Queen Creek Olive Mill
I really love discovering local treasures. I'm just sorry it took me so long to make it out to the Queen Creek Olive Mill. Since I'm such a sucker for breakfast, we opted to try theirs out. I had to go for the vanilla bean olive oil waffle with bananas and pecans (hint: waffles are served all day). And, as luck would have it, we arrived before 10:30 and got a discount on breakfast by checking in via FourSquare. To describe the waffle as delicious would be an understatement. Other waffle options include the Classic and Berries & Cream. The rest of the menu looked equally fantastic, but I'd be hard pressed not to get the waffle again.
Vanilla Bean Olive Oil Waffle with Bananas, Pecans & Fresh Made Whipped Cream
After eating, we wandered through the retail area (and made purchases, of course) and then took the tour. The retail store includes more olive oil options than I ever thought possible, a variety of tapenades, an olive bar, cupcakes, lotions, etc. If you can put olives or olive oil in it, I think they have it. They also offer a nice selection of wines including many from local wineries. And be sure to take advantage the olive oil and tapenades samplings.
I highly recommend making the tour part of your visit to QCOM. It's only $5 per person, and you really get the low down on how they produce their extra virgin olive oil using sustainable farming practices.
The olive oil magic happens here
Outdoor picnic tables for enjoying our warm, sunny weather
Oh, don't forget to grab some gelato on your way out. I can vouch for the chocolate olive oil flavor (yum), and a little QCOM birdie told us that the raspberry gelato drizzled with chocolate olive oil is a must. They do mix it up with their gelato flavors so who knows what they might have when you visit.
To see more photos of my visit to Queen Creek Olive Mill, check out our Flickr stream.
Queen Creek Olive Mill
25062 S. Meridian Road
Queen Creek, AZ 85242
queencreekolivemill.com
Hula’s Modern Tiki
Our marketing intern extraordinaire, Michelle, recently visited Hula’s Modern Tiki in Central Phoenix. She offered to write a blog post about her experience and we happily obliged.
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.
Crave Sandwich Café
Tired of the same old turkey sandwich? Crave Sandwich Café, located in the ASU Mercado has the cure. From Turkey Cranberry to the Turkey New Mex made with green chiles, provolone, lettuce and chipotle mayo, the sandwiches from Crave will rescue your boring lunch.
Crave is small inside, so grab your lunch and enjoy it at one of the outdoor tables in the ASU Mercado courtyard.
A co-worker and I walked over to Crave last week for lunch. The shop is small, but has plenty of options on the menu – I even noticed that they have quite the vegetarian sandwich selection. Your sandwich comes with Lays potato chips, which you can sub out for Sun Chips for $1. You can also purchase fountain or bottled drinks, and a variety of snacks, fruit and baked goods.
The Ham & Brie. Hungry yet?
I went with the Turkey Brie which includes turkey breast, brie, lettuce, tomato and honey mustard on a soft baguette. My co-worker got the Ham & Brie. We walked back to our office to eat, but when the weather is nice there are tables in the Mercado courtyard that you can sit and enjoy your lunch.
Save time and order ahead.
Since the shop is so small, I would recommend using Crave’s online ordering system if you are in a hurry.
Crave Sandwich Café is located at 541 East Van Buren Street in the ASU Mercado. You can find more photos from our visit to Crave Sandwich Café Flickr.
Oakville Grocery Co. at CityScape – CLOSED
Oakville Grocery opened its doors today at CityScape.
Oakville Grocery at CityScape is now closed.
The much anticipated Oakville Grocery at CityScape opened its doors for the first time this morning at 10am. I went by over lunchtime to bring you a first look!
Oakville Grocery at CityScape
The Napa Valley based grocery was hopping with curious downtowners milling about the aisles and the lunch crowd grabbing a bite to eat. Oakville carries a variety of artisan food products, organic produce, and specialty gourmet items. I even spotted some vegan, gluten-free cookie dough!
Vegan and gluten-free cookie dough
I was especially impressed with the cheese selection – Oakville definitely would be a good place to pick up items for a spread to do an at home wine tasting or for an impromptu picnic at the Civic Space Park when the weather allows. Speaking of wine, there is a wine and beer counter that you can enjoy and relax with a glass of your choosing. Or, you can grab a bottle of wine or a six pack of beer to take home from their mixed selection.
This is only a small section of the impressive cheese selection at Oakville.
I didn’t get to try anything from the deli counter but all of the sides, salads and sandwiches looked delicious. I’ll have to go back soon.
I'll have to stop by for lunch soon.
Of course, the most important part of my visit included the coffee and pastry counter. Macrons, cupcakes, and cake pops, oh my! Let’s just say I was glad there was such a long line to help curb an overindulgence.
Hello temptation...
If you’re out and about or just need a place to grab something to take home after work, Oakville is a great specialty grocer and a nice addition to downtown Phoenix.
Oakville Grocery is located at CityScape, 50 W. Jefferson, Suite 100 in Phoenix and is open from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday. Lunch is offered after 11 a.m.
See more Oakville Grocery photos on Flickr here.
Viet Kitchen
I'm always happy when someone from the office is so excited about a place that they want to share it on our blog. Kim is our Marketing Programs Manager, and here's her take on the Viet Kitchen Restaurant:
I was excited when I found out my favorite Vietnamese restaurant from North Phoenix opened up a second location in Downtown Phoenix (UPDATE: The downtown location has closed). Growing up, my mom cooked pretty much everything Viet Kitchen has on their menu, so I have a tough time deciding what to get every time I am there.
PHÒ TÁI
I usually end up leaving completely stuffed because I feel the need to order a couple of items just to get my fill until the next visit. A must have each time is the Vietnamese soup Pho, and my favorite is the Prime Pho (PHÒ TÁI). On this visit, I decided to get the Vietnamese pancake called Danang Sunrise (BÁNH XÉO) for an appetizer. My friend decided to venture away from the soup and tried their Viet Style Filet. Next time I think I will get the Spring Rolls and a Banh Mi sandwich.
Vietnames Pancake-BÁNH XÉO
See more photos on Flickr.
Downtown Phoenix - CLOSED
114 W. Adams St. (NW corner of 1st Ave. and Adams)
602-262-5535
North Phoenix
20235 N. Cave Creek Rd., #108 (NE corner of N. Cave Creek & E. Beardsley Rd.)
602-788-5535
Windsor & Churn
It's so exciting to have new local spots open up, and thanks to the owner of Postino Wine Cafe, Central Phoenix has a new restaurant and a new ice cream and sweets shop - Windsor and Churn, respectively. The two share space on Central Ave., just north of Camelback, appropriately in the Windsor Historic District. They've only been open for two weeks, and I've already been twice! Windsor is a casual, comfortable neighborhood hangout where you instantly feel at home and Churn is reminiscent of an old-fashioned ice cream parlor.
Windsor Patio and Bar
I can officially announce that Windsor serves my new favorite salad, the Kale Caesar. It's a fun (and delicious) twist on a traditional Caesar with shredded romaine & kale, cheddar biscuit croutons, avocado, celery & crispy capers. The cheddar biscuit croutons are a little touch of genius, at least in my humble opinion. They also serve one of my Southern favorites, fried okra. Definitely not something you see on many menus in Phoenix. Other menu items include Corn Dog Poppers, Country Vegetable Chop, Backyard Burger Windsor Style (sharp cheddar, shredded iceberg, garlic aioli, tomato, carmelized onion), Crab Cake BLT, Brown Bag Chicken Sandwich and much more.
Kale Caesar
Fried Okra
And that just covers lunch and dinner. For dessert, you must mosey on over to Churn for some homemade ice cream (I can tell you that the Butter Pecan is deelish) and other yummy, sugary treats. Just follow the trail of cassette tapes from Windsor over to Churn. I'm not exaggerating too much - the wall of the little hallway that leads from one to the other is literally papered with cassette tapes. How fun is that?
Windsor and Churn are located at 5223 N. Central Avenue, Phoenix. See more photos on Flickr.
Churn
Awww, we love being here!
