Chocolate, flowers and hearts are everywhere - that must mean it’s time for Valentine’s Day. Flowers and hearts are nice and all, but we think chocolate for Valentine’s Day is where it’s at. Here’s a list of where to get the best chocolate treats in Phoenix.

Christopher’s Chocolate Tower

A lacey chocolate column filled with milk-chocolate mousse, drizzled with espresso-scented crème anglaise and garnished with seasonal berries. Hello, lover. The waiters at Christopher’s see us coming a mile away – it’s impossible to resist a suggestion of the Chocolate Tower for dessert.

Chocolate Milkshake at 5 ‘n Diner

As self-proclaimed chocolate milkshake connoisseurs, we hereby name the chocolate shake at 5 ‘n Diner our favorite. Feel free to pair it with a side of French fries.

Fairytale Brownies

Locally owned but nationally known, we are known to get excited and scared whenever a delivery of Fairytale Brownies is delivered to the office. Excited, because these are the best brownies around, scared because we seriously lack self-control in their presence.

Wei of Chocolate

Find your “Wei” with Wei of Chocolate. Organic, vegan, fair-trade chocolate made with flower essences = guilt free indulgence. We find our “wei” at the Downtown Phoenix Public Market.

Chocofin Chocolatier

Our serendipitous discovery of Chocofin chocolates happened during a day trip to Cottonwood in the Pillsbury Wine Company Tasting Room. Our server recommended pairing a dark chocolate black currant marzipan chocolate with the red wine we were drinking. Wowza. We’re hooked. The flavor combination was like nothing we’ve had before. Simply amazing.

Cerreta Candy Co. 

Cerreta’s has been a Phoenix staple for many generations. Located in downtown Glendale, you can take a tour of the factory to see how their candy is made. Even better, the tour is free and they often let you sample some product. Our personal favorites include the Arizona Camelback Bar and the French Mint Truffles.

Julia Baker Confections Chocolate Dessert Boutique 

Located at the Montelucia Resort, Julia Baker Confections offers European style chocolates, confections that you can enjoy with some wine, champagne and espresso in the café.

Chocolate Bread Pudding from Cornish Pasty

It was love at first taste for us when we tried this sweet, gooey and delicious dessert at Cornish Pasty. Homemade bread, baked in rich chocolate brandy sauce and served with crème aglaise or ice cream, we now make a point to order dessert first at Cornish Pasty.

The Year of the Dragon will be rung in Monday, January 23rd for the Chinese New Year. Here’s how you can celebrate the Chinese New Year in Phoenix.

Phoenix Chinese Week 

2012 Chinese New Year celebrations kick off on Monday, January 23rd finishing with a 3-day festival Friday, January 27th through Sunday, January 29th. There will be art contests, a banquet, children’s activities and more.

Chinese New Year Celebration at the Musical Instrument Museum

Special performances to celebrate the Year of the Dragon will take place on Saturday, January 8th. The day will feature traditional Chinese instruments, folk songs and dance, martial arts, original artwork on display, and a craft activity for all ages. A Chinese-inspired menu will also be available in the MIM Café.

Where to eat

The Super L Ranch Market will be preparing a variety of Chinese New Year specialty items such as; Doufuhua (sweet tofu dessert), Nian Gao (sticky cake), Zongzi (rice and meat steamed in a banana leaf), Gok Jau (dumplings) and more.

If you want to keep it simple we recommend these local Chinese restaurants:

Wahsun Chinese Restaurant (8056 N. 19th Avenue, Phoenix) Located in a non-descript strip mall, Wahsun serves your favorites in huge and affordable portions. Although the restaurant is nothing fancy, you’ll forget as soon as you take your first bite.

Asian Café Express ( 1911 W. Main Street, Mesa) Another affordable favorite, Asian Café Express has an impressive menu with something for everyone.

Nee House Chinese Restaurant (13843 N. Tatum Boulevard, Phoenix) Another great local choice with a traditional and  more Americanized menu.

China Chili (302 E. Flower Street, Phoenix) A favorite among the downtown Phoenix crowd, China Chili is a great place to eat Chinese with your whole family.

Ling and Louie’s (9397 E. Shea Boulevard, Scottsdale) Ling and Louie’s will be ringing in The Year of the Dragon by decking out the restaurant with Chinese New Year staples and a healthy serving of the color red, which is traditional for the occasion.

Gung hay fat choy!

Everyone has that “special occasion” restaurant - your go to place to celebrate promotions, new jobs, birthdays, homecomings etc. That restaurant for me is Beckett’s Table.

Located in Phoenix’s Arcadia neighborhood, Beckett’s Table has delicious, upscale comfort food at affordable prices. I’ve had the chance to taste almost every menu item at Beckett’s from the many celebrations with family and friends, and I've been consistently impressed with each bite. My favorite dish is the Pork Oso Bucco Confit - it’s close your eyes and savor each bite good. The pork literally melts in your mouth. Tip, save room for dessert or perhaps order it first. Beckett’s has fantastic desserts with my personal favorite being the death by chocolate, or maybe the nutella chocolate puddin’, or maybe the chocolate dipped bacon s’mores, oh my. Okay, so maybe just bring a whole group so you can “share” a few desserts.

Beckett's desserts from right (clockwise); nutella chocolate puddin', chocolate dipped bacon s'mores, fig and pecan pie.

A sampling of Beckett's delicious appetizers from top right (clockwise); super creamy grits and schreiner's sausage trio, noshing board, organic brussels sprouts, roasted red pepper and tomato soup with sweet corn cream.

Beckett's main courses from right (clockwise); beef strogonoff (not on the regular menu), fire roasted green chile pork stew, wood oven roasted mussels, steamed white bass.

Beckett’s Table also has a carefully crafted wine and beer list, with a great selection of local Arizona wine and beer. You also must check out their cocktails like the Pain Killer, the Palmaire or the Four Peaches Beer Cocktail (only available in the summer).

Beckett’s Table is located at 3717 E. Indian School Road, Phoenix

More photos from our visit to Beckett's Table can be found on Flickr.

I’ve lived down the street from Sierra Bonita Grill for four years and every time I drove by I would tell myself that I really needed to try that place. My fiancé and I finally stopped in last month. Now,  it’s on our regular happy hour and dinner rotation. I should have stopped in earlier.

Located in Central Phoenix, Sierra Bonita Grill serves what can be described best as Southwestern cuisine. They take influences from many of the cultures of the Southwest and turn them into delectable dishes like the "Original" Cowboy Stew or fun happy hour snacks like the Sonoran hot dog. I’ve also heard that they have a fantastic brunch.  I won’t be waiting four years to try it.

The “Orignal” Cowboy Stew made with braised beef, hominy, carrots, onions and chiles in a rich hearty broth. Garnsihed with crispy sweet potato strips and served with a warmed flour tortilla. Add a fried egg if you’re feeling like a real cowboy.

During happy hour you can snack on the Sonoran hot dog for $6. For those of you that don’t know, a Sonoran hot dog is a bacon wrapped hot dog topped with mayo, refried beans, cotija cheese, and Indian salsa served on a fresh bolillo roll.

Sierra Bonita has happy hour from 3-6pm (bar only) with $6 snack specials, $6 signature cocktails and $4 well drinks and draft beers.

Sierra Bonita is located at 6933 North 7th Street, in Phoenix.

Find more photos from our visit to Sierra Bonita on Flickr.

Tutti Santi in Phoenix is a family favorite for Italian cuisine.

Italian cuisine and family just go together, which makes it no surprise to me that Tutti Santi is one my family’s favorites. I’ve been to two of the five Greater Phoenix locations, and have felt like a member of the Tutti Santi family at each one. You can taste the pride in the food and feel the pride in the service you get from their staff.

We recently celebrated my father’s birthday at the 16th Street Tutti Santi in Phoenix. Located near the Pointe at Squaw Peak, you could blink and miss Tutti Santi which is situated in the back corner of the strip mall facing 16th Street. This particular location has a great patio for a nice day and the inside of the restaurant is much bigger than you would expect from the outside. The décor is of your typical Italian restaurant with white tablecloths and wine and Italian themed imagery.

Whenever I visit Tutti Santi I have a hard time deciding on what to order. Everything on the menu sounds delicious and it is filled with seafood items along with more traditional Italian dishes like ravioli and lasagna.

We decided on two appetizers for the table after asking the waiter how fresh their mussels were. “Fresh!” He said, “We fly in our seafood three times a week.” The mussels are served in a white wine garlic sauce, and make sure to ask for extra bread to sop up the broth. We also ordered the calamari, which was perfectly crisp (not chewy!) and served with a spicy cocktail sauce.

The mussels appetizer at Tutti Santi.

Because the portions are huge at Tutti Santi, my fiancé and I split the Linguine del Marinaio that comes with fresh clams, mussels, calamari and shrimp sautéed in a light tomato sauce and served on a bed of linguine. Bravo! The seafood was fresh, perfectly cooked, and the sauce was delicious.

Linguine del Marinaio

My mother ordered her favorite, the Homemade Ravioli alla Nina. I have to tell you, this ravioli will change your life – it’s like perfect little pillows of pasta, Ricotta cheese with spinach and marinara. It’s just amazing. Try it and thank us later.

The best ravioli you will have outside of Italy.

My father ordered the lasagna and it was another hit. You just can’t lose when you order at Tutti Santi.

Tutti Santi has five locations in Greater Phoenix. The menu and happy hour specials vary on location, so check their website before you go.

More photos from our visit to Tutti Santi can be found on Flickr.

What used to be an auto repair shop in North Central Phoenix, has now become home to the Garage Wine and Tap. The two car bays now hold tables and chairs rather than oil pits and parts, but the repair shop theme has been carried over to the restaurants décor. The brick walls hold vintage tires and a giant wooden propeller, while gas pumps can be found in the bathrooms. Concrete and dark woods make up the u-shaped bar.

But don’t let the name fool you, this hangout offers up gourmet bar items such as flatbreads, lamb chops, specialty salads, shrimp and burgers. You can also find over 20 wines and champagnes and 20 beers, including local microbrews.

For my lunchtime trip I settled in at the bar with the Caprese Salad and the flatbread simply named Meat. The salad consisted of a large slice of an heirloom tomato topped with a very thick and dense piece of buffalo mozzarella, then drizzled with an aged balsamic. Not quite a salad in the terms of a pile of leafy greens, but still delicious.

The Caprese Salad

I followed this up with the appropriately named Meat flatbread which was a thin crust pizza covered with fennel sausage, prosciutto, pepperoni and apple wood smoked bacon which had a great smoky flavor and a perfectly crisp crust.

The 'Meat' flatbread

This neighborhood pit-stop has live music every Tuesday night, weekend brunch, and weekday happy hour specials.

The Garage Wine and Tap is located at 1534 E. Bethany Home Road in Phoenix.

Adding to the list of great restaurants along Central Avenue is the latest addition, Timo. This wood fire oven restaurant and wine bar opened by the talent behind Brick Urban Kitchen, features a full menu with tapas, pizzas, bruschetta and sandwiches during weekday lunch and dinner, and a brunch menu on the weekends.

I dropped in during their Sunday brunch, and found the patio already packed - I could see why. Their patio, much larger than other wine bars, was very inviting with a center placed fire pit surrounded by leather couches and tables.

Being too hungry to wait, I chose to be seated inside where I had a great spot right in front of the custom built wood fire oven.

After a recommendation by the waiter, I tried their bruschetta. With choices of smoked salmon, apple and brie, and my favorite the roasted eggplant and goat cheese, I was not disappointed! The flavors were well paired and had a great smoky flavor brought out by the wood oven. I paired this with the mimosa flight, which is three glasses of champagne with fresh squeezed grapefruit, cranberry and orange juices.

When I was looking over the menu I had noticed they had foie gras with fig jam, and feeling a little adventurous, I decided to give it a try. For those not familiar with foie gras, it’s a pate like substance made from duck liver. I tried it and as instructed, treated the items as if they were butter and jam by spreading it on the provided crostini. Well, I can say this may not be my new favorite meal, but it was interesting to say the least, with a very rich, bitter like taste.

If you miss their weekend brunch, you can stop in on Mondays they offer flatbread and a bottle of wine for only $19 from 5:30-9:30pm.

Timo is located at 8801 N. Central Ave.

If you have a craving for some island style food but can’t take the time to head to Hawaii, then you can feed that need at Hula’s Modern Tiki right here in Phoenix!

Hula’s takes island style and adds a modern contemporary twist which you can see not just in the food but in the décor as well. As you enter Hula’s you’ll first encounter a large outdoor patio with modern furniture, nothing that says island; that is until you walk up to the front doors where you will be greeted by a 6 foot tall wooden carved tiki. Now that’s more like it!

The restaurant itself has an unusual L-shape layout, but the bar which is the highlight is very inviting. The dark wood bar-top has built in glass display shelves that house hundreds of different tiki glassware. On most evenings a large wall serves as the backdrop for old Hawaii movies such as Blue Hawaii or South Pacific.  Hawaiian hula girls and surfers can be found in framed pictures throughout the restaurant.

This particular visit was for lunch, so I chose the South Seas Fish Tacos, made with grilled Hapu, which is a Hawaiian Sea Bass. The size of the filet they put in each taco is ginormous, almost making it difficult to actually fold the taco! These tacos paired with the black beans and rice is a plate and belly-full.

My lunch buddy had the Big Sur Black Bean Burger, which she said was the best black bean burger she had ever tried, and that the grilled Maui onions were the perfect topping.

Hula’s lunch menu offers up a variety of sandwiches, burgers and salads, while the dinner menu provides more options with more island style flare. My top choices for dinner are the coconut or macadamia crusted fish, and the Duke’s Luau Pork Plate. The Duke’s Luau Pork Plate is served with traditional style slow roasted pork, rice and coleslaw and is named after the famous Hawaiian credited with spreading the sport of surfing. For the thirsty crowd, a must-try is the Scorpion Bowl, a punch bowl of brandy, rum and juices set aflame, sharing is recommended but not a restriction!

Hula’s also offers a full brunch menu on the weekends.  On Mahalo Mondays, 10% of sales go to local charities.

Hula’s Modern Tiki is located at 4700 N. Central Ave. See more photos from Michelle's visit to Hula's Modern tiki on Flickr.

The Mint was formerly a bank, remodeled into a restaurant/lounge/club. Photo credit: Dean Studios

Formerly a bank, The Mint (Get it? Bank, money, mint…) is part restaurant, part lounge. We were recently invited to visit The Mint to try some of the menu items and to check out the newly remodeled location.

If you’ve driven down Camelback just east of Scottsdale Road, you’ve probably noticed The Mint’s huge patio. What you can’t see from the road is how cool The Mint looks inside. Colorful lights, lounge seating and an eclectic mix of house music help The Mint straddle the divide between restaurant and lounge. One of the first things that I noticed when we were seated was that the music was at the perfect level to be enjoyed, and I could still carry a conversation with my fiancé during dinner.

Colorful lighting in The Mint. Photo credit: Dean Studios

Since we were invited guests, I let the waitress make recommendations for what we should drink and eat. I started with the Life Savings martini made with Ultimat Vodka, St. Germain, basil, fresh strawberries, lemon and ginger soda. Perfectly sweet, and I could tell that fresh strawberries were used by how fragrant the drink was.

The Life Savings martini. Photo credit: Dean Studios

While waiting for our food to come out, we were mesmerized by a fiber optics light show going on over the main bar. 3D images of fish swimming, people dancing and a globe spinning to the music was pretty entertaining. I also noticed a huge table in the middle of the restaurant that would be perfect for a group celebration.

We were mesmerized by the fiber optic display above the bar. Photo credit: Dean Studios

The menu at The Mint is crafted by Executive Chef Johnny Chu and consists of pan-Asian cuisine, presented on small plates as tapas. The menu items that we tried were the Soup Gyoza, House Dynamite Chicken, Sugar Cane Pork and Hong Kong Flat Rice. Soup Gyoza has always been one of my favorites so I was excited to try it at The Mint. The pork dumplings were just as delicious as I expected them to be with a hint of ginger. The House Dynamite Chicken made with bell peppers, pineapple, carrot and mushrooms in a sweet spicy sauce was large enough to be a meal. It was a little spicy for my fiancé, but perfect for me (I love spicy food). The Hong Kong Flat Rice is one of the vegetarian items on The Mint’s menu and was very fragrant with flat rice noodles in a brown garlic sauce with vegetables. I had never seen flat rice noodles before. They were like little quarters of pasta, on purpose perhaps (quarters, money, The Mint…)? The last item was probably our favorite. The Sugar Cane Pork is made with ground, seasoned pork, formed around a sugar cane stick then rolled in panko crumbs, baked, then flash fried. These sticks of porky goodness are served with a pineapple ginger sauce. Yum.

Hong Kong Flat Rice. Photo credit: Dean Studios

The Mint is the perfect place to go for a celebration dinner with friends, a pre-evening out dinner or if you’re in the mood for a dinner with someone special. We’ll be going back soon for that Sugar Cane Pork!

See you soon, Sugar Cane Pork! Photo credit: Dean Studios

The Mint is located at 7373 East Camelback Road in Scottsdale. See more photos from our dinner at The Mint on Flickr.

Don't judge a book by its cover - Cornish Pasty Co. is located in a non-descript strip mall at University and Hardy in Tempe.

Have you ever discovered a restaurant and said, “This is it. This is that hole-in-the-wall place that I am going to frequent all the time. I am going to bring everyone I know here, because this place is awesome.” Well, that’s what I said to myself when I discovered Cornish Pasty Co.

How I discovered Cornish Pasty Co. is an amusing story. I was having some after work libations at another Tempe restaurant with a few of my co-workers when the bartender there told us we were paying too much for our drinks. I’m pretty sure our faces twisted up into confused looks. “Um, you’re telling us we’re paying too much at your restaurant?” He went on to tell us about Cornish Pasty Co. It’s where he and all of the other bartenders, waiters and waitresses from that particular restaurant would go to eat and drink when their shifts were over. We promptly paid our bill and went to seek out this mystic Cornish Pasty Co. without any idea of what we were about to discover.

Cornish Pasty Co. is narrow and dark. There is one table in the back that will accommodate larger groups.

Cornish Pasty Co. is located in a non-descript strip mall at University and Hardy in Tempe. It’s a tiny, narrow and dark space. Perfect, I think, for a restaurant that serves up dishes from Cornwall inspired by the lunches of miners. So, what exactly is a pasty? (Oh, and by the way, it is pronounced PASS-TEE.) Cornish Pasty Co.’s website gives this history:

“The Cornish Pasty originates from Cornwall (Southwest England) and can be traced back as far as the 1200’s. Mining was once a thriving industry in Cornwall and at that time pasties were baked by the wives and mothers of the tin miners. Pasties were made with a thick crimped edge along one side so the miners could use the crimp as a handle to hold onto while eating. The miners’ hands would often be covered in arsenic from the mine, so the miners would discard the handle when they were done. The crusts were never wasted though, as many miners believed that ghosts, or “knockers” inhabited the mines, and the leftover crusts would keep these ghosts content. Traditionally, pasties were made with different fillings at each end. One end containing meat and vegetables, and one end with a sweet filling. The sweet end would be marked with an initial so the miners knew what side to eat first. Today, Cornish Pasties are filled with steak, potatoes, swede (rutabaga) and onions. At one time Cornwall had nearly 2,000 flourishing tin mines, but by the 1800’s tin mining had become a rapidly declining industry. Att his time, Cornish miners began immigrating to Michigan’s Upper Peninsula for copper mining bringing pasties with them throughout mining towns across America as well as the British Isles.”

Old photos of miners line the walls at Cornish Pasty Co.

So basically, the easiest way for me to explain what a pasty is that, it’s dough filled with yummy ingredients then baked to perfection, almost like a calzone, but not Italian. Cornish Pasty Co. has a long menu full of pasty options, including vegetarian options. I would recommend trying a traditional pasty on your first visit, then moving on from there. On my most recent visit I had the Chicken Tikka Masala (red curry) pasty and my fiancé had The Chicken Greek. We were both happy with our choices. The Tikka Masala pasty comes filled with marinated chicken breast, tikka masala sauce (red curry), green peppers and potatoes with a side of mint yogurt dressing and tahini. The Chicken Greek is filled with chicken breast, spinach, fresh mozzarella, feta, sun-dried tomatoes, kalamata olives, artichokes and roasted garlic with a side of tahini and tzatziki.

The Chicken Tikka Masala pasty. Yum!

One of my favorite things about Cornish Pasty Co., aside from the food, is that they have a fantastic beer selection at reasonable prices. From Boddingtons, Strongbow Hard Cider and many more on tap, to over two dozen bottled choices, you’ll be sure to find a great brew to complement your pasty. On this particular visit they had Four Peaks Pumpkin Porter on tap, win! Two things to note here, Cornish Pasty Co. has happy hour daily from 3-6pm and 10pm – close. They are also known for their $3 Car Bombs (Guinness, Bailey’s and whiskey). $3 all the time.

Four Peaks Pumpkin Porter

To finish out our meal, we ordered the Chocolate Bread and Butter Pudding, which I had not noticed on the menu before. Made with homemade bread, baked in rich chocolate brandy sauce and served with crème aglaise or ice cream, this is hands down the best dessert I have ever had anywhere. Chocolatey, warm and moist on the inside, and crispy on the outside I instantly proclaimed that for all future birthdays this would be my birthday cake. On my next visit, I may or may not order the Chocolate Bread and Butter Pudding before my dinner, it’s that good.

Best. Dessert. Ever.

Cornish Pasty Co. has two Greater Phoenix locations. Tempe (where we visited for this post) at 960 W. University, Suite 103 and Mesa, at 1941 W. Guadalupe. More photos from our visit to Cornish Pasty Co. can be found on Flickr.