A night out at Posh, Scottsdale

This picky eater loves to try new restaurants!  Mmmmmm yum.  I won't trash a restaurant, I just won't talk about it.  But the ones that I try that are good - bring it on!  We went to "Posh" last weekend, located off Scottsdale Road, just North of Scottsdale Fashion Square.  It was unexpected.  Here's why:  it's what they call "improvisational cuisine."  Huh?  Most people said to me when I explained the weekend plans.  The menu looks like this...

Posh Menu

You basically tell them what you DON'T want to eat, what you're allergic to or can't stand - but the rest is up to them.  You can't say "I want a salad" or "Can I have a steak?".... because they decide!  The tasting menu, however, does begin with a "starter" type course and end with a dessert.  While it's odd -  it's also kind of fun!  We had a fig appetizer, which... I'm just not in love with figs (I should have mentioned that on the paper but it's quite a big task to remember all the food in the world you don't like!)... then the experience continued with a celery soup and an heirloom tomato type caprese salad.  The celery soup was perfectly balanced, rich while not too creamy on a hot summer's day.  The heirlooms were at their peek with some feta, capers, radicchio and even a tomato sorbet! It was a new twist on an old favorite!  Both were scrumptious.   

Celery Soup

Heirloom Tomato Salad

Main courses 

Both were excellent with the Halibut Cheeks being, by far, the favorite (of the whole night really).  It was made with mushrooms and a soy sauce reduction which had your mouth doing somersaults with excitement!  The Yellow Tail was good too with some sautéed onions accompanying it.  

Halibut Cheeks with Polenta 

Yellow Tail with Haricots Verts

Kitchen is in the middle of the room

White Chocolate Mousse with Shortbread & Figs

The Desserts were good but not to die for... All in all a fun, new (to me, it's been around for several years now) place to go for this picky chick!  My only thought was: what if, like the Halibut Cheeks, I loved a dish so much, I wanted to go back again and order it...?  Because it's all "improv," that would be impossible.  Technically.  Right?

Phoenix Dinner Out, Rokerij

I am also picky about where I eat.  I love great food and can't stand the bad.  While I won't mention the bad for this blogs purpose, I will talk about the good, super great and the mouth watering!  SO, we just went to a restaurant I've never tried before over the weekend.  It's called The Rokerij (sounds like roker-eee) off 16th Street and Glendale in Central Phoenix.  It was good!

I first ordered a pomegranate marg which was sweet, tart and potent, actually.  I liked it.  Then, we had some crab tostadas for an appetizer which were served on five little chips but packed a serious mouth punch, in a good way.  Also, some fries and calamari which were good but not special.  Even though we were already full I ordered a salmon dish topped with pesto and Brie.  Now I know that's hard to screw up, with 3 such scrumptious main ingredients, but, trust me, it can be done - this, however, did not disappoint.  My kids had some sliders that were very tasty and my husband enjoyed a crab louie salad with mounds of the crab slapped on it!  All in all, very good and we'd go back!  A warning though:  it's pretty pricey.  Especially if you're taking kids.  There's no children's menu.  View it on line.

One last mention, on a day that I think the high was around 115 degrees... maybe they shouldn't put on the fireplace...?  I saw one couple walk in, who was seated next to it, by the look on the woman's face, she was not happy!