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La Toque

About a month ago, I went to a restaurant called La Toque in Rutherford, CA. It was phenomenal. The food, service and ambiance were all fantastic. This dining experience really was one of those evening long events; a 7 course tasting menu, paired with exquisite wines from around the world. While all the courses were phenomenal, the one stand out was the foie gras. Yes, I may be offending a few animal rights activists up there, but there is nothing quite like the sweet and salty taste and creamy texture of goose and duck liver. Force Feed Away!

Reservations are recommended and taken 6 months in advance. Also, plan on spending the entire evening dining. It is well worth it.

La Toque
1140 Rutherford Road
Rutherford, CA 94573
707-963-9770

Horny Toad

This place is infested with bugs. We sat down to dinner and I had a "creeping" suspicion that we should have just left. Menus were set down on the table and a beetle of some sort crawled across the table. As one of my teammates was about to eat a french fry, the aforementioned beetle's cousin was sitting on the end. I noticed on crawling across my shirt. I almost just threw up reliving the evening. This place should be closed down for health code violations.

6738 E Cave Creek Rd
Cave Creek, AZ 85331
(480) 488-9542

Elements

Elements has some great things going for it. The view is absolutely amazing, the food is very good and the cocktails and wine list were excellent as well. The one thing that the place lacked was great service. The service was good, but it didn't match up to the food and ambiance of the place. Looking out over the Sonoran desert with thunderstorms in the distance, you get to see a completely different view than what you would expect of the Phoenix metropolitan area. Great wines from "hidden gems" round out the already delicious menu of food. I started with the Duck Two Ways which paired duck with foie gras and peaches. It was absolutely delicious. For my main course, I had the filet with Maytag Bleu Cheese. It, too, was delicious. Some of my teammates did not like their salads, but I was impressed with the place. A little expensive for what you got, but I would go back none-the-less with hopes for better service.

5700 E McDonald Dr
Paradise Valley, AZ 85253
(480) 607-2300

Chino Bandido Takee Outee

Avoid this place like the plague. I was "treated" to this place by some of my teammates and it was the yuck. Remember how I said I hated fusion. This is a prime example. Blending egg-foo-young and a quesadilla. Who thought of that putrid combination? I wish I could have that hour of my life back, but alas, it is gone.

Chino Bandido Takee Outee
15414 N 19th Ave
#K
Phoenix, AZ 85023
(602) 375-3639

Bloom

I've been out in Scottsdale quite often and have had a chance to go to some great restaurants and some not-so-great restaurants. We can start with Bloom, which gets average to good marks in my books. The service and the wine list by the glass is quite impressive, however, the food I felt was just average.

My dining party started out by sampling one of every appetizer on the menu, literally. Some were better than others, but they are all worth trying. For dinner, I had the scallops, which were a bit overdone. I don't think there is anything worse than overcooked food. Especially shellfish, where the texture turns rubbery and the quality of the meal quickly deteriorates.

That being said, the rest of the dinner party enjoyed their meals, so perhaps I just chose the wrong item. They did also have an extensive wine list, of which, many were served by the glass. In fact, they did several varietal flights (About 20 or so) that were some of my long time favorites as well as new favorites.

Overall, it is worth checking out. The service and wine are great. The food, I'll leave that up to you.

Bloom
8877 North Scottsdale Road
Scottsdale, AZ 85253
(480) 922-5666

Saba

Last night, I went to dinner with some b-school friends at Saba. Now, I usually don't like small plates restaurants, but this one wasn't bad. I really can't place the food, but it was a big mix of island, asian, spanish, latin and western flavors. Usually, I would say that is too confusing, but I think the food was really good.

One thing that I didn't like about the restaurant is the dimly lit atmosphere. I'm a big believer in eating with your eyes before anything else. If the food doesn't look appetizing, then I don't want to eat it. In this case, it was too dark, so I guess I had to give the chef the benefit of the doubt. I'm assuming that the food had great presentation and color, but it was really too dark for me to tell.

Overall, I thought the restaurant was great. If you go, it might make sense to bring a flashlight.
;-)

Saba
208D W Fourth St
Austin, TX 78701
(512) 478-7222

Uchi

"Eureka!"

Besides being the state motto of California, this was the word that sprung from my mouth when we went to Uchi. I have been on a rampage, searching high and low for the best sushi in Austin, and I honestly feel as though my search may have finally come to an end. After experiencing such horrendous experiences such as Kenichi, Uchi finally satisfied my craving. While not 100% traditional, the fish was fresh, the flavors delicate and the atmosphere, was well, let's just say it was a bit trendy.

One thing that you must try is the Hotate (Scallops). It was phenomenal.

Uchi
801 South Lamar
Austin, TX 78704
512-916-4808

Craft Dallas

Finally, a great meal at a great restaurant. Unfortunately, I had to travel to Dallas for this meal. I went to the Dallas outpost of the original Craft Restaurant in New York City. Tom Colicchio has really worked his magic. The food here is creative, elegant and delicious. The waitstaff was highly attentive. The food is served family style and meant to share. While simple, the dishes were amazing and brought together some of the best flavors from around the world. I dined on Kobe Beef Skirt Steak, Scallops, Heirloom Beans Salad, Heirloom Squash and Roasted Mushrooms. All of the dishes were awesome, save the Heirloom Squash. It wasn't bad, per se, but it just didn't measure up to everything else on the menu. Finally, I finished the night off by sharing a Chocolate Cake with Fermented Berries. Phenomenal.

I highly recommend trying out this restaurant, though don't go with an empty wallet. You'll need some cash, and you could quite possibly leave with empty pockets. My opinion, well worth the experience.

Craft Restaurant
2440 Victory Park Lane
Dallas, TX 75219
214-397-4111

Santa Rita

I'll admit that I haven't been the best about posting to this blog. Part of it is that I have no time. the other part of it is that I have no money to go out to dinner anymore. Add to that the fact that credit card roulette sucks, and you have the reason for my lack of writing.

I will tell you upfront that I lost at credit card roulette for this particular dining experience. Ouch.

The restaurant is in a little bit of a strip mall, though the food is quite tasty. We had an over excited server who told us that he was recently appointed manager of the restaurant. Screw him. He was the one that picked my card to pay for the meal. Just kidding, it's not like it was his fault.

Chips and Queso, which they serve at every meal in Texas, were good. Not the best I've ever had, but I would order them again. I had the combination fajitas and they were very good. Now, they weren't as good as Lupe Tortilla in Houston, but nobody will be, so that's not even a fair comparison.

Overall, the drinks were tasty, the food was delicious and the company was great. The meal was just ruined in the last 5 minutes. The one final moment that made the evening spectacular was when my friend GW was walking out and told a latin looking fellow that it was a wonderful night and thanks for the great food. It turns out, he was just waiting for a table.

Santa Rita Tex-Mex Cantina
1206 W 38th St
Austin, TX 78705
512-419-7482

Oh yeah, I forgot to add, don't go to Kenichi.