Food Festival: Phoenix Cooks $$$$
Benefiting Banner Children’s
Westin Kierland Resort and Spa
Eating at a food festival is a lot like going to the movies. It’s a larger than life experience shared with a crowd. At the movies, people laugh when you laugh, cheer together and jump all at once when the knocked-out bad guy suddenly grabs the ankle of his next victim. At food festivals, the audience oohs and aahs over yummy treats and presentations, chats with total strangers about things they have to try, and experiences the sights and sounds of 50 restaurants all under one roof.
Like a movie, food festivals are journeys with twists and turns, and you never know how they are going to end. As you walk from table to table, aisle to aisle, you have no idea what is next or what you will see or taste. There’s an aspect of adventure. There’s tension as you wait your turn for the most popular items, and a physical and emotional battle as you press on to try new things even though you are full already. At the end you are exhausted, but you talk about what happened, what you thought, what was the best part and whether you would go again.
This day I was on assignment. It is rare that Arizona Jewish Life magazine asks me to cover a specific place, but this time they did and I’m glad. Tagged with the line, “It’s a Foodie’s Paradise,” Phoenix Cooks brings together 50 restaurants and a vast number of adult beverage purveyors into two giant ballrooms of the Westin Kierland. The entire place is abuzz with sounds of dishes being served, chefs conducting demonstrations and people kibitzing about what they ate. It gets a little crowded and some lines form at the serving tables, but all in all everything runs smoothly. I did notice most tables were hotels featuring their restaurants. For an advance purchase price of $85, attendees were treated to more than they could eat and drink. There must have been 50 vendors of beer, wine and spirits who were eager to pour you a drink and talk about their products. Here are some highlights.
The Chocolate Bar of Sin
The Greene House at Kierland Commons
This was the kind of dessert that made your eyes roll backward and your soul do a little dance. A chocolate mousse served with a hazelnut wafer, surrounded by a chocolate shell, and topped with raspberry puree and freeze-dried raspberries had the most appropriate name ever. This was so good that I returned to this table to have it again on my way out of the festival. I was stuffed, but I wanted this to be my last taste of the day.
Greene Goddess Crudités
The Greene House at Kierland Commons
Also from the Greene House, this simple bruschetta-like bite was fresh and flavorful. Eating these two offerings was enough for me to conclude that I had to visit this restaurant soon. I guess this is the point of product sampling at food festivals. I am definitely putting this on my “To Eat List.”
Chilled Salmon
I wish I could remember the restaurant that served up this sweet, flavorful and fresh offering, but I’m going to go ahead and write about it anyway for two reasons. The first is as an argument for why you should go to Phoenix Cooks – there are just so many wonderful things to try that it is impossible to keep track of everything. The second reason is that this station was a perfect example of the creative quality of disposable serving ware. They had little pots with covers for their short ribs and the fanciest disposable spoons for their delicious chilled salmon.
Blood Orange Float
Hyatt
What a refreshing and tasty sip of sweetness! Who knew vanilla ice cream, blood orange juice and a crushed candy on top could be so delicious? I have no idea if this is a regular offering at this restaurant, but it seems simple to make. I’m not exactly sure what was on top, but it was sweet and crunchy and complemented the silky smooth float perfectly.
Grilled Corn Salad
Saltrock Southwest Kitchen
This was a welcome vegetarian treat of grilled corn, chipotle aioli, corn nuts, cojita cheese and lime. Tastefully blended and fresh, this salad was unusual and delicious.
There isn’t time or space to capture all of Phoenix Cooks in this article, but I recommend watching for the event to come around next year. Most of the food had been prepared off-site and was assembled by chefs at their tables. Not a lot of cooking going on, but still wonderful. It all benefits charity and that is always a plus. See you there next year!
