The Teapot // Phoenix, Arizona

A couple of weeks ago we went to The Teapot, a new cafe in the Roosevelt neighborhood of downtown Phoenix. It is family-friendly coffee shop, serving a few light food options and kid-friendly snacks as well. They have several corners throughout the beautifully renovated old home with books and toys for little ones. But perhaps the true gem is the backyard, with lovely shaded seating, a grassy area, and sandbox and play structure.

We really enjoyed our afternoon in The Teapot's backyard, and were lucky to go on day where the weather, which is becoming increasingly hot, was a perfect sunny and warm 75 degrees. I have quickly come to fall in love with this neighborhood and its residential architecture, and this little cafe is certainly one spot that will keep us coming back. John made this little video of our time there:



In all honesty, the coffee and food offering aren't much to write home about and could use some improvement, the atmosphere alone makes up for the menu's shortcomings. And, it is worth noting that, The Teapot just recently opened, so we are giving them time to iron our kinks in the menu and make improvements before offering any too harsh judgements.

Phoenix as some real gems, and this little spot is definitely one of them. Add it to your list if you are in Phoenix with kids.

Phoenix favorites

I thought this post covered all our favorite spots in Phoenix, until someone asked me on Facebook to recommend some Phoenix area restaurants and coffee shops. I responded with a link to the previously mentioned post, but then had more than a dozen more places to recommend in addition to those!

To recap, the favorites from that post are (new notations in italics):

Le Grande Orange (photo above)
• market, cafe, and restaurant
• delicious breakfast + lunch
• don't miss the Daybreaker omelette, the Commuter sandwich, the granola + fruit, or the Birchermeusli for breakfast
• I love the tuna nicoise salad, stacked turkey sandwich, or chicken salad sandwich for lunch
• they have amazing homemade english muffins - perhaps the best you'll ever have
• get the burger on an english muffin; their pizza is good too
• you'll die over all the cute stuff in the market
• love the fun market atmosphere
• still one of our ALL TIME favorite places.

Essence Bakery Cafe
• organic, locally-sourced food make up the menu for this breakfast, bakery, lunch spot
• for breakfast, I love the French scrambled eggs
• for lunch, I love the Greek Caesar salad and their quiche is amazing too
• they have amazing daily specials, usually a sandwich or salad, and a soup
• get there early for the croissants, especially the almond croissants
• their macarons are well-known; I like the vanilla bean the best
• their original location is in Tempe, but they also have a location in Arcadia (38th and Indian School)

Pane Bianco
• a simple menu of just a couple of sandwiches and salads to choose from for lunch
• amazing bread, simple ingredients, but lots of deliciousness
• simple, eclectic, rustic decor
• simple foccaccia pizza for dinner or head over to their main/in-demand pizza + wine bar restaurant, Pizzeria Bianco
• don't miss Lux, the coffee shop next door

Arcadia Farms
• Old Town Scottsdale
• organic and locally-sourced breakfast and lunch
• super-cute cottage decor and nice patio as well

The Parlor 
inspired pizzeria with their own tomato + herb garden out front (I talked a little about this place here)

ncounter
fresh, modern cafeteria/counter-style spot on Mill Ave. in Tempe

Pomegranate Cafe
vegan restaurant in Ahwatukee

Culinary Dropout
gastro-pub

The Arrogant Butcher

NoRth
fresh northern Italian; I love the building

True Food Kitchen
organic with great atmosphere, two locations: one at The Bilmore and one at Scottsdale Quarter

In addition to all of those amazing places, I now have the following to add:

Ingo's Tasty Food
Very tasty burgers; I am a meat eater but I actually LOVE their veg burger. The chicken sandwich is also a favorite. This place is across the street from LGO.

Postino's 
Locations all over Phoenix including central Phoenix, Arcadia, and North Scottsdale (areas we frequent the most). They actually have a Denver LoHi location, too so it's a Denver favorite too.

Cartel Coffee Lab
The original Tempe location is my favorite, skip the old town Scottsdale location and make the drive to Tempe. Amazing banana bread and ginger spice bread.

The Henry
Go for an upscale brunch, lunch, or dinner, or just hit up the coffee bar (what we do most often - order The Wildflower, thank me accordingly). Great atmosphere. We love the outdoor area, and it has a great view of Camelback (photo above).

Chestnut Fine Foods & Provisions
Great for breakfast or lunch. I am not impressed with their coffee, but the food is good and I like the atmosphere. Good patio.

Flower Child
Central Phoenix, Arcadia, or North Scottsdale - healthy food, very tasty, and decent prices. I love the Mother Earth bowl and the Curry bowl.

Rollover Doughnuts
This spot has quickly become our designated Phoenix Donut Monday spot #PHXdonutmonday. Donuts are made with a brioche dough - I love the maple and the apple fritter. The drip coffee is on pointe. Nice outdoor area to hangout, or cute indoor space.

Ocotillo and it's coffee bar O to Go
I have yet to try the restaurant portion of this spot, but we love the coffee bar. They have some great seasonal espresso drinks, including cereal-infused milk lattes (fruity pebble or cinnamon toast crunch). The outdoor hang out space is totally our jam.

Giant Coffee, The Taco Guild, Gadzooks (enchiladas), Southern Rail, and Beckett's Table are all notable mentions too.

For weekend brunch on a farm, The Farm at South Mountain or Singh Farms. The Farm at South Mountain would be my first choice of those two.

There you have it! I did have a considerable number of places to add. And be sure, as I discover more, I will share those too.

Modern General in Santa Fe

One of my favorite things about traveling is discovering ridiculously neat local places. Currently, John and I are en route to Phoenix via car (road trip!!!) and we stayed in Santa Fe last night as our stopover. For breakfast, I knew without question we'd be going to Modern General. It reminds me of Santa Fe's smaller version of The Shed in Healdsburg from last summer's CA trip.

"Sorted, Sifted, & Selected" and "Nothing you don't need", Modern General is part cafe, part smoothie and juice bar, part homeware store, part high-end hardware store, and part mill (grain and soaps). So, as the name explicitly implies, it is a modern general store. Everything from beautiful copper pans handcrafted in Mexico, quaint hand thrown coffee mugs, hand painted bowls ... all of which they use in the kitchen and to serve. Cotton baskets, gorgeous fine wood cutting boards, wooden spoons, and ceramic mixing bowls. A curated collection of books (cook books and more) and fine grocery items. And, a selection of Swiss-made tools ... gorgeous enough to just hang on the wall, but also of the highest quality for use.

The menu is small-ish and limited, but far from limiting. A selection of fresh pressed juices and smoothies, a strata (American quiche), a daily breakfast sandwich, blue barley porridge, toast options (i.e. avocado on toast, PB&J, or roasted asparagus and prosciutto) and a few lunch sandwich options.

I had one of the tastiest smoothies of my life - the cold brew coffee cacao smoothie (cold brew coffee, banana, peanut butter, mint, milk, and toasted cacao nibs). John had the daily breakfast sandwich (egg, bacon, guacamole, and cheddar and a toasted seed bread). He also had a peach pollen smoothie which had peaches, honeydew, mint, and bee pollen among other things. We also each got a box lunch to go ... a strata for me and the daily sandwich (pulled pork) for John. The boxed lunches come with a salad and "treat".

Needless to say, I am in love. I could live here. Or at least stay all day. Our food and smoothies were exceptional. The story behind Modern General and it's owner, Erin Wade is worth a read. Wade's concept is perfect and the execution is phenomenal. If and whenever we come to Santa Fe, Modern General is sure to be a highlight of the trip. 

I am overdue for an update here on the blog regarding the goings-on in my life including the reason for our road trip to Phoenix. Change is in our air again, and I will update you when the time is right ... soon.

recipe: strawberry shortcake granola

I have gone back and forth as to whether to name this granola "Strawberry Almond Granola" or "Strawberry Shortcake Granola" ... in the end, I have decided upon "Strawberry Shortcake Granola" because when you get a bit with a dried strawberry, that is distinctly what it tastes like.

My sister, Jonna, created this recipe, and she has been graciously making batches for us. It is delicious with milk or yogurt (we prefer Noosa brand), and Raffa loves to eat it plain (okay, I eat it plain, by the handful, too).

For dry ingredients you will need rolled oats, sliced almonds, pecan pieces, sunflower seeds, toasted coconut shavings, salt, and cinnamon. You will also need dried strawberries, and I adamantly prefer Steve Paleo Goods' dried strawberries for taste and freshness.  (The strawberries will be reserved until after the granola is baked.)



For the wet ingredients, you will need honey, maple syrup, coconut oil, almond butter, and vanilla extract.

In a large bowl, combine the dry ingredients.

Measure and combine your wet ingredients in a separate bowl.

Take a quick break for a game of peek-a-boo, and then pour the wet ingredients into the dry and mix well until thoroughly coated. Spread over a parchment lined baking sheet and bake at 250º for 60 minutes to 75 minutes, stirring every 15-20 minutes and until granola reaches desired level of brown-ness. Remove from oven and transfer to a large bowl. Add dried fruit and mix. Now enjoy your tasty granola.

Strawberry Shortcake Granola

dry ingredients:

3 cups rolled oats
1 cup sliced almonds
1 cup pecan pieces
1/2 - 1 cup sunflower seeds
1/2 cup pumpkin seeds
1 cup toasted coconut
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon

6oz dried strawberries

wet ingredients:1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup coconut oil
1 cup almond butter
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1-2 cups dried strawberries - we use a whole bag of Steve's Paelo Goods Paleo strawberries and chop them into pieces

method:Mix dry ingredients together in large bowl.

Mix wet ingredients together in smaller bowl.

Combine well, and spread on to a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.

Bake at 250º for 60-75 minutes, stirring every 15-20 minutes.

Remove from oven and transfer to a large bowl. Add dried strawberries and mix. Now enjoy your tasty granola.

pizza party

This afternoon all of us here in Denver saw the arrival of what I am calling snowmaggedon - a snow storm that is larger than any seen in the past several years and one that threatens to dump a foot of snow on us by tomorrow (Sunday) morning. So as the storm rolled in, we kept warm and cozy inside by having a homemade pizza party!

We used pre-made pizza dough and sauce from Whole Foods and added our favorite toppings. Just like with cookie-decorating the boys did just as much topping eating as pizza making and Raffa literally hammered the basil shaker into his pizza as opposed to just sprinkling it on top.

The results were absolutely delicious!

And, as always, the boys had an amazingly fun time.

the universal: our favorite denver breakfast

I love breakfast food. Breakfast might be my favorite meal because I love all of the typical American breakfast foods. I also love going out to breakfast/brunch. With a toddler, it is probably the easiest meal to eat out for ... first thing in the morning, Raffa is well rested and generally in a good mood. Too close to lunch and its naptime; dinnertime is too close to bedtime.

When you love breakfast like I do, you typically have your favorite breakfast place. And, although I really like Devil's Food, my favorite breakfast spot is one that is right in my own neighborhood (less than 2 miles from home): The Universal.

 

The Universal is our go-to breakfast joint; and we go at least once a week for breakfast. They have absolutely fantastic breakfast and good, strong coffee. John and I typically for a very traditional egg, bacon, potato, biscuit breakfast - scrambled for me, over medium for him (above). And the biscuits! Oh my gawd, they are so delicious. If you love baked goods and namely biscuits, you have to have one of these. They are big (I usually take at least half of mine home for later). They are a little denser and less flaky than some biscuits, but just the right amount of buttery-ness. Mmmmm. Butter.

trying devil's food

Raffa and I go to a parent/toddler program one day a week at The Denver Waldorf School. We are three weeks in and we are really enjoying it. It is a great change to our routine and offers some great time with many other little ones. I get a chance to chat with the mamas there, which is nice for me too. Last week, several moms were discussing Devil's Food and how amazing it is. My ears perked up big time once I heart breakfast, brunch, organic, local, and coffee all in regards to this place. John, Raffa, and I got a chance to go on Monday morning.

Devil's Food is a cafe that serves breakfast, brunch, lunch, and dinner. It is also a coffee and pastry shop. We sat down and enjoyed a lovely breakfast - I had a classic breakfast, which came with an amazing slice of "bread of the day" and I would say that slice of bread was the highlight of my plate. John had eggs benedict; it was amazing and, according to our waiter told us, it is what they are known for. Raffa had a pumpkin pancake; it was one of the best pancakes I have tasted in a while (what? I taste test Raffa's pancakes, okay!).

Maybe most importantly, the coffee was really, really good and that perked me up enough to jump through the hoops one must jump through to keep a toddler happy at a breakfast out.

On our way out, we picked up a few pastries to go ... a plum danish for later, a piece of banana bread for Raffa, and a pecan scone for my mom and dad. All were delicious.

With all the snow and cold here the past week, we have been getting a little cabin fever. Going out to breakfast was a good start to relieve that, but afterwards we walked up and down the block to check out the area (a little "Main Street" style restaurant and shopping street). It was pretty cold, but Raffa loved walking around (no surprise there) and burned off some energy.

We are excited to take my sister and some friends back to Devil's Food soon!