Docsconz- The Blog

Cooking at Noca : Part Two - Breakfast For Dinner: A Docsconz Video

Cooking at Noca : Part One- Duo of Crudo: A Docsconz Video

The Grand Canyon

Make no mistake - the Grand Canyon is spectacular. The shapes, the colors, the sheer size is simply awesome in the truest sense of the word. We were there only a short time, having arrived in the dark, had dinner, and slept and only after that, did we actually see the Canyon, as we woke up early to catch the sunrise at Mather Point. The photos don't do it justice.

 

We spent the better part of the day visiting various areas of the Canyon, even including a short hike down off the rim on the South Kaibab Trail before driving out via the East Gate. The weather was chilly, but beautiful and crowds were sparse, making this a wonderful time to have visited.

For more photos, please watch the slide show.

El Tovar

The El Tovar Hotel is the granddaddy of Grand Canyon Hotels. Opened in 1905, it is situated right on the rim of the Canyon. Oddly, though, despite its spectacular location the guest rooms don't have Canyon views. I recently stayed there for a night with my wife and youngest son. Although the hotel is undergoing some refurbishing of the lobby, it remains expressive of its history and place, filled with old-style timbers and trophy mounted heads of Grand Canyon wildlife of days past. Our room, a deluxe 2 Queen bed room was comfortable, albeit otherwise un-extraordinary.

The restaurant was actually decent considering it doesn't really have to try too hard. For the most part the food was pretty good. I asked the waiter for a recommendation. He suggested the roasted half duck with citrus marmalade glaze. There wasn't anything else on the menu, I found more appealing, so I followed his advice. Fearing that the glaze would be too, too sweet, I asked for it on the side, a request they honored without difficulty. Happily, the sauce was not too sweet and had good balance. Applied conservatively, it added nice flavor, but still let the perfectly cooked duck shine through. Unfortunately the accompanying roasted poblano black bean rice was rather pedestrian though. What I didn't understand at all, was the presence of some tasteless asparagus on the plate. In late November? In a hotel that supposedly prides itself on its environmental program? It might have been forgivable if the asparagus were good, but these were absolutely tasteless. The rest of the meal, including a Caesar salad that preceded the duck was acceptable as was breakfast the next morning.

While the restaurant certainly deserves some criticism, I was still pleasantly surprised that it was better than it likely needed to be and considering the location and food transportation costs, relatively reasonably priced. I doubt there are too many better alternatives in the area (unless one drives out to Cameron!)

Sedona

Unfortunately we only had the time to drive through Sedona on our way to the Grand Canyon. Luckily our timing was good as we had some nice late afternoon light. It is a beautiful area.

 

 

Mas Noca

(Full disclosure: Noca owner Eliot Wexler is a good friend of mine and I did get comped on my cocktail)

When it was clear that my friends and I would be getting together in Phoenix over Thanksgiving, I knew that I had to bring them to Noca, the year-old restaurant owned by my good friend Eliot Wexler, written about by me here. Since it opened, Noca has received much critical acclaim and a number of honors and awards including being named a semi-finalist for the James Beard Best New Restaurant in the United States for 2009. Aside from wanting to see my friend, Eliot, again, I felt Noca was the perfect choice for a group like this. Knowing Eliot, I know that the restaurant uses top quality ingredients. The dishes chef Christopher Curtiss makes are interesting to more sophisticated diners, yet remain accessible to those who may be a bit more finicky. While not inexpensive, the price point remains an excellent value for the quality.

Knowing that the lighting at the dining tables leaves a bit to be desired for culinary photography, I arrived a little before my friends to take some photos at the pass and to video Chef Curtiss preparing a couple of dishes. While waiting for my friends and family to arrive for our reservation, Eliot treated me to a cocktail. I had a Thai Martini, that incorporated jalapeño infused Vodka with lemongrass and Thai basil for a satisfying result.

Once everyone arrived, we were seated at a table overlooking the busy open kitchen. Each of us ordered an appetizer and an entree. In between I arranged for a tasting of all the pastas on the menu. I had the “Duo of Crudo” appetizer consisting of fluke with citrus, ponzu jalapeño tempura, watermelon radish and rice “krunchies” and hamachi with Seckel pear, ginger crème fraiche and smoked paprika oil. This was one of the dishes I videotaped Chef Curtiss making. It looked good not to order and it was. The combinations worked well individually and as a dual unit. While adding flavor and texture none of the supporting elements overwhelmed the essential flavor and freshness of the fish. Unfortunately, while I did video the dish being made, I failed to get any good still photos of the plate.

Out of the other appetizers available, the foie gras was clearly the biggest star. The dish was seared artisan foie gras with Arkansas black apple brunoise, pomegranate seeds and apple cider reduction. It was an excellent combination that added depth while avoiding the overt sweetness present in many contemporary foie dishes. The other appetizers ordered were well received though I did not try them. Our garnacha blanca proved to be a lovely option for this course.

The pasta dishes were ordered to share with one Organic chicken egg yolk raviolo with ricotta, pecorino and sage brown butter per couple and two plates each of the Spinach Tortellini, Maine Lobster Gnocchi and the Pappardelle with Red Wine Braised Duck shared amongst the 9 of us. The pastas were all delicious with the pappardelle being the favorite of the table as a whole. My favorite was the lobster gnocchi. That dish consisted of shredded and diced lobster meat with braised artichoke hearts, crispy gnocchi and lobster cream. The flavor was provided by the lobster while the crisped gnocchi added a pleasant textural contrast. The raviolo was a very good example of a classic dish, though not quite as heart-stopping as the first time I had a similar dish at Schwa in Chicago. The tortellini were also very good, albeit not as exciting as the other pastas. It was, however, savored by the vegetarian in our group.

Speaking of our vegetarian, since the Spinach Tortellini had already been shared as part of our pasta course, and another vegetarian main course was not listed on the menu, Chef Curtiss prepared a special plate that she found quite satisfying. Everyone else was satisfied with their mains as well, each of which featured the color red, as in red meat, from land and sea. The three mains that were ordered included the Big Eye Tuna, the Flat Iron Steak and the Veal Scallopine. Each of the dishes were accompanied by interesting and tasty sides and sauces, but the one element they all have in common was that the main proteins were all cooked absolutely perfectly.

Noca's signature cotton candy arrived as a pre-dessert. That night's flavor was green apple. While I presonally do not eat much of it, it is a fun touch that adds even more of a festive note to the evening and reflects Wexler's playful nature. The desserts that followed including their famous donuts with malted milk and a lovely passion fruit and coconut dessert proved to be excellent finishers to the meal.

Noca does not have a beautiful location, nor does it have the fanciest décor. It is not the most creative restaurant in the country nor the does it serve the most opulent food. It is, however, a superb restaurant that suits a wide variety of clientele in terms of food, style and price. Wexler and Curtiss seem to have found the perfect blend for today's economy to create a restaurant that is nice, but not too nice, comfortable without downmarket, classy without being snobbish and gourmet, but approachable for all but the pickiest eaters, all at a price that provides real value. That real value extends to their wine list. While not voluminous in depth, it has sufficient variety at very reasonable prices such that oenophiles can be entertained while people just looking for a good bottle with dinner don't need to break the bank. At a little over a year since they opened, Wexler, Curtiss and their team continue to do things right. I am looking forward to visiting again next time I am in Phoenix.

Taste of the Week - November 29th - December 5th

If there was ever a place that looked like a tourist trap, it was the Cameron Trading Post in Cameron, Arizona, a dusty small town located near the eastern entrance to The Grand Canyon National Park. To even get to the restaurant, one had to walk through a shop filled with Indian trade goods of all levels of sophistication and authenticity. Nevertheless, the place was recommended to me by a woman who worked at The El Tovar Hotel in the Park. She said that it was a good trading post and a place to get a lunch on the way back to Phoenix. She described the Navajo Taco and even though it was 6:45 in the morning, just talking about it was making her drool.

She didn't lie. We sat down in a well appointed dining room to friendly serving staff, who immediately asked what we would like to drink. Being that we were in the desert, it was with some trepidation that I asked for water, though when it came, it tasted clean and pure. Before we ordered, we managed to see some plates brought to other diners. They were huge!

 

Navajo Vegetarian Taco

Our waiter was very helpful and accommodating. My wife and son were allowed to split a Vegetarian Navajo Taco, which consisted of Navajo fry bread, topped with "chili beans, mild green chile, cheese, lettuce & tomato." Not wanting to order the same thing, I ordered the Navajo Hot Beef, "Golden Navajo fry bread covered with lean slices of juicy roast beef, homemade gravy, grilled onion and mild green chili." When the plates came out, we were bowled over. It's a good thing my wife and son split the Taco. Each was still served an individual plate with a very ample piece of fry bread topped with all of the ingredients. My own platter was huge as well. The chili advertised as "mild" gave my dish a nice bite to go with the tender and tasty beef, the well-grilled onions and the smooth, beefy gravy. The fry bread was a perfect foil, providing crisp edges for textural contrast while acting as a thirsty sponge for the flavorful gravy. The taco was just as hearty and delicious. Unfortunately, with a lot of driving still in front of us, none of us could completely polish off our plates. Our waiter was even kind enough to give us an additional iced tea for the road.

 

Navajo Hot Beef

My Navajo Hot Beef is my Taste of the Week. A hugely pleasant surprise, it was hearty and delicious, just what one would hope for in a  dish far away from home. It was also quite representative of real local cooking. Between the honestly good food, the reasonable prices and the warm service, I would recommend this place as a stopping point for anyone on the way to The Grand Canyon or to Lake Powell or if one just happened to find oneself in Cameron, Arizona.

Montezuma Castle

On the way from Phoenix to The Grand Canyon, the most popular side destination is clearly Sedona and understandably so, as it is the location of a spectacular Southwestern landscape. Less well-known and less spectacular from the perspective of a large vista, but equally fascinating is the Montezuma Castle National Monument. With a useful and informative visitor center, this Mesa Verde like structure was well worth the short detour.

 

Thanks for Old Friends

 

Mingo, Mando, Juice and Sconz

The old adage goes that one can pick one's friends, but not one's family. While I have certainly been extraordinarily lucky with my family, I have been no less fortunate with my friends. My wife, three sons and myself just spent a fabulous long Thanksgiving weekend visiting Phoenix, Arizona for a reunion with my three closest friends from high school and their families, all of us staying at the home of one of those friends. We have periodically met up with our families or sometimes just amongst ourselves either all together or in smaller divisions, but as we are all spread out around the country, not nearly as often as we would like.

Matt's BIG Breakfast - A Breakfast Renaissance in Phoenix

The food is big, the restaurant isn't. Matt's Big Breakfast, located in a relatively nondescript part of downtown Phoenix has no trouble luring diners looking for good, hearty, down home breakfast and lunch cooking into its two small, but very pleasant dining rooms. Fortunately, waiting in front for a table to open up for a small group of six on a Sunday morning was not the least bit unpleasant, after all, this was Phoenix in November. Had it been July, the story may have been different.

Once seated with menus, choosing proved difficult, as there were simply too many mouthwatering choices. To solve that problem, we ordered a few extra dishes for all to taste and share. Prices are reasonable enough that we didn't have to worry about breaking the bank.

Most of us started with a glass of fresh squeezed Arizona red grapefruit juice, possibly the best grapefruit juice I have ever had. Between the delicious citrus fresh from our friends' garden and this juice at Matt's, I have become a believer in the Arizona citrus industry. It may not get as much notice as California, Florida or even Texas, but from my experience those industries don't have anything over what I have tried in Arizona as far as quality.

The food started coming out and quickly filled our two small tables. I am never one for quantity over quality. Matt's offers both. I believe that unless one is a vegan, it is impossible to leave this restaurant hungry or dissatisfied. While there was no lack of quantity (The restaurant is aptly named), the well-trained Matt Pool (formerly of Chris Bianco's Bar Bianco), his family and staff , know their business and how to do it well. They don't source their product from Sysco or other mass suppliers. The restaurant primarily gets its top quality ingredients directly from the best area farms such as McClendon's for citrus and producers such as The Pork Shop the area offers. From the special scrambled eggs with jalapeño, pepper jack cheese and pork tenderloin to the pancakes to the home fries to the sausage to the pesto-marinated pork chop to the hash browns to the chicken sandwich, everything was top notch. The only slightly disappointing dish was the breakfast sandwich with bacon, fried egg, cheese and onions on a roll. Perhaps preferences are different in Phoenix, but this was one dish that in my opinion could have easily been better. It wasn't that the ingredients weren't top notch. They were. As I have it back east, where the breakfast sandwich originated, I would have preferred the roll to have been grilled and the cheese melted. Despite not meeting my preference, the sandwich was still good owing to its quality ingredients.

Matt's Big Breakfast is the kind of place that before the advent of fast food, one would think was common place across the country. Unfortunately, it is not common place any more. To be sure, good breakfasts can still be had almost anywhere, but finding a good straight forward breakfast combining the elevated quality, ambiance and enjoyability of Matt's BB has become all too rare. So rare, in fact, that even in July, I would likely find it worth the wait.