For A Moment Photography

True Food Scottsdale

Sashimi Tuna Salad

Chicken Chopped

Today my friend Heather and I met up for lunch again.  She works in the Biltmore area so we usually stay close to her work.  Which is not a bad thing because there are a lot of great places to eat!  She has recently started blogging so we spend a lot of time chatting about our common adventure in the blog world...

Ok so I have the Chicken Chopped Salad, I was in heaven.  The salad included, cranberries, chicken, local dates, jicama, manchego, farro, almonds and champagne vinaigrette.  Hmmm, I don't know what farro is and neither does my spell check but I still loved the salad.  

I didn't get a chance to read the lil' flyer they had on the table, it had a food pyramid on it and one of those diet book guys.  I don't know who he is but I know he's pretty famous...  Anyway, the menu was small and did note which options were gluten free or vegetarian.  They buy most things organic, items that are on the "dirty dozen" are always bought organic.  The items on the "clean fifteen" may be bought non organic.  

If you don't know about the dirty dozen or the clean fifteen.  They are foods that should or should not be bought organic.  Blueberries are on the dirty dozen.  What this means is that it has a high pesticide residue.  Now avocados are on the clean fifteen, with a low pesticide residue.  It's a good list so that your can budget where you spend the extra money to really make a difference.  

As far as the atmosphere of the place.  I thought it felt like a cafeteria (plain and noisy) it was minimally decorated with simple colors, green, yellow and white- I like the color selection.  The patio (where we sat) was great, bench seating with cushions, felt great to sit for a while!  Patios are really hard to not do well.  The service was great and I'm pretty sure I'd go again.  I had a friend say she's been disappointed with the menu, which is making me wonder if the pizza's were as good as they looked!  

I usually always try to buy something my waitress or waiter recommends.  Hopefully then I won't be disappointed.  

Haji Baba's Tempe

olives, feta and not sure what his main dish was- looks great right?

 

OK first I got to clarify my use of the word "diet".  I use it as a noun not a verb, one could replace the word diet with food.  I eat paleo food, or a paleo diet...  In the very near future I plan on having a paleo explanation!  For now let's talk, Haji Baba!

Today I took a friend (Hi Mike, if you're reading) to Haji baba for lunch- his first time.  We had decided to meet and Tempe was the best spot for us both.  I picked Haji Baba's to that I could blog about it, since I haven't really blogged much about Tempe's restaurants.  When I realized this Haji Baba's came to mind.  

It's the best Middle Eastern restaurant in all of Arizona!  I'm not sure how long it's been here all I know is it's been here as long as I have (here in Tempe).  The restaurant is not fancy or modern but if you go there for lunch after noon, good luck finding seats.  The lack of decor has never bothered me and I've never questioned it.  The food is fast and fresh, the place is clean and the rest doesn't matter.

I love the gyros but I'm eating paleo food- no gyros for me.  So now when I order there I order side dishes.  I get gyro meat, pickles (not exactly paleo- cavemen didn't have vinegar apparently- just realized this) and a side salad.  I know this doesn't sound like the most exciting lunch- but the gryo meat is soo good I don't even miss the pita (which is pretty amazing too)!  I don't consider myself a "meat" person and I could seriously eat there once a week, and may have the past six weeks...  I'm hungry again.

So if you have not been to Haji Baba's do yourself a favor and go!  You'll love it and I don't think you could make it yourself for cheaper.  The prices are beyond reasonable...  While you're there take a spin around the grocery section.  I haven't done it in a while but if I remember correctly they have some really good chocolates.  

 

 

 

The Parlor Phoenix AZ

Fresh Greens Salad with Roasted Chicken- mouth watering

 

 

Today for lunch my met one of my girlfriends at a new spot for lunch.  It was a combo knockout, I wanted to blog about a new lunch place, see Heather and chat with her about her new blog!  We had a great time chatting and catching up, we had Suns tickets next to each other and don't see much of each other off season.

First for the food, it was awesome.  I assume The Parlor is well known for it's Pizza, it's a Pizzeria.  However with my caveman food habits, I can't eat pizza Monday- Friday.  Thank goodness they have a wonderful salad menu, they all sounded yummy.  I decided to go with the Fresh Green Salad, Dusty our waiter said it was the most popular.  I did have my eye on the Spinach Salad and the Heirloom Tomato Salad (if you've had it let me know what you think).  Anyway, my lunch was super yummy, fresh and I loved the homemade dressing that was so light (I'm funny about dressings).  I really don't know if I put my fork down once I started eating?  I'm thinking no...  

Oh and by the way The Parlor use to be a hair salon years ago.  I had hoped it would have some funky "salon" touches around the restaurant.  It didn't but I loved the wood on the walls (looks reclaimed) and the outdoor patio and fireplace.  It's modern, simple with clean lines, but it's warm colors so I like it.

Ok so check out Heather's blog (www.heatherpranitis.blogspot.com).  She's just started blogging recently and has done a great job diving in and building her site...  Heather and I hit it off right away when we met, I think three years ago, maybe four.  She always makes me laugh and her blog does the same.  I have to thank her for putting up with my four takes of our self portrait.  

 

FEZ on CEntRal

I had one of the bests lunches today on Central in Phoenix.  I love this area of town, so many funky and locally owned businesses.  It was my first time eating at FEZ, my food program (notice I didn't say diet) is pretty strict (Monday-Friday) so I was a little bummed I couldn't try some of the dishes that looked amazing! 

I was however allowed to have the  barcelona butterleaf salad (description: delicate butterleaf lettuce with vanilla-scented white balsamic dressing, candied nuts, goat cheese, diced tomatoes and minced red onion with grilled chicken).  I had them hold the onions but forgot to have them skip the cheese, I did try to avoid the big pieces.  

 I was having a business lunch (such good things to come) with friend who knows I love to eat and we split the Fez lettuce wraps to start (description: minced grilled chicken with dried pears, dates, dried cherries, almonds, pomegranate vinaigrette & romaine cups).  Oh it was ten flavors of greatness!  I don't know what that means but trust me it was yummy.

As soon as I read the menu I decided I have to come on the weekend to try their brunch menu and really dive in.  Another bonus is that it's located right off the light rail, mimosa's here I come.  I need one more sentence to made this a paragraph... Ok done. 

 The decor was modern and colorful, nothing too exciting but really clean.  The staff was very nice, made eye contact (always a bonus).  The patio was pretty big and I would like to sit out there next time.  I really enjoyed it and think it's a place you gotta go.  Oh, I forgot to check out the bathrooms.  Someone will have to report on those for me!  I love when restaurants make bathrooms interesting... Right?   

If you love sandwiches

 

Today we had unconfirmed plans to visit Presley's cousins once that didn't work out we had a completely open day.  That does not happen very often I decided we should visit a favorite lunch spot and blog about it.  So that's how we ended up at Duck and Decanter.  I don't quite know how to describe it, I simple but charming lunch spot.  It reminds me of a European deli/cafe.  There is also a beer and wine spot there, but I have yet to enter.  It's quite small, it has a feel of being in someones personal wine cellar...

I ordered Presley and I two sandwiches (Genoa and Smoked Forest) both on the signature sandwich list.  They were too good!  The Smoked Forest was so good, it's a hot sandwich.  It was a bit heavy of a favor but if you love cheese you will be in heaven with this!  The Genoa is a spinach, garlic cream cheese, and Genoa salami (I lived on this stuff when I visited Genoa (a gained 10 lbs.)).  It's just perfect and I could love off of this for months!   

While at lunch I snapped a few photos, they aren't really that great.  I don't usually get embarrassed snapping photos of mostly random things but every now and then I do.  Today was one of those days, so I snapped a few quick ones and tucked it away.  I guess I sometimes feel like paparazzi or a weirdo...  

Anyway, it is a great place and it's super busy so call in your order ahead if you don't have time to sit and enjoy the place...  

www.foramomentphotography.com

 

Lunch at the Farm

 

 

 

 

Today Presley and I had lunch at The Farm with friends, it's a place I drag most people I know!  It's a beautiful place and a great spot for kids to run and play.  The Farm is located in Phoenix near South Mountain.  The grounds include the Farm Kitchen (picnic and patio lunch), Morning Glory Cafe (breakfast and brunch patio) and Quiessence Restaurant (dinner and wine bar).  There is also a farmers market and an artist studio. 

I really can't say enough good things about this place.  The food is amazing the price is a little on the high end, but the experience (and yummy food) is worth it...  The grounds are beautiful and there is grass and mature trees!  We usually go to the Farm about 10:30 let Presley run and play then order lunch (salads are my favorite but really everything is to die for).   After lunch and after the toys we brought have started to get boring we walk over to the chickens and feed them grass.  The chickens are the only animals at the Farm,  but they are enough to make Presley happy.  We can easily stay for three hours without a meltdown, it's a place both adults and kids can enjoy.  I can't think of many restaurants that I can stay that (3 hour stay and we all are happy) about.

The surrounding offer a great backdrop for photos too (another reason I love it)!  It's really a place like no other in the Valley...  This year we had Easter Brunch at The Farm (reservations required) and I can't see why I would ever do anything different.  

www.foramomentphotography.com

Pizza in Tempe

 

With the weather being so nice we are back out and about on Mill Ave.  This year there seems to be a lot more action.  The light rail has brought more people to Mill, the street music and artists seem to draw more people too.  Tonight we had dinner at Slices.  I haven't written much in my, "Yummy AZ Restaurants" (it's a section I started right before I left for the summer) so I thought I would add a post tonight...  

Slices is a pizza joint that's been around since I was in college at ASU (let's just say a long time).  Back then the owners use to work the counter and I use to walk over from campus for lunch.  I got to know them, pretty well.  I thought it would be funny one night if I paid them in all change (watching them count it out- too funny, right?).  Well the joke backfired when they felt bad that I had a fistful of nickels and just gave me the slice for free, I guess the joke was on me.  Anyway...

The location is right off of Mill and 6th across from Urban Outfitters.  The location is great the place itself is nothing special, other then all the New England team stuff (the owners are couple of boys from Boston).  The pizza is pretty great.  It's large thick slices, nice and crispy.  If you walk in it's a order by the slice at the counter but whole pizza's can be called in.

It's a small place and there is a television, sports are always on.  There is outdoor seating and it's super low key.  Stop by if you want a good slice and no hype I'm pretty sure their slogan is, "shut up and eat".        

www.foramomentphotography.com

Liberty Market

Today my girlfriend (Brandi) took Presley and I to a yummy restaurant in downtown Gilbert, AZ.  Liberty Market use to be a grocery store (at least that as what I was told- no info conformation on website) in the 30's and now it's back better then ever.  As soon as I saw the location I loved it, then I had the food and was all in!  We had one of the best meals.

The service was really great, and that always a good thing.  It's a walk up and order but staff was around to bus tables, delivery food and just pretty much friendly all the way around.  We (two adults three kids) sat at the community table.  It was in the corner (corners are great when dining w/ kids) with a low window, that entertained the kids.  

The building is beautiful with a contemporary twist.  The bathrooms are a total talking point.  Five or so stalls all unisex, but the cool part was, inside each stall handwritten recipes on the wall, kitchen utensils hung from the ceiling and photos of culinary tools and food.  Another unexpected feature was upon entering a stall music automatically turned on, great idea when you are in a unisex bathroom (at least I think so).

For lunch we had the Caprese salad, the Italia salad (we split) and the Minestrone soup- the best Minestrone I have ever had.  They don't have a kids menu, which I don't mind because most kids menus contain nothing but junk (Presley had the soup and loved it)...  I planned to take a photo of my dish but I was too eager to dive in (sorry) so check out their menu online...  As I looked around at what the tables around me had I wish I could have tried more from their menu, wood-fired pizza, grilled sandwiches and yummy desserts...  I really could go on but I feel like a blogging info-commercial so just take my advise and visit!  Let me know what you think...

Behind Liberty Market is a small splash park.  After lunch we took the kids, it's small but they were entertained for 30 minutes or so.  We loved our little adventure and will return soon...    

www.foramomentphotography.com