GreatFoodFunPlaces.com

With some of our family living there now, we continue to discover fun places in the Phoenix area.  And since I have fun experiencing different coffee houses, I was curious, after acquiring a discount coupon, to visit Urban Beans Coffee.

With coupon in hand, we head out, eager to discover what Urban Beans Coffee is all about.  Located in an art district in  ‘midtown’  Phoenix just north of the Phoenix Country Club on 7^th Street, Urban Beans is easy to spot with their unique logo and bright yellow-gold building.

They offer the usual coffee and tea menu while featuring their signature ‘bold and smooth’ house blend of locally roasted beans, organic teas, a variety of  ‘smashes and smoothies’ (their unique versions of frozen drinks.) and a tempting menu of ‘Sweets’ (pastries made by various chefs in town).  In addition they offer ‘Savories and Lunches’ –a menu of familiar and creative ‘savory delights available all day’ such as bagels & cream cheese, spinach & onion quiche, and a fruit & cheese plate.

While perusing the case, we discover more savory items on the ‘Small Plate’ menu offered us by the barista: Goat Cheese Torte, Warm Spinach & Artichoke Dip, Bruchetta Crostini….mmmm, such choices!

We enjoy the ‘house made’ Hummus and Tabouli served with lavosh as a first course while the ‘Pear Arugula Melt’ is being ‘created’. It takes a little longer to prepare as the flat bread is baked to order. Both are scrumptious and we practically lick the plates clean!

Feeling quite satisfied and pleased with our ‘find’, we linger enjoying the bright friendly atmosphere and plan our next visit!

Urban Beans Coffee

The Mercury Building

3508 N. 7th Street Suite 100

Phoenix AZ 8501

602-595-2244

An incredible aroma of pizza filled the air as we stepped out of the car at a small strip center on 40th and Campbell in Phoenix, AZ.  La Grande Orange, a self-described ‘organic coffee/breakfast bar, cafe, pizzeria, and funky grocery store’ was buzzing with activity. Driving into Phoenix for our daughter-in-law’s birthday celebration we easily found our way through the 5 o’clock Friday traffic to pick up a special cake that our son had ordered from here.

Spring Break and Spring Training is attracting many of you to Arizona. Here is a ‘sneak peak‘ of future posts of some of my favorite places for GREAT FOOD in the Phoenix area.  Be sure to try these places while in town:

La Grande Orange

4410 N 40th Ave, Phoenix, AZ 85018 (602) 840-7777

Only one location in Phoenix but worth seeking out!  The mouthwatering aroma of fresh, hot pizza mingles with freshly brewed coffee as you step from your car into the small parking lot filling your senses with excitement and anticipation of great food in a fun place! (free valet parking in the back)

Calling themselves an ‘organic coffee/breakfast bar, café, pizzeria and a funky retail grocery’, La Grande Orange is “a testament to American cooking done really well”  emphasizing the use of fresh, organic and seasonal  ingredients, dishes are created each day. Artesian Bread, unique cakes, giant cookies and other intriguing dessert items (‘Old School’ or ‘Ooey Gooey Cupcakes’) are available from Tammy Coe Cakes and MJ Bread at La Grande Orange.

Go for Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, or just coffee and dessert but go with an appetite!

I was cruising the internet highway when this delightful logo came into view.

The clever design depicting an aroma of delicious coffee (or tea) swirling into a heart-shape of steam and touting ‘Sustainability’, ‘Love’, and ‘Compassion’ immediately intrigued me. ‘Rogers Gourmet Coffee & Tea Market’ seemed like a friendly place and the offer of ‘free beans’ added to my curiosity.

So I clicked in and discovered a fun online market for coffee beans from the Rogers Family. To my knowledge, I have never had any of their coffee, so I can’t vouch for it; however, the testimonials are enthusiastic, the website is friendly, and their ‘compassion and love’ seem believable–what I expect from the inviting logo! I invite you to try it yourself and let me know what your experience is.  I will do the same and report later. Meanwhile…isn’t this a delightful and aromatic logo?!

After a fabulous weekend in Las Vegas participating in a powerful and empowering LoBella “Reclaim Your Life” event, I am happy to have something good to share about Great Food and Fun Places

Sunday afternoon, I finally got to experience what I like to write about: delicious food, nicely presented, and with great service! Our lunch at the Ritz-Carlton, Lake Las Vegas, was exceptional.  We enjoyed a unique Hummus dish and a superb Caesar Salad. Other mouth-watering menu items served to our table were a Lobster Mac ‘n Cheese, an herb-crusted Salmon, and a moist Carmel Carrot Cake. (sorry, no pictures–but I wasn’t prepared for such a great experience!)

So, if you are in the area (Las Vegas), I encourage you to make the effort to visit the Ritz-Carlton at Lake Las Vegas. You will need to hurry, though! Sadly, this particular hotel will be closing May, 2010. I am encouraged, however, to make a point of visiting other Ritz-Carlton hotels for a superb dining experience.

Attending seminars should, or at least COULD, be fun but not all provide opportunities to experience, nor do they frequently offer their own, Great Food and Fun Places. The LoBella event at Lake Las Vegas is an exception, offering tasty and healthy snacks throughout the day with an opportunity for lunch and dinner at one of the on-site restaurants at Lake Las Vegas. Lunch on Saturday was not exciting and not worth writing about and by that evening, I was wishing we could have a really great dining experience somewhere in Las Vegas.

Taking advantage of being in Las Vegas, we left the venue and headed across town to Chung Chou City, a Chinese Pharmacy in Las Vegas’ China Town area on Spring Mountain Road, to stock up on our favorite cold remedies and Chinese tea. I encourage you to step in for an eye-opening experience and view an amazing variety of ingredients used in Traditional Chinese Medicine formulas. In addition to these items, you will also find an impressive selection of teas. We buy their exquisite Jasmine Dragon Pearl. We enjoy it hot and in the summer it is especially nice iced with mint and Chia Seeds!

Out and about in Las Vegas, and having our shopping done, we were still wishing we had a ‘favorite’ unique place, but since we didn’t, we decided to enjoy a “familiar, comfortable and reliable” meal at P.F. Chang’s China Bistro. The Green Valley location is easy to get to off I-215. It is always busy. We had a ‘short’ 30-minute wait, getting seated much sooner than expected. Having eaten at Pei Wei the day before, we enjoyed some of our other favorites, starting with an appetizer of Salt & Pepper Calamari, then the Buddha’s Feast Vegetables with a mild Cantonese Shrimp winning out over the Lemon Scallops. We passed on dessert, but appreciate their unique option of delicious Mini Desserts – ‘bite-sized’ offerings in a selection of eight flavors including lemon, strawberry cheesecake, S’mores, Apple Pie and Tiramisu to list a few, as an alternative to their other full-sized servings of equally delicious desserts.

As a person who enjoys good food, I usually prefer smaller eateries or at least individual establishments rather than large national ‘chain’ stores.  Most national ‘chain’ stores gain popularity because we all like comfort and familiarity; and they are reliable — we know that what we are getting is what we like (at least most of the time). And I rarely eat ‘fast food’ because of my desire for really Great Food experiences. If I am going to eat, I want the food and the experience to be worthwhile and super satisfying.‘Fast food’ is popular because it is just that: ‘fast’ and convenient.

As my husband and I arrived in town on Friday, looking forward to an exciting weekend participating in a LoBella “Reclaim Your Life” event at Lake Las Vegas, we stopped, before checking into the hotel, for a quick lunch at Pei Wei. Now this is a an exception to my resistance to ‘fast food’ establishments.

Pei Wei has similar food as their parent company, P.F. Chang’s China Bistro, but in a quick and easy version, serving “wok-seared contemporary pan-Asian cuisine” and claiming to be “a faster, more casual take” of their parent company, while “maintaining the same dedication to quality and attention to detail”.
Ordering is easy: choose the type of dish, the flavoring, the type of additions and brown or white rice (if it isn’t a noodle dish).  My choice either is the Lemon Pepper Shrimp or the spicier Orange Peel Shrimp, but the Lettuce Wraps and Crab Wontons are delicious and often tempting.

The entire menu is priced under $10 and they serve beer and wine, however, the Mandarin Orange or my favorite: Chai, iced teas are refreshing.