Dallas - and the Pie and Tart class

Fun time with my sister! She was attending a Basic Pie and Tart cooking class at Central Market in Dallas, so I joined her. To start with, Central Market is a pretty amazing place. It is a cross between a gourment grocery store and an organiz store. Many selections of great things. I was able to take a few photos before they asked me to put away the camera, so you are pretty lucky to get this view. This is the bread line, and some of the beautiful cakes and pastries.

The cooking class was on the second floor. There was a classroom setting, and then room for all of us to work in the kitchen. Our selections were to focus on basic pie crust, pate brisee, and pate sucre. The crusts run from our regular flaky pie crust, to one that is a little wetter, to one that is just loaded with butter, sugar and all things wonderful. [more updates later]

Preparing for Dallas

Yea, new plans are in the works. I'm traveling to Dallas in October to visit my sister and her husband. I will be able to use my new carry-on travel bag and won't have to worry about whether or not Vera Bradley (my larger bag) will make it to the other end of the journey.

Wildflower Cafe

I know that this is a chain, but it still has a nice charm and good food. I've stopped here twice: once for lunch and once for breakfast. The breakfast frittata is small and the bread is good. Lunch was awesome. I had a tropical caesar salad with melons and papaya. There were some carmelized nuts also and it a nice combination. The seating is large enough to comfortably fit four people per table and they had a few larger settings for more people.

The one I visited was on Indian School Road west of 44th Street on the North side of the street. The photo doesn't show much because I was just demonstrating my camera and not really thinking about writing about the restaurant. But, it certainly deserves mention and recommendation. It is one of the new restaurants moving into this area of town. These are much needed as I sometimes feel that there weren't enough choices.

Parking - good
Service - Order in line and they bring it to the table

The Gelato Spot

The Gelato Spot is located on 4166 North Scottsdale Road. This as a good spot to go for that luscious desert and fortunately there are several locations.

The presentation makes if very difficult to select one scoop. I had peanut butter, and Kalen ordered peanut butter and chocolate. Several people sitting in the area had laptops, so it looks like this may be a good spot to stop for a snack and finish a little work. The website states that there are 36 choices, with 150 rotating Italian gelatos.

Other locations:
32nd Street and Camelback in Phoenix.
Scottsdale Road and Shea Blvd.
40th Street and Greenway

http://www.gelatospot.com/

Orange Table - Scottsdale

I met Kalen for lunch on Sunday. He suggested a restaurant recommended by a friend of his, Kevin. We went to Old Town Scottsdale to the Orange Table. It's in the Scottsdale Mall (7373 E Scottsdale Mall). This is a coffee shop with both indoor and outdoor seating. It's a cozy place, with inside seating at a small bar or tables. We started our meal with root beer and a unique ginger ale. The ginger ale had a little bite to it, a little much for me.

Kalen had a burger/steak sandwich that had grilled onions dripping from the side. I had a tuna sandwich on thick slices of grilled bread, with fresh tomatoes and red onions. Good sandwichs, plenty of food.

Topped the meal with an espresso, which is what this coffee shop is known for!

Dinner at Coronado Cafe

The Coronado Cafe is on 7th Street north of McDowell on the east side of the street. Donnalee and I had spent the afternoon at the Home Show dreaming about fancy glass art sinks, huge wood and iron doors, and upgraded tile and wood floors. We were finished looking at ALL booths about 4:30 and decided to stop somewhere for dinner. I suggested the Coronado Cafe, since I had enjoyed a wonderful lunch here a few weeks ago.

Well, this is an awesome find for dinner. Fine white table cloths, and twinkling candles highlighted the glassware. We were the first in line and were seated right away. I would advise reservations, as the seats filled quickly and people looked as if they were there for a leisurely dinner. Donnalee and I stayed for two hours.

We started the dinner with an appetizer. Unable to choose between three brushetta choices for $6.00, we selected the combo brushetta for $7. Clever marketing...present three excellant choices for one price, and a combo for a higher price. All were wonderful and it was worth it for us to split the plate at $3.50 each.

Tomato Bruschetta, tomato, basil, garlic, parmesan with pesto infused olive oil $6.
Goat Cheese Bruschetta, roasted red pepper, caramelized onion with pesto infused olive oil $6. Gorgonzola Bruschetta, sundried and fresh tomatoes, kalamata olives, pine nuts $6.
Indecisive Bruschetta, can’t decide? Try two of each of the Bruschettas above $7.

We then decided to try the soup. Two choices were available to we had one of each. The Cafe Chicken Soup was good, but the Vegetarian was incredible. It was a thick onion soup with dark broth, infused with small vegetable pieces. So good and the better choice (for me) of the two.

Vegetarian Soup of the Day $7.
Cafe Chicken Soup, red potatoes, corn, dumplings, chicken in broth $5.

For our meal, I couldn't stop my mouth from watering when I read the description of the meatloaf. How good could meatloaf be? This was incredible. The presentation is a tall stack of meatloaf and the fork mashed potatoes. The photo is what it looks like after I had attacked it and remembered to take a photo.

Cafe Meatloaf, portobello mushrooms, roasted red peppers, caramelized onions, and cheddar with grilled squashes, fork mashed potatoes, hatch green chili sauce and balsamic reduction $16.

Donnalee had a salad, with grilled chicken added. She said that it was wonderful.

Gorgonzola Salad, baby greens, gorgonzola cheese, sweet red onion, granny smith apples and candied walnuts, herb balsamic vinaigrette $5.50 for the salad, then some additional money for the chicken.

We finished the meal with French Press coffee, brewed to perfection.
http://www.coronadocafe.com/

5th Avenue Cafe

This little cafe is easy to miss if you are driving on Thomas Road around 5th Avenue. It's on the south west side of the street, with parking in the rear. The place is often full at lunch and if popular with local workers. The food is cafe food. Breakfast is served through lunch time and the sandwiches are good. The interior has settings at the counter, small and large tables, and booths.

Nick F. and I have voted Kelsey as our favorite staff person. She recently visited New York City, but we have not been able to time lunch to cross with her shift. She's back in school at ASU. I'll try to get a photo and post it here also.

Mel's Diner

Yes, believe it or not, this is THE Mel's Diner from the TV Show "Alice". It's on Grande Avenue just south of McDowell in Phoenix. The food is regular diner food, reasonably priced, with large portions. The daily specials are usually worth ordering, although I seem to go there when I am hungry for breakfast during lunch. The staff is very friendly and pay attention to me when I need attention, and leave me alone (filling my water glass or coffee as needed) when I'm reading. It's a great little hide-away and you may not pull in here if you were just driving past. But it's worth stopping in just to see the old memorabilia and photos. A lot of locals who seem to stop in on a regular basis, if that is a recommendation. It was one of those places that stayed "smoking" until the very last minute allowed by the Phoenix voters. I don't know what the smokers are doing now as it doesn't look as if Mel's has added a patio for smoking. Well, it is a bit hot in August, so maybe this is a change that will take place during the winter. I'll ask about the plans the next time that I stop in.

Coronado Cafe

This is a marvelous little cafe on Seventh Street in Phoenix. It's on the east side of the street between McDowell and Thomas Road. I was very surprised with it. I've driven past but never stopped in. Mike S. and I were discussing small restaurants and I told him about my blog, discovering these types of places in the Phoenix Metro area. This has been a secret of his for some time. I had a Caeser Salad, no chicken, with a slight taste of hot pepper in the dressing. It was very tasty, but I'm afraid that it was just a bit pricey at $9. Sandwiches were the same amount, and they looked to be a better value for the money. The service was very good and even though the restaurant was packed at lunch time during the day, the crowd seemed to move through there quickly and we didn't have to wait long for a seat. Robert, the owner, was bustling around making sure that everyone was happy. He said that the restaurant has been there for about nine years (where have I been??). A card was available that lists not only this place, but another one further south on 7th Street. Hmmmm.

Photo later.

La Grande Orange again

Okay, so I can't spend the weekend without stopping into this little place. I knew that it would be perfect because I could get there a little early, have my breakfast and latte, read a little and then be ready for full out girl talk. I had poached eggs over toasted ciabatta with a side of crispy bacon. A little jam and fruit on the side and you have a good Sunday breakfast. I read some of Sarcozy's (France's president) book while I waited for the rest of the ladies to arrive. I like to wear my studious glasses and look academic.

Karla had already eaten, so we were able to discuss our many topics until Susan and Marnia arrived. Susan had a bran muffin and Marnia ordered the French pancakes for herself and her son. After about three hours, and a few coffee refills, we broke up our morning fete. Marnia is getting married in October at a resort west of Phoenix, so I'm trying to convince the others that we need to book some rooms at the hotel so that we can all be on vacation. I think that it is a great idea, so the others appear to be a little apprehensive.