Zinc Bistro

While many parts of the US are blanketed with snow and soaked from rain, the weather in Phoenix this time of year is generally beautiful. We took advantage of the weather yesterday with lunch outdoors at one of our favorite restaurants, Zinc Bistro. We've been to Zinc many many times before, but it has been nearly a year since our last visit...and this is the first time I've ever posted about it!

Here are a few random shots:

Entry w/ patio area in foreground

Bar area

Dining room

Our view from the patio seating area

How many birds can you spot? (answer below)

Here's what we ate:

Onion Soup Gratinee - "Traditional Onion Soup With Bubbling Gruyere" ($10).

The soup was good, but not up to the same level as the one we had recently at Vogue Bistro. Patty thought it was a bit too salty.

Prime Flat Iron Steat w/ shallots, brandy au poivre. Served Medium rare, choice of Matchstick Or Pomme Frites ($26).

Zinc Bistro has the best steak frites in the Valley. It's a great deal at $26, and I've ordered this dish many times before. The steak itself was cooked perfectly, although a bit overseasoned w/ pepper and salt.

Here's a shot of just the steak:

and a close-up of the excellent pomme frites:

dipping sauces for the frites:

Crispy Duck Confit Sandwich w/ Roasted Garlic Aioli, Gastrique Onions ($12).

Patty thought the duck was a bit dry, but overall the sandwich was excellent. The toasted brioche roll was fantastic.

There were a few minor seasoning and cooking issues, but it was still a very good meal. We didn't have room for dessert this time, but if you go, you must try the souffles! They are incredible.

By the way, there were three birds in the picture above.

Fantastic food last Friday

For lunch, I went to A Touch of European Cafe with a few of my co-workers. None of us had been there before. It's a small restaurant in downtown Glendale. I had a tomato, basil, mozzarella, and turkey sandwich on ciabatta bread (served w/ a bag of chips). The sandwich was excellent. We also split a slice of chocolate cake for dessert. Great find B!

Here are a few pictures:

For dinner that night, we went to Tuck Shop with a friend. We've been there twice previously, but I've never written about it before. With this visit, Tuck has solidified itself as one of our favorite places in the Valley.


On this visit, we ordered the following to share:

• Wild mushrooms on short pastry, goat cheese, sherry, thyme ($7)
• Medjool dates stuffed with Schreiners chorizo, melted gruyere ($9)
• Halibut filet, herb garden pesto, lentils, zucchini, heirloom tomatoes ($19)
  

Everything was excellent, as it has been on our previous visits. I think "big, bold flavors" is a good overall description of the food at Tuck Shop. The star of this meal was the halibut entree. The fish was perfectly cooked and the tomato was bursting with juice. It was a fantastic summer dish.


We were too stuffed for dessert, but they do give you complimentary cookie dough balls...

I'm a bit concerned that they weren't busier for a Friday evening. On our previous visits (back in late January and early February), the place was packed and we had to wait for a table.

Here are some pics of things we've had on our previous visits:

Panini bites: grilled pear, taleggio, arugula, honey w/ prosciutto ($7+$2)

Roasted baby beets, spicy mustard cream ($6)

Citrus-brined fried chicken, white cheddar waffles, braised greens ($17)

Pine AZ spiced skirt steak, parmesan lentil mashed yukons, mushrooms ($18)

Blueberry Buckle ($7)

Bananas foster ($7)

If you haven't tried Tuck, I strongly recommend that you give it a try!

After dinner, I suggested going to Lola Coffee - a recently opened coffeehouse. We had a "Matador" (mocha w/ cinnamon) and coconut cupcake (made by Sweet Pea Bakery). Both were excellent. Here are a few pics:

It was a very nice day...we tried two new places which ended up being great, and returned to one of our favorites.

Places mentioned:
A Touch of European Cafe
7146 N 57th Dr #C
Glendale, AZ 85301

Tuck Shop
2245 N 12th St
Phoenix, AZ 85006

Lola Coffee
4700 N Central Ave
Phoenix, AZ 85012

Tough times for CityNorth

Headline from AZCentral.com:
Bloomingdale's, Macy's pull out of CityNorth

Ouch!
Nordstrom's, Bloomingdale's, and Macy's have all pulled out of the project.

"The departures leave Phase 2 with no committed tenants."

Phase 1 is already a ghost-town...the restaurants seem to be doing ok (w/ the exception of Saito's Japanese Steakhouse), but the retail shops must be in major pain.

Related posting:
CityNorth a dud?

Off to the JW!

We're off to the JW Marriott Desert Ridge for a one-day getaway!

Here's the plan:
- 50 min couples massage this afternoon @ the spa
- dinner @ Roy's
- relaxing @ the pools and hot tubs
- breakfast @ Blue Sage

All for less than $300! (Roy's isn't part of the package...but I've got a $50 voucher and we're planning to do the prix fixe menu for $35pp).

Read more about the great deals here.

Deals @ the JW Marriott Desert Ridge

Summer is a normally a fantastic time to find some great deals on hotel rates in Phoenix. This year, with the economy in the pits, it seems like the deals are even better. I just booked a "Revive Spa Package for Two People" at the JW Marriott Desert Ridge for $239 (for a Saturday evening stay).

It includes the following:

• Deluxe Resort Room
• Breakfast Buffet, including tax, per person, in Blue Sage Restaurant, or Spa Bistro each morning (maximum $22 value)
• 1 Spa Treatment at Revive Spa, including gratuity, per person

We did the same package last year for $319. Even at that price, we thought it was a great deal, since the room alone can run that much during most of the year. Last year we got lucky and were upgraded to an 869 square foot Executive Suite. We're not expecting another upgrade this time around, but are definitely looking forward to our "weekend getaway"!

First Friday artwalk

I've been living in Phoenix for nearly 12 years now and have never been to a First Friday artwalk. Yesterday, we decided to go for the first time!

We went with a friend (D) who had never taken the light rail before, so we decided to park and ride to the Central/Roosevelt station. Here are some pics (notice the "crowds of people" riding and the wrapped rail cars...for next week's 2009 NBA All-Star Game, which is being hosted in Phoenix):

There are two "main" areas of the artwalk (on Roosevelt and Grand). We headed to the Roosevelt area, which was a few blocks east of the light-rail station. The "epicenter" of the artwalk is at the intersection of 5th St. and Garfield St. There are vendors along 5th St (between Roosevelt and McKinley) and Garfield St (between 4th St. and 6th St.). Since you rarely see people walking out on the sidewalks of Phoenix, I was surprised at how many people were there. It was almost like being in Chicago or New York. There were a few food vendors, but I definitely think there should be more.

After doing a complete circuit, we were all hungry and headed back to the car to go eat. On the way back, at the light-rail station, we starting chatting w/ a complete stranger and ended up eating dinner with him (one of the benefits of mass transit - you have the opportunity to meet new friends!). More about dinner in the next posting...

Only in Phoenix...

Rain halts Sky Harbor landings, takeoffs (from AZCentral.com)

Phoenix's airport has been closed a few times due to excessive heat...but rain?!?
I was in the area when the closure was announced and didn't notice any severe rain.

Insanely HOT

The official (reported) high today was 115 degrees.

Here's a pic from my car display (taken @ ~4:30pm):

Do you see that??? 119 degrees!!! It was actually reading 120 right before I snapped the picture.

I spent the afternoon in downtown Phoenix (for my monthly volunteering event). Downtown Phoenix is pretty much one giant cement heat island. Actually, the whole valley is a massive heat island. It's just worse in downtown Phoenix. As I was walking to and from my car, I experienced the most intense heat I have ever experienced in my life (and I've already been through 10 summers here). It was seriously uncomfortable...like when you open the door of a hot oven and the heat hits your body. I really don't see how light rail is going to work in this city. The shade structures that they have built at the stops seem like they provide minimal coverage.

Terrible...it's only the second day of summer...

Depressed

We're so depressed to be home again...haha...

What I hate about Phoenix:

1. You rarely see people walking around.

It's too hot in the summer time and even when it's nice out, besides the outdoor malls, there aren't any cool areas or neighborhoods to walk around (the population here is high but the density is too low). Seattle is full of neat little neighborhoods for people to explore.

When I was in Salt Lake City a few months ago, on the day I was leaving, it was 40 degrees and snowing outside. While I was on my way to the airport (about a four mile drive), I saw more people walking around than I saw after I returned to Phoenix and drove home. My drive home from the airport was around 25 miles and the weather that day was clear and 75 degrees. Beautiful weather, but no people out on the streets. Sad...

2. It's dominated by chain restaurants and "big-box" retailers.

During the entire weekend in the Seattle/Bellevue area, I only saw one chain restaurant (Cheesecake Factory). I didn't see a single Lowe's/Home Depot/Wal-Mart/Old Navy/Target/etc. I know they are in area...they just aren't on every single corner.

It was so refreshing to see local stores, restaurants, and people out on the streets!

I'll post a full trip update soon.

The heat is on

Miserable weather has arrived. It is supposed to hit 110 degrees today.

We finally gave in yesterday and turned on our AC for the first time this season.

Yuck. Time to hide inside...

Phoenix falls flat on list of fun cities (Phoenix Business Journal)

A new survey done by Bizjournals ranks the Phoenix metro area 42nd among the 50 largest metro areas in the U.S.

The Dec. 21 issue of the Phoenix Business Journal reviews the results in an article titled, "Phoenix falls flat on list of fun cities".

Highlights:

The study ranked the cities in fourteen fields from the following seven categories:

• Shopping -- Retail trade establishments
• Food and drink -- Full-service restaurants; drinking places
• Culture -- Museums and historical sites; performing arts
• Popular entertainment -- Motion picture and video exhibition establishments; spectator sports establishments; amusement parks and arcades
• Gambling -- Gambling industries
• High-impact sports -- Fitness and recreational sports centers; skiing facilities
• Low-impact sports -- Golf courses and country clubs; marinas; bowling centers

The article cites three main challenges facing the area:

• suburban sprawl
• lack of a dynamic central core
• limited public transportation
  

Here is the top 13:
1. New York City
2. Boston
3. Chicago
4. Los Angeles
5. Seattle
6. San Francisco/Oakland
7. Minneapolis/St. Paul
8. Pittsburgh
9. Philadelphia
10. Providence (PHX got crushed by Providence???)
11. Miami
12. New Orleans
13. Las Vegas

Here's how Phoenix fared in each of the categories: (including the top and bottom ranked cities)

Shopping: 46 (1 - Boston; 50 - Riverside/San Bernardino)
Food and drink: 36 (1 - NYC; 50 - Memphis)
Culture: 45 (1 - NYC; 50 - Detroit)
Popular entertainment: 30 (1 - LA; 50 - Jacksonville)
Gambling: 20 (1 - Las Vegas; 46 (tie) - Orlando, Salt Lake City, Columbus, Birmingham, Memphis)
High-impact sports: 40 (1 - Boston; 50 - Memphis)
Low-impact sports: 17 (1 - NYC; 50 - Salt Lake City)

Overall pitiful results for the 5th largest metro area in the U.S.

I love this section from the article:

---------------------
"Phillips said he is stunned that metro Phoenix would be ranked so low in the survey. He pointed to the numerous cultural attractions, including art galleries, the Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts, the Museum of Modern Art, luxury shopping and the Parada Del Sol."
---------------------

(Mike) Phillips is a spokesman for the City of Scottsdale. Noted, most of the people interviewed for the article are biased (i.e. Tempe Mayor Hugh Hallman)...but stunned??? This guy is in serious denial! That, or he needs to do a bit of traveling to other cities.

We need to get out of here soon...

12/28 update:
I found the full rankings:
America's Fun Cities: Rankings for 50 markets (bizjournals.com)

Do skilled people hate living in the Valley? (AZCentral.com)

Interesting articles from The Arizona Republic/AZCentral.com:

• Arizona's choice: Lead or follow
  
• Does quality of life fall short?
• Opportunities essential for drawing 'knowledge workers'

Various snippets from the articles:

• "The cost of living is cheaper here than in Chicago," Tim Baker said. "But in terms of quality of life, Phoenix isn't a bargain."
• "In the summer of 2004, the Maricopa Regional Arts and Culture Task Force released a report that found the Valley ranked last or close to the bottom in nearly every standard used to measure the strength of a region's arts and culture sector. Measured against nine economic competitors (Atlanta, Austin, Charlotte, N.C., Denver, Indianapolis, Portland, Ore., Salt Lake City, San Diego and Seattle), Phoenix spent the least money on arts, culture and humanities organizations. Phoenix also had the fewest number of museums, performing arts companies, and other arts and culture establishments."
• "Housing accounts for at least $1 in every $3 that is generated in metropolitan Phoenix."

My thoughts:
Except for a few certain areas (i.e. Chandler), the Phoenix metro area is lagging big time in so many areas (income, culture, education, infrastructure, etc.).

At least the food scene is decent. =)

On a related topic, this month's issue of Travel + Leisure has an interesting article about the "25 top urban destinations in the U.S.". Visitors and residents alike scored Phoenix low in almost all categories.

See the article here.