Winter Hibernation

I apologize for the lack of postings.  Sadly, I don’t have much to report.  The highlight of December so far has been NOCA…and rightly so.  We were able to get a spot at the bar last Thursday for Cheese-steak Night.  And I must admit…it was the most decadent and delicious cheese-steak I have EVER had.  It was so good…I really didn’t want to swallow my bites…I didn’t want to loose that unctuous flavor of the Kobe..thin and rare…on top a melted onion puree and white cheddar foam…the sweet peppers topped the beauty…all cradled by a toasted brioche roll.  Wow.  It was divine.  House made chips came with it…but they were nothing compared to the cheese-steak.  Next time, I’m just going to sub my chips for another cheese-steak.  I started the meal with a roasted chestnut soup with foie raviolo….yum.  NOCA, by FAR, has made some of the best soups I’ve ever had.  With the exception of some soups at Niche…they are leading the pack.

We just returned from a quiet weekend up in Sedona/Flagstaff…nothing spectacular to report food wise…although..the scenery and our cabin were amazing.  It was a nice weekend away to just relax and enjoy each others company.  No TV…no phones..no computer…..heavenly.

We are planning a trip back home in Jan…then to Portland and then off to the island of Hawaii….I’m sure there will be more to report after the holidays!

Wishing you all the best during this Holiday Season and a bountiful and healthy 2009!

SUNDAY…SUNDAY…SUNDAY!!!!

Sunday Simple Supper at NOCA….can’t wait.  I am also impatiently waiting to get down there on a Thursday night for the lobster roll and duck fat fries….and also the cheesesteak.  Can’t go THIS Thursday…stupid Thanksgiving.  I wish they were open…it will just be me and Si this year in AZ…no big plans for us…we just have  a nice bottle of wine and some cheese….but NOCA would be an awesome Thanksgiving treat.

NOCA……one word:

SUPERDUPERGOOD!!!!!!!!!!!

I have quite a pile of schoolwork to get through before I write a deserving post on this great new spot in Phoenix.  But, I will say this…..It’s worth our 45 minute drive from Carefree.

One week down….51 more to go…

Well, it’s been an eventful week here in AZ.  I’ve managed to scorch my skin, get bitten twice by God knows what, eat out at some mediocre restaurants, have delicious home-cooked meals in my mother-in-laws kitchen (of which I have craved for since July.  We packed up our entire house back in July prior to our departure…so we were relegated to eating out exclusively….and I grew very very tired of the restaurant scene) and spend some good quality time with my nephews.  I have a list growing in my head of all the restaurants I want to try before we leave AZ.  I keep reminding myself that we don’t need to rush….we’ll have plenty of time.  Here is the list so far (please feel free to comment or add to it):

Cafe Bink (new cafe by Amy and Kevin Binkley of Binkley’s fame)

NOCA

Digestif

Cowboy Ciao

Mosaic

Pizzeria/Pane Bianco

The Estate House

Cheuvraunt

Humble Pie

Roka Akor

….just to name a few.  Arizona Restaurant Week is in September so we are going to take advantage of that since we missed St. Louis’ Downtown Restaurant Week…again.

I start work next week…..yay.  School starts back up in September as well…..sooooo…stay tuned to see what is edible in Arizona!

sidenote:  I had the most amazing soup the other day…at the hospital!  Yep!  The soup was really really good…well seasoned with fresh ingredients…and my grilled cheese with rye and Swiss was amazing too!  Who would have thought that hospital food could be so delicious!  Lucky me, I guess.

And another thing:  my 2 1/2 year old nephew Jackson…he eats fruit…and loves veggies.  I witnessed him eat 3 raw mushrooms the other day and love it.  He would eat his weight in blueberries if you’d let him.

I wish all the kids in my family ate that well.  Heck, I wish I ate that well!