Friday, January 1, 2010
Thursday, December 24, 2009
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
Happy Holidays!
Happy Holidays from all of us here at Cucina di Campo! Many more stories to come in the new year!
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
The Worst Italian Food in Arizona
Where not to go - Andiamo Bistro. We just got back from dinner at the worst restaurant in Arizona. This atrocity is located in the Albertson's shopping center at Indian Bend and Hayden in Scottsdale. Please, do us all a favor a do not waste your time there.
I could spend time talking about how ridiculously overpriced the food is, but I won't. Instead, allow me to throw a little learning at you. From the minute we entered the strip mall fronting "bistro" we felt like we were uninvited. There were 4 people huddled around the bar watching a basketball game on the tiny television. It turns out that 3 of those people actually worked there. The fourth was a kid that looked like he just left the gym.
We were shown to a table in the empty restaurant right next to the only other guests. Why bother spreading us out - that would make us feel too much at home. Water came, and eventually a waitron completely unable to make eye contact took our wine order. The overpriced swill was delivered, and our orders taken. In an effort to get out of there quickly, we ordered no appetizers or salads, heading straight to the cheaper pasta entrees. Cheap is a relative term - $18 for linguine and clams, $15 for spaghetti Bolognese. No, these were not fresh, housemade pastas as you would expect.
About a half hour later, without so much as a "How ya doin'" from the waitstaff, the hostess came out and said "Sorry, we are out of clams. Can we substitute mussels or shrimp?" Uh, sure, give me shrimp. A half an hour to figure out you were out of clams? It's not like you have multiple tables to cook for. We were the only people in the place at this point. Well, except for that sweaty kid at the bar. He kept ducking into the kitchen, playing with the food. He ended up with a big plate of something, but whatever.
So, now about 40 minutes after we sat down in this empty restaurant we received our entrees. Two gargantuan portions of horribly overcooked pasta. Here is one of the funniest parts - the "waiter" asked if we wanted cheese. Go figure, Italian restaurant with two pasta dishes on the table and all, but I digress. He goes to the kitchen, gets a dish of cheese, and proceeds to sprinkle about a tablespoon on one of the pastas. He promptly runs out. Whoops! Guess it looked like there was more in there! He up-ends the cheese dish over my plate and smacks it the back of it with his hand, asking "do you need some more?" Yes, please, I'd like just a little cheese.
The cheese debacle over, I tuck into my pasta Bolognese. Have you ever been to Sbarro? If not, you should try it. Sbarro is a 4-star restaurant compared to this place. Even a 5 year old child would know to take pasta out of the water sooner than this fraud of a chef. How can you possibly justify serving $15 pasta when the spaghetti is so water logged it looks like bucattini???
The linguine vongole was an abomination. This plate had 3 clams and 3 shrimp. There was no sauce. I think the cook poured some clam juice into a pan and added garlic salt. There ya go - white clam sauce. Please. Is this for real?
We muscled through and had to stifle a laugh when asked if we wanted anything else. I was tempted to ask for my time back, but I knew they had a hard enough time cooking. It is a wonder this place has stayed open as long as it has. Good night Andiamo - we won't be back, and you shouldn't either. This is without a doubt the worst restaurant in Scottsdale, probably Arizona.
I could spend time talking about how ridiculously overpriced the food is, but I won't. Instead, allow me to throw a little learning at you. From the minute we entered the strip mall fronting "bistro" we felt like we were uninvited. There were 4 people huddled around the bar watching a basketball game on the tiny television. It turns out that 3 of those people actually worked there. The fourth was a kid that looked like he just left the gym.
We were shown to a table in the empty restaurant right next to the only other guests. Why bother spreading us out - that would make us feel too much at home. Water came, and eventually a waitron completely unable to make eye contact took our wine order. The overpriced swill was delivered, and our orders taken. In an effort to get out of there quickly, we ordered no appetizers or salads, heading straight to the cheaper pasta entrees. Cheap is a relative term - $18 for linguine and clams, $15 for spaghetti Bolognese. No, these were not fresh, housemade pastas as you would expect.
About a half hour later, without so much as a "How ya doin'" from the waitstaff, the hostess came out and said "Sorry, we are out of clams. Can we substitute mussels or shrimp?" Uh, sure, give me shrimp. A half an hour to figure out you were out of clams? It's not like you have multiple tables to cook for. We were the only people in the place at this point. Well, except for that sweaty kid at the bar. He kept ducking into the kitchen, playing with the food. He ended up with a big plate of something, but whatever.
So, now about 40 minutes after we sat down in this empty restaurant we received our entrees. Two gargantuan portions of horribly overcooked pasta. Here is one of the funniest parts - the "waiter" asked if we wanted cheese. Go figure, Italian restaurant with two pasta dishes on the table and all, but I digress. He goes to the kitchen, gets a dish of cheese, and proceeds to sprinkle about a tablespoon on one of the pastas. He promptly runs out. Whoops! Guess it looked like there was more in there! He up-ends the cheese dish over my plate and smacks it the back of it with his hand, asking "do you need some more?" Yes, please, I'd like just a little cheese.
The cheese debacle over, I tuck into my pasta Bolognese. Have you ever been to Sbarro? If not, you should try it. Sbarro is a 4-star restaurant compared to this place. Even a 5 year old child would know to take pasta out of the water sooner than this fraud of a chef. How can you possibly justify serving $15 pasta when the spaghetti is so water logged it looks like bucattini???
The linguine vongole was an abomination. This plate had 3 clams and 3 shrimp. There was no sauce. I think the cook poured some clam juice into a pan and added garlic salt. There ya go - white clam sauce. Please. Is this for real?
We muscled through and had to stifle a laugh when asked if we wanted anything else. I was tempted to ask for my time back, but I knew they had a hard enough time cooking. It is a wonder this place has stayed open as long as it has. Good night Andiamo - we won't be back, and you shouldn't either. This is without a doubt the worst restaurant in Scottsdale, probably Arizona.
Friday, October 2, 2009
The Frontera Empire
Everyone knows Rick Bayless. The impish, bespectacled, goatee sporting Chicago chef famous for his Mexican cuisine and PBS television series. I must admit, Cucina di Campo has fallen under his spell and loves everything Bayless. We make his salsas, drink his margaritas, and wish we could travel to Mexico City with him. There is something about his smile, that glint in his eye and the pace of his speech that pulls you in, not letting go until you ask for more. Yes, we've been Baylessed.
A recent trip to Chicago offered an opportunity to visit the Frontera Empire run by Rick and his wife, Deann. Rick has three restaurants - Frontera Grill, Topolobampo and the new Xoco. Topolobampo is the critically acclaimed upscale Mexican restaurant, awarded 4 out of 4 stars by Chicago magazine. White tablecloths, fine wine, and expensive Mexican food. Frontera is the original, a casual Mexican grill featuring Rick's authentic cooking. Both spots share a front door, and can be identified by the incredibly long line awaiting entry. Xoco is Rick's take on a Mexican street food restaurant, and is located around the corner from his other two places, in the same building.
Rick has built quite an empire, a paean to traditional Mexican cuisine in a stiffly upscale environ. Don't be confused; this is not a local Mexican joint. The average wait is 2 hours, and your bill will most likely rival that of a steak house. If rumors are to be believed, and throngs of anxious patrons any reflection, Rick's food is worth both the wait and the cost.
A dining companion and I tried to get into Frontera a few weeks ago, and encountered the typical 2 hour wait. We were offered a chance to wait at the bar for our table, or stand in line outside with 50 other people. The bar it was. Or wasn't, as it turns out. This was no bar, rather a mass of hungry humanity 10 deep trying to get the attention of the bartenders, praying to pay inflated prices for a chance to sip a signature Margarita. Did we just walk into a fallout shelter in Mexico City with news of a nuclear holocaust in the air? Incredulous, we turned around and left.
How about Topolo, I mused. Wrong again. Same wait, but this time I could spend three times as much once I sat down. Ok, this is crazy. It's Tuesday night. The hostess kindly informed us that Xoco had just opened earlier in the week but would be closing at 9, less than an hour from now. Let's go!
Xoco looked promising with a line only about 25 deep. Finally we will get to taste some of Rick's creations. Yes readers, I was wrong again. Xoco's concept has you lining up to order sandwiches (tortas), soups, hot chocolates, pastries, and small bowls of hot food. You pick from the menu, order at a counter, and wait for your food to be delivered in the seating area. Unfortunately, Xoco has instituted a policy of no take-away. This means that you have to wait for someone to leave the seating area before you can even place your order. So what looked like a 15 minute wait was really another 2 hour wait. Unbelievable. Nobody's food is this good.
The Frontera empire believes it is still living in the heady days of the early '90s when buzz made the place. Sorry, but that is no longer the case. Velvet ropes outside of empty clubs have gone the way of parking limos in front of restaurants to make them look fancy. Rick, there is no reason to make people line up to eat a small sandwich. Give us our food and let us go! Long lines may make you look good in the beginning, but will turn away the rest of us. Sure, your die hard fans may not have a problem waiting 2 hours to eat a taco, but let's be real.
I came back to Chicago this past week and thought I would give Xoco a try, just to be sure I wasn't getting the wrong impression. I arrived at 1:30 and got into line. I was informed that it was only a 20 or 30 minute wait, and I was determined to make it in this time. 45 minutes later, I was in front of the counter ordering food.
45 minutes of staring at the menu and watching people cook is plenty of time to work up an appetite and set your expectations high for the food you are about to receive. I ordered a carnitas torta in a bowl of tomato broth, the "Aztec," a hot chocolate with chiles and nutmeg, a churro and a cookie to go. $20. Not bad, not cheap either. The hostess directed me to a shelf along the wall to await my food. You know these kinds of seats - an 8 inch shelf with some stools set against a wall. Yeah, I get to stare at plaster and rub elbows with other suckers as I eat my overpriced sandwich!
Let me tell you, that was the best hot chocolate and churro I have ever tasted. No joke, the best. Great job guys (is this Rick's food, or the chef's?). The sandwich came, and it was cut in half an resting in a bowl of thick, smoky, spicy tomato soup. Good idea, until you pick it up. Yes, soggy bread and pork does not mix. My sandwich completely fell apart, leaving me with a bowl of spongy bread, pork pieces, pickled onions and tomato soup. Oh well. Hey, where is my silverware? Oh, that's right, you don't get that here. It is a "street food" shop. Imagine a street vendor charging 100 pesos for a pork sandwich - don't think he would last very long.
I proceeded to use my hands to get the rest of the sandwich in my mouth and slurped the soup. It was delicious, everything I was anticipating. The Frontera crew really know how to make food.
After all of the effort that I went through to try Rick's food, I have to say I was disappointed. There is no excuse for the kind of wait you are faced with. Of course, from Rick's perspective it all makes sense. Too bad I'm not Rick Bayless. It's good to be the king.
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Calling All Recipes
In the interest of community, Cucina di Campo is calling for your recipe submissions! Feel free to add your recipes as comments to this posting.
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
"Traditional" Bloody Mary
This is the presentation of a bloody mary at the Tradition Golf Club in La Quinta. Quite amazing!
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