Last night I had an amazing food experience in Phoenix (thank you LP & JP)! If you haven't been to a Roy's it should be on your "to do" list. Roy's is a Hawaiian Fusion restaurant which is the love child of Roy Yamaguchi. The restaurant describes itself as being Asian influenced, using European techniques and Hawaiian hospitality. Last night was truly just as it was described. Btw, if you are in So Cal the nearest restaurant to us is in Woodland Hills, but if you get an opportunity to go to the original restaurant in Maui it is also exquisite. The one in Phoenix is in the JW Marriott and the dining room is gorgeous! Last night, since it was a celebration, we had the joy of experiencing a specialized menu. Every aspect of the food and the flavor was out of this world, from the cocktails to the appetizers to the main course to the amazing birthday cake that their pastry chef made for me as a surprise. Thankfully everyone I hang out with knows that I love to take pictures of food so here are a few examples of the food last night.

This is butterfish and true to its name it really did melt in your mouth. It was served on a bed of rice with a tangy sauce with a hint of spice. Truly perfect!!

Yamaguchi first came to my attention on Top Chef. He won a James Beard award in 1988. And he is known for his blend and depth of flavors and use of fresh ingredients. I haven't tried anything off of his menu that I did not care for. Here is the restaurant web page if you want to know more: http://www.roysrestaurant.com/about/default.asp

This steak was served on a bed of mashed potatoes with asparagus...and the kicker was a chorizo sauce that had so much immense flavor without being too over bearing in spice. Heaven! The birthday cake was also incredible. Not only was it truly a work of art but it was light and had a chocolate/raspberry filling that reminded me just a little bit of nutella...which you know I love. I actually would probably bathe in nutella if it wasn't so incredibly weird. All of the food was paired with incredible cocktails and wines with the 2007 Coppola Rubicon being my absolute favorite!!

And finally because I know you love pictures of me. Here is a picture of me with my beautiful cake and my heavenly glass of wine. Not really sure it looks like I am in a fog or smoke filled room because it just wasn't. I will just blame this photography on the waiter who took the picture...btw, the service was impeccable but I guess we can't ask for superior photography skills as well. But at least you can tell I am smiling even through the haze.



Ok now back to cooking at home. And although I have always thought of myself as a decent cook it is so much fun to go to amazing restaurants and be reminded of the amazing skill, creativity and depth of the Chefs out there. However, I made Rosy Beet Risotto. If you don't like beets or you don't like blue cheese I do not recommend this recipe. However, if you do like beats and you do like blue cheese than definitely try this one. Beware this recipe is time consuming as it does take an hour and a half to roast the beets before you start the risotto. The recipe does say that you can use canned beets instead but I didn't want to try the shortcut at least on the first run.



So back to the recipe. Roast the beets and reserve the liquid that accumulates while they roast. Add the liquid to the water and to the chicken broth and simmer. This will be the liquid that you slowly add into the risotto as it cooks. I was actually kind of surprised that the risotto wasn't more purple in color, but it just wasn't.



To make the risotto, heat some olive oil and saute the onions. I think I did honestly over cook my onions a little bit. I was hoping for them to kind of get to that caramelized stage and mine were a little beyond that. Then saute the risotto until it smells nutty and it starts to turn a light brown color. Then start adding the broth. Remember to add it gradually and do not add additional broth until the first batch has been absorbed and blended. Once you have ran out of broth, add the beets, half the blue cheese and the fresh basil. The recipe says you can use dried or fresh basil, but I really think the fresh basil adds additional flavors...just my opinion.

Overall, I was happy with this recipe. I liked the earthy flavor of the beets with the tang of the blue cheese. I also like the smooth texture of the risotto. It is also pretty good leftover...which as you know I am not a leftover fan so for me to say that...well it has to be pretty decent, right?




And since I am sure I suckered you into reading my blog based on the title and the fact that it has the word "porn" in it let me explain. I got the phrase from a dear friend who calls any pictures of amazing food well "food porn." And I love the phrase and pretty much stole it...and let me tell you the food last night was orgasmic. Cheers!