I Am... Friday Finds 12.13.19 Plus 9 Books to Read or Gift This Holiday Season
December Friday the 13th! Are you running around shopping? Lazily staring at the pretty lights on the tree? Frantically baking up cookie boxes? Covertly celebrating Taylor Swift’s 30th birthday? How I know that, is a testament to the juggernaut of press she’s been getting about it. Okay, okay, plus I’m just a little bit of a Swiftie. Anyway, it’s the best month to be chilling, reading the internets (and books) of course. Here’s some light and fluffy reading for everyone who’s curled up by the fire (real or TV version) under a blanket. Webstuff:
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- The banana is the art that spawned a thousand memes.
- Are leggings okay at work? I mean, I work at home, so it’s a yes for me, but I feel like I also kind of tried to wear leggings when I worked in an office on casual Friday LOL
- Free shipping...it’s not really free.
- To be honest, I’m all about Taco Bell. From that iconic scene in Demolition Man to the hotel to their merch drop. I love it all. I mean, I never eat there, but I still love it all!
- Did you grow up with a landline? I did and there was something charmingly retro about it and now it’s a thing of the past.
- Can you believe it’s the end of the decade?!
- Would you ever buy a house with friends?
- The internet is full of weird and wonderful things like this Russian girl and her giant cat.
- Are you an eggnog lover or hater?
- The age of Instagram face.
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- I love these cookie boxes every year and this year Amy has outdone herself with all of the NY Times cookies, all of BA’s holiday cookies, and a cookie advent calendar!
- Matcha sesame granola sounds like the perfect way to start the day.
- Yes please to candy cane cake!
I Am... Spicy Chili Crisp Grilled Cheese
A couple of days ago, Mike and I spent a couple of days in Seattle, eating and celebrating Mike’s birthday. On our way home, we stopped into Seawolf, one of our favorite sourdough bakeries, to buy a loaf to bring home. We ate two slices late at night, spread with cold butter and sprinkled with salt. So GOOD. I know people like room temp butter because it spreads more easily, but there’s something about cold butter and really good bread that gets me every time.
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I Am... The best bolognese for weeknights: pappardelle with ragu di prosciutto
It might seem crazy to suggest doing fresh pasta and from scratch ragu bolognese on a weeknight, but it's really meditative, not very time consuming, and low labor. Your house will smell like the best Italian kitchens, and all the stress from the long day will just fall away. This is a classic style ragu from Emilia Romagna, not quite what we think of as either the usual American style of bolognese sauce or proper Italian/Bologna style ragu bolognese with livers and cream. It's the simple-yet-amazing combination of prosciutto, pork, and fresh mozzarella which really makes this sauce special. It’s easier, with fewer ingredients, and tastes closer to what you’d get in the countryside than the typical version you'll find in the city of Bologna, but far better than the tomato-ey version you find at chain restaurants in America. And because of its simplicity, it’s the perfect sauce to highlight this homemade pappardelle recipe. Together they are the perfect combination of crazy good and super easy. Pappardelle isn’t the most common pasta shape, but it’s one of my favorites. Super wide, truly chewy, I think of it as maybe the best representation of pasta you can make at home. There are no ridges to hide in or heavy sauce ratios to drown in, so the noodle has to taste good. It’s not as easy to find as its more popular cousin tagliatelle, but truthfully and unlike a lot of other pastas, the best pappardelle is homemade. Once you’ve had a great pappardelle, you may find other pasta shapes pale in comparison. The first time we made homemade pasta, it seemed complicated and mystical, but once you’ve tried it a few times, it becomes second nature and you realize you don’t need special skills, flour, or pasta machines to make some awesome homemade pasta. Just a little patience while the dough rests is enough. Our method for making pappardelle is simple and we’ve refined it throughout the years to hit just the right notes. It’s eggier - one extra yolk per portion - and thinner and wider than your standard pappardelle. We go to setting #5 on a standard Marcato Atlas roller (it should be the same on any pasta machine though) and each sheet of pasta is cut only into 4 noodles. This leaves you with really pretty, wonderful tasting, extra wide pappardelle that handily beats any store bought brand you can find. The ragu was inspired by a short trip to NYC that Steph and I took a couple of weeks ago. We went to a wonderful little neighborhood pasta joint specializing in Emilia Romagna dishes called Rezdora, a few blocks north of Union Square. We ordered almost every pasta on the menu and kind of made ourselves a seven course pasta tour of Emilia Romagna, and it was a glorious, gluttonous affair. This restaurant seems like a surefire candidate for a michelin star next year. The waiter was amazing, the Parmigiano Reggiano was plentiful, and the pastas were all crazy good, with fun names like “Grandma walking through the woods looking for shrooms” (I wrote that without looking back at the menu so it may not be 100% accurate). Amongst all the various anolini, ragus of rabbit, and spinach-fied pastas, there was a common theme: a backbone ragu that was made up of beef, pork, prosciutto, and mozzarella. As soon as we got home, we tried recreating it and were knocked off our socks at how great this simple little sauce was. In this version we left out the beef to keep it simple, but if you like to amp things up a notch, sub half of the pork with ground beef or veal for a more authentic ragu. I hope you try both the homemade pappardelle and the ragu, but even if it’s with store bought dried pappardelle (Garofalo is an excellent and easy to find brand), the ragu is easier than it has any right to be and totally worth making. If you end up getting addicted to making pappardelle, check out this awesome site that’s like the Bon Appetit of Italian food called La Cucina Italiana. Their seafood pappardelle recipe is out of this world, check it out here. #thatnoodlelife Mike
Weeknight Ragu di Prosciutto
The best weeknight version of Bolognese you'll ever find
- 4 portions fresh pasta (sub dried pappardelle)
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 small onion (chopped)
- 1 small carrot (chopped)
- 1 tbsp sage (chopped)
- 2 oz prosciutto (chopped)
- 1 lb ground pork
- 1 cup dry white wine (preferably Italian)
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 cup chicken stock (no sodium preferred)
- 8 balls mini bocconcini (or other fresh mozzarella)
If you are using fresh pasta, follow the instructions until it is time to rest the pasta (see note).
In a large pot, heat up the oil over low heat. Add the onion, carrot, sage, and prosciutto. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 5-15 min. The goal is a low slow simmered soffritto. Longer is better, but not necessary.
Bring the heat up to medium high and add the pork, breaking up into pieces. Cook until browned. Season with salt and pepper.
Add the wine and deglaze, scraping the pan. Simmer until the wine has reduced by half.
Stir in the tomato paste and add the chicken stock. Bring to a boil then turn down to a simmer and simmer, covered, on low for 1 hour. Taste and season with salt and pepper.
On a back burner, bring a pot of salted water to a boil, then reduce to a very low simmer in preparation to cook your pasta. Roll your pasta out to setting #5 (2mm), then slice lengthwise into 4 strips.
Just before the ragu is done, cook the pasta until it just floats (about 2 minutes) or according to package instructions, then drain without rinsing and set aside.
Stir in the bocconcini balls, then add the pasta in and gently toss with a pair of silicone coated tongs until pasta is coated. Serve with extra chopped sage and grated parmigiano reggiano.
To make fresh pasta, follow the instructions on this page. (page coming soon)
I Am... 3 Days of Non-Stop Eating in NYC: The Best Pizza, Pasta, Sushi, and More
We spent three days eating our hearts out in NYC and to be honest, it was the perfect length trips: long enough that we got to hit up all the places that we intended to go to and short enough that we were left wanting more. Here’s everything we ate! Kopitiam We took a red eye for the first time in ages; bleary-eyed we got off our flight and immediately dropped off our luggage and headed out for the day. A brisk walk took us towards Kopitiam, a cute little Nyonya style coffee shop that serves Chinese-Malay food. I grew up eating Nyonya food – I have family from Singapore and Malaysia so the dishes and flavors were all super homey, comforting, and perfect. We started with the kaya toast: a super thick cut fluffy toast thickly spread with kaya (a pandan coconut jam) and butter. I’m an absolute kaya toast fanatic and this one was really good, especially washed down with the kopi tarik, a hand-pulled coffee sweetened with condensed milk. After the toast, which was messy in the best way possible, we had a bowl of pan mee, hand torn noodles in an anchovy broth topped off with minced pork, crispy fried anchovies, wood ear mushrooms, and spinach. Kopitiam’s pan mee was one of Eater’s standout dishes of 2018 and it didn’t disappoint. It was a super savory, homestyle bowl of noodles full of textures and sweet and salty flavors. Mike especially loved the anchovy broth and crispy anchovies. I loved the chewy thick hand torn noodles. Seriously good.
Davelle After our little breakfast feast at Kopitiam next on our eating list – and not so far away – was Davelle, a cute little Japanese cafe that serves toasts and other Japanese comfort food classics like curry and napolitan spaghetti. We choose seats at the bar and watched our pour over coffees being made then ordered one of their adorable toasts. They have quite a few sweet and savory options; we went for the berry and cream cheese, artfully swooped on in overlapping dollops. I need to start making toast this way because it was almost too pretty to eat. Taste wise, the toast was excellent. They use Balmuda the Toaster to toast their thick cut milk bread. Balmuda the Toaster is THE BEST. I’ve been obsessed with it ever since it came out in Japan 2015 and it makes perfect toast: crispy on the outside and tender and fluffy on the inside. I’ve been wanting to get one forever but I can’t bring myself to. Back to the toast: the berry and cream cheese were pretty but not altogether anything special, other than the way it was prepared. Was it worth the hefty $9 price tag? I’m not sure. On the one hand, you’re getting to have toast made in a Balmuda (which for me is hands down the best toaster out there) but on the other hand, you could probably make yourself a reasonable facsimile of the berry and cream cheese toast. Still, we left caffeinated and toasty so I’d say it was a win.
Maman I’ve been on a search for the best chocolate chip cookies in THE WORLD. Maman is one of Oprah’s favorite things so of course I had to try it. I’ll write a full review later, but for now, let it be known that I think Oprah and I don’t have the same taste in cookies.
Rezdora Rezdora is small, intimate Italian spot known for it’s Emilia-Romagna inspired dishes, especially pasta. Emilia-Romanga is one of our favorite regions in Italy (think Bologna, Parma, Modena) and we were super excited to stuff ourselves silly with pasta. We were tempted by their pasta tasting menu, which sounded amazing, but after some agonizing, we created our own pasta tasting with some of the dishes that we really wanted to try. We had five plates of pasta and everything was amazing, but the rabbit ragu with spinach reginelle was especially so. I also really loved the anolini di parma (little round raviolis filled with meat in a parmigiano sauce) and the maccheroni al pettine (housemade macaroni with duck ragu). Their pasta was on point and the sauces were to die for. I don’t know anything more satisfying that pasta. Afterwards, I had my eye on the cheesecake but we ended up finishing with coffee because we had another place we wanted to check out.
Via Carota After a quick wander around Eataly (clearly we had Italian food on our minds), we went to peep the wait at Via Carota, a friendly neighborhood West Village gastroteca focusing on Italian food. Luckily we were able score a bar seat almost immediately. Unluckily, we thought we’d be waiting a while (and building up an appetite for a second dinner or at least a light late night snack). It was not a bad position to be in but neither of us thought we’d be able to crush a plate of pasta so we had drinks and shared the via carota svizzerina, their hand chopped grass fed steak tartare. It was amazing. It looked like a burger patty with a good amount of sear on the outside, but when you took a fork to it, it feel apart into tiny hand chopped chunks of tender steak. Paired with the roasted garlic and fried rosemary, it was absolutely delicious. It made me happy and sad at the same time because I really wanted to try the pasta. We promised ourselves that we’d come back then headed home.
Joe's Steam Rice Roll The next day we headed out to Canal Street Market in between Soho and Chinatown so we could feast on some rice rolls. I’d been dreaming about Joe’s Steam Rice Roll for what feels like YEARS. Ever since I saw a plate of those glistening, thin rice rolls filled with egg, pork, beef, dried shrimp, and bean sprouts, I’ve been pretty much convinced that they were my noodle. We ordered a Joe’s signature for me and a pork for Mike. All the rolls are made to order with daily ground rice batter and take a while to get. We hung out watching the rice roll master churn out plates and plates of rolls. After what seemed like forever (I was dying-ly hungry) we got our plates and went to town. Smooth, slippery, and full of flavor – the rolls didn’t disappoint. I liberally spooned on chili oil and was SO HAPPY. I loved the flavors and textures. Mike dug them too but also didn’t understand what the fuss was. I on the other hand was so obsessed that I ordered a rice roll steamer so I could try making them at home. Boba Guys If you guys have a chance, Canal Street Market is definitely a fun visit. They have a bunch of retail shops, but the food hall is where it’s at: there’s kakigori, ramen, and next level boba/bubble tea from Boba Guys. I love Boba Guys so when I saw their stand, I had to get one: a hot coffee milk tea (classic milk tea with a brown sugar simple syrup with a healthy pour of house blend cold brew coffee) with freshly made boba. It was SO good and a much needed caffeine boost.
Chip We wandered down to West Village after lunch so I could pick up a chocolate chip cookie for my chocolate chip cookie research. It was slightly warm from the oven and bigger than a hockey puck. I’m not going to review it here, but I had a bite, then popped it into a container that I had in my bag for the express purpose of collecting cookies.
Pizza Loves Emily Since we were in the West Village we had to hit up Pizza Loves Emily. Well, actually the truth is we wanted to go to Nami Nori, but they only do dinner service. We saw Pizza Loves Emily, remembered their iconic Emmy burger and had to go in. We ordered an Emmy burger and the Colony, a Detroit-style wood fired pizza topped with housemade mozzarella, pepperoni, jalapeños, and honey. They were both AMAZING. The Emmy burger was a monster: 2 dry aged butter patties seared in clarified butter topped with melty American cheese, a mess of caramelized onions, and a dollop of EMMY special sauce. All that on a warm pretzel bun that added heft, yeastiness, and a special pretzel-y flavor that was the best canvas for all the flavors going on. It was seriously one of the best burgers I’ve eaten. Mike thought that the pretzel bun was going to be too overpowering but he loved it! And not to be forgotten, the pizza was pretty darn good too. Crispy caramelized corners, a tangy red sauce, crispy pepperoni cups and just the right balance of sweet and heat from the honey and jalapeños. I’m getting hungry writing about it right now…
Jacques Torres We were stuffed after our two lunches (and bite of a cookie) so we walked it off by heading towards the Highline so we could walk towards the Hudson Yards. I didn’t want to pay to go up so we gawked at it from below, pet a couple of dog-fluencers, then went on our way towards Central Park to catch the last bit of sunset before walking to Levain. But before we even got there, I spotted a Jacques Torres, which was totally on the to-try chocolate chip cookie list. They were handing out tiny sample cups of hot chocolate that were so decadent. We bought a cookie (it wasn’t warm or anything) and I popped it into my cookie container for later because our real destination was Levain.
Levain Not even five minutes away from the infamous Jacques Torres (he’s celebrated all over the internet for his 72 hour chocolate chip cookie) was Levain. Tucked away in an almost underground location was the bakery that’s been making it’s rounds on the internet as the best chocolate chip cookie in NYC. Luckily, there was no giant line – actually there wasn’t any line to speak of, which was nice. The cookies were HUGE and slightly warm. I took a bite for research and then it joined it’s chocolate chip cookie friends in the box so I could conduct more through research later.
Satsuki After Levain, we stopped for a quick coffee and then headed back to the hotel to drop off our cookies before heading out to Satsuki. Normally we walk everywhere on vacation, but at this point I was exhausted so we took the train. Of course the trains were delayed leaving Mike and I running through Times Square like maniacs trying to make our reservation – which was decidedly un-moveable with a hefty deposit paid. It hilariously like one of those cheesy NYC movies where we were dodging tourists (I know, I know, we were tourists too) who were gawking at all of the lights. Anyway, we made it! Chef Satsuki was waiting for us…just us. Usually when you book omakase the entire bar is booked out but in this case, we made a late reservation and we were the only ones at the bar. It was fun and intimate and the sushi was FANTASTIC. Super fresh fish and the shari (that’s the rice) was on point. Satsuki-san started off a bit gruff (we were massively late after all) but we won him over and by the end we were chatting about how much he loves living in NYC and how the fish he orders from the new Tsukiji Market only takes 16 hours to arrive. Apparently there’s a secret hidden refrigerated tunnel that goes directly to Haneda Airport to be sent out to sushi shops around the world.
Les Compagnies des Vins Supernaturels After sushi we wandered back home, stopping in at the cutest little wine bar. Mike ordered a glass of “guess what it is and you could win the bottle” and I had a glass of my new obsession, orange wine. We shared a slice of basque cheesecake too and it was just a cute way to end the night. The vibe was dark and intimate and cozy.
Sushi on Jones The next day was our last day in NYC. One of the things that Mike and I like to do, if we can, is a high-low comparison. Satsuki was the high, and as the low, Mike found the cutest little outdoorsy counter spot called Sushi on Jones. It’s a small 6 person counter(2 seats are on the outside) that expanded to another brick and mortar because they did so well. They’re known for a $50ish omakase that you can do in 30 minutes. Of course we did the omakase and the highlights were the black angus wagyu sushi and the black angus wagyu with uni. I loved the aburi king salmon too. Super delicious and casual vibes.
Supermoon We passed by Supermoon on our first day in NYC but we didn’t stop in because we were on a food mission. Today was the day that we decided to hop back in to try their kouign amann. I’m an absolute fiend for kouign amann and this one…was okay. It wasn’t the massive disappointment that Dominique Ansel’s was (notice I didn’t even mention that we went there, that’s how bad it was) but it also wasn’t anywhere near the level of Pâtisserie au Kougin Amann in Montreal. But, I loved their super pink and concrete interior and the sausage roll was AMAZING. I love me a good sausage roll and this one was hot and flaky, sprinkled with some sort of sesame spice mix and served with ketchup. I could have eaten 3 of them they were so good.
Prince St Pizza For our last bite before heading to the airport, we slid on into the line for a slice of pepperoni at Prince Street. I LOVE those little pepperoni cups with pools of oil, the crisp yet soft and doughy fluff of the base, and the crispy edges. A super simple tomato sauce and cheese pulls galore made this the best slice to end on. Stay sweet and savory NYC, everyone loves you! xoxo steph Read More →
I Am... Sweet and Spicy Gochujang Honey Roast Chicken and Potatoes
Sweet and Spicy Gochujang Honey Roast Chicken and Potatoes
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I Am... How to make fresh pasta the easy way: our almost no knead pasta recipe
Making fresh pasta can be a little daunting at first, but it’s super easy and so much tastier than the boxed stuff. You’ll really be able to appreciate the tastiness of the noodle. It’s rewarding to know you made everything on the plate with your own two hands and after a couple of times, you’ll get the hang of it so quickly that you’ll wonder why you never made it before. Cooking Notes This method for making pasta relies on resting time and the pasta rollers to avoid the need to knead. If you’re in a hurry, you can go ahead and knead the pasta, then allow it to rest for a few minutes instead. Our pasta recipe is extra rich with a second egg yolk. Depending on the humidity of your kitchen, you might need to add a little extra flour to make up for the increased moisture. If this is the case, add a couple of tablespoons at a time until the dough is tacky but not wet. Ingredient Notes The really deep yellow color of this pasta comes from using orange eggs. Eggs are yellow or orange based on what the chickens eat; if they get some yummy treats from being allowed outside and eating more than just corn feed, they will probably produce orange eggs. Usually, your local free range egg brand will probably be orange. Eggs are the same no matter the color, but in general, we always support using free range eggs. In this recipe, we separate the eggs and use only half of the whites. If you are looking for a recipe that uses egg whites, try this old school Spinach Feta Egg Wrap Recipe, it's like going back in time. What do you need? Nothing, italian grandmothers can do this with a wooden tabletop and a wine bottle. We use a mini stand mixer and a high end atlas pasta roller to make things easy and painless though. The high end rollers make a huge difference here compared to the el cheapo grande version, but any pasta machine will work. Even the aforementioned wine bottle. What can you make with this recipe? Some recipes that really highlight the fresh pasta are: How to Make Spaghetti alla Chitarra Date Night Lemon Pasta 5-Ingredient Pasta alla Gricia Recipe Creamy Lobster Pasta Recipe The Ultimate Easy Instant Pot Meat Sauce Recipe Creamy Spinach and Mushroom Pasta Recipe Sage and Brown Butter Spinach Pasta Recipe Instant Pot Bolognese Sauce Recipe
Almost no knead homemade fresh pasta recipe
Fresh pasta at home, the easy way
- 200 grams all purpose flour (about 1.5-2 cups)
- 2 eggs
- 2 egg yolks (whites reserved for another use)
Place 200 grams flour in the bowl of a stand mixer and make a well in the middle. Put the 2 whole eggs and 2 additional egg yolks into the well.
Use a fork to whisk the eggs, slowly incorporating the flour, little by little, until a dough starts to form.
Knead with the dough hook until smooth and elastic, alternately, turn out the dough onto a lightly floured board and lightly knead the dough until smooth and elastic.
Dust with flour, then wrap in plastic wrap and let rest for 1 hour.
After the pasta has rested, lightly dust again with flour and press into a rectangle shape. From here you can either roll out the dough by hand using a rolling pin, or you can use a pasta machine to roll out the dough, starting at the widest setting, and dialing it down until your desired thickness (typically setting #4). Use as directed by your recipe.
Photos here are for one serving, which is 100g flour, 1 egg, and 1 egg yolk.
I Am... The Ultimate Umami Bomb Tomato Sauce
When you’re looking for a quick and comforting tomato-y, garlicky pasta, this ultimate umami bomb tomato sauce will hit all the right notes.
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I Am... 14 of the Best Thanksgiving Noodle Side Dishes
I love Thanksgiving but maybe even more than turkey, I love the sides. I think I could have a Thanksgiving feast of just sides and be a happy camper. Give me ALL the stuffing and mashed potatoes! But also, give me noodles because I love that noodle life and I think Thanksgiving with noodles as sides might be the most genius thing ever. NOODLES FOREVER! Here are 14 of the best Thanksgiving noodle side dishes to bring you all the good noodle-y feels.
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I Am... Oven Baked Orange Turkey
I think we can all agree that orange chicken is a thing, so why not orange turkey?! Think about it, it’s kind of festive and a great alternative to making a giant turkey. They always sell turkey breast at our local grocery store and using turkey instead of chicken gives this dish just enough of a twist will still tasting essentially the same. It’s crispy oven baked turkey nuggets tossed in a tangy bright sweet sauce that just begs to be eaten with rice. And it’s only 6 ingredients. Weeknight orange turkey here we come!
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I Am... What is Doubanjiang & Doubanjiang Substitutes
What is Doubanjiang? Sometimes, with authentic recipes, there’s that one ingredient that you have to search far and wide for. You’ll be searching the aisles wondering, is this worth it? I’m here to tell you that it is! Doubanjiang is a spicy fermented mix of soy and broad beans. It’s been called the soul of Sichuan cooking and it’s what will give your mapo tofu that glorious red hue. When shopping, you want to look for the Pixian (an area in China) variety if you can. It’s kind of like how, if you can, you want to buy champagne from the Champagne region in France. But, like champagne, if you can only find sparkling wine, don’t sweat it, Lee Kum Kee also sells a serviceable easier to find Cantonese style doubanjiang that they call chili bean sauce/toban djan. Buy it online Doubanjiang on Amazon Substitute with Toban Djan, or in a pinch: a 50/50 mix of red miso and chili flakes. Recipes that use Doubanjiang How to Make Mapo Tofu Mapo Tofu Waffle Recipe
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I Am... 7 of the Best Instant Pot Recipes for Thanksgiving
If you’ve got an Instant Pot, you’re going to want to use it this Thanksgiving. These are the best Instant Pot recipes for Thanksgiving and as a bonus, they’re all 5 ingredients (not including salt and pepper) or less, so easy is the name of the game.
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I Am... Sanctuary on Camelback: One of the best hotels in the world is in your backyard
In all of our travels, one of the best hotels we’ve ever stayed at was Hoshinoya Fuji. It is a near perfect hotel: the room, the view, the kotatsu, the service, and the feeling that you are somewhere special. The only flaw was that, even in Japan, Hoshinoya Fuji is a million miles from nowhere. But now, we’ve found a hotel that is every bit as good, minus the airfare and the jetlag, and, to be really honest, the food is even a little bit better. It’s right smack in the middle of the fifth largest city in America, and yet it seems like no one from out of state has heard of it. Sanctuary On Camelback Mountain Resort & Spa in Arizona isn’t a hotel that gets talked about much. If you look up design-focused resorts in Phoenix, you’re likely to run into the mixed-reviewed Andaz, smack in the middle of downtown between a motel and a mall specializing in insurance agencies. If you expand your horizons to all of the western USA, you’ll probably find the genuinely-eye-watering-to-anyone-not-named-kanye-west Amangiri. Sanctuary on Camelback gets you the serene desert getaway minus the five-figures a night price, and it does it in near-Japanese level service and perfection. Check In Our check-in experience was the best I’ve ever had, period. We rolled up in our car, and the valet immediately walked up, introduced himself, and informed us that we could just leave the car right where it was while we checked in. When we were done our very efficient and warm registration process, we came back to a car with all the windows rolled down, bottles of ice cold water in the cupholders, and the package I had delivered to the hotel waiting for us in the back seat. A second valet informed us that he would follow us to a parking space of our choice in a golf cart, so he could deliver our luggage (and us) to our room. The Room The room was more like a house, and actually bigger than our house. There was a front balcony with one of those superclub canopies, minus the $25 vodka redbulls. There was a huge living room with a nespresso machine, well stocked minibar, and an inexplicable fireplace, being that we were in the middle of a desert. There was a 600sq ft bathroom. And, there was an incredible outdoor tub; more on that later. The whole place was light filled while still being private, we never had a sense that there was anyone else around. The room lived up to its namesake sanctuary-ness. The Food I never have a lot of high hopes for hotel restaurants. Even nationally acclaimed superstar-chef led ones never seem to be as good as a “real restaurant” of the same caliber. I chalk it up to low expectations from the kind of diner who goes to a hotel restaurant. Ironically though, on the first night we were there I was that kind of diner because I was thoroughly done from a long drive. I wanted nothing more than easy food and lots of alcohol, and Elements - the hotel restaurant - delivered in spades. It went way, way beyond my expectations: the menu was inspired, the service was impeccable, and the food - on her first bite, Steph proclaimed the pork chop the best she’d ever had. No joke, it inspired dozens of pork chop dishes at home, it was that good. Those will be coming to the blog in the coming months. Our waiter was that old school kind of head waiter who didn’t seem to do anything, but somehow was always around when you wanted him and never around when you wanted to be alone. In the couple of days we were there, the restaurant was always crowded, and I found out later via the internet that locals genuinely love going there, even if they aren’t staying at the property. I don’t blame them, the prices aren’t that bad, and the view, service, and food is amazing. Turn Down When we got back to our room, we found dessert and snacks waiting for us. A rare little uglydoll called Jeero came with us on this trip and the staff set him up with some togarashi popcorn and HBO. They also lit a bunch of candles and had some wonderful salts ready to go in case we wanted to use the tub later that night, which of course I did, armed with truly delicious shichimi togarashi buttered popcorn and a very well stocked minibar. The Tub The star of our stay was the outdoor tub. If you’ve never had a proper not-a-pool-bath outdoors (as we'd never had), you don’t know what you’re missing. After our stay at Hoshinoya Fuji in the winter, I came home and immediately built Steph a kotatsu, it was just that good. Similarly, I’m now trying to figure out how to get an outdoor bathtub situation going. The fresh air, the night sky, the relaxation, I just feel like this room beats every spa in the world. Because of this bathtub, we basically never went to the giant infinity pool, except to watch the sunset. The Infinity Pool & Sunset But truthfully, sunsets are my one true luxury in life. I can go without almost anything else - good food, money, smartphones, and the internet - just give me sunsets. A desert sunset is not to be missed, and, minus Tucson, if you are at all a sunset connoisseur, the sunset view from the infinity pool at Sanctuary is not to be missed. The Service and Wrapping It Up The most important thing about any experience is how you feel afterwards. Whether it’s hotels, restaurants, or whole destinations, I rate a place on how genki (awesome/happy/energetic) it is. I came to Sanctuary feeling beaten down from the long road behind me, but I left feeling light, happy, and refreshed. This was due in no small part to the staff, who were all uniformly happy, chatty, and genuinely good people to be around. The only downsides to this hotel was that for a room this size, I would have appreciated a kitchen, or some way of heating up food. It would have been nice to have been able to heat up our bbq leftovers from Little Miss. As it was though, in a major advantage vs. any of those resorts in the middle of nowhere, we were within range of ubereats and grubhub, even though we never used it. In any case, I’d head back to Sanctuary in a heartbeat.
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