Gelato Matto

20260 N. 59th Ave., Suite 103
Glendale, AZ 85308
(623) 825-4543
gelatomatto.net

Smooth texture and intense flavor make this café’s traditional Italian ice cream high quality. Its thirty-eight flavors are made fresh on the premises every day. This gelato heaven also serves LavAzza Coffee (Italy’s favorite coffee), traditional cannoli, freshly made waffle cones and bowls, gelato spaghetti, affogato al café, granitas, biscotti cookies, gelato cakes, and more.

Paciugo Gelato

2530 West Happy Valley Rd., Suite 1271
Phoenix, AZ 85085
(623) 516-8749
paciugo.com

Paciugo Gelato has made us all happy by opening its newest location at the recently opened Shops at Norterra marketplace. With thirty-two flavors made fresh daily and over 200 recipes of traditional and unique flavors (try the rose—it’s good!) to shake things up, Paciugo Gelato will keep you coming back for more. Enjoy their free Wi-Fi and flat-screen TV, or enjoy a treat before heading next door to the new Harkins Theater to catch the next blockbuster hit. Catering is available.

Arlecchino Gelateria

4410 N 40th St.
Phoenix AZ 85018
Phone: 602-955-2448
arlechinogelateria.com

“100% autentico gelato italiano!” Yes, this gelateria prepares its gelato entirely from scratch with a preserved authentic Italian recipe and the best ingredients available. Owners Moreno and Marian Spangaro were both born and raised in Trieste, Italy, a town famous for its gelato and coffee, and they are well trained in the art of making gelato. They boast a 100 percent natural product, often made with imported Italian ingredients that include chocolate, espresso, and nuts, as well as handpicked seasonal fruit. Their daily offering of eighteen flavors continually changes and ranges from traditional Italian flavors to their own creations. Gelato cakes and tiramisu are available upon special request.

By Alison Malone

Lemon, pancetta, and broccolini dazzle fettuccini in this breezy dinnertime dish.

Summer’s long gone, and the ritual of planning the evening’s al fresco feast is a pleasant memory. Autumn’s upon us, and it’s now time to beef up your arsenal of quick weeknight meals. In this fettuccini recipe, bright lemon and crisp broccolini awaken the palette, while pancetta—a cured meat so salty that no additional salinating is needed in the dish—hints at the robust flavors of fall. Dinner comes together with ease in fifteen minutes.

Lemon Fettuccini with Pancetta and Broccolini

Recipe developed by Hilary Malone

Ingredients
• 3 ounces pancetta, cubed
• 2 bunches broccolini, rinsed
• 9 ounces dried fettuccini
• 3 tbsp butter
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp lemon peel
• 2 tsp lemon juice
• 1 tbsp fresh thyme leaves
• 1/3 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
• ¼ tsp pepper

Preparation
Sauté pancetta over medium-high heat until crisp and golden. Transfer to kitchen towel to drain.
Parboil broccolini in a large pot of salted boiling water for three minutes or until vibrant and green but still crisp. Transfer broccolini to ice bath and drain. Set aside.

Cook fettuccini in the same pot of boiling water used for the broccolini until al dente. Drain and return to pot. Add remaining ingredients and stir to coat.

By Matt Sheker

Summer was officially over last month, and yet many of us are still lighting up the barbecue and grilling some of our favorite meats because we just cannot let go. The smell of the food cooking makes you consider what bottle you are going to serve with your perfect dish.

There is a distinct difference between the wines we consume during the summertime and the wines we tend to drink during the winter months. Winter wines seem to be heavier reds that need a lot of decanting. Summer wines tend to be lighter and have more refreshing characteristics. But regardless, light or heavy, the wine must complement the barbecue dish you are serving.

Wines that pair well with barbecued food are different from everyday drinking wines. Most everyday drinking wines are enjoyed without food; they tend to have more fruit on the front of the palate and have less structure and little acid balance. Wines that have a little more character to them—complex flavors, wood, spice, coconut, smoke, richness, texture, and acidity—pair better with spicier foods. Pinot noirs, zinfandels and cabernets sauvignons have a longer finish, have more berry-flavored aromas, and complement rich BBQ dishes.

If you are more of a white wine drinker, then look for a white wine with loads of acidity. The acidity is the key, in not only the crispness of the wine but also in how long the flavor lasts and how the wine reacts with the food. All food-friendly wines of any color have good bright acidity as a common denominator. Wines less compatible with food have less acidity and tend to have higher alcohol content.

If you’re grilling up fresh seafood and serving salads, try a chardonnay from the subappellation of Alexander Valley, which is known for acidic wines. Chardonnays will have characteristics of butter, vanilla, spice, toast, and flavors of apples, lemons, melon, pineapple, and other tropical fruits that will complement a barbecue dish. This is the perfect accompaniment to oysters, seafood, and light poultry. Pinot grigio, viognier, and sauvignons blancs will have similar characteristics with more emphasis on tropical fruit.

When you think of the flavors brought on by grilling meat, you think big, bold, and appealing. Red wines should also be big wines—full-bodied, with forward fruit flavor, spice, and pepper, along with good acidity. Wines for barbecue should be able to support the succulence of the meat brought out by the slow cooking and not be overwhelmed by or compete with the spiciness and sweetness of the sauce.

You’ve spent a great deal of time preparing this sumptuous souvenir of summer by choosing the right meat, creating your own world-famous spices and rubs, and slow cooking the barbecue to perfection. Why not complement the entire experience with a peppery zinfandel from Dry Creek? Bon appétit.

By Cassaundra Brooks

Cupcakes

No one can mistake what this yummy bakery offers! Claiming that “a cupcake is more than just another sweet treat—it’s a lifestyle,” their daily and weekly rotating delightful varieties are baked from scratch with prime ingredients every morning, so your snack is guaranteed fresh every day. For parties, Cupcakes has four varieties of towers to rent at no extra charge, and their Kiddie Corner provides the little ones with an opportunity to decorate their famous Party Animal cupcake. For families whose pets are the children, Cupcakes also offers a Peewee Cupcake for dogs.

Located in the exclusive Hilton Village in Scottsdale.
6137 N. Scottsdale Rd. Suite B-105
Scottsdale, AZ 85250
(480) 656-3816
gotcupcakes.com

Sweet Thang Cupcakes

The old-world ambience and location in the notable Willo Historic District give passersby two great reasons to enter this cupcake shop’s doors, but we’ll give you three better ones: cupcakes, coffee shop, and tea bar. The full-service bakery not only serves up fresh gourmet cupcakes and other fresh-baked favorites but also offers award-winning tea and coffee drinks. Their cupcakes range from the traditional to original flavors you’ll find nowhere else, and with handcrafted flowers and an array of crafty designs, these cupcakes can be considered works of art. Special orders, catering, and whole cakes are also available.

503 W. Thomas Rd.
Phoenix, AZ 85013-4211
(866) 725-5457
sweetthangcupcakes.com

Lulu’s Cupcakes

Claiming to provide cupcakes that are 100 percent natural and 100 percent naughty, Lulu’s Cupcakes offers to make your favorite flavors in addition to their Seven Daily Sins: Blonde Bombshell, Tantrum Tamer, Mood Elevator, The Raven, The Landscaper, Chocoschnitzel, and Bunny Boo, not to mention a daily (ahem) D-Cupcake Special. Give in to your sweet tooth and sample the sugary seven sins at their location on the southeast corner of Miller and McDowell.

7607 East McDowell Road #108
Scottsdale, AZ 85257
(480) 990-CAKE
luluscupcakes.com

Fresh from the garden, rhubarb brings a burst of spring to lean pork tenderloin.

By Alison Malone

For many, rhubarb brings to mind fond memories of tummy-warming pies, tarts, and crumbles. The herbaceous perennial is originally from China and has been used for centuries for medicinal purposes. It grows well in the West Coast climate and, when cooked down, its crunchy pink stalk becomes luxuriously tender. In the recipe that follows, it is perfectly paired—perhaps unexpectedly—with pork tenderloin, and infused with tangy dried cranberries, brown sugar, robust balsamic vinegar, zesty lemon peel, cinnamon, and spicy ginger root. Round out the meal with a light salad, fluffy couscous, and a goblet of pinot noir, and you’re sure to swoon with palatal pleasure.

Pork Tenderloin with Rhubarb-Balsamic Compote

Recipe developed by Hilary Malone

Ingredients:
1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 tsp grated ginger root
1 ½ tsp grated lemon peel
1 cinnamon stick
2 cups rhubarb stalks, trimmed and cut into ¼-inch slices
1/3 cup dried cranberries (or cherries)
2 1-pound pork tenderloins
4 tbsp olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Preparation:
In a medium saucepan, cook vinegar, sugar, ginger, lemon peel, and cinnamon stick until sugar is dissolved. Add rhubarb and cranberries and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer and cook rhubarb until tender—about 10 minutes. Season with salt, remove cinnamon stick, and cool.

Preheat oven to 350º F. Rub tenderloins with two tablespoons of oil and season with salt and pepper. In a large skillet, heat remaining oil and sear the tenderloins until browned on all sides. Transfer pork to a roasting pan and cook until a meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the loin reads 150º F—about 20 minutes.

Transfer pork to cutting board, cover it with foil, and let it sit for 10 minutes. Cut tenderloins into half-inch-thick slices and serve with compote.

By Matt Sheker

While we ordinary people chose a dozen roses for our loved ones for Valentine’s Day, David Beckham bought his wife Victoria a vineyard. I am sure you have heard the saying “In the wine industry, if you want to end up with a small fortune, you had better start with a large one.” This simple phrase means that you had better plan to spend a lot of money for a small return.

What motivates Hollywood movie stars like Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt, famous racecar drivers like Mario Andretti, rock stars like Maynard James Keenan from Tool, and several sports superstars to jump into the lavish world of wine? It used to be that owning a yacht was the epitome of flamboyance, but it appears that these days, there is only one thing anyone who’s anybody wants to spend their money on, and that is a vineyard. Is it the prestige and glamour of nonchalantly mentioning at a dinner party, “Yes, I own a vineyard,” or do people simply consider it the ultimate lifestyle? Potential investors look at purchasing a winery as an opportunity to hang out with the Mondavis, Kendall-Jacksons, and Francis Coppolas of the world. It seems that owning a winery has indeed become a status symbol.

Like art, vintage cars, and fine watches, wine is now included in the showpiece category—you don’t buy it for enjoyment, but for appreciation. And as long as prices for these collectibles continue to rise, today’s collectors can convince themselves that the bottle of 1998 Petrus Pomerol they just bought for $2,000 isn’t a consumable item, but an efficient deployment of capital. Therefore, wine is no longer meant for drinking. With the huge surge in vintage wine prices and the explosion of wealthy collectors, wine has been transformed from what Robert Louis Stevenson called “bottled poetry” to what wealth managers and wine purveyors like to call maturing investments that just get better with time.

Before you get all excited about spending that $10 million you have lingering in your portfolio on a vineyard, I have realized after talking with several winery owners that the reality of owning and running a vineyard is far from dreamy. Dedication and hard work are required to transform grapes into wine. It is a nonstop cycle of nurturing the vines, harvesting the grapes, and gently manipulating the wine process.

However, if you’re still considering the idea of hobnobbing with the rich and famous, there are a couple of wineries for sale in Napa, California. Of course, you’re aware that if you go to your neighbor’s house to borrow a cup of sugar, Francis Ford Coppola might answer the door.

By Gerald Calamia
Photography by Eric Fairchild

North Scottsdale’s Barcelona Steakhouse and Night Club is noted for its standard of excellence throughout its entertainment and restaurant complex. This quality is equally evident in Sutra Sushi at Barcelona, the complex’s newest addition to its already iconic destination.

Sutra Sushi’s sophisticated climate invites you to relax and unwind. The seating area sports rich colors of red with oversized freeform leather benches and stylish tables and chairs. The bar is stocked with premium-level spirits, with color-changing lights against mirrored glass to spotlight the best vodkas, whiskeys, and gins available. The sushi chefs’ open-view kitchen is the restaurant’s center, where diners at the bar can see the masters assembling all manner sashimi, nigiri, and rolls. All this was in sync with the remarkable attention to detail and the high-level service we experienced as we dined.

Sutra Sushi at Barcelona has an extensive list of sake, served cold or hot. We decided on two cold versions of Nebuta Honjozo and Murai Nigori Genshu. Both sakes were fresh, crisp, full-bodied drinks, with melon, spice, and vanilla in the Nebuta, and pineapple and coconut flavors in the Murai. We also ordered two glasses of their Kobai Plum, a plum wine whose sweetness went well with the sushi and rolls we ordered for dinner.

We started with a sample of nigiri. Our server, Jaime Atkins, suggested we try the king crab and fresh water eel selections, to which we added tuna, yellowtail, and scallop. Their freshly handmade nigiri was served a la carte, and as each order came to the table, it was evident how important presentation and quality are to Sutra Sushi.

For our main entrees, we decided on a selection of rolls from their Sutra Specials and Classic Rolls. We chose a California roll and a rainbow roll from the Classics. The rainbow roll delights the eye, with the variegated colors of shrimp, yellowtail, tuna, whitefish, and salmon adorning ample amounts of rice as the foundation.

Our Sutra Specials rolls included the Sutra, Buddha, Bindi and what turned out to be our favorite roll, the Lotus. The Sutra and Bindi rolls offered tempura tuna and lobster, respectively, and the two sauces that the Sutra was served with combined a little bit of heat with a handful of flavor. The Lotus Roll, another very colorful, engaging dish, offered shrimp tempura with a spicy crab mix wrapped inside cucumber and soy paper, topped off with mango and avocado.

We finished with an order from their New Style menu. We selected the blackened albacore, which came sashimi style (albacore only, with no rice). It was Cajun-seared and served with a dollop of blackberry chutney to sweeten up the albacore.

Sutra Sushi also has a lunch menu that offers the same choices as dinner, with the addition of bentos (Japanese style box lunches). Bentos include halibut, beef tenderloin, and teriyaki chicken, as well as a vegetable tempura selection. On Fridays and Saturdays, the restaurant offers a late-night menu from 11 p.m. to 1 a.m. for those late-night snacks.

General Manager Charles F. Smith III told us that all aspects of the dining experience must be at their highest level, from the food to the lighting to the service, so that each guest’s experience is a memorable one, and service and presentation were indeed true to the concept. The sushi and rolls were inviting, fresh, and creative. For a place to sample sushi, eat light, have that special dinner, or meet a group of friends, look no farther than Sutra Sushi at Barcelona. It will be an evening to remember, and you will surely be reminded to return.

Sutra Sushi at Barcelona is located at 15440 N. Greenway-Hayden Loop, Scottsdale. For reservations, call (480) 355-2626.

Early summer’s bounty paves the way for light, refreshing desserts.

By Alison Malone

When it comes to life’s simple pleasures, few surpass the pure wholesomeness of fresh produce. And who doesn’t adore a strawberry, with its stippled sweet red body topped by a green elfin cap? This June, as the days creep toward the longest of the year and the promise of summer draws near, weekend evenings mean lazing around on the patio with grilled food and chilled drinks. For cleansing the palate at the end of the meal, nothing hits the spot like a cool, refreshing sorbet. Not to be confused with sherbet, which contains milk and eggs, sorbets are made from fresh fruit purée. Considerably lower in fat than ice cream, this light dessert packs a flavor punch, as sweet and tart dance on the taste buds in perfect harmony. With so few ingredients, it is important to use fruit at the height of freshness, so pick up a basket of farmers’ market strawberries while they’re in season. The perhaps surprising addition of the egg white helps produce a creamier smoothness, stabilizing the sorbet and allowing it to maintain a soft texture for a longer time. Easy and quick to make, it will leave you—and your fortunate guests—simply delighted.

FRESH STRAWBERRY SORBET
Recipe developed by Hilary Malone

Ingredients:
2 cups water
2 cups sugar
8 cups strawberries, hulled and halved
1/3 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
Pinch of salt
1 large egg white

Preparation:
Combine water and sugar in a small saucepan. Heat until sugar dissolves and mixture comes to a boil. Simmer for five minutes, remove from pan, and cool.

Purée strawberries using a food processor or emulsion blender. Add lime juice, cooled sugar syrup, and salt. Press the strawberry mixture through a strainer to remove seeds. Chill mixture for one hour or until cool. Transfer the chilled mixture to an ice cream maker and churn following the manufacturer’s directions. Add egg white in the last five minutes of churning. Spoon into a sealed container and freeze until firm, at least three hours.

Makes 10 servings.

FOOD HOTSPOTS:

Bombay Spice Grill & Wine

A refreshing twist on Indian food recently made its way to Tatum & Shea. This casual yet elegant eatery offers healthy cuisine for under $10, with most dishes containing less than 500 calories. Bombay’s cuisine is prepared with no added sugars, butter, gee, or cream. Bombay has also introduced a unique wine concept, giving wine enthusiasts something to toast to. Their signature backlit wine bar offers forty carefully chosen wines for one great price.

(602) 795-0020 (Tatum & Shea) (602) 371-0111 (16th Street and Glendale)
10810 North Tatum Blvd. 7000 North 16th Street
Phoenix, AZ 85020 Phoenix, AZ 85020
bombayspice.com

My Big Fat Greek Restaurant

A Mediterranean oasis in the Arizona desert, My Big Fat Greek Restaurant brings the food of the gods to the people of the Valley. Transport yourself to Greece on fresh ingredients, a relaxed atmosphere, and warm hospitality in a variety of Arizona locations, including Phoenix and Scottsdale. And leave time and room for an appetizer—the flaming saganaki (imported kefalograviera cheese flamed with ouzo and metaxa) is a must!

2135 E. Camelback Rd. 4218 N. Scottsdale Rd.
Phoenix, AZ Scottsdale, AZ
(602) 954-2668 (480) 949-8900
mybigfatgreekrestaurant.net

Baci

In the mood for fine Italian dining? The newly opened Baci Restaurant serves up some sizzling seafood and prime pasta dishes, polishing off its savory presentations with an impressive selection of wine as well as choice delectable desserts, including cabernet raspberry sorbet. Private parties and catering services are also available. Enjoy!

711 E. Carefree Hwy. Ste. 160
Phoenix, AZ 85085
(623) 582-2326

By Matt Sheker

Not all white wines are chardonnays. Not all merlots taste the same.

Everyone’s favorite wine is different. No wine other than chardonnay takes on the flavors of the land in which it is grown. If you want a chardonnay that has hints of apples, pears, and peaches, then try a chardonnay from the Russian River area of Sonoma. If you are looking for a more citrus- or acidic-flavored chardonnay, then look for those grown in Monterey County. How about one with flintiness, or mineral characteristics? Try a chardonnay from the Carneros region of Napa Valley. Have a taste for melons, pineapples, and other tropical fruits? Search for a chardonnay from Santa Barbara, where the climate is a little cooler. In the Edna Valley region of San Luis Obispo, you can find chardonnays with fresh apricot overtones. But remember that not all whites are chardonnays. Chardonnay is just one of many grape varietals that are used to make wine and is the number-one-selling wine sold at restaurants throughout the United States.

Years ago, merlot was only grown for blending with other wines, such as cabernet, malbec, and petit verdot. This is because the merlot is a subtler, less tannic grape varietal, which helps offset the overpowering cabernets and thus makes the wines more approachable or easier to drink. I could line up ten different merlots to sample, and each one would taste slightly different. Winemakers have such a huge impact on the aroma, color, finish, and overall taste of the merlot: they can use French oak barrels to give the wine a creamy, milk-chocolate taste, or American oak to bring out the berry flavors of the merlot. Some winemakers will even use stainless steel for the fermentation process and add wood chips to provide a bacon or smoked sausage flavor. No other grape varietal is flexible enough to bring out so many different characteristics. The merlot grape is also cultivated earlier in the season, and this is because the grape is larger and has a thinner skin than the cabernet’s. Because of these characteristics, the merlot has a higher ratio of grape juice to skin, therefore resulting in less tannic wine than the cabernet. You will hear the term soft tannins used a lot to describe a merlot.

Whether you enjoy a basic white or red, understand that where the fruit is grown and how it is manipulated during the winemaking process drastically influences the characteristics of the wine and how much you’ll pay for it. Simple wines that come from a general appellation, such as California, that are machine-harvested and manufactured into wine, are relatively inexpensive and very average in quality. However, handcrafted wines that come from a very specific region—Mount Veeder, Napa, California, for instance—and are hand-harvested and -crafted by an experienced vintner, are a bit more expensive and superior in quality. Your goal is to find something in the middle. Begin by reading the labels and the information on the back. Most wineries have Web sites that feature their wines, and information about how they are made.

By Myriam Joseph

In our ever-expansive eventful lives, conjuring up another idea for a dinner event can take more creative energy than you are willing to sacrifice. Few people can count on having a list of such talents as event planner, chef extraordinaire, and sommelier. So, why is it when it comes to planning, we take on so many responsibilities? Madness, I tell you—it is madness. With so many professional resources available, why not cater to yourself and embrace a catered life?

Personal chef services and event-staging specialists offer not only culinary and party services, but they also make your life literally more abundant. Many harried hosts make the assumption that personal chefs are only hired to cater special events. Oh, how wrong they are! A personal chef will come into your home at your requested time, create your desired meal, and then lovingly package, label, and place it all in your refrigerator for you to serve whenever you want to eat. Personal chefs are hired to use the full range of their expertise, not only in cooking elaborate meals, but also in creating daily, weekly, and monthly balanced menus; selecting the freshest and best ingredients at the market; stocking your cabinets with intriguing condiments; and having everything positioned so that you can easily have dinner served and ready on Monday night in under twenty minutes. The time you spend considering what you will make for dinner, all the while knowing you don’t even want to cook, could be better spent honoring yourself with an activity that you truly enjoy and savor. Dream abundantly about what you want to eat, and your personal chef will make it happen. In addition to routine dinners, there may be an evening during which you want the personal chef to prepare a more elegant dinner for your associates in your home. A true professional will design the menu and create an appropriate serving presentation for you, making it as comfortable as you like.

When it comes to abundantly arranging the other elements of a more formal dinner, a staging specialist is another new best friend. A staging specialist is the enchanted prodigy who comes into your home and sets your table, arranges your fresh flowers, selects your music, lights the candles, creates a beautiful presentation on your buffet, and then hightails it out when your guests arrive so you can take all the credit for making the evening fabulous. While you shower and pamper yourself in preparation for your guests to arrive, a wizard is working magic in your home, making sure you have delicate orchids in the bathroom and that the cocktail napkins are perfectly fanned on the coffee table. All the details you fretted over in the past fall under the auspicious eye of your staging specialist. Once guests arrive, hosts have a responsibility to set the tone for the evening by creating an experience for guests in which they, as hosts, may enjoy as well. Setting a tone that is welcoming, relaxed, and inviting and not being preoccupied with details such as making sure there is enough ice.

An abundant, perfect social event is certainly the bliss of the flowers arriving and the Cristal being poured into sparkling flutes. It also is finding ways to make planning and creating the event easy. Determine which part of the creative process you enjoy doing yourself, and leave the rest to a professional you trust.