Jan 29 2008
What's New with Phoenix Restaurants?Mary Elaine's at the Phoenician
Greater Phoenix offers some of the country’s finest restaurants according to a recent Zagat survey. Mary Elaine’s at The Phoenician, T. Cook’s at the Royal Palms and Marquesa at the Fairmont Scottsdale Princess all made the Top 100 list. The survey, conducted for USA Today, rated U.S. restaurants based on food quality, decor and service.
Number 14 on the list was Mary Elaine’s, with its European elegance, Modern French menu and incredible wine list. Marquesa’s signature Italian, French, and Spanish Riviera inspired cuisine ranked number 17. T. Cook’s, which was voted as the number one restaurant in Scottsdale/Phoenix by Food & Wine Magazine, placed at number 34 on the list with its menu of superb Mediterranean cuisine.
For more information on these restaurants, please visit the hotel websites.
The Phoenician
Fairmont Scottsdale Princess
Phoenix Cooks!
The gourmet food and wine kitchen show Phoenix Cooks! will be at the Arizona Biltmore Resort & Spa showcasing culinary delights and accompanying wines on Saturday, Sept. 2, 2006 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Gourmet food enthusiasts will be given the opportunity to sample delectable treats and take part in interactive cooking demonstrations from Arizona’s top chefs.
The Phoenix Cooks! Marketplace will showcase kitchen exhibitors and gourmet restaurants along with the Dessert Theatre, which will provide a sampling of sweets from Phoenix’s top pastry chefs. Expert wine masters from more than 20 wineries from around the world will showcase their products, as well as provide samples and educational wine discussions.
All proceeds from this tasty event will support Phoenix Children’s Hospital, and food lovers will have the opportunity to win food-themed raffle prizes. Admission is $65 per person in advance or $75 per person at the door.
For information and advance-ticket purchase, please visit Phoenix Cooks!
Lon's at The Hermosa
Lon’s at The Hermosa Inn, built in 1935 by cowboy artist Lon Megargee, is featuring a unique program that emphasizes the restaurants artistic origins. Lon’s Artist-in-Residence Series showcases well-known artists and authors in a one-day “residency” that gives guests the opportunity to know someone they admire in an intimate setting.
Participants enjoy a dinner of Artful American cuisine paired with wines which features the artist as guest of honor. Prior to dinner in the handsome Library or Board Room, participants and the artist enjoy a pre-dinner reception on one of Lon’s private patios or in the candle-lit underground Wine Cellar. Following dinner, the guest of honor speaks informally and answers questions. Each dinner menu is the custom creation of Executive Chef Michael Rusconi, with wines personally selected by Lon’s sommelier Dennis Payne.
The series begins May 11 and runs until December 7. The cost is $99 per person plus tax and gratuity for each event, for a four-course dinner paired with wines. For more information on Lon’s Artist-in-Residence Series, visit Lon’s at the Hermosa.
Native American Chef at Kai at the Sheraton
The famed Native American culinary creations will surge ahead at Kai at the Sheraton Wild Horse Pass Resort & Spa under the talents of new Native American Chef de Cuisine, Jack Strong. With an extensive background of incorporating locally grown and indigenous ingredients into high-end and specialty menus, Strong brings a rare combination of Native American heritage and luxury culinary experience to the already renowned and award-winning Kai restaurant on the Gila River Indian Community.
Most recently acting as Sous Chef at The Phoenician’s Windows on the Green restaurant, Strong jumped at the opportunity to be part of the Kai team where he can fulfill his dream of furthering the advancement of Native American cuisine and giving back to the local Native Community.
Strong hails from the Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians in Oregon and has a long history of utilizing his culinary skills for Community involvement. Devoting much of his time to tribal initiatives for community youth programs such as cooking for Siletz youth conferences, camps and giving public talks on culinary career opportunities, Strong looks forward to transferring those experiences to benefit Kai’s existing programs with the Gila Crossing Elementary School’s agricultural curriculum and other entities such as the Gila River Farms. For more information on Kai at Sheraton Wild Horse Pass, visit the Wild Horse Pass website.
