Andre Rieu 30th Anniversary Tour 2009

This was a surprising and delightful experience: Andre and his fantastic Johann Strauss Orkestra. He has been touring for over 30 years and presents a delightful concert. The seats were on the floor at jobing.com and allowed us to participate in the entry of the orchestra members, a bull, balloons, and a surprise waltz in the aisles. Delightful! One leaves with the heart beating in 3/4 time.

http://www.andrerieu.com/

Eric Clapton and Steve Winwood

Clapton is as good as ever. He doesn't smile through the entire performance, but has the biggest grin at the end of the show. He's awesome. I know that you can't see him in the photo, but you can see that the seats were good (Section 101 at jobing.com Arena). The people on the floor stood for the entire concert (oh, please) but we had a good section and could sit and watch.

I think that they are recording the Clapton/Winwood tour, so treat yourself to a DVD and enjoy it at home.

The Parlor Pizzeria

The Parlor Pizzeria came highly recommended by Kalen. He said that the pizza with the Schreiner's sausage was incredible. (Salsiccia: Schreiner's "Parlor Brand" sausage, Grilled radicchio, sage, saba.) The restaurant is located on Camelback between 18th and 20th Street. It is easier to find if you think that it is "across the street from Best Buy". There is ample parking and it looks like there is access to a neighboring parking lot. Good call, because I think that this place will fill up quickly.

I took my 3Day Walk training partner Samantha to try out this new place. We ordered (and shared) a roasted beet salad and ate it before I remembered to take a photo. Small red and orange beets with cheese and salad greens. Very good! Then we decided to split a 14" Funghi pizza, with wild mushrooms, goat cheese, chives, and drizzled with truffle oil. Sooooo very good. I'll try the Schreiner's sausage pizza on another day as I will definitely return.

We shared two deserts so that we could try both. The first one was a (still warm) deep dark chocolate cake with Italian cherries, vanilla crema and chocolate sauce. It is shown above as an empty plate, and a half eaten piece of chocolate cake. Sorry...we dug into that desert quickly. The other desert was a tart. very good, but it is difficult to follow chocolate done well.

This is a quick shot of the outdoor patio. This will be very nice with the fire going (and when it gets cooler). Perhaps our nights are still mild enough to enjoy this great seeting area.

Urban feel, good staff, informative. It is a new additional to the local scene and opened at the end of May, 2009. I liked it and will return.

1916 E Camelback Rd Phoenix (602) 248-2480
For a good review of the ownership and chefs

http://justineats.com/2009/05/21/opening-soon-parlor-pizzeria/

Maizie's Cafe

Enjoyed an early dinner at Maizie's Cafe, located on Central, south of Camelback. Small parking lot in the front (better to park on the street north of the restaurant), and a great patio. This will be a crowed place when the weather turns wonderful again.

I had a nice glass of Syrah from the featured winery to go with my penne dish, with tasty shrimp, capers, tomatoes and garlic. Service was good, althrough we were early for the normal restaurant dinner crowd. I will definitely return to try some other items on the menu.

PhxRailFood: http://www.phxrailfood.com/2008/12/maizes-cafe-bistro.html

Station: Camelback / Central Avenue

http://www.maiziescafe.com/

Arcadia Tavern

A new cafe opened in the Arcadia neighborhood. Nice tavern menu. Great patio.

ROOT BEER FLOAT - Remember to try their root beer float. Order it first, before the meal, to be able to fully enjoy it. When your burger arrives at the table, ask for a to-go container and put 2/3 of the meal into the container. You won't have room, but it will be good now, and later. But the root beer float won't stay. So, take my advice and eat it first before your meal fills you!

I have issues with the parking lot for this restaurant. It is normally full, and impossible when the other businesses are open. There is no adjacent parking and no street parking. This could be a problem unless they become friendly with the neighborhood and figure out a good solution. I like to go on Sunday night when the businesses are closed and there is space. Flat screen TVs are at the bar, so meet to watch your favorite sport.