So from Vegas I went to see my parents in Arizona. I’m not a huge fan of the whole “cowboy thing” but the grub there is quite sublime. I ate really well over this break with my dad, and Acacia wasn’t any exception. (Update, I dont know why my pictures are sideways sorry about that)
I have been to acacia before last time I came out here. A very fine restaurant, my oasis in the desert. This was a special New Years Eve dinner, as it was New Years Eve. Indeed it was something to celebrate about. The table was set very well, silverware clean, water filled very very often (Which in my case is needed). Nothing on the table got in the way of my food, simple and clean. 
Like most meals the bread came out first. Fresh sourdough and cinnamon raisin bread. The sourdough was great especially the crispy crust. I’m not a fan of cinnamon raisin in the slightest, but I made an exception and wasn’t completely disappointed. I sort of liked it; however it just wasn’t for me. 
First course was a smoked salmon served with little pancakes, crème fraiche, mustard dill and a very interesting hard boiled egg. This was absolutely delicious! The salmon was so tender, and I'm just now starting to eat salmon and this showed me the potential that could be with salmon. I brushed the capers aside; I just don’t like them... maybe some day. The pancakes were a nice little treat and went well with the saltiness of the salmon. I love little food so this was a nice surprise. The egg looked to be very very finely chopped and separated on opposite sides of the plate. This was a gorgeous looking plate.
Next course was French onion soup, my god. It had to have been 3 kinds of onions and stewed for days. So flavorful, so cheesy, I'm drooling at this moment thinking about it. Now it’s a skill to be able to grab the cheese the broth and the curte, but I'm a master. One of the best onion soups I've had.
Main course was rack of lamb cooked exactly how I liked it, just barley medium rare. Wasn’t crazy about the pine nuts at first, but they grew on me. Most of this meal contained things I was just starting to get into the lamb included. Gnawing on the bones was almost impossible not to do, simply excellent. Pesto orzo risotto, I was skeptical. I don’t like pesto, no let me change that I hate pesto. For some strange reason however I ate every grain. Creamy and thick like any risotto should be in my opinion. It was absolutely addicting I couldn’t stop, and for as much as I hate pesto this was insane. The first time ever this has happened to me, hopefully again!
Elk was interesting. I tried some of my dad's and it was actually really good. I can’t say much more I only had a taste; I just wanted to say that I tried elk. 
Desert was a trio of a black and white chocolate mousse cheesecake; a caramel mascarpone filled strawberry and white macadamia toffee ice cream. Sweet tooth city right here! The cheesecake had the texture of well, mousse cheesecake. Thick but still airy, soft but still sturdy, I rather liked it. It was light too, not most cheesecakes are. The Ice cream was a delight, but it’s probably something you could get in the frozen section of your grocery store. The strawberry I passed along, I was stuffed. 
After my dad was done with his cowboy adventure, we went with his friend and his family to a Mexican restaurant. Looks can be deceiving, I'm learning more and more that the insides of the insides, that is the food is what makes the place. Inside were a few tables very bare very basic and that was perfect because the food was spectacular and that’s what I go to a restaurant for isn’t it?
Every time it starts like this....Chips, damn addicting chips. Salsa had the right amount of heat not burning hot but it let you know it wasn’t kidding around. ADDITCING, shoveling these into my face, I ordered. 
Quesadilla was the only down of the meal and it wasn’t very down at all. Fresh tortilla but a little undercooked. That is to say the inside was pretty good but the outside was still too white, needed a little more browning. 
Taquitos were insane. Again fresh tortillas these were little bites of loveliness. Shredded meat and cheesy goodness. Nice and crispy, these are the perfect snack. I love these things!! 
C-C-C-C-COMBO PLATES God I love em. A chimichanga and an enchilada with rice and refried beans. Damn...... This was by far some of the better Mexican food I have eaten. All crispy all had the right amount of spice. Tender meat and melty cheese. The guac was lovely tasted really fresh and was refreshing. The rice was a bit hard but was okay. Even though I’m very picky about my beans these were okay, I had a few forkfuls. Absolutely one of the best Mexican places I've been to.
IN AND OUT GOD DAMNNN SHUT THE FUCK UP DONNIE!!!! ANIMAL STYLE. EVERYTHING IN THE WORLD ON THIS BURGER!!!2 BURGERS TOMATO LETTUCE CHEESE BACAON 3 KINDS OF ONIONS BIG COLD PICKLES KETCHUP MAYO MUSTARD THOUSAND ISLAND DRESSING MAN IT HAD IT ALL!!!! CAPSLOCK CRUSIE CONTROLLLLLLLLLL!!! MY GOD WITH MY WISDOM TEETH PULLED 2 DAYS BEFORE I WENT TO TOWN ON THIS BURGER. ON PAR IF NOT BETTER THEN ALL AMERICAN (which I still have to do). IT’S A CONDENDER FOR THE BEST BURGER IN THE WORLD.
Going to see Craig Ferguson do some stand up we drove past a place that was either going to be exceptional or horrid. Luckily it was the former. It was a very quiet little place; we were taken to a back room that was rather interesting. The menu was small and I like that, more room to improve what’s already good. 
We started with this fantastic bread. Crunchy crust and oh so soft. Had to be just baked because it was warm. 
Seared ahi, I worry about seafood in Arizona. This was PHENOMINAL, perfectly cooked and the glaze was nice and sweet to cut the lemon. Lovely stuff
Now here we got ourselves a Cajun meatloaf sandwich with roasted poblano and bacon, served with mashed potato and some interesting thing that I can’t remember the name of but was composed of a whole bunch of veggies. I was a little hesitant because of the roasted pepper, but I was surprised it was pretty good. The meatloaf was moist and spicy. Cheese and bacon can’t ever be bad. The mashed potatoes were a bit grainy, but I dug them pretty good. The mystery mixture was top notch; I wish I could remember what it was called. Ill append this entry if I remember! Excellent meal in a not so obvious location.
Reb's. Oh Reb's.... One of the reasons I come to Arizona. The epitome of what a diner should be. My favorite diner ever. 
Books like these right there at table side, Its nothing much but its something that makes me feel appriciated.
Lemonade, this is fresh it has to be it tastes so damn fresh I cant imagine it being otherwise. Perfectly executed lemonade. 
The salad comes with crackers! Weird but I love it! Nice thick cucumbers and onion. Shredded carrots and nice crispy leaves. Blue cheese and bam that’s one tasty salad. Simplicity is what this place is about and I can’t emphasize enough how much I love it.
Chicken fried steak, that is steak fried in chicken fat. Dear god the cutlet never tasted so good. Crispy juicy simply unbeatable. I was lucky enough to have a little bit for breakfast the next day. The gravy so thick so rich with black pepper ah man... I’m loosing my mind I need it again! The potatoes where still a little lumpy which I like and stuck together well the gravy of course made them all the more better. Applesauce! WHY? I DONT CARE!!!! Little things like that make me happy. I don’t usually eat apple sauce but damn it’s tasty when I’m happy to see it. After this meal I didn’t feel full like you would expect, no I felt alive; I could have lifted a house off of the ground. Energizing and perhaps one of my favorite meals to have.
Dinner rolls. Hot soft and ready do dunk in that leftover gravy. Magnificent.
Bread pudding, I’ve never had it and I did like it, but I just couldn’t finish it for some reason. The texture probably got to me. Still tasted pretty good!
Now ask yourself how much would this meal cost? Maybe $20 for all that I had. 10 bucks! You can’t beat that anywhere. For that caliber of cuisine, for that level of sheer bliss that I experienced 10 bucks is a godsend. Reb's... man I can’t say there’s a better diner on this planet and if there is I’m holding it to Reb's. A complete meal my ideal kind of meal.Sadly Reb's was the night before my flight out of Arizona. I ate well this trip and I can’t thank you guys enough for giving it to me (YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE). Really thank you.
As for me well I know I’ve been slacking off I’m actually back in school and just doing this entry now after being out of Arizona for two weeks ><. IM CRACKIN DOWN AND BRINGING SOME MORE STUFF TODAY!
Around Christmas time I went into the city with my mom her boyfriend and my cousin, to walk around see the tree and grab a nice dinner. Though we couldn’t resist a snack. We stopped at Au Boun Pan and I opted for a cheese Danish. Crusty and sweet, the perfect snack. I’m a big Danish fan so this was great.
For dinner we stopped at Tony's Di Napoli, its right by Times Square. A family style Italian restaurant. It was PACKED waiting for a table. While we waited my cousin and I talked to the doorman. When we finally got our seats it was roomier then I thought. I noticed a bunch of paintings of celebrates on the wall, and I could appreciate that. Other than that the lighting was a little to dim (messed up my shots), and the silverware was a little smudged. We ordered...
We started with an order of fried calamari. I liked how there were bigger than usual, thick pieces. The breading wasn’t anything I hadn’t seen before. It was pretty standard other then the big pieces that I liked so much.
The salad was probably the stand out of the night. It was chopped and tossed tableside, I liked that and honestly it helped the dish. Unique bits were the shredded carrots and the dressing. I was addicted to this dressing. It was just oil and vinegar with onion powder, black pepper and lots of oregano. My mother replicated it and I was addicted, I loved this dressing.
Our pasta was ravioli and they were good, but were way too cheesy. They just covered the ravioli in mozzarella and that made the dish very heavy. Pretty good but again, nothing I haven’t seen before.
Main courses were veal saltimbocca and chicken franchisee. I liked the veal very much, and that was probably due to the sauce. Sage butter and it was made really well. Very creamy and cut the saltiness down of the cheese and prosciutto. It was tender and the prosciutto wasn’t too tough. A good veal saltimbocca.
The franchisee was very standard. You could have gotten it in a pizzeria. The breading didn’t hold up to the lemon and white wine. It tasted very lemony. Very boring.
The salad here was really the only downside of this meal. Very watery veggies and the dressing was blegh. Nothing to say really, didn’t like this at all.
Bruccetta is one of my favorites. This was crusty and brushed with olive oil like it should be. Tomatoes mozzarella and red onion, ah this was great. Awesome stuff!
Calamari this time around was much better. The breading was panko and parmesan and I think it works better for fried food that’s paired with a sauce. The calamari were thin and long instead of thick, I liked it because I could get two bites out of them. The sauce was their universal sauce for the pizza and whatnot. Your usual marinara, good though.
Mozzarella sticks a classic pizzeria item. These were okay until they were subject to the onion ring syndrome. The cheese slipped out.... It made them less than enjoyable. Still okay I guess.
December 26th! Gill, Alana, Pete, Dom, Dave, my love and I journeyed into Manhattan once more! To go lookin round havin some fun. While by Nintendo World Dave asked where a good place to eat is. We found an awesome place!! Toasties, it was a pizza place and sort of a deli. I had to get a chicken roll, god I was starving that day.
