Photo: Darioush Wines

Last evening we enjoyed a wine maker's dinner with Darioush Khaledi at Central Bistro.  We have visited the Darioush Winery on Silverado Trail in Napa twice, so we naturally joined some friends in making reservations for the wine maker's dinner when we received word that Darioush Khaledi was coming to Phoenix.

Mr. Khaledi is originally from Iran, and his winery is magnificent and incorporates many Persian themes in its architecture.  His wines are outstanding, as was the dinner.

Mr. Khaledi took the seat next to my husband for dinner, and he was a gracious host.  To illustrate the dinner, above is a cell phone photo of a portion of the wine room at Central Bistro, with several bottles of Darioush wines on the right.

 This week we are showing some of the marine life in the Sea of Cortez, Mexico on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.

Photo: Barrio Queen

Bario Queen is a fairly new restaurant in the Scottsdale Waterfront Project.  It is owned by the same chef who owns the wildly popular but very small Barrio Cafe in Phoenix, which now also has a branch inside Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport.

This is an iPhone photo of a painting that shows the logo of Barrio Queen.  As its name implies, it is a Mexican Restaurant, as is also evident from the logo.  This looks like a dis de los muertos tribute to a deceased ancestor who apparently liked to exercise Second Amendment rights.

This week we have photos of the Galapagos Islands posted on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.

Photo: Bink's Restuarant decor

Right above our table at Bink's Restaurant the other night was this colorful design feature, so we took a quick iPhone photo.  There must be a science to design features in restaurants, as many of them have dramatic decor.

These are actually some shelves that divide the restaurant from the bar.  They are decorated with fruit and produce in jars, placed on the lighted shelves.  It seems like a rather simple idea, but it makes a colorful addition to the decor.

This week we are showing photos of Grenada, Nicaragua, on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.  It is a charming Spanish colonial city.

Bink's Restaurant - Scottsdale

One of the premier restaurants in the Valley of the Sun is Binkley's.  It is a special occasion restaurant.  My husband and I have gone there for our anniversary several times.  It is located in Cave Creek, which is about 15 miles north of the the northern, populated parts of Scottsdale and Phoenix.  Here is a link to its website.

The distinguished chef/owner of Binkley's Restaurant, Kevin Binkley, has now opened two restaurants, each called Bink's, one in the heart of Phoenix (at 24th & Osborn) and one in the heart of Scottsdale, a the Hilton Village Shopping Center on Scottsdale Road at McDonald Drive.

Bink's Scottsdale is less than one mile from our house.  My husband and I stopped there for dinner fo the first time about 15 minutes before their 9:00 pm closing time last Sunday evening, and had an excellent dinner.  When we left, after closing time, we took this iPhone photo.

Bink's is a more casual restaurant than the top-of-the-market elegance and special occasion nature of Binkley's, but the menu similarly highlights locally sourced food with the freshest ingredients.  We are delighted to have yet another excellent dining choice so close to our house.  We can, and will, walk there for dinner often.

This week we are showing photos of Grenada, Nicaragua, on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.  It is a charming Spanish colonial city.

Photo: Street Art at the Barrio Cafe

I have shown a little street art recently of the mural of a boxer, so here is some more street art. This is one of many murals in the alley behind the Barrio Cafe on 16th Street in central Phoenix.

Barrio Cafe is very small, but it has been named the best Mexican restaurant by the Arizona Republic newspaper every year since it opened in 2002.  The chef is Silvana Salcido Esparza.

If you go, I recommend starting with the guacamole, which is carved and created table side.

Fortunately, Chef Esparza is branching out and created additional opportunities for more people to enjoy her authentic and creative Mexican food.  There is now a Barrio Queen restaurant at the Scottsdale Waterfront/Southbridge near our house.  There is even a branch of Barrio Cafe now in Terminal Four of Sky Harbor Airport.

This week we have photos of the Wadi Rum Desert of Jordan posted on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.

Photo: Fat tire

We went out to dinner recently for my brother's birthday, and apparently some other diners rode some rather old fashioned bicycles with fat white side-wall tires.   Good for them.  They deserve to be able to order dessert.

This week we have photos of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem, believed to be the site of the Crucifixion, photos posted on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.

Photo: Merry Edwards Winemaker Dinner at Rancho Pinot

This is the main course and the desert of our Merry Edwards Winemaker dinner at Rancho Pinot Restaurant in Scottsdale.

The entree was nash island lamb loin & sausage, with moroccan spiced chickpea-pumpkin stew, which was paired with Merry Edwards 2006 Meredith Estate Russian River pinot noir.

From what I understand, pinot noir grapes are more difficult to cultivate, and they like cooler weather.  The Russian River valley in western Sonoma County receives more cooling effect from the nearby Pacific ocean.

The desert course was olive oil gelato with candied kumquats and a pizzalles.

The owner and chef of Rancho Pinot is Chrysa Robertson.  She talked to the group about how her background in cooking, and Merry Edwards talked about how she got started as a winemaker.

We had a table of 7 friends, and Merry's husband joined us for the main course, as he and Merry circulated among the tables for different parts of the dinner.

It was a wonderful evening, and here is a link to the website of Rancho Pinot.

This week we are showing photos featuring the people of Papua New Guinea on our  Viva la Voyage travel photo site.

Photo: Merry Edwards Winemaker Dinner at Rancho Pinot

Last evening we went to a winemaker's dinner at Rancho Pinot in Scottsdale, one of our favorite restaurants, featuring Merry Edwards wines, one of our favorite wineries.

Merry Edwards and her husband were there, and the event was sold out.  We went to Merry Edwards Winery in the Russian River Valley of Sonoma County last year with a group of 9 friends for a special tasting.

Merry Edwards is known as the "Queen of Pinot," and the Robb Report rates her pinot noir as the best in the country.  She is a pioneer in a male dominated industry.

When we began our wine tasting at the winery, they first served a sauvignon blanc. Several people in our group commented about how they never drink white wine.  After tasting the wine, everyone ordered it.

The photos at the left are the first two courses.  On top is a lobster & scallop salad, with mache, fennel, avodaco and meyer lemon-olive relish, which was paired with Merry Edwards Russian River sauvignon blanc.

The next course was grilled quail, with roasted sunchoke, apple and fennel-bacon relish, paired with Merry Edwards 2006 Sonoma Coast pinot noir.

Rancho Pinot is also owned by a woman and features farm-to-table fresh food from local sources.

This week we are showing photos featuring the people of Papua New Guinea on our  Viva la Voyage travel photo site.

Photo: Seafood from Orange Sky Restaurant at Talking Stick Resort

The chefs at the Dine Out with the Chefs event at the Scottsdale Center for the Arts were not preparing and serving your typical reception finger food.  They featured elaborate creations, such as these seafood platters served by the Orange Sky Restaurant at the Talking Stick Resort and Casino.

Here is a link to their website. It is an excellent restaurant, especially for special occasions.  The Talking Stick Resort and Casino is located on the Salt River Pima Maricopa Indian lands, which form the eastern boundary of Scottsdale.

This week we are showing photos of the art of the ancient Khmer temples of Cambodia on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.

Photo: Chocolate desserts from Arcadia Farms

We're no fools.  At the Dine Out with the Chefs event last Sunday at the Scottsdale Center for the Arts, one of the first food stations that we encountered was Arcadia Farms, which was serving several types of chocolate desserts.

Did we wait until we sampled other food and return?  No.  We began our meal by sampling the chocolate desserts.  With the event rather crowded and people continuing to arrive, we did not want to take a chance of having to standing line or them possibly running out.

Arcadia Farms is a charming, popular, informal cafe in downtown Scottsdale. A link to their website is here.

This week we are showing photos of the art of the ancient Khmer temples of Cambodia on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.

Photo: Dine Out with the Chefs at Scottsdale Center for the Arts

Last Sunday was a special event at the Scottsdale Center for the Arts.  "Dine Out with the Chefs" featured chefs from 21 local restaurants.  They prepared and served samples from behind tables lining the lobby of the Center.

The event was a sell-out, with proceeds benefitting the Scottsdale Center's youth education and outreach programs.  

This week we are showing photos of the art of the ancient Khmer temples of Cambodia on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.

Photo: Theme Day of Bakeries

Here is a photo of the amazing works of the pastry chef at Binkley's restaurant from our anniversary dinner.

We have gone to Binkley's for our past two recent anniversaries.  He owner is an amazing chef and was a James Beard finalist.

A shout out to my wonderful husband for our wonderful life experiences and the future to come with many more travels and photography expeditions in this fabulous world we live in.

Kudos to pastry chefs of America who create the most delicate and detailed desserts to create the awe factor.

We have new travel photos posted at Viva la Voyage from our wonderful trip to magical Siem Reap, Cambodia. It is a place we cannot wait to go back to.

Click here to view thumbnails for all participants

Photo: Thanksgiving Autumn Soup

Here is a photo of the autumn soup we enjoyed while dining at Tru in Chicago.

The aesthetics of the presentation were perfect to create the ambience of an autumn fall harvest.

The soup itself in this unique squash container was delicious.

Happy Thanksgiving! And a shout out for a big Happy Birthday to my Grandmother who is 91 years old today!

This week we are showing photos of the fall colors in Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia, Canada, on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.

Photo: Exterior of Los Olivos

And here is the outside of the Los Olivos Mexican restaurant.

It certainly has unique architecture.

Check out fabulous travel photos of a place called Isla Borremeo in Italy at Viva la Voyage!

Photo: Virgin Guadalupe

Many homes and Mexican restaurants have art of the Virgin Guadalupe.

Los Olivos has this wonderful on the side of the building.

The story of Juan Diego and the roses carried by Juan Diego from the desert is an important theme in Mexican Catholicism.

Check out fabulous photos of Isla Borremeo, Italy at Viva la Voyage!

Photo: Interior of Los Olivos

Here is a photo of the inside of Los Olivos in the daytime.

You can see how the bright sun shines through the blue skylights and creates an interesting blue tint in the room.

It is very colorful.

Today is Sunday so check out our travel photos of Isla Borremeo, Italy at Viva la Voyage!

Photo: The Blue Skylight Ceiling

Tomas and Cecelia Corral left Mexico in 1919 and built this restaurant in Old Town Scottsdale.

This photo is taken from a table I am sitting at inside the restaurant.

The architecture is rather whimsical and a little Gaudi-like.

Check out fabulous travel photos of our recent trip to Africa at Viva la Voyage!

Photo: Los Olivos Cantina

Here is a photo inside the Los Olivos Mexican restaurant.

It has a large Cantina.

The Corral family has been operating the Los Olivos restaurant and is in its third generation.

Check out fabulous travel photos of our recent trip to Africa at Viva la Voyage!

Photo: Statue on Top of Restaurant

Here is a photo of Los Olivos, where we regularly get take-out Mexican Food.

Isn't this an interesting statue? I am sure it is grandfathered in from many, many years ago.

The family has been operating this restaurant since 1928.

The restaurant used to house a bakery, tavern, pool hall and even a church.

I will show you the inside over the next couple of days.

Check out fabulous travel photos of our recent trip to Africa at Viva la Voyage!

Theme Day: Construction

It was a nice sky and this is one of my favorite take out Mexican Food Restaurants.

See the brick work on the ground, that is the construction project the owners are doing.

I was short on time to find a mammoth construction project but thought this statue on top of the building, the blue sky and the piles of bricks would work for theme day.

Click here to view thumbnails for all participants

Check out fabulous travel photos of our recent trip to Africa at Viva la Voyage!