GreatFoodFunPlaces.com

I love it when readers share their experiences of eating at restaurants that I have written about!

I received these pictures from a fan who found himself in Little Italy (San Diego) at lunchtime while on a ‘field trip’ with a group of Architecture students from Arizona State University.

I especially like this brick wall picture…great creative perspective!

The food pictures are great, too, and the group appears to have made delicious choices at Buon Appetito of Soups, Salads and the delectable TIRAMISU!

Eat healthier at Picazzo’s Organic Italian Kitchen and enjoy a gourmet Italian menu of pizzas, pastas, soups and salads all made with local, natural, organic, and preservative-free ingredients! The menu is 90% organic with the rest all natural and includes many Gluten-free items and signature vegetarian pizzas. Even the kid’s menu is organic! The atmosphere is open and friendly in a pleasant ‘artsy’ style with patio dining and a separate bar area.

We started with a simple mixed green salad (a Balsamic Vinaigrette dressing on the side), which we shared – thank goodness! – their salad servings are size LARGE!

All of the Vegetarian Pizza were tempting but we narrowed it down to two:

Pesto and Artichokes (Oganic pesto, sun dried tomatoes, mozzarella, artichoke hearts, roasted garlic, pine nuts and chevre (goat cheese) topped with fresh basil.

Puttanesca (Organic olive oil and garlic, mozzarella, fresh Roma tomatoes, Kalamata olives, artichoke hearts and French feta topped with fresh basil)

…And settled on a ‘split’ medium-size so we could sample them both – a happy choice!

For Dessert Lovers, another menu with a variety of temptations. You know our affinity for Chocolate Chip Cookies (read Rainy Day Comfort Food) and there it was:  Classic Chocolate Chip (Think of the best chocolate chip cookie you ever tasted…now think bigger! This classic favorite is a rich, thick chocolate chip cookie, slowly baked to melt the delectable chocolate chips, then topped with organic vanilla bean ice cream)

For your Arizona visits only, but check Picazzo’s web site to drool over their menu, learn about their GO (Green/Organic) Movement, and find a location for your next visit to Arizona…and maybe–just maybe — you might encourage them to open a ‘kitchen’ in your community!

If you are an 8 year old with money in your pretty pink purse – money to spend any way you want- on a fun day off from school and a lovely warm day in Arizona’s ‘Valley of the Sun’, what would you do?

My granddaughter, who eagerly joins me in my pursuit of great food and fun places, chose to spend her money on a special treat at Leonidas Chocolates and Café. at the new SanTan Village in Gilbert, Arizona.

Anticipating a cool refreshing smoothie, we quickly changed our minds when we  walked in and saw the cases  filled with delectable choices of chocolates, gelato and sorbetto, Italian pastries with options of rich coffee or fragrant organic teas.

Leonidas Chocolates and Café offers a “new way to enjoy fine chocolate”, combining a Leonidas Belgian Chocolate shop with a café featuring “deluxe coffee and chocolate drinks, freshly brewed organic teas, rich gelato, refreshing sorbetto and sumptuous pastries “. The luscious chocolates are shipped in each week directly from Brussels, Belgium and can be ordered online for shipping to yourself and others.

This delightful discovery comes on the tails of my post “Party in the Pantry”  asking what savory souvenirs you have experienced. Are you ready to add these luxurious Belgian Chocolates to your pantry?

It seems, there are at least 5 places in Honolulu that have received the title of having ‘Haute’ Ice Cream. Read this delightful article about them from Timeshare Information

Then for a truly ‘Haute’ vacation, book a timeshare and enjoy touring the islands while searching out and sampling ‘haute’ ice cream and shaved ice.

Mmmm…what a gloriously delicious excursion!

Seeing fresh rhubarb in Sprouts the other day, I immediately (in a pavlovian response) started craving it.  I also started noticing recipes in magazines, references to rhubarb uses, and even other’s posts and comments about real-time cooking of rhubarb. (Is it just because I am craving it,  or is rhubarb getting it’s 15-minutes of fame?)

To my surprise (and delight), my sister was already planning on making a rhubarb dessert during my recent visit!  We had fun looking at various new recipes and reminiscing about old family recipes. To my further delight, another sister arrived with fresh rhubarb from her garden for both of us! I have just cooked (and devoured) mine – a simple ‘stewed’ rhubarb, with a little sweetener; nothing fancy and no other flavorings. I love it just plain. IF I had more, I might have made a pie….there IS something special about the combination of all the flavors (with or without strawberries, apples etc) baked in a crust that makes for a satisfying and tasty treat.

So…I’m thinking it would be fun during this ‘Rhubarb Season’ to share some of our favorite recipes. What is yours??

Following is one of mine — an ‘oldie but goodie’. It comes from a dear friend, Lorraine, who baked pies for our restaurant way back when. It is a little on the sweet side for my tastes now but it is delicious covered with a crumb topping and almost fail-safe using strawberry jello.  Watch for other recipes on the Recipe Page!

LORRAINE’S RHUBARB PIE

1 unbaked deep dish pie shell

Filling:

4 Cups Rhubarb cut into small pieces

1 Pkg (small size) Strawberry Jello

1 Cup Sugar

Combine dry jello and sugar, then stir into cut rhubarb and put mixture into a raw crust.

Crust:

1 cup Sugar

1 Teaspoon Cinnamon

2 Tablespoons Flour

1/4 Cup Butter, melted

Dash of Salt

Blend sugar, cinnamon, salt, and flour together. Add butter and mix with a fork until crumbly. Sprinkle evenly over top of pie.

PIE ALWAYS RUNS OVER! So place on a baking sheet.

Bake 425º-450ºF for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 350ºF and continue baking 20-25 minutes until bubbly and topping is lightly browned.

Let cool, then refrigerate until solid. Once set, pie can be served at room temperature

OMG!…. The Tiramisu…..

…..OOHH MY GOODNESS!

Poofy clouds of delicately sweetened mascarpone cheese with just a hint of espresso simply EVAPORATE in my mouth.

Light and airy, yet rich and satisfying.  Only a few bites into it, I am so thankful we are sharing it! Still, it isn’t difficult to finish and it is all I can do to keep from licking the plate!

From past experiences, we have learned to share these rich yummy desserts even without eating anything else first, and this one is definitely a sharing-sized serving!