By Erin Forney, Guest Blogger, Foodies Like Us http://www.foodtrampdiaries.com

“Lunch and Learn” is a special luncheon/dinner series taking place on select Saturdays through August at Sanctuary Camelback Mountain Resort and Spa.  Chef Beau MacMillan, who you may have seen this year on the new Food Network series “Worst Cooks in America”, is also the Executive chef at Elements — which is a fine dining restaurant within this resort and he is the gracious host for this event.  Not only do you get a wine pairing with each course, you also get a full recipe booklet of everything made at your Lunch and Learn to take home to try yourself.  Wine is courtesy of Thomas Manda of Southern Wine and Spirits.

The Saturday I attended was on July 10^th , which was their special “A Taste of the Cooking Channel” event.  I was immediately excited because since Cooking Channel debuted a few weeks ago, I have been watching pretty much nonstop every night since.  Beau brought a recipe of his own as well as Lee Hilson, the Executive chef at T Cooks inside the Royal Palms, and Mark Tarbell, Executive chef of Tarbell’s.  All three Executive chefs were contestants on the Food Network’s “Iron Chef”.  The tie-in with the Iron Chef and introduction of the Cooking Channel really blended well and the food was superb.

Also in attendance was Bruce Seidel, the Senior VP of Programming and Production for the Cooking Channel.  He did a nice short explanation of the new channel branching out from Food Network and we also saw a short video of what the Cooking Channel is all about.  I’ve been waiting for this channel to come out, but for foodies in the room who weren’t aware the channel had started on all major cable and satellite networks, the video was a great way to introduce the new kid on the block.

Lee Hilson had the first course which was Pasta Carbonara “Iron Chef Style”, paired with Robert Mondavi Fume Blanc.  This was my favorite dish of the three courses. It was a SERIOUS pasta dish with fresh made noodles that almost reminded me of egg noodles.  The cream sauce was warm, creamy, and perfectly seasoned with delicious thick cut lardons.  There was also an over easy egg yolk on top, which really made this dish almost too decadent, but I ate every bite.

The second course was Beau Mac’s Grilled Dry Aged Prime Rib Eye with Asparagus, Gratin Potatoes, and Bacon Mushroom Hash paired with Robert Mondavi Merlot.  Let’s not forget the amazing black garlic compound butter on top of that juicy steak.  This dish was delicious as well.  The rib eye had the perfect marbling and is dry aged 28 days before cooking.  My favorite part of this course was the black garlic compound butter.  I have black garlic in my kitchen and I’ve never really found the best use for it, but this really works!  One of the most delicious compound butters I’ve ever had, I can’t wait to make this at home.

The third dessert course was Grandma Polly’s Tart Apple Pie from Mark Tarbell, paired with Robert Mondavi Muscato.  Mark painted a great picture of how this pie came about, as it was always his request as a child each year for his birthday.  Telling us about this pie and how his birthday was in the fall had my mouth watering before I even got my plate.  He explained to get a superb flaky crust a touch of cider vinegar is added to his dough. The crust is always my favorite part of a pie, and boy this crust hit the spot! It was buttery, flaky, firm…just the perfect consistency.  The apple filling was very tasty with vanilla bean ice cream on top and a drizzle of caramel. YUM.

Following our amazing three course lunch, Beau, Lee, Mark, and Bruce did a question and answer session from the audience led by Dave Tyda of EaterAz.com.  We learned a lot about the chef’s experiences of being on the famed “Iron Chef” and also learned many things about the Cooking Channel and the exciting programming additions they have planned in the next year.  This was a great event, a great experience and I highly suggest you check it out and make a reservation to attend one in the near future.  Not only do you learn a lot, but you get a little buzzed in the process with all of the delicious wine pairings with each course.  Sanctuary is also running special room rates if you’d like to make this a staycation and get the royal treatment.  Call 480.607.2300 for more information.

By J.E. Pizarro, Chief Executive Foodie

Susie and I recently decided to revisit a local food institution after a long hiatus. T. Cook’s at the Royal Palms resort.

I remember that the very first time I visited T. Cook’s, so many years ago, it felt like I was in my Great Aunt’s fantastic garden.  With arches, green grass, bougainvilleas, and the sweet smell of a variety of flowers it brought back memories of childhood forgotten.

Beyond its ability to take me back to my youth, dining out at T. Cook’s is an incredible experience!

From the engaging bar with live music on most nights to the rich Tuscan paintings that adorn the restaurant, T. Cook’s brings richness to Phoenix/Scottsdale dining that is rarely seen.

The main factor in the unique richness that is T. Cook’s happens to be Executive Chef Lee Hillson.

Hillson is down to earth, funny, talented and literally not afraid to get naked for a good cause.  (Check out the naked chefs calendar that raises money for multiple organizations).

My business partner Susie was able to gaze upon his “good nature” every day for the month of April!

Lee is not only a charismatic feature at T. Cook’s, he has also created a menu that is sublime. Lee really let his hair down during the crafting of this menu. (If you’ve met him you understand how much).

When Susie and I dine out, we enjoy when we have the chance to dine on small tastes of larger starters, entrees and desserts.

This way we get to taste a larger variety of items while not filling up-or gaining 20 lbs per meal!

Hillson prepared a six course tasting menu for us on this particularly fortuitous evening.

It’s said that we eat first with our eyes before our mouths. Hillson’s 6-course menu was printed and waiting for us on the table when we arrived for our reservation. We knew immediately that we were in for quite a treat!

T. Cook’s has a warm, disarming atmosphere that allows all worries and cares to melt into the background. The focal point becomes simply the plate in front of you.

The first course was wild burgundy escargot with roasted red onion and roasted garlic and crisp (and I mean crisp) house-made pancetta, presented in a puff pastry bun. The mix of flavors and textures was remarkable.

Sometimes escargot is “chewy” or “rubbery”, however in this case it seemed to dissolve in my mouth with rumors of the garlic and onion flavors.  The presentation of it was equally inviting.  I’ll certainly be back to have it at the bar with a nice glass of wine while I write my next foodie adventure.

We are always up for a great antipasto platter and the second course didn’t disappoint.

House cured meat, vegetables and artisan cheeses all served in a caramelized onion puff pastry were complimented by a crisp Pinot Grigio. The puff pastry was light and buttery.

The next course is where Susie and I normally would be worlds apart in our assessments. Susie typically remarks that beets “taste like dirt.”

In this presentation however, she agreed that Roasted Beet Carpaccio Salad was “the bomb.”

The artichokes with the lemon vinaigrette that formed base flavors made a light and favorable course that tickled our taste buds and were portioned small enough to wet our appetites for the next course.

Beets are our friends, and regardless what a certain “blond” says, they are a delicious, earthy root that if well prepared (such as this one) will become a fast favorite.

Next on the lineup was one of the best pasta dishes I’ve had in a few years.

Carbonara with garlic cream, prosciutto, house-cured Pancetta and egg yolk. It was a combination of several of my favorite ingredients that together, created an incredibly memorable dish.

Rarely do I take leftovers home, but in this case I had to take an extra serving home (I ended up giving it to Susie to take home to her husband Eric).

I wish I had kept it for myself because it was that damn good.  The pasta was tender but it was really the sauce. Oh my, the sauce. Salty, creamy and mouth-watering.

This life-changing entrée is worth the trip to T. Cook’s.

Next on the docket, seared curry-dusted scallops with potato spinach cake & golden raisin-caper emulsion.

In this case Susie gave rave reviews.  I’ve never turned down a scallop, but I don’t typically go out of my way to order them. Susie remarked the curry spice mixture was just enough spice to give a unique flavor layer that offset the sweetness from the raisin-caper emulsion. She enjoyed it tremendously.

At this point we were getting very full! Hillson came out to greet us and we joked, “Is that it??” He said, “No, I’ve got a lot more in store.” Uh oh. We gripped our full bellies.

The second to last course was a tasting of three of their main entrees.  Paella, boursin and spinach stuffed chicken breast and their 21-day dry aged prime rib-eye. We enjoyed the chicken the most. We found the paella to be fairly flavorless and the rib-eye was a bit too fatty for our liking. The chicken was moist and the tangy boursin cheese complimented the dish tremendously.

The final two courses (wow) were dessert and cheese. The cheese was the surprise from Hillson as he had us sample multiple different kinds, all that he purchased thru Petit Fromage. There were various textures and tastes involved but overall it was a truly amazing cheese plate.

T. Cook’s is a Valley restaurant with incredible staying power and consistency. We were swooning over our delicious meal and cursing ourselves at the same time for letting years lapse between visits. Guaranteed, that will never happen again.

http://www.royalpalmshotel.com/phoenix-arizona-dining.php