Restaurant Review - Fresh Mint in Scottsdale

This is the first in a series of restaurant reviews that I am going to be posting. I will keep working on a good format but I wanted to do this one while it was fresh in my head. With the sad news that Mandala Tea Room closed this week, I am going to seek out more vegan and vegetarian options in the Phoenix area and post what I find here.

Fresh Mint
13802 N Scottsdale Road, Suite 161
Scottsdale, AZ 85254
480-443-2556
NW corner of Scottsdale and Thunderbird

Fresh Mint is tucked away in an unassuming strip mall. It is a family owned restaurant. The Executive Chef is Mai Ly. She is the wife of the husband and wife team that own the restaurant. Each time I have been in she has been working away in the kitchen preparing every dish fresh to order. On this visit their daughter was the one masterfully plating and presenting my dishes.


The restaurant is simply and cheerfully appointed in bright greens. It reminds me of the kind of place you'd find in a small island town. There is beach music and oldies piped in which adds to the relaxed atmosphere. This could be because the first Fresh Mint was opened on the island of Maui by the owners. They moved to the mainland and sold the original so that their daughter could attend college here. This location has been open since April of 2008. It was not very busy during my visit as it was between the lunch and dinner rushes.

I'm going to jump right in and tell you about my favorite part...the food. The food is extremely fresh island fare with an Asian twist. The menu has a nice selection of appetizers, salads, soups, noodle dishes, other entrees and desserts. All of the items but one are vegan. The chow mein noodles are not vegan, but you can substitute brown rice to make the dish vegan. They offer soft drinks, coffee, daily fresh brewed jasmine tea, and smoothies made to your specifications.

On this visit I started off with the Fresh Summer Rolls ($5.95). They are filled with fresh thin sliced carrot, celery, cabbage, tofu, fresh mint all rolled in rice paper. The rolls are served with a sweet and rich house peanut sauce. The rolls themselves are super fresh. They do not have any marinade or seasoning, so alone they don't offer a lot of flavor. They are quite tasty with the sauce. As you can see from the picture below, the presentation is beautiful.


For the entree I opted for the Kung Pao Soy Chicken ($13.95) on the owners suggestion. The "chicken" was frighteningly close in texture and flavor to the animal version (in a very good way). The sauce was spiced to perfection and again the freshness of the ingredients really stole the show. You have your choice of brown or white rice. I opted for the brown. The rice was excellent. It was plump, fluffy, and cooked to perfection. The plate was presented with a lovely salad of lettuce, cabbage, red bell peppers, carrots, and tomatoes in a light basil dressing.


For dessert I tried the banana fritter. I don't have a good description of the ingredients at this time. This was a very nicely presented dessert. The bananas were wrapped in rice paper and fried. They were served over a creamy tapioca concoction drizzled with chocolate. I loved the concept of this dessert. The texture was excellent, but the flavor, while ok, left me wanting a bit more. On the flip side, because it was lighter in texture, I didn't have that overly stuffed feeling after eating a substantial amount of food.


Both times I have been in here the owners have both been working. Mrs in the kitchen and Mr in the dining room. Today I had the honor of meeting their daughter who was also working in the kitchen. She did a lovely job plating each course as you can see. We had a little conversation about the menu. She mentioned that she couldn't eat the "beef" dishes because they reminded her too much of the real thing. This makes me want to come back and give more attention to the beef dishes as many of my friends are carnivores who poo poo a lot of my veg talk. With the quality and freshness of Fresh Mint's food, I'm pretty sure they would be convinced that vegan food is pretty awesome.

The service has the laid back island feel as well. They are super nice people, but the fine points of service are absent. During my three courses, my water glass was never re-filled. It is not all that attentive, but when you do see your servers, they are very pleasant. That said, if you are looking to be pampered and waited on hand and foot, this might not be where you want to dine. If you are looking for outstanding fresh food and a bright friendly atmosphere, this is it!

Appetizers are $5.95
Salads are $7.95 - $8.95
Soups come in two sizes; Small $5.95 and Large $7.95
Entrees range from $9.95 - $13.95

If you have eaten here please post a comment and/or pictures of your experience.


NEXT STOP: POSH IN SCOTTSDALE

In Loving Memory of Georgee

Born December 13, 2000

Over the Bridge May 2, 2009

I usually reserve this blog for vegan food related entries, but I felt I needed to post this.

Georgee came into my life at 6 weeks old when we weren't quite ready for each other yet. He was full of piss and vinegar from the start. He wouldn't sleep for more than two hours at a time. When he was awake, he wasn't a mushy gushy fluff ball. Oh no, he had way too much spirit for that. He would bite and fight until he was exhuasted. His serious cuteness allowed him to survive these horrible puppy years. In those days he loved to dig up plants, eat carpeting, and look right at me and pee as if to let me know HE would decide when he was ready to stop trashing the carpet and when potty training would be complete. He would learn a command almost instantly, and then defiantly ignore silly human requests to do them on command. Typical Akita defiance was part of what made him such an incredible spirit.

As Georgee grew into a young man, he became the most wonderful companion I could have ever hoped for. He was very independent and aloof, as Akitas can be, but he was also goofy, loving, and incredibly intellegent. As a young man, he had a serious obsession with running through the sprinklers and going right to the muddy lake at the dog park. He would sit patiently as we de-mudded him with the hose when we got home (obviously the joy of the mud bath was worth the real bath).

He would "woo woo" to greet you when you walked in the door (if you were lucky enough to be one of his special humans). He rarely woke you up, but waited for you to acknowledge his kingly presence before gracing you with a morning "woo woo". This has been the hardest part for Fred and I so far. We both fall apart when we get up or come home and it is so quiet. He filled our lives with joy and fun. There is a huge gaping hole in our hearts and our home without him.

Georgee loved his furry buddies, Duval and Henry, who passed over the bridge before him. They taught him how to be a good dog and where the best spots to pee in the yard were. He was extremely patient and understanding of other rowdy beasts. His girlfriend Piper loved to fight with him and bite his back legs. Instead of chasing her off or clobbering her when it got to be too much, he would just sit down so she couldn't get to his legs. He would act all tough, but never, ever, hurt her. Their love for each other was unconditional, as was his love for everyone.

He developed wonderful manners but still kept that little sparkle of naughtiness throughout his whole life. You could never stay mad at him long even if he did eat your last stick of butter off the counter. You see, it was at nose height, you certainly left if for him to snack on, didn't you? Just last week, Fred came home and found that Georgee had found yet another delicacy; a small piece of garlic bread in the center of a balled up piece of aluminum foil. To Fred's amazement, somehow Georgee had unwrapped the entire ball, ate the bread, and neatly licked all of the foil into nice flat pieces all over the floor.

Fred and Georgee liked to keep some of this nauty behavior their little secret. They developed a very deep special relationship that was one to be envied. You know you've found a good man when your dog falls completely in love with him. Georgee knew Fred was special and that he had a very soft spot in his heart for those of the canine persuasion. Georgee knew how to work Fred. He'd stroll over to Fred and rub his head all over his lap. He'd look at him with those deep brown eyes and cock his eyebrows and Fred was a goner. This worked quite often for spontaneous rides around the neighborhood or a trip over to AJ's for treats. Georgee loved his outings with both Fred and me. He'd get all hurt if the humans that walked by him on our outings didn't say hello. Seriously, you could see his confusion. It was so funny.

We tried hiking together. He was good for about 2 miles. He'd stop, just stop, at one particular spot at South Mountain. It was easy to get him going again usually. The funniest thing ever on our hikes was that Georgee was certain that the shadow from a small stick could provide shade to his 100 lb body. He'd promptly stop at a stick certain he was going to get some cool shade. Hilarious.

Georgee was diagnosed with a very serious auto-immune disease 5 years ago. Most dogs don't survive for very long once they are diagnosed. If they do, they are usually blind within a year. With his usual defiance, Georgee beat the odds. He did so well. I was truly lucky to get all if the years with him that we had. He had lost all of the pigment in his retinas, but could still see. He was pretty darn healthy and happy until a few days ago. He wasn't himself and was in obvious discomfort. The x-rays showed a tumor on his spleen that was bleeding out. With his advanced age and auto-immune issues, it is likely he wouldn't have survived after surgery. It was with very heavy hearts but with Georgee's best interest at heart that we had to let him go. He is now free to be the big goof ball we love. He will be able to run free with his buddies Duval, Henry, Kota, and Tai with no pain and full eye sight.

To say that we are going to miss him is the biggest understatement EVER! Please forgive me if I don't answer your calls right now. I have good moments and bad. The bad moments I just can't bear to talk about it. Know that I appreciate your thoughts and prayers. When I can, I will be in touch.

I could go on and on about so many wonderful memories and stories of Georgee. If you met him, you were truly blessed and you know what a special spirit he had. It seems so unfair that he had to leave this Earth so soon. But how incredible it was to be lucky enought to have him in our lives. Please, please feel free to leave comments and your own Georgee stories here. I know he would love to hear from you.

Love Kim

Happy Easter

I'm not a religious girl, but I do appreciate any holiday that gets family together. I'm so happy to say there will be no ham on the table for our Easter. We're both working Easter, so I'm not sure if there will be Easter dinner for us.

My Grandmother was definitely religious and we spent most holidays at her house. She made the most amazing (although not vegan) sugar cookies. I remember the fun shapes and the incredible flavor. I never realized how much work went into iced cookies. Now I appreciate her cookies even more. Terry put up a test recipe for sugar cookies, so I thought I'd give them a whirl. I can't post her recipe, but I can say they are darn close to my grandma's. For the simple glaze I used 2 1/2 cups of sifted powdered sugar to 1/4 cup water. This yielded a great texture for dipping the cookies and glazing them. I had to use two recipes to get the 4 colors. Once the cookies were glazed, I put plastic over the glaze to keep it from drying out while doing the other colors. The glaze on the cookies had to harden for about an hour before decorating. For the decorations, the glaze had to be thickened before piping onto the cookies. These are time intensive, but so fun!

However you spend you Easter weekend I hope it is filled with family, fun, and great food.

Mediterannean Quinoa Stuffed Portobellos

I've been meaning to post this since February. Sorry for the delay for those of you who asked for the recipe. I was beyond busy with the 3rd Annual Joanne Wood March Madness for Mammaries Hike that I put on each year to benefit the Breast Cancer Fund and the Wellness Community - Arizona. The hike was a great success, raising over $27,000 for the two charities. Woot!!

On to to the food. For Valentine's Day I created a tasty delicious side dish that ended up being more like a main dish really. It is very tasty and packs a pretty good protein punch from the quinoa.

Mediterannean Quinoa Stuffed Portobellos

4 servings

4 medium sized portobello mushrooms

Marinade

1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1 Tablespoon tamari
2 cloves garlic minced
salt and pepper to taste

Filling

1 Cup Quinoa
2 Cups Vegetable Broth
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1/2 large red onion or 1 small, diced small
2 garlic cloves minced
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1/4 teaspoon salt
black pepper to taste
1/4 cup sun dried tomatoes in olive oil choppped

1/2 cup coarsley chopped kalamata olives
2 teaspoons capers

Mix marinade ingredients in shallow baking pan. Add mushrooms and marinade for at least an hour turning once.

Preheat oven to 350.

Bake or grill portobellos for about 5 minutes until they just barely start giving up their liquid. Remove from oven or grill.

Prepare filling. In medium saucepan add quinoa to cold veggie broth. Bring to a boil cover and cook for 15 minutes or until all liquid is absorbed. Remove from heat and let sit 10 minutes. Remove cover and fluff. While quinoa is cooking heat oil in iron skillet or saute pan. Add onions and garlic and saute until onions are transluscent. Add oregano, red pepper flakes and salt. Saute for 3 minutes. Add sun dried tomatoes, olives, and capers and saute for another 3 minutes. In mixing bowl toss this mixture with quinoa. Salt and pepper to taste. Stuff each portobello cap with approximately 1/2 cup of mixture. Bake mushrooms in covered pyrex dish for 20 minutes.

As you can see, I garnished mine with a roasted pepper cut in a heart shape. You can also garnish with chopped fresh italian parsley.

Hail to the Chief and See ya El Diablo Bush!

Today is a very historical day in history. For the first time I can remember I was actually excited about voting. It feels like real change is coming...good change. OK I'll stop spewing my political joy and get down to the real business of this blog...FOOD.

Tonight I am attending an inauguration celebration. I wanted to bring food that was Obama - esque, but hadn't a clue what to make. I plunked around the internet and read that the Obama's are fans of Rick Bayless. Easy enough. I set out to find a good Bayless recipe. I found quite a few that would be easy enough to veganize. The one that kept catching my attention was his Tequila-Infused Queso Fundido. I have grown to love nooch based "queso" so this is right up my alley. I wanted it to be flavorful and spicy and a little special for such an occasion. I think I may have come up with my favorite queso to date. Give it a try and let me know what you think.

Tequila Scented Queso with Hatch Green Chiles

1 Tablespoon canola oil

1 medium red onion diced small

1 large heirloom tomato diced small

2 hatch green chiles, roasted, peeled, and diced (seeds left intact if you like the heat)

2 Tablespoons of your favorite tequila

1/3 cup nutritional yeast

1/3 cup flour

1/4 teaspoon ancho chile powder

1/2 teaspoon cumin

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon onion powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup water

1 Tablespoon Earth Balance or other vegan butter

1/2 cup loosely packed cilantro leaves

Heat oil in saute pan. Add onions and saute until just soft. Add tomatoes and chilies and saute for about 5 more minutes. Deglaze with tequila. Cook down until mixture is slightly sticky. Turn off heat and let cool while preparing the rest of the queso.In a medium sauce pan whisk dry ingredients into water. Turn heat to med-low and cook while whisking frequently. Don't leave the pan unattended or you will end up with a glop of yuk. Once it has thickened turn off heat. Add Earth Balance and stir until melted. Add tomato mixture. Finely chop cilantro and stir into queso.

Serve warm with chips.

So Long 2008

As 2008 comes to a close, it is time to reflect on the things that made this year a happy time. The most incredible thing that happened was that Fred and I got engaged!

I also spent lots of quality time in the kitchen testing for others and creating my own recipes. Food brings so much joy and comfort to our lives. So memories are made by the delicous smells and flavors coming out of kitchens all over the world.

My cooking goals for 2009 are simple. First and foremost I feel the need to conquer bread making. This art has been lost on me...until now. I just got Peter Reinharts The Bread Baker's Apprentice. I plan on studying this from cover to cover to discover the secrets to the perfect loaf.

My second goal is to develop more of my own creations. I aspire to someday put out a cookbook, 'zine, or just a nice compilation of my originals for friends. I seriously can think of few things in my world that make me more satisfied than coming up with unique dishes that people go crazy for. It is fun, fullfilling, and really tasty. So with that in mind, I head into 2009 with my spatula and whisk held high. 2009 is sure to be a delicious vegan gastronomical year.

I leave you with a picture of one of Fred's fabulous 2008 creations - Green Chile Hash!

Happy New Year!

Happy Thanksgiving

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving. There are so many things to be thankful for. My list is long. While I did have to work this holiday, I still took a lot of time in the kitchen this week. Sadly, I wasn't as good with the camera as I usually am.

I did however, get a fantastic picture of a pie I am particularly proud of. I found this recipe on Epicurious back in 2004 or so. It was love at first bite, really. It is called the Cranberry Apple Ribbon Pie. It was very easy to veganize. I used the Basic Pastry Crust for Veganomicon. This is a wonderful crust for fruit pies. The bottom of the pie has a layer (or ribbon) of home made cranberry sauce. It is then filled with tart/sweet apples tossed with lots of cinnamon. I used a combination of Fujis and Granny Smiths. The top was sprinkled with cinnamon sugar. I'm not usually a huge pie fan, but I have to confess, I ate two pieces of this one yesterday.