Gil's Thrilling (And Filling) Blog
Follow the Culinary Ruminations of New Mexico's Sesquipedalian Sybarite. 1,316 Restaurant Reviews, More Than 13,200 Visitor Comments…And Counting!
When she lived in Tucson, Arizona Republic dining critic Andi Berlin would drive nearly two hours to Phoenix to enjoy foods that can’t be found anywhere else in Arizona. One of the five held such sway over her that she actually moved to the Valley of the Sun so that she…
Is there anything more relaxing than a wood fire: its mesmerizing orange and blue flames as they lick the air, the warmth and comfort of heat as it overcomes weather’s chilling bite, the meditative timbre of wood crackling over the flames, the spitting and hissing of red-orange embers and especially…
The cultural and culinary histories of Arizona and Mexico are interlocked, transcending the geographical borders that separate them. In fact, until only 1822, what is now the state of Arizona was still a part of the Mexican state of Sonora. It stands to reason, therefore, that Arizona’s cuisine of would…
In the dark ages before satellite radio and podcasts, my Kim and I usually listened to books on tape to pass the time during long trips. Mystery author Patricia Cornwell was one of my Kim’s very favorites. The protagonist for Cornwell’s best-selling novels was medical examiner Kay Scarpetta, a perfectionist and…
With a name like Culinary Dropout, you might expect an edgy and provocative venue, something hip and trendy where all the beautiful blonde women of Scottsdale come to mix with bad boys. That expectation might be reenforced by Old Town Scottsdale website which describes Culinary Dropout: “From the chefs on the…
As the crow flies, Nashville and Memphis are separated by about 210 miles. You can get from one to the other of these two prominent Southern cities–that are probably best known for their signature sounds–in a speedy three hours. Nashville sits on the north-central part of the Volunteer State. It’s…
Visiting Haji Baba one day before the end of Ramadan in 2022, I pondered the Muslim observation of the month-long period when the faithful are encouraged to give to charity, strengthen their relationship with God and show kindness and patience. Observed during the ninth month of the Islamic calendar by…
“Viejo El Viento,” one of my favorite songs during my youth in Peñasco asked “como vas a comparar el original con la copia?,” essentially how can you compare the original with a copy. As our Christmas visit to Roy’s at the JW Mariott in Phoenix proved, sometimes the “copy” is…
When you visit the Valley of the Sun, the very last thing you expect is a record-setting, all-day rain that keeps you indoors most of the day. An all-day rain in December, however, is infinitely preferable to an all-day rain during monsoon season when the occasional deluge in 100-degree…
If you grew up in New Mexico, you’ve likely heard some variation of that tired old epigram “The reason New Mexico is so windy is because it’s bordered by Arizona which sucks and Texas which blows.” If any truth whatsoever can be ascribed to that witticism, New Mexico should…
While dining at a restaurant in Phoenix, our stomachs roiled a bit as a pesky fly took a nosedive into my glass of Mexican Coca Cola. By the time our server returned, the acid in the Coke had completely dissolved the fly. There was no evidence remaining that a fly…
