KAI @ Wild Horse Pass Resort

Feb 16, 2008 We were lucky enough to enjoy Kai last night. It was as wonderful as the rest of the Chowhounders reported.

I would emphasize that the service here is extraordinary. Our waiter (Feliciano) was excellent. The rest of the staff as well. It was the perfect service, our water glasses never went empty, but people weren't bothering us or imposing at all. Certainly among the best service I have had anywhere. They had some carefully choreographed service that made things special, and some other nice touches (silverware was brought out to match the temperature of the food you were eating, cold fork for salad, hot spoon for soup, etc.).

The food was great. I don't have too much to add, other than to say that the flavors were perfectly balanced, and you could tell that the ingredients were all top notch. Highlights of our meal included the fantastic bread, Pork done 3 ways, and a squash soup. I loved the chocolate souflee for desert, but my wife wasn't quite as excited about it (although she certainly held up here end of the bargain polishing it off). Portion size was perfect. We left stuffed, but didn't feel like any of the dishes were too large.

The atmosphere was great. We had an inside table (I did leave a message requesting a patio table, but never received a call back about this, and didn't obviously get the request satisfied - a minor quibble). We were placed in front of a giant picture window overlooking the pools. It was quite romantic. The room itself had a very classy native American theme, which was extremely well done.

I had a pom-tini, which was a Pomegranate flavored martini. It was delicious, and if given the opportunity, I probably could have polished off a few of them. They had some interesting cocktails, I would recommend trying them, if at all possible. I did not look at the wine list, but would expect it to be well chosen.

This meal was very expensive. For the 2 of us we spend over $200, and we didn't go overboard (I think if you are not careful, a bill could get quite a bit higher than this). I would say it was worth it, but makes this restaurant only appropriate for special occasions.

Overall, this was among the best meals we have had in the valley. Everything was perfect. This restaurant deserves all the acclaim it is getting.

Floyd's Kitchen - Phx

There is a newish restaurant just across from the Paradise Valley Mall (in the Sprouts shopping center) that is my newest crush. It is a fairly small place (maybe 20 tables), in the corner of the strip center. They serve American influenced food (Burgers, sandwiches), and some other foods as well (mostly Italian influenced - pastas, pizza's, etc). The menu sounds pedestrian, but the experience is anything but.

First off, the place is fairly upscale (table cloths, fancy plates, etc), and the service is top notch (feels like a mom and pop). I have been there 4 times (in six months), and they already recognize me (and make me feel like a regular).

Of course the most important thing, is the food (as that is why we are Chowhounds). All their dishes are just a little better than normal. It is clear that they pay attention to the quality of the ingredients (The microgreens and the tomatoes on the side salad are fresh for instance). The items themselves usually have a little something that make them just a little special (like the pepper aioli that accompanies some of their sandwiches).

My lunch yesterday might server as an example. I had the meatball sub. It came with 5 large meatballs (with mozerella rolled into the center of each meatball). The hoagie roll it came on was chewy and substantial (it held up well to the heft of the sandwich). Their sandwiches come with a choice salad (mixed greens, cucumber, tomato, onion, croutons, and blue cheese), pasta salad, or something else I don't remember (potato chips maybe?). It was clear that everything was prepared fresh. Everything was flavorful (and big portions, I had half the sandwich left over for dinner).

As I mentioned portions are ample, and priced very low (a downright steal for the quality).

I just love this place. It is an independent, and you can tell that the people running the place, want to do something special, and a little different than your normal diner or pub. They are getting noticed, as the place is usually busy when we are in for lunch (yesterday, every table was full). I just wanted to key my fellow Chowhounders into a little gem in our city.

BTW, a realize a gushing review like this might seem like a plant or something. I have absolutely nothing to do with this place, other than being a loyal customer.

Sol Y Sambra Yelp Eats! Promotion

Went to Sol Y Sambra for the Yelp Eats! promotion. First things first, they were very upfront about offering the deal. I have been to other restaurants that don't supply the special discount, unless you specifically ask for it (which is uncomfortable). Sol had the menu on the table, and the waiter pointed it out (saying - "you should definitely go with it, as it will be much cheaper"). Great start.

We got the following items (they had 3 or 4 different selections in 3 categories - Apps, Meats, and deserts): Grilled Broccoli, Shrimp, Short Rib, Duck Breast, Baked Apple., and chocolate tart (sorry I don't remember the flowery names for these dishes).

I had wanted to try this place, but never got around to it, so this promotion was definitely a reason why we went. I was expecting authentic tapas atmosphere, but it was quite the opposite - the room was very upscale (urban and hip). Our table wasn't ready, but they seated us quickly in another one in the bar area (which was great).

The food was great, and the portions were quite large (we left absolutely stuffed). Me and my SO love to share, so the Tapas type presentations were perfect for us (all the items were setup to share easily).

The standouts were the short rib (really beefy, and fatty which is how it should be). The shrimp consisted of quite a few small shrimp (I would guess 30 -45) in a light tomato sauce. The duck was nice (prepared well, still juicy, but not raw in the least) - with a nice sauce that must have had ground up nuts in it. The chocolate tart for desert was nice (and you could taste the high quality dark chocolate used in it). I did find some of the dishes a bit salty, but still quite nice.

Overall, I was very impressed with the overall experience - especially some of the small things (like the confirmation call earlier in the day, and the great service from the hostess when our table wasn't ready). Our service was polished (exactly as it should be - the waiter was around when we needed him, but not in our face too much).

I should mention we had a few cocktails - of them, the Calibra was a standout for me (it was Cherry, Grapefruit and Sprite). All the tastes meshed, but stood on their own. I also had a ginger lemonade, which was only OK. My SO had something with Pomegranite, but I didn't taste it. The fact that their drinks come with fresh squeezed juices is a major plus (and indicative of the kind of attention to details I found throughout the whole dinner).

Bottom line, this promotion was a great deal, and the restaurant itself exceeded my expectations. We will return.

Here is what we ate: 1. Pick 1: Carribean sweet shrimp with sherry sauce and herbs, grilled broccoli with caramelized onion sauce and sea salt 2. Pick 1: Grilled short rib with Romesco and calcots, Roasted duck breast with sauce picada 3. Baked Apple, Dark Chocolate Tart

Deal was $25 per person.

Update (Sept 1, 2009): Sol Y Sambra has closed for business.  We ate there a few weeks before they closed up.  Aaron may is opening other restaurants (looks like the location is in the Ice Den in North Scottsdale - replacing Peter Piper Pizza).   Apparently they closed due to a dispute with their landlord, and not because they didn't have enough business (it was packed the night we were there).

My initial impressions of the HTC Magic - for Java developers

I have had the G1 for a bit, and really love it.  I appreciate theopenness of the platform, and find developing apps, extremely easy (especially for the Java set).

I was at Google IO, so I am one of the lucky ones to get the Magic (or Ion, is another name they are calling it).  It seems to be faster than the G1, and definitely has much more memory (300MB vs 100MB on the G1 - this is an extremely important stat, as applications can not be run from the SD card).  The form factor is great.  It is small, and comfortable in the hand (and on the face when talking on it).  Battery life is definitely better on the Magic (it is a larger battery) - important as well, as both my Android devices have poor battery life. I personally require a real keyboard (meaning I still use my G1), but I find the soft keyboard on the Magic responsive (and as good as the one on the iPhone).

Cupcake (v1.5 - the new release of Android currently available of the G1, and the Magic) already has support for Video capture, and Bluetooth streaming, which as of now the iPhone doesn't support (but likely will with the 3.0 release).

iPhone certainly has more polish, and applications (but they had a head start), but I truly believe Android will catch up quick.  I see a day soon, where all your Android devices will work together (someday you will have a tablet or netbook, a device hooked up to your TV, and your phone - that will all be able to share data and applications together).

One last stream of thought, which is especially pertinent for techie Java developers (which is obviously the audience of this group) - The model for developing apps is very well suited for Java developers.  It is Eclipse based, and doesn't require Market access to load on the device (meaning you can develop custom apps easily, and load them on any Android device without requiring approval, or submission to a vendor marketplace).  This makes Android a great platform for "Tinkerers", as you are able to really modify the device to do whatever you want.

Sea Saw Scottsdale AZ

Had the great pleasure of eating at Sea Saw in Old Town Phoenix.  We had eaten there a few years ago (for my birthday), but figured that "Saturday" would have to be the special occassion this time. The meal was wonderful.  Many of the dishes were among the best things I have ever tasted.  Overwhelmingly, the fish was amongst the freshest I have ever tasted.

Here is what we ate:

White Fish Carpacio - this is a white fish (don't know which variety), in a delicious broth with garlic, sesami seeds, and pepper.  It comes with a side of garlic bread "nuggets" which are perfect to mop up every last bite of the delicious sauce.

Kinme (special of the day) - It was cooked fish on a slice of cucumber, with a wonderful sauce.

Lamb Chops - I think these might be a little out of place with their normal menu.  It was 4 small charred peices of leg of lamb with a mango chutney,  and  sauce that tasted quite a bit like "bar-b-q" sauce (but I am sure was much more fancy than that).

Black cod marinated in miso, with a side of slaw.

Himachi - on top of grapefruit and avacodo, with micro-greens in center.  I have hamachi at pretty much every sushi restaurant I ever go to.  This was the best peice of hamachi I have ever had.  It melted in your mouth (and the accompianments accentuated the flavor, without overpowering it).

Gravalax with almond, and pecorino-ramano, on top of a baslamic and basil oil.  (Really Crudo)

Drank: Prosecco

My Famous Lemon Bar Recipe

Lemon Bars:

INGREDIENTS

* 1 cup butter, softened

* 1/2 cup white sugar

* 2 cups all-purpose flour

* ¼ Tbs Salt

* 4 eggs

* 1 1/2 cups white sugar

* 6 tablespoons all-purpose flour

* 4 lemons, juiced (or 3/4 Cup Juice + Rind from 3 Lemons)

*1/4 Teaspoon Salt

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

2. In a medium bowl, blend together softened butter, 2 cups flour and 1/2 cup sugar. Press into the bottom of an ungreased 9x13 inch pan.

3. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes in the preheated oven, or until firm and golden.

4. In another bowl, whisk together the remaining 1/12 cups sugar and flour. Whisk in the eggs and lemon juice. Pour over the baked crust.

5. Bake for an additional 25 to 30 minutes in the preheated oven. The bars will firm up as they cool.

For a festive tray, make another pan using limes instead of lemons and adding a drop of green food coloring to give a very pale green. After both pans have cooled, cut into uniform 2 inch squares and arrange in a checker board fashion.