The Roaming BoomersComing Soon! San Diego, California
For our June destination trip we will be heading to the fabulous town of San Diego, California. Stay Tuned!
Feasting Like Italian Medici at Scottsdale’s Pane e Vino Ristorante
As we continue in our journey to discover the voice of our on-line travel magazine, one thing is for certain; we are not the type of travel resource that is destined to pit one place over another.
The Internet is replete with ranking sites that will cheerfully give a grade of some sort to a particular type of travel or leisure.
We absolutely celebrate variety, and further love to share our experience when we find a particularly remarkable varietal.
Such is the case with Scottsdale, Arizona’s Pane e Vino Ristorante.
We love Italy. We love Italian food. And we love Pane e Vino Ristorante!
Interestingly, the owner (Mark Stricker) can be generally found fishing (photographs of such activities adorn the lobby), while the affable English manager (Stuart Bailey, who hails from England’s Sherwood Forest) is evidently prohibited from entering the kitchen.
This was our fourth visit to Pane e Vino Ristorante, and this time we found ourselves perched in one of their romantic booths where we could simultaneously feel romantically adrift from the rest of the world, yet, have the activity of the restaurant in our clear view.
We started our epicurean journey with a beautiful Italian Chianti, and fresh baked breads that we dipped in olive oil accompanied with garlic and fresh olives. Bellissima!
For our Antipasti, Carol ordered their Arugula Salad (candied walnuts, feta cheese, pears, and Dijon vinaigrette), while I, (surprise, surprise) opted for Cozze Sambuca (mussels, herbs, garlic). Normally, you would find me screaming for joy over my mussels, but unfortunately (sorry guys) the sambuca flavoring just didn’t do it for me. I guess the sweet aniseed-flavored liquor (sambuca), in my palate’s view, doesn’t compared with a beautiful garlic flavored white wine sauce.
Nonetheless, this one minor disenchantment certainly wasn’t going to sabotage what I knew was further along in our journey.
Pane e Vino’s Cioppino
For our Primi, Carol and I shared a half order of their absolutely, stomp your feet, scream for joy Spaghetti Carbonara (bacon, onion, egg yolk, white wine sauce). The first time I ever enjoyed this dish was in a little restaurant right across the street from St. Peter’s in Rome. Pane e Vino’s Carbonara stacks up with the best!
For our Secondi, Carol greatly enjoyed their Veal Special (veal, sweet sausage, sun-dried tomato, gorgonzola, wild mushrooms, and white wine sauce), while I, well…how to say this…my taste buds enjoyed an ecstasy seldom found as I savored their Cioppino (shrimp, scallops, calamari, clams, mussels, salmon in a thin spicy red sauce with linguine). Absolutely out of this world!
We weren’t planning to further indulge in a desert as both of were gleefully longing for a comfortable place to be all nostalgic about our fabulous meal. However, Mr. Sherwood Forest would not take no for an answer, and brought us a huge helping of their home-made Tiramisu. It was heavenly, but we were forced to box most of it up for another day. We just couldn’t eat another bite!
I hope I have convinced you to dine with the folks at Pane e Vino Ristorante. Not only am I certain that you will have a fabulous meal, but you will also likely find new friends with these incredibly friendly folks. And who wouldn’t want to have friends that can put together this type of Italian feast.
Disclosure: this fabulous dining experience was provided by Pane e Vino Ristorante.
If you enjoyed this article, come follow us on Facebook and Twitter. For exclusive travel deals, giveaways, and perks, come join our FREE Travel Rewards Club.
We Visit the Musical Instrument Museum in Phoenix, Arizona
I don’t suppose there is any reason for you to know this, but I (David) have as my undergraduate degree, four years of classical vocal training. The love of music runs swiftly through my every synapse.
The other cool thing to consider is that I am clearly not alone in this love. Every culture that has ever existed, on every square inch of our globe, has loved and expressed themselves in music.
Therefore, when we were afforded the opportunity to do a piece on Phoenix, Arizona’s brand new Musical Instrument Museum, we jumped at the chance.
The Musical Instrument Museum (MIM) bills itself as the world’s first global instrument museum, and has set about to collect musical instruments from every country in the world.
The two-story, 190,000 square feet museum is divided into distinctly separate collections. On the first floor, exhibits are organized by themes. The Orientation Gallery introduces guests to the astonishing variety of instruments, the ways music has been shaped by interaction and exchange, and the dazzling artistry of handcrafted instruments from around the world. On the second floor, instruments are organized by geography, across these ten major regions of the world: Africa, Middle East, Central Asia, South Asia, East Asia, Southeast Asia, Oceania, Latin America, United States / Canada, and Europe.
There is also a wonderful, hands-on experience museum, a conservation lab visible through glass windows, a 299-seat auditorium, a marvelous cafe featuring foods from around the world, and even a unique musical instrument museum store.
Another cool feature is the museum’s wireless museum guides. Guests are given wireless headsets to wear throughout the museum. As they approach different displays, they can hear the instruments being played, either solo or as an ensemble. Photographs and video familiarize guests with the unique sounds of each musical culture, allowing them to share a common experience. Special display areas and exhibitions emphasize interactivity and personal selection.
All told, we spent around 5 hours strolling through the various musical cultures of the world. The wireless audio, along with individual videos at each display, really allowed you to bathe yourself in the music of all these differing lands. It was a wonderful experience.
I might also say, you should plan to eat your lunch at the museum. For lunch we enjoyed a Russian Stroganoff with red beets. YUM! However, if you don’t fancy stroganoff, then there is certain to be another world’s cuisine offered on another day, alongside your typical museum fare.
For my baby boomer readers, this would be a delightful place to take your grandchildren. They will certainly create lifetime memories in the experience room. I know that Carol had a wonderful time playing all those different instruments.
We are very pleased to have this resource available in Phoenix, and look forward to many returns to listen to a few of their unique concerts.
Disclosure: the wonderful experience was provided by the fine folks at the Musical Instrument Museum.
Dining at The Phoenician’s Il Terrazzo Restaurant in Scottsdale, Arizona
While making the second stop on our Arizona AAA Five-Diamond Resort Tour at The Phoenician resort, we were privileged to dine at their AAA Four-Diamond Il Terrazzo restaurant.
Carol w/ Food & Beverage Supervisor Brian Cresson (left), and Chef Kyle Lipetzky
Il Terrazzo’s authentic Italian cuisine captures the rich flavors and spices indigenous to this Southern European region. The progressive menu is highlighted by hand-crafted artisan breads and fresh pastas, created right on the resort property.
We chose to enjoy Il Terrazzo’s outside seating, under the evening Sonoran sky, and began to make ourselves comfortable. We ordered a nice bottle of Pinot Noir, enjoyed their bread offerings which we dipped in wonderful balsamic and oil.
As we sat back to study the menu, this little floppy-eared rabbit came right up to our table, and stood up on his back legs looking to see if we had any food to offer. I must admit, I have seen birds, squirrels, any number of small rodent type animals, but this is the first time I have seen a rabbit behave in this manner. As a manner of fact, there seemed to be at least two of them hopping around the patio making themselves quite at home.
I feared for the little guys when I twice saw a Great Horned Owl fly by casing the joint!
After the spectacle of the rabbits died down in the room, we made some important decisions on our evenings fare.
Carol w/ waiter Brian
For starters, Carol began with the Il Terrazzo House Salad (Field Greens, Fresh Grapes, Candied Walnuts, Bleu Cheese, with a Sour Cherry Vinaigrette), while I opted for my much beloved Mussels (Garlic, Lemon, White Wine, and Black Pepper). Here’s a little hint: the starter mussels in this restaurant where large enough to become a full meal. I had to force myself to stop eating them, or I wouldn’t have had any room for my main course. Nonetheless, they were wonderful, and of course the broth was just perfect for dipping some of that hand-crafted Italian bread. YUM!
For our main course, contrary to our normal behavior of trying differing menu items, we both opted for the Black Angus Short Ribs (Elbow Macaroni, White Cheddar, Broccoli, and Black Truffle). Holy major gourmet comfort food Batman! This was good!
However, we were both a little embarrassed because we had both enjoyed the mountain of mussels so much, we left little room for this wonderful main dish. Fortunately, someone back in time invented a way to carry out our left-overs, and we enjoyed the heck out of those tender short ribs for several days!
What a wonderful place for a date with my bride of nearly 25 years. The food was outstanding, the service impeccable, and the ambiance highly romantic.
We are looking forward to another visit to try out their fresh fish, their Kobe Flat Iron Steak with Spinach Risotto sounded very interesting, and because we were so full, we couldn’t even think of trying out the desert tray.
What a wonderful thing it is to have a restaurant like Il Terrazzo right in our backyard! We will definitely be back, and would highly recommend that you give them a visit as well.
Disclosure: this wonderful meal was provided by The Phoenician’s Il Terrazzo restaurant. Thanks!
Our Client Testimonials
Research Travel Options
Best Way to Book a Cruise
