I long ago learned as a business owner that when product and process come together, beautiful things happen.
In the case of Chef William Bradley’s Addison restaurant, inside San Diego’s Grand Del Mar Resort, I have never seen product (food), and process (experience), come together in such a beautiful, and unprecedented way.
From the moment we walked in the front door, it was clear that the Addison team was unified in their intention to create a remarkable dining experience.
As we got comfortable in our romantic high-backed semi-circled booth, our napkins were immediately presented to us using silver tongs. With surprise, we looked at each other, and began to look around our beautiful surroundings to see what other surprises we might encounter.
Addison Purse Stools
A few tables over, I noticed that the woman’s purse was sitting upon a very small stool next to her chair. When I inquired with our waiter, he said, “we couldn’t bear thinking that a woman’s purse might touch the floor. Therefore, we provide purse stools for our guests”.
Additionally, we noticed that each course was presented with noticeable choreography, which even extended to the clearing of the tables. Further, once an empty table was ready to be reset with its many layers of linen tablecloths, out came a steam iron to make certain that not the slightest hint of a wrinkle exists.
Our meal began with Amuse Bouche (Fr. for amuse the mouth) with our choreographers (waiters) bringing us a very small bowl of Tomato Comsommé with two small raspberries stuffed with yuzu. The combination of salt, sweet, and sour was delightful, and made us excited for the coming gastronomical exploration.
First Course
Being ever the adventurous one, when it comes to cuisine, I chose Crevettes “Feuilles De Brick” (japanese dashi, uni (sea urchin) and bok choy) parred with my first ever taste of Saki, while Carol opted for Alaskan King Crab (baby romaine and sauce vermouth) parred with a beautiful Austrian Sauvignon Blanc.
Carol was rolling her eyes with glee, while I greatly enjoyed exploring new frontiers of taste.
Second Course
Carol sampled Le Filet De St. Pierre (fava beans and manila clams “a la naga”) parred with a Chardonnay from Sonoma Valley, while I was nearly delirious in ecstasy as I chose their Foie Gras Deux Facon (bing cherries, pistachios and amaretto) parred with a Grand Del Mar Private Bottling of a German Spatlese.
I can’t even begin to know how to explain in text how good these dishes were. This may sound a bit crass, but if it were possible to have an orgasm of the taste buds and olfactory system, then we just did and wanted more!
Third Course
Carol enjoyed a wonderful Short Rib dish, while I again journeyed into the incredible with Lamb Rack Persillé (blanquette de endive and aged balsamic gastrique) with both of our dishes being parred with a beautiful French Bourgeois.
We ended our evening with Pommes Dorée, and Parisian Macaroons parred with a wonderful sweet Premier Cru.
It is absolutely impossible to describe in text the magnificence of this meal, and of this experience. Both of us walked out declaring that this was the best meal of our lives, and the best experience during a meal of our lives.
Our only regret is that Addison, Southern California’s only Forbes Five-Star and AAA Five-Diamond award winner, is six hours from our house. WAH!
Disclosure: this fabulous meal was provided by The Grand Del Mar Resort.
This was our view last night as we dined at The Grand Del Mar‘s Amaya Restaurant. The Mediterranean influenced architecture of this place is absolutely stunning. You feel as though you have been whisked away to an important historical property, yet The Grand Del Mar is only 3 1/2 years old.
The Amaya offers seating both indoors and out, and as it was a beautiful night we eagerly opted for the exterior seating.
Carol w/ waiter Andrew
As has seemingly become customary, we ordered a nice Willamette Valley Pinot Noir, enjoyed some piping hot pretzel bread, and began to study our menu.
For starters, Carol ordered their Catalan-Style Shrimp (Chile and Lime Broth, Grilled Baguette), while I opted for their Braised Short Rib Cannelloni (Beach Mushroom Ragout).
Wow! Both of these dishes were outstanding. I also found myself under constant barrage as Carol’s fork kept finding its way into my short ribs. We settled a truce by sampling out a portion for each on our bread plates. I also greatly enjoyed one of Carol’s grilled baguettes soaked in the chile and lime broth. YUM!
Sautéed Halibut
For our entrées, Carol picked Center Cut Rotisserie Pork Chop (Mushroom and Potato Hash, Blue Cheese), while I decided to lighten things up a bit with Sautéed Halibut (White Asparagus, Pickled Mushrooms, Pinot Noir Sauce).
While these dishes were both more than excellent, I’m afraid that our starters completely stole the show.
For desert we shared a dark chocolate flour-less cake, with a dab of house-made ice cream on top, as Carol sipped her French-pressed coffee, and me, my much loved espresso.
After a very enjoyable dinner, we strolled around the beautifully lite gardens, shot a few photographs, and then retired to our beautiful 1,100 square-foot Veranda Suite.
Oh, I nearly forgot! As we were strolling around the gardens, there was an earthquake that hit 5.7 on the Richter Scale. Surprisingly, we didn’t feel a thing, but others were running around asking, “did you feel that?”
What a most wonderful dining experience. I look forward to sharing more with your about the beautiful Grand Del Mar Resort in the coming days.
Disclosure: this wonderful dining experience was provided by The Grand Del Mar.
Today, with our visit to Scottsdale’s Camelback Inn, we mark the fifth and final stop on our Arizona AAA Five-Diamond Resort Tour.
The Camelback Inn was created in 1936, and became Scottsdale, Arizona’s very first luxury resort.
The original resort cost $75,000 to build and accommodated 75 guests. The resort immediately attracted wealthy travelers who endured long train rides to Phoenix from the East Coast and Midwest, then another 12-mile trek down bumpy dirt roads to reach their Southwestern resort adventure. Horseback riding, desert exploration and other outdoor excursions introduced vacationers to the wonders of their secluded surroundings.
Today, after a $50 million face-lift in 2008, and enhancing the resort over the years with a 31,000 sq. ft spa, and a 36-hole championship golf course with spectacular 36,000 sq. ft. pueblo-styled Clubhouse, the Camelback Inn continues to dazzle people from around the world.
Another significant feather in the cap of the Camelback Inn is found in the fact that they have been a AAA Five-Diamond resort (34 years and counting) since the very beginning of this prestigious award. There are only three resorts in the whole United States who can make that claim. (Update 1/18/2013: The Camelback Inn lost their AAA Five-Diamond rating in 2013, and is now rated a AAA Four-Diamond hotel)
Here are a few of the highlights of our Camelback Inn experience:
Immediately noticeable is the staff’s earnest desire to create a memorable experience, bending over backwards to create very important first impressions.
To be completely forthright, we were somewhat disenchanted with our room’s furnishings and appointments as compared to other AAA Five-Diamond properties we have recently visited. Unfortunately, the Camelback Inn team also dropped the ball and completely left us out of a turn-down service on our first night. I have been fretting about whether to mention this, but we feel that it is important to be completely open about our experiences, be it good, bad, or indifferent. We would also want you to know that these things, in light of all the other splendors of this resort, would most definitely not keep us from a return visit. In just two short days, we grew to love this property. Fair enough?
I was completely taken aback by their casual dining restaurant, Rita’s Kitchen. I went in expecting typical casual dining fare, but was dumbfounded when I experienced what was likely the best fish dish of my life! Carol’s enchiladas also left one mute with amazement. They were that good! More on Rita’s Kitchen in another post.
We were hosted to a sensational wine-parring diner at the resort’s BLT Steakhouse. The food was so good we returned back, after checking out of the resort, to sample BLT’s “typical” dining fare. The food at BLT Steakhouse is remarkable. More on that in another post.
The Camelback Spa! Boy, how to describe this amazing place. We spent a whole day in this spa. We enjoyed a workout in their well equipped gym, and then both retreated to the confines of our separate gendered facilities to enjoy total relaxation. Carol enjoyed a massage/wrap, while I greatly enjoyed a eucalyptus steam, and a shower with, I think, 13 shower heads. I also dipped my toes in the cold dunk tank, but the water was 56º so I chickened out from a full dunk. After 90 minutes of sheer relaxation, we headed out to our private deluxe cabana. Here, we were waited on hand and foot. We were greeted with a bowl of fresh fruit, had a refrigerator stocked with bottled water, were provided all day with chilled Aromatherapy face cloths to keep us cool from the hot 100º weather, and enjoyed a fabulous lunch from Sprouts, their in-house healthy fare restaurant. Our cabana provided us lots of privacy, two chairs, two lounge chairs, and beautiful views of the surrounding mountains. I can certainly see a return day trip to this spa in our futures.
Overall, we had a very memorable experience at the Camelback Inn. If you can afford it, I would spring for one of their many suites over the standard casita guest rooms. Be that as it may, regardless of where you lodge at the Camelback Inn, we can assure you of a most memorable experience coupled with some of the best service we have experienced anywhere. In fact, we hope to return again soon!
While making the fifth stop on our Arizona AAA Five-Diamond Resort Tour at the Camelback Inn, we were greatly enjoyed our dining experiences at Rita’s Kitchen and BLT Steakhouse.
Rita’s Kitchen
During the first night of our stay with the Camelback Inn, we were invited to sample the cuisine of Rita’s Kitchen. To be honest, knowing that this was “casual fare”, I wasn’t expecting much.
Boy! Was I wrong!
Our meal began with Carol ordering a wonderful Roasted Artichoke, while I enjoyed a piping hot bowl of Chicken Tortilla Soup (Avocado, onion, cilantro, jack cheese).
We looked at each other, and remarked that if the rest of the meal was this good, then we were in for a treat. Little did we know that the entrées, chosen from “Rita’s Favorites”, were going to completely blow our minds.
Carol chose Chicken Enchiladas Rojas (Red pasilla sauce, Cotija cheese, slaw), while I opted for the Mahi Mahi Veracruz (Garlic, tomato, onion, olives, capers, avocado, and cilantro rice). Please hear me, this was the best enchiladas ever! And…this was the best fish entrée I have ever had! Anywhere! Wow! This was good!
Schramsberg Wine Dinner at BLT Steakhouse
As it so happened, the resort was hosting a wine-parring dinner, with Napa Valley’s Schramsberg Winery, and we were invited to come share the night’s festivities. YEAH!
I would guess that there were 100 people present, and we enjoyed quite the gastronomical delight. Check out these courses:
First Course – San Francisco Bay Dungeness Crab with compressed melon, cucumber, avocado, yuzu, and mint parred with Schramsberg, Blanc de Blancs, North Coast 2006. This dish was amazing. The sparkling wine was nice.
Second Course – Grilled House Made Maple Pepper Bacon with donut peach, summer onion marmalade parred with Schramsberg, Blanc de Noirs, North Coast, 2006. I don’t know? It was a piece of bacon. It was good, and I am certain that it was the finest of bacon, but it was a piece of bacon. The sparkling wine on the other hand was gooood!
Third Course – Pan Seared Halibut Cheek with local heirloom tomato, consomme, tomato chips and rocket arugula parred with Schramsberg, “J Schram”, Brut Rose, California, 1998. Now this, ladies and gentlemen, was a great dish of fish, coupled with an outstanding glass of bubbly! Hugh Davis, the second-generation wine maker from Schramsberg, explained that these sparkling wines were brought to China by Richard Nixon, and have been a staple at White House functions.
Fourth Course – Painted Hills Farms BBQ Short Rib with cranberry bean succotash, sweet corn puree, and pedron chile parred with J. Davies, Cabernet Sauvignon, Diamond Mountain, 2206. MMMM! Both were excellent.
Fifth Course – Mascarpone Cheesecake with strawberry essence, wild strawberries, and chocolate parred with Schramsberg, Cremant, Demi-Sec, North Coast, 2005. Holy sweet wonderfulness Batman!
To end our evening, our wine maker ushered us all outdoors where he popped the cork of a bottle of Cremant with his trusty Schramsberg sword. Everyone opens their Cremant that way. Right?
Note: click the photograph to see a much larger version, and subsequently the cork exploding its way across the garden.
What a delightful evening! Great food, and new friends.
BLT Steakhouse
As we were enjoying the special fare of the wine dinner, everyone was telling us what a wonderful restaurant BLT Steakhouse was. Therefore, after we checked out of the resort, and had made our way back to N. Scottsdale, we decided to make reservations at BLT Steakhouse, that very night, and return to Camelback Inn for dinner.
After getting comfortable, back at BLT Steakhouse, we ordered a beautiful Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa Valley and enjoyed a complimentary taste of liver paté on toast as we studied our menus.
As we had spent the last two nights eating rich foods, we decided that we were going to split a dinner this evening. Besides, we knew that we were about to be presented with the BLT Steakhouse’s famous popovers, and we just couldn’t contemplate a third successive evening of gorged bellies.
After many oohs and aashs over our popovers, we shared an order of Fava Bean Succotash, and then shared a 15 oz. bone-in USDA Prime Black Angus Filet which was broiled at 1700 degrees and finished with a dob of herb butter. Wow! Now that was a steak.
Let me just say that whether you are staying at the Camelback Inn, or a resident of the Greater Phoenix Area, this resort has some scrumptious cuisine simply waiting for your arrival.
Hat’s off to the Camelback Inn, and all the chefs.
The Roaming Boomers
I long ago learned as a business owner that when product and process come together, beautiful things happen.
Carol enjoyed a wonderful Short Rib dish, while I again journeyed into the incredible with Lamb Rack Persillé (blanquette de endive and aged balsamic gastrique) with both of our dishes being parred with a beautiful French Bourgeois.
