Fort Myers, Florida (Part 8) - Our Visit to Sea Salt in Naples

I'm sure you're wondering what "Sea Salt" is in the town of Naples, besides of course the actual salt. Well, we were wondering too.  Diane had decided that she wanted to buy a few more of those delicious Norman Love chocolates to take home for family and friends and when checking online, she found out that they were also sold at a place called "Sea Salt" in Naples.  We weren't sure if it was a store or what, and didn't really have time to look it up before we left.  We didn't even write down the address, but Alice thought she had a good idea of where it might be, since there are a few well known shopping areas in the town.

After the rest of our adventures in Naples, we decided to try to find Sea Salt, so we drove around 5th Avenue and 3rd Street with our eyes out for a sign.  Finally, we decided to ask a couple of women who were walking down the street.  They didn't live in town, but said they thought there was a restaurant named Sea Salt somewhere on 3rd Street.  That was the case and soon we were walking up to the door.

When I saw how welcoming the outdoor terrace was, I was disappointed that we hadn't given it a try for lunch on such a beautiful day.  Oh well, too late for that now, but at least we could track down the chocolates we were looking for.

Well, it turns out that in addition to chocolates, they also have a little shop inside that sells all manner of treats, including - you guessed it - sea salt.

Now this wasn't just any old run of the mill boring white sea salt.  The owners, Venetian chef (that's Venice, Italy, not Florida or California) Fabrizio Aielli and his wife, Ingrid have collected dozens of flavor-infused salts. And our first surprise was that Fabrizio himself offered to let Diane and I sample a few!  He was so enthusiastic about every detail of our tasting.  I wish we had had more time to savor his descriptions delivered in that wonderful Italian accent, as well as the flavors and the moments of discovery.

He let us try Lemon Twist, Chipotle and Ghost Pepper infused salts.  The Lemon would have definitely been delicious on any kind of fish, chicken or even vegetables.

 Of course, I enjoy lemon flavor on most anything so this was a special treat.

  Next we tried the Chipotle, which had a smoky southwestern flavor reminiscent of our familiar Arizona spices. Obviously this would be great on Mexican food, but also pork, beef and so much more.

And for the big finale, Fabrizio took great care to explain that the Ghost Pepper from India, is recognized as the hottest pepper in the world and that it was wise to use it very sparingly. I was actually familiar with it, since our friend Jay is a big fan of hot spices and has been trying to buy some seeds so he could raise his own Ghost Peppers.  So, knowing what I know about those peppers, we made sure to have some water available to douse the heat after we tasted this unique salt flavor.  When I tasted it, I actually took only one grain of salt and that one little piece felt like it was burning thru my tongue.  It wasn't horrible, but I don't think I would use it very often in cooking, if at all. In fact, I think it was quite daring of Fabrizio to even consider using it on his dishes.  I imagine that there's an elite audience for it.

Soon Fabrizio was told that he had a gentleman waiting for an appointment and although he appeared to enjoy our little adventure much more than the thought of his upcoming meeting, he had to say goodbye.  We were so appreciative of the time that he took to share his passion with us.  Diane bought a small bottle of the Lemon Twist and we headed for the door.

And our last surprise was seeing this adorable dog waiting at the table for Fabrizio to come for his meeting.  I'm assuming it belonged to him because he was watching him so intently and waiting so patiently for his master to join them.

So that was our last big adventure in Florida and what a fun little detour it was!

Chinese Food Tradition at the End of Vacation

We seem to have established a tradition on our last day of vacation before going back to work. We order Chinese take out for dinner, usually from Dragon Palace at 13825 N. 32nd Street (just north of Thunderbird).

After being away from home, we generally don't have a lot of food in the house and don't feel like cooking or shopping, so take-out is the perfect solution.

Some of our favorites at Dragon Palace are Sauteed Happy Family, BBQ Pork Appetizer. The Moo Shu Pork is also very good.

Here's a quick review that I did on Yelp.

Brunch with the Family

I have been so excited about sharing these photos with you!  These are from the restaurant where Andrew and Amy took us for Breakfast/Lunch the last morning we were in L.A.  It's on Ventura Blvd, in the San Fernando Valley (Tarzana) and it's called CiCi's Cafe.   If you're ever in the area, you MUST try it.

On Monday morning we drove down to A and A's apartment from Santa Clarita and Kevin still hadn't decided when he was going to fly home to Omaha.  After looking at some airline ticket prices and discussing logistics about how to get around if he stayed and how to get to the airport with Amy and Andrew working, he decided to ride back to Phoenix with us and fly out of the PHX airport the next day.  It saved him about $100 and we got to have a few more hours with him, which was great for us.

After Kevin booked his flight for the next day we loaded up and drove a short distance to one of Andrew's favorite places.  He said that he orders from there a lot for work as well and I can see why.  Everything that I saw and tasted looked delicious and their menu is HUGE!  It would take years to get thru everything on the menu unless you ate their every day, which would not be hard to do.

The restaurant itself is fairly unassuming.  It's located in a strip mall so you'd never know it was so appetizing unless someone took you there.  This is the basic dining room below.  They definitely need to expand because Andrew says they're always busy.

So...photos from top to bottom - here are 3 of the gorgeous and delicious meals:

• Andrew's Steak Salad
• Terry's Banana Macadamia Nut Pancakes (not low carb!)
• My sandwich, which is seem to recall had turkey, swiss cheese, artichoke hearts and arugala (and maybe more) plus sweet potato french fries.  MMMMMM!! 

Don't they all look amazing?  Kevin had some kind of an egg scramble which really doesn't photograph too well, so you don't need to see it here.

Sadly, Amy ordered some food, but then didn't feel good enough to stay and eat with us.  So we said goodbye to her there so she could go home, rest  and try to feel better before going to work.  I'm happy to report that she has gone to the doctor since then and they're trying to figure why she hasn't been feeling well for a while.  We love her and were sad that she couldn't stay and eat with us.  We hope that they figure it out soon.

Arizona Restaurant Week - Sep 19- 26

Have you heard about Arizona Restaurant Week?

2009 Arizona Restaurant Week will give food lovers (like me) the opportunity to enjoy a prix-fixe, 3 course dinner for $29 per person or $58 for two people at a number of participating high-end Arizona restaurants.

I'd love to participate in this! Looks like there are restaurants participating in Phoenix and Tucson. Here's the list of Phoenix restaurants for this year. There are some great ones that we've been thinking about trying.

One place I'd love to go is Marriott's Camelback Inn. You see, I used to work there as a food server in the late 70's, just after I got out of high school. It was a beautiful 5-star resort back then and has recently been remodeled. I'd love to go back and see what the place looks like after 30 years. This would be a good reason to go and the weather might even be nice enough to sit outside somewhere on the gorgeous grounds.

Anyone up for joining us? We'd need to make reservations and it would have to be sometime between the 19th and 21st.

Our Last Day in Steamboat Springs - Day 9 (Part 1)

Just a warning...these posts may not end up to be in chronological order, but it doesn't really matter. You'll get the idea anyway. Our last day in SS was Saturday, the 22nd. There were just 4 things on my list of to-do's before we left town.

1. Pack the car and don't forget anything
   
2. Have breakfast at Winona's
3. Say goodbye to Kevin
   
4. Go to the Saturday Farmer's Market in downtown Steamboat Springs

We dropped off our keys right about 10 am and headed downtown to Winona's. The only reason I wanted to go there was the tiny little ad that I saw in the local tourist paper touting their famous cinnamon rolls. The ad said that their cinn rolls had been mentioned in Gourmet, Sunset and a few other national magazines. My thinking was that if they were that good, they were worth investigating.

Winona's was a tiny cafe with a few extra tables outside. Even though it was starting to get warm (80's) we opted to sit outside, so we didn't have to wait too long to eat. They had umbrellas over the tables, so the temps were fine. The pic here is our view of the mountain from our table.

After perusing the menu I decided on a single order of Crab Eggs Benedict with a cinnamon roll instead of toast. There was no way I would pass up the roll and miss the opportunity for a special treat.

The waitress brought our drinks, then while we were waiting for the rest of our food she set down the cinnamon roll in front of me. I couldn't help but say, "Oh my gosh!!!" when I saw it and the lady at the next table laughed at me. Take a look at this thing compared to the size of the coffee cup! It was HUGE! Not only huge, but delicious too. The roll was warm from the oven and the frosting must have been ladled from a warmer because it was fresh, sweet, warm with a little touch of lemon flavor. Perfect topping for the sweet roll! Terry, Kevin and I all got to share it and we still had about half of it left to take on the road with us.
A little later our meals came. The guy's food looked good, but mine was the best, I'm sure. The Crab Eggs Benedict was awesome with big chunks of crab throughout and the fried potatoes were seasoned just right. Of course, I couldn't finish everything, but what I had was delicious and filling to prepare us for our road trip home.

After breakfast we said our goodbyes to Kevin. He had a 10 hour drive back to Omaha and wanted to get there that night. This is his new car, if you haven't seen it yet. Pretty spiffy huh?

After he drove away, Terry and I walked across the street to the Farmer's Market to pick up a few treats to take home.

First off, we wanted to get some more Palisades peaches to bring home. We had picked a few up on our way into town and they were the best I've had in years! It turns out that we're not the only fans of these peaches. The presidential family made a stop in Palisades to tour the orchard the week before as well. We bought a bag of them at the first booth, then later saw these flats of huge perfect peaches and had to buy another flat as well. They were just that good and we knew we wouldn't have any trouble sharing them!

We also picked up a couple of other treats while we were there: rhubarb preserves, homemade soap and Olathe corn. Next time we'll try to get to the market when we arrive so we can buy food for the week. Everything looked great, but we weren't sure how it would keep during our 2-day drive home so didn't want to take the chance.

I immediately thought of Linda and her love of all things aqua when I saw this little aqua trailer in the middle of the market. Isn't it sweet?

Sicilian Garden Salad
Last week I went to The Kitchen for lunch again. It's becoming one of my favorite places. I hope it can survive this slow economy. They're running some great lunch and dinner specials right now, so if you're in the area, stop by and check it out. They also do catering. It's at 8977 N. Scottsdale Road, near Doubletree and we want to keep them in business.

While I was there I tried a new salad at the deli counter. It was called a Sicilian Garden Salad and it was delicious.

So delicious, in fact, that I tried to copy it on Friday when I was at home. I didn't copy it exactly, but it turned out pretty well, if I say so myself. Here's a picture of it. These are the ingredients. Just mix them together and chill. It would probably also be good added to a nice cold pasta, but this way it's much lower in carbs. A great picnic salad!

• Marinated artichoke hearts (quartered-with a small amount of the marinade added too)
• Sun dried tomatoes
• Fresh cherry, yellow pear or mini heirloom tomatoes
• Grilled asparagus
• Grilled red or vidalia onion
• Hearts of Palm
• Black or Kalamata olives (pitted)
• Small balls of fresh mozzarella cheese (or sliced string cheese sticks)
• Chopped parsley (it's not in this salad but was in the one I bought and added a lot of freshness)
• Small amounts of Good Balsamic vinegar and olive oil to taste
• Fresh ground pepper and salt

Of course, you can leave out anything that you don't like. I would say the artichoke hearts and sun dried tomatoes add the most flavor. Try it and let me know what you think.

50 Wonders of the Arizona Food World (or more specifically, Phoenix Metro area)

On May 20th the AZ Republic published a list of top 50 Wonders of the Arizona Food World. Most of their list is below (I combined, changed and dropped a few). There are quite a few that I haven't had a chance to experience even though we've lived here for a while. I would love to get input from all the AZ folks on which you would choose as your top 10 either from this list or add your own recommendations. It seems to include restaurant, food products and more. I'm sure there's a lot missing, especially things outside of the Phoenix metro area. I added one in Sedona to the end of the list.

I'm thinking of taking time out to visit some of these places to appreciate the Arizona food experience, but want to be sure that it'll be worth my while. I imagine there are a lot of restaurants that aren't included here, so feel free to mention 1 or 2 of those if they are at the top of your list.

Please add a comment with your Top 5 or 10 whether they're on this list or not.

I put an X by the ones that I have had a chance to visit or taste.

- Liberty Market, Gilbert - www.libertymarket.com
- Chris Bianco - Pizzeria Bianco, 623 E. Adams & Pane Bianco, 4404 N. Central Ave., Phoenix
www.pizzeriabianco.com
- Goldwater's Salsa - www.goldwaters.com
- Durant's restaurant - 2611 N. Central Ave., Phoenix - www.DurantsAZ.com
X - Rock Springs Cafe - 35769 Black Canyon Highway - www.rockspringscafe.com
- Carol Steele - Aravaipa Farms Bed & Breakfast & Jams, Winkelman
- Orange Patch, citrus grower, 3825 E. McKellips Rd., Mesa
- Mark Tarbell - Tarbells restaurant, 3213 E. Camelback Rd., Phoenix - www.tarbells.com
- Stacy Saba & Leslie Updike - Cookbooks
- The Pork Shop, 3359 E. Combs road, Queen Creek
X - Queen Creek Olive Mill, Queen Creek - www.queencreekolivemill.com
(haven't been there but have had their delicious lemon olive oil)
- Kai restaurant, Sheraton Wild Horse Pass Resort, Gila River Reservation
www.sheratonwildhorsepass.com
- Flor de Michoacan, Mexican Ice Cream, 734 W. Main Street, Mesa -
- Maya's at the Farm at South Mountain, Produce, flowers, herbs, 6106 S. 32nd St,Phoenix
- Los Reyes de la Torta, Mexico city Mexican food, 9230 N. 7th Street, Phoenix
- Phoenix Ranch Market, Mexican market, multiple locations, Phoenix, Glendale
- Granite Creek Winery, 2515 N. Road 1 East, Chino valley - www.granitecreekvineyards.com
- Simply Bread, 2117 N. 24th St., Phoenix
- Cowboy Ciao, 7133 E. Stetson, Scottsdale
- Sea Saw - Nobuo Fukuda, sashimi chef - 7133 E. Stetson, Scottsdale
X - El Chorro restaurant (now under new ownership) 5550 E. Lincoln Dr. Paradise Valley
www.ElChorroLodge.com
- Vincent's on Camelback Restaurant, 3930 E. Camelback Road, Phoenix, VincentsonCamelback.com
- Lee Lee Oriental Supermarket, 7575 W. Cactus, Peoria and 2025 N. Dobson Rd., Chandler
- Four Peaks Brewing Co. 1349 E. 8th St, Tempe, www.FourPeaks.com
- Fajardos' Cafe (formerly Lily's Cafe) 6706 N. 58th Dr., Glendale
- Patio Dining - tell me where your favorite outdoor dining spot is.
- Robert McClendon - McClendon Select Farms 15888 N. 77th Ave, Peoria or at Town & Country Farmer's market 20th St & Camelback, Phoenix - www.mcclendonsselect.com
- Fry Bread House, 4140 N. 7th Ave., Phoenix
- Desert Sweet Shrimp Farm, www.desertsweetshrimp.com
- Barrio Cafe - 2814 N. 16th St., Phoenix, www.barriocafe.com
- East Valley Institute of Technology's Culinary Arts Program, 1601 W. Main St, Mesa
www.evit.com
- Downtown Phoenix Public Market, Sat. am, Weds evening, 721 N. Central Ave, Phoenix
www.phoenixpublicmarket.com
- Black Mesa Ranch goat cheese - www.blackmesaranchonline.com
- Fairytale Brownies @ AJ's and Duck & Decanter - coupon at www.brownies.com (Fairytale Fun)
- Los Dos Molinos Mexican Restaurant - Phoenix, Mesa, Springerville, www.losdosmolinosaz.com
X - Sam Fox Restaurants - Sauce, North, Olive & Ivy, True Food, etc. www.foxrc.com
- Schnepf Farms - Peaches, Pumpkins and more, 24810 S. Rittenhouse Rd., Queen Creek,
www.schnepffarms.com
X- Monti's La Casa Vieja steakhouse - 100 S. Mill Ave., Tempe www.montis.com
- Molly's Tamales - 8806 N. 43rd Ave., Glendale
- Binkley's, 6920 E. Cave Creek Rd., Cave Creek, binkleysrestaurant.com
- Cafe Bink - 368999 N. Tom Darlington Dr., Carefree
X - Pinnacle Peak Patio Steak House - 10426 E. Jomax Rd., Scottsdale, www.pppatio.com
- Barbara Fenzl -Southwest cookbooks and cooking school, 6610 N. Central Ave, Phoenix
X - Poore Brothers Potato Chips, Goodyear, www.inventuregroup.net
- Nogales Hot Dogs, 1945 E. Indian School Rd., Phoenix
- Robin Miller cookbooks and "Quick Fix Meals with Robin Miller" TV show
X - Yavapai Restaurant - Enchantment Resort - Sedona

Thanks for your insights. Let me know if you'd like to join us for a Saturday outing to a few of these spots sometime.