Leslie Keller Books

As part of my restaurant series, this post is about the vessel you use to consume your juice - the fermented grape juice variety. Personally, I love a beautiful glass from which to drink wine. The more shapely and delicate the more I enjoy the wine - not because it always makes the wine dramatically  better but it adds to the pleasure of the act.  I also tend to break them routinely so I go through lots of different glassware. The first question you may ask is whether to have stemware or stemless (also known as a tumbler).  There was a trend a few years ago to move away from glasses with stems.  I agree that the stemless version is sturdier all around. You are less likely to knock the glass over and unable to snap off the stem when washing. These are easy to load in the dishwasher, but not always advisable for any wine glass depending on the quality of the glass. However, the biggest issue with stemless glasses is that you are holding the glass, and thus the ...

I was meeting friends for dinner and wanted to select a place I've never been.  My friend suggested Fabio on Fire in Peoria, Arizona. When I viewed the website, I thought it looked like a casual pizza joint. I was partially right in that it was small and casual but I was wrong about it being just a pizza place. I am officially obsessed!   Located in a small strip shopping area the outside may not impress you but the food definitely will. I dined right before they closed for Labor Day weekend to expand to a larger space in the same location. I can't wait to return to see the changes and to sample more of the amazing food.   There were six adults and a child for dinner. We started with the Caprese and Charcuterie with prosciutto and delicious cheeses. I could have dined exclusively on these starters but we moved on to the lamb chop special, butternut squash ravioli, gnocchi and short rib ravioli.  Each dish was presented well and impeccably pr...

Recently I was fortunate to be included in an event in Napa. We dined at two amazing restaurants which included multiple courses. Some may say that ten courses of small bites isn't much. I'll guarantee you that I was more than full by the end. This made me wonder about why many restaurants in the U.S. serve gigantic portions. I'm not opposed to family style dining. In fact, I find it a great way for everyone to taste different things. Generally, if I dine with certain family members, who will remain anonymous, those persons want to decide for everyone in order to share.  If I know in advance the portions are meant for sharing, I'm fine with ordering less.  However, for those restaurants which don't give you fair warning, there is too much food. I'll admit I'm a nibbler. I enjoy small plates of different things. Even desserts are generally bigger than I can consume. This is a fact which drives my girlfriends crazy because they feel compelled to finish wha...

My friend has been wanting some authentic Greek food for weeks. Lucky for us, I found Greektown which may be my new obsession. Located in an older building on 7th Street, north of Northern Avenue it's a family owned business.  Don't count on sitting at the bar because it only has a few seats and faces the kitchen area. There were already guests seated when the four of us arrived shortly after five pm. We were seated in a booth with extra throw pillows, which I found odd but also comfortable. Décor was dated but the tables had white cloths and nicely folded napkins.  The owner himself waited on us and was delightful.  His sense of humor had a laughing and wondering - wondering what was in the dishes, what the dessert we would get could be, what the red wine was and if he was joking or serious. While some may find that bordered on the rude, we understood it was his sense of humor and he didn't disappoint us. Unable to resist the appetizers we had the Kalamari, ...

I've dined in the Chart House restaurant in Scottsdale many times over the years. It has a great view of a large pond that abuts the McCormick Ranch golf course. I can't recall a time when the restaurant was full which is surprising because I've never had a bad meal nor bad service.  If you go, make sure to ask for a table with a view.  The ducks, swans and egrets will keep you entertained if your dinner companion bores you. I dined on a Sunday evening with a friend. We started with the salad bar which they now call the Farmer's Bar.  I could be wrong but I felt like it had been trimmed down somewhat from past years, however it still includes caviar, Caesar salad, some pasta and potato salad selections with extras.  At only $10 in addition to your entre it's about standard for a salad course. The advantage is you can go back as many times as you like.  Despite the idea of a salad bar at a nice restaurant, it's good. My friend ordered the Shrimp, Crab, Av...

Restaurant wines can be challenging. What you might purchase at Costco for $20 a bottle will likely cost two to three times that in a restaurant. Really good wines can run hundreds of dollars. Are they worth it - some definitely are but you can enjoy a great glass of wine while dining out without taking a second mortgage on your house. The first question you should ask is how many glasses will you or your party drink?   It's almost always more economical to purchase a bottle.   Standard restaurant pours will yield four glasses per bottle.   Individual glasses may cost more simply because once opened the wine has a shelf life. For a restaurant to open an expensive bottle only to pour one glass isn't good for the bottom line. Let's say there are four wine drinkers at your table. Two prefer white wine and two prefer red. If all four will drink two glasses each, buy two bottles. Many restaurants will cork the bottle for you to take home. Check the law in your area to see i...

There's a new dance club/restaurant/comedy club in town and I love it.  Copper Blues Live (also known as CB Live) opened at the Desert Ridge Marketplace in north Phoenix.  If you look up the name don't be confused with another place similarly named that is in downtown Phoenix.   There are two sides to the establishment so make sure you know whether you are going to the comedy club or the restaurant.   I recently visited with three girlfriends on a Saturday night. Luckily, we had a table reserved for 6 pm and were seated promptly. This place doesn’t fill up until later and I heard a rumor that there is a line out of the door on certain nights. Once the comedy show is over, a wall opens between the two and there’s lots of tables. We started with wine and cocktails.   Two of us had the delicious and refreshing Champagne Supernova and fought the urge to gulp it down too quickly.   Wine options were standard for a bar but good.   For dinner we ...

Improve your restaurant experience – the right table I recently dined with a girlfriend at a restaurant that I have favorably reviewed in the past. I’m disappointed to report that I need to revise my prior review as this trip was disappointing and unsavory. After trying to squeeze into a seat at the bar of four other restaurants, we opted to try Brio at the Scottsdale Quarter. Our first indication should have been that the bar had an abundance of seats. I’m covering what this means in a separate post but suffice it to say here that the red flags were waving. However, I digress, and this post is not about Brio but rather about what you can do to move a bad experience to a better one. I admit I didn’t heed my own advice on this occasion. Let’s say you have only a short time to dine and need to get in and out quickly. Perhaps, you’re starving and there’s only one option available. It may be a popular restaurant that you’ve been anxious to try or perhaps you are only in tow...

What is a server Generally, my character Jayne posts her local restaurant reviews, but I decided to usurp her and review the tips and tricks to getting the best service from your server. I broke this post into more than one part when I realized there is so much to review. I'll start with my qualifications. I worked as a server or bartender at establishments which varied from fine dining to cowboy saloon. I opened three new restaurants in the Valley of the Sun and waited on everyone from well-known celebrities (yes, I did wait on Tom Selleck and he is as handsome as you think he is) to first time diners. I've made every kind of cocktail and I have tasted hundreds of wines.  I earned my living exclusively in the restaurant business, so I know how hard servers, bartenders, and bussers work. In most States, servers are considered semi-independent contractors. By that I mean, they earn an hourly wage but because their income is supplemented by tips the wage is very lo...