard sugar truly shines with the frozen sweets. Their version of the popular New England-centric flavor black raspberry is hands-down one of the selected crowd favorites.

Happy travels!

* Boston 2010 Highlights: coming soon.
* Photog note: Apologies, all above photos taken with my camera phone.

Lunch listings.

James Beard-rendered chef Nobuo Fukuda (“Best Chef Southwest,” 2007) returned to form last month, reengaging with a new Downtown eatery in historic Heritage Square, Nobuo at Teeter House. Concluding an anxious absence from the public’s regard since his previous gig at eulogized Scottsdale restaurant Sea Saw ended last June, Fukuda has been patiently amassing momentum in our shadows⎯dabbling in freelance cookery and related consulting at other restaurants around town (NOCA and Welcome Diner, come to mind)⎯waiting for an opportune moment. Well, fog cleared⎯such a fortuitous moment is upon us.

More relaxed than Sea Saw, Nobuo at Teeter House is not intended to be a straightforward copy of his former home. Still aiming for that surgical boundary between strict Japanese execution and the more limitless horizon of western sensibilities, expect a more relaxed roster of largely sharable menu items in this foodly vein⎯cross-Asian influences with near-obscure modern American undercurrents. Evocative of blue-collar taverns that also serve legit regional comfort food throughout Japan⎯izakaya⎯prepare for an atmosphere lacking vanity, pushing an understated, communal spirit.

Nobuo at Teeter House is now open for both lunch and dinner service, and in the coming weeks and months, Fukuda will re-introduce his once infamous omakase (chef’s choice) dining experience for select guests each night, by reservation only. A full menu of wine, beer and sake, also available. Full-throttle tea selection and pairings to come.

For a more in-depth feature on Nobuo at Teeter House by yours truly (including added details, menu highlights and photos) in the Downtown Phoenix Journal, go HERE.

Nobuo at Teeter House | nobuofukuda.com | 622 E. Adams St | 602-254-0600 | Downtown Phoenix

I recently had the gratifying honor of cooking with bright-eyed lifestyle personality Kathy Patalsky at the inaugural Dole Foods California Cook-Off this past June. As a team, I was sous chef to Patalsky’s recipe and direction. In the process however, I made a friend. An established blogger and entrepreneur, NYC-based Patalsky is the founding, creative spirit behind growing website and healthy living force The Lunchbox Bunch. Haven’t heard of it yet? You will.

With a blog streaming of vegan-friendly recipes, healthful living tips and gravitating photography⎯she can make tofu look like a porterhouse⎯Patalsky has managed to parlay her love of a satisfying, responsible and meat-free existence into a flourishing brand. From self-published books to themed merchandise available for sale on her website, she is clearly creating something impressive.

Kathy's Green Soy Burger.

Kathy's baked garden lasagna.

Loosely inspired by the popular last-page “Feedback” questionnaire inside every Bon Appetit issue, where simple food-related questions are posed to various tastemakers, Food Noise will be a new regular feature on my blog intended to shed extra light on the foodly inclinations of interesting people we all should know more about. Patalsky, you get inaugural dibs…

(click “Read More” below to continue…)

1. How long have you been vegan?
For about 7 years. Although, I’ve been an on/off vegetarian since my teenage years.

2. What’s one of your favorite dishes to make at home?
Mashed sweet potatoes, lemon pepper tempeh and a giant multi-ingredient salad filled with fresh farmer’s market produce.

3. Alcoholic or otherwise, what’s your drink of choice?
Coconut water⎯preferably O.N.E. brand, or straight from a whole coconut. I’m obsessed.

4. What has been one of your most memorable meals to date?
Both meals I’ve had at Dirt Candy here in NYC were amazing and life-changing. Chef Amanda Cohen is a truely innovative vegetarian chef⎯I’d take even the most die-hard meat eater to her little East Village gem of a restaurant. I also adore Pure Food and Wine, and Blossom here in NYC. I even had an unforgettable vegan meal at Le Bernardin here as well⎯yes vegans can easily dine almost anywhere⎯if they know how.

5. What are some of your favorite local restaurants right now? (New York City, NY)
See above. I also have a full list on my blog HERE.

6. What would some people be surprised to find in your kitchen?
Diet Soda. Sometimes I crave a sip of that unhealthy fake-sugar fizzy stuff! I also have frozen fish in my freezer (for my husband of course).

7. Name four things that you always like to keep in your refrigerator or pantry?
Maple Syrup grade B, coconut water, fresh papaya (my breakfast addiction), Vegenaise (because it can make just about anything taste better!), and if I could add one more item I’d say a wide variety of raw nuts/beans!

8. What would you consider to be a perfect snack?
A really fresh and moist fruit muffin⎯maybe raspberry or blueberry flavored. You know the kind where the fruit literally melts into the soft muffin flesh. A really good vegan muffin is hard to find.

9. What are some of your favorite comfort foods?
Mashed sweet potatoes, vegan mac ‘n cheese, vegan lasagna, a hearty bean and mushroom stew made with spicy Field Roast sausages sliced in, and Mexican food⎯you can always warm my heart with a big bowl of guacamole.

10. What’s for dinner tonight?
Good question! I’ve been craving a spicy pasta night⎯whole wheat penne, fresh spicy marinara blended with harissa spread, Daiya cheese melted on top, kalamata olives and artichoke hearts tossed in, fresh basil, capers and a handful of spicy vegan sausages. Some amazing Amy’s Bread on the side. Maybe a nice glass of pinot noir and, of course, a giant big fresh salad on the side. I have a different big yummy salad every night at dinner.

And there you have it folks, Kathy Patalsky. Additional info⎯

Explore:
The Lunchbox Bunch (main website)
Healthy. Happy. Life. (blog)

Purchase:
Books & Merchandise

Follow:
@LunchBoxBunch (Twitter)
Facebook

And the winner is? Though close, not us.

Not knowing what to expect of Dole Foods’ inaugural California Cook-Off event, I tried to prep myself mentally for anything slung my direction. What blindsided me? How much fun I had.

When I first opened the e-mail last April (first announced HERE), the one including an invite to be a participating food blogger at the freshman cooking event, I will be the first to admit I considered it spam. (I get a lot of PR spam.) It took a subsequent week of dedicated back-and-forth correspondence before finally accepting that not only the invite was legit, but, that the invite was for me. Four days, three nights in Los Angeles, paid-for? Transportation arrangements and discretionary income supplemented? Wow⎯why not.

The competition presented six recipe finalists (of 4,000 such submissions nationwide) who traveled to Los Angeles, CA, and prepared their respective recipes (utilizing at least one Dole Foods’ product) in a live cook-off that was judged by lovable, well-known chef Ben Ford. Each recipe contestant was also paired with a “sous chef,” in food blogger form⎯someone who not only assisted them in the actual cooking of their dishes, but also someone who helped cover the experience via our own blogs and social networks.

Chef Ben Ford and Kathy Patalsky.

Leading up to the event, all recipe finalists and bloggers were kept in the dark about possible pairing designations. Knowing only a list of names and some basic information, we were each left to ponder curiously about who might be our team member. There was a finalist with a chicken burger recipe; one with a recipe that included stuffed bell peppers; one with a quinoa and bacon-wrapped scallops recipe; another finalist with a tofu-anchored recipe, with candied cashews over a mandarin-ginger rice; and, a finalist with a Thai-inspired chicken recipe with a fruit and avocado salsa. Of all the selected recipes, I must be frank: I feared the dish utilizing tofu most. Having countless friends who adhere to vegetarian or vegan eating habits, I knew well that unless deftly prepared, tofu can swing abruptly from delicious to, well, something completely opposite. I didn’t want to screw anything up…

(click “Read More” below to continue…)

Station abundance.

Team Tofu.

Yours truly was called to be on Team Tofu. Of Course.

To my ironic surprise (and subsequent delight), the recipe finalist who I was paired with was Kathy Patalsky. Coincidentally an established food blogger in her own right, Kathy is the creator of the burgeoning vegan-focused lifestyle brand The Lunchbox Bunch. Suffice to say, this immediately gave the two of us a mental point of camaraderie. (Read more about Kathy HERE.)

As swiftly as the team designations were announced, Kathy and I shared a brainstorming pow-wow. Kathy was (and is) a complete gem, and any personal hesitations about dedicating focus to her recipe faded immediately. Though I’m biased, I’d even argue that we easily became the team to beat. If not for the food itself, then at least for our work ethic⎯steady, collected and deadly. After the timer began ticking, the two of us were in laser-like sync.

We had a title to win.

In true form, minutes before each team was to begin preparing their dishes, a plot twist was presented⎯each team had to also make a entirely separate, second dish in the same hour and a half time period alloted for the original. Each of the teams’ sprung recipes were randomly selected from the vaults of Dole Foods⎯volumes akin to old Betty Crocker recipes. No Chinese-Peruvian love-making; no mystical, molecular gastro-physics here⎯think June Cleaver standbys dusted off for resuscitation. Thus, our second dish was bestowed: roasted sweet potatoes, with mushrooms and wilted arugula. Easy as (an easy) pie

Mushrooms, cooking. My sweet potato assignment.

The finished, second (my sweet potato) dish.

There she is.

Tofu, sexy. Again.

With our primary dish, I’m proud to report that Kathy’s cashew tofu over mandarin-ginger rice was wholeheartedly delectable. In fact, one of the best iterations of the infamous soybean curd I’ve ever tasted⎯most especially a non-fried example. Labeled “innovative” by chef Ford, it’s a dish I’d love to perfect myself. If prepared for nothing else, to simply showcase inherent virtues of well-executed tofu to otherwise tofu-adverse friends. To put it another way: Kathy made a mean dish. It was easily apparent the recipe had the chops to compete with any of the meat-focused entries. I was a proud partner in crime.

Feast of personalities.

Grub love.

Prior to the verdict, everyone in attendance participated in a communal feast of our entire groups’ creations. As a self-enlisted cynic at the outset of this entire experience, I can now willingly concede that I couldn’t have imagined such a gratifying spread made largely utilizing Dole products. Though entirely justified and commendable, in a world frothing over the severely organic⎯farm-to-table this, independent purveyor that⎯this growing event shows that elevated quality, genuinely healthy and incredibly flavorful eating can also come from some of our corporate brethren. For fear of sounding like a shill for Dole Foods (and not loosing any shred of food-worthy street-cred I’ve ever managed to retain), as a general rule, I do always prefer foods fresh, organic, in-season, local and or market-sourced to a majority of items found in your average suburban grocery isle. Again, with that said, it’s also nice to know there are some corporate mainstays out there who have been able to maintain a standard above the often bleak, mass-produced monotony that (unfortunately) exists out there. So for that, thanks Dole. Color me surprised.

The recipe finalists.

Chef Decider.

Winning team. (L-R: Janice Elder, Chef Ford & blogger Gabriela Lopez)

Janice's winning dish.

With that, the preeminent winner of the first annual Dole California Cook-Off was Janice Elder who prepared those Thai-spiced chicken thighs “crowned” with an avocado and orange salsa. I had the pleasure of sharing light dinner-table conversation with Janice, dining across from her (and her equally affable husband) during the event’s communal feast. She was a sincerely delightful person. A very gregarious woman worthy of every accolade, most especially this one. In jest I say “preeminent winner” because, well, I hold that Kathy and I also knocked it out of the park⎯we were definitely winners in our eyes.

Once again, big thanks to every party involved. New friends were definitely made.

Winner and dish:
Janice Elder (Charlotte, NC) – Orange and avocado crowned black Thai grilled chicken thighs.

Runners-up in no particular order, and dishes: (Dish recipes found HERE.)
Laura Greenberg (Lake Balboa, CA) – Pineapple-glazed, bacon-wrapped scallops with a pineapple-macadamia nut quinoa.
Harold Cohen (Hollywood, FL) – Mandarin chicken burger.
Kathy Patalsky (New York City, NY) – Ginger-mandarin rice with cashew tofu.
Laura Ploeger (Brandy Station, VA) – Turkey and pineapple stuffed peppers.

Other selected bloggers:
Alice Currah of Sweet Savory Life (teamed with Laura Ploeger)
Cathy Danh of Gastronomy Blog (teamed with Harold Cohen)
Erin Forney of Food Tramp Diaries (teamed with Laura Greenberg)
Gabriela Lopez of Gabriela’s Kitchen (teamed with winner Janice Elder)

Worthy links:
The Lunchbox Bunch (my partner Kathy Patalsky’s website and blog)
Dole Foods (the mother organization)
The Rogers Group (event organizers)
Epicurean School of the Culinary Arts (the event location)
Ford’s Filling Station (chef Ben Ford’s eponymous restaurant)
Andaz Hotel West Hollywood (our lively home away from home)

* Photog note: Above photos are mix of images taken by myself, and by the Rogers Group/Dole Foods. If unable to decipher my photos from those taken by the hired professional, contact me. I will gladly provide proper credits.

Recently, yours truly was selected to be one of several guest bloggers invited to help cover the Dole California Cook-Off later this month in Los Angeles.

As a food blogger, requests for product reviews, kind offers of free meals and event invites of varying quality inevitably spill my direction. Most of the time however, I decline. Being that this silly website of mine is more ‘labor of love’ at this point, accepting such sponsored solicitations has never been my prerogative.

Despite Dole Foods not exactly being a mom-and-pop outfit (I lean less corporate, it’s true), I accepted this particular invitation because of its generous scope. Plainly, it promises to be a fun, diverting experience. Besides being graciously accommodated by Dole Foods, I will also have an opportunity to meet scores of talented, interesting and like-minded people along the way–fellow bloggers, chefs, home cooks, you name it.

The premise of Dole’s California Cook-Off is simple. Everyday home cooks submitted their tried-and-true recipes utilizing particular Dole products, and the chosen finalists will then be shuttled to Los Angeles for a competitive, live cook-off event at the Epicurean School of Culinary Arts. The ultimate winners will be ranked by a panel of local food industry notables, including chef Ben Ford (as in actor Harrison Ford’s offspring) of Ford’s Filing Station. The ultimate winner takes home, among other things, a $1,000 cash prize, and the printing of their recipe on selected Dole canned food labels.

Myself and the other selected bloggers come into play in the form of kitchen assistance. Each of us are being coupled with a recipe finalist, acting as de facto sous-chef, helping to prepare their submitted dishes for said judging. We will also be reporting about the event via our respective blogs.

Ironically, among the diverse list of guest bloggers chosen nationwide, I was pleasantly surprised to discover Erin Forney, the personality behind Food Tramp Diaries, will joining me as well. Always nice to share such an experience with a familiar face.

Stay tuned.