Best Japanese Tea 2009 | Japanese Friendship Garden | Food & Drink | Phoenix
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Best Japanese Tea

Japanese Friendship Garden

At the Japanese Friendship Garden, as you pass through a gate on your way toward an authentic Japanese teahouse, you are supposed to shed a little more of your worldly cares in favor of a more serene, calm self.

The ancient art of Chanoyu, or Japanese tea ceremony, is performed on the second Saturday of each month at the Japanese Friendship Garden. Five tea presentations are performed each day, with eight to nine guests per ceremony, so reservations are required. The cost is $20 per person and includes admission to the garden. During the ceremony, in which each moment is choreographed with moves that date back to the 11th century, a tea master will serve to you a cup of matcha green tea. Think of it as time travel for the Zen master in you.

Best Afternoon Tea

The Ritz-Carlton

Courtesy of Bistro 24

We've had tea all over town, but no place spoils us like the Ritz. From the sweet valets to the tart lemon curd, every detail of the experience is spot-on, which is what you'd expect when you're paying big bucks for a sip of English Breakfast. It's worth every penny, as far as we're concerned, to perch on the edges of fancy furniture, pinky crooked just so, nibbling on scones and cucumber finger sandwiches — the main character in our own fairy tale. Until The Plaza opens a Phoenix branch and we can slurp with Eloise, we'll be taking our afternoon tea here, dahling, thank you very much.

Best Bite Before (or After) Visiting SMoCA

The Orange Table

Jamie Peachey

Even if the Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art weren't right next door, The Orange Table would still be Old Town Scottsdale's best neighborhood cafe. But the proximity to SMoCA creates a great synergy — you can fuel up before checking out the latest exhibition, or swing by afterward to discuss the art over a meal. Earlier in the day, the breakfast menu is one of the tastiest in the Valley, with huge, fluffy pancakes, incredible corned beef hash, and eye-opening coffee concoctions. Later on, lunch and dinner bring great sandwiches and burgers (we're suckers for the Arrogant Bastard Rustler cheeseburger). And then there's the beer list, full of noteworthy craft brews that lure us into The Orange Table late into the evening. The museum might give you food for thought, but this hip little joint feeds your more urgent cravings.

Best Chocolate Milkshake

Udder Delights

Jackie Mercandetti

Step through the door of this Gilbert ice cream shop and you know you are in for a treat. We are here to recommend the chocolate milkshake, but frankly, the shop's case of homemade ice cream is so wowing that you may fill your stomach just by tasting samples. Save some room for a milkshake, which hits every mark — chocolate taste, creaminess, and richness — on our checklist. You can have the best of both worlds: Pop in for your milkshake and take home a couple of Udder Delights' $1 pre-filled cups from the self-serve freezer.

Best Chocolates

Chocolate Surprise

Last year saw the closing of not a few chocolate shops in Phoenix, which meant we had to cast the net a bit wider for this year's winner. It turned out to be a blessing in disguise, because we might not otherwise have made the trek to the Northwest Valley and found Chocolate Surprise, a delightful gem on Bell Road. Out front, hand-drawn pastel-colored cocoa beans chalked on the sidewalk prepare you for the thick chocolaty smell that hits when you walk through the door. The chocolatiers behind Chocolate Surprise were trained at the prestigious École Chocolat, a school for "chocolate arts" in Vancouver. They're professionals, and it shows. Chocolate Surprise sells dozens of artisanal truffles in fun flavors such as orange Dreamsicle, rose, sea salt caramel, and crème brûlée, in addition to safe classics like caramel squares and chocolate turtles. And at only $1.60 apiece, you can nibble on several different kinds if you have a long drive home.

Best Desserts

Avalon

Sometimes we don't mind skipping the sweet stuff at the end of the meal, because plenty of restaurants treat dessert like a sugary afterthought. But not Avalon. After a lavish feast of executive chef Travis Watson's "contemporary coastal cuisine" — California-meets-Mediterranean fare with an emphasis on seafood — we'll always make room for a little extra somethin' somethin'. That's because Watson used to be the corporate pastry chef for Fox Restaurant Concepts, and his desserts are as playfully creative as they are yummy. From a modern twist on strawberry shortcake and a festive brownie sundae with toffee popcorn, to Avalon's hauntingly decadent roasted banana bread pudding, these confections are pure pleasure from the first bite to the final plate licking.

Best Politically Incorrect Dessert

The Michael Jackson Cupcake

When we heard there was a bakery in town serving up a cupcake dedicated to Michael Jackson, we knew we had to check it out. When we heard that the cupcake in question was made of vanilla cake with a fudge center, we were on our way in a matter of minutes (with much snickering and several inappropriate jokes). But it seems we are the ones with the politically incorrect minds.

It became apparent when we arrived at Let Them Eat Cake that Barbara Gardner, the owner of the bakery, had no intention of making any sort of commentary about the late star's mid-life change-of-shade. But we still thought it was funny to share — and tasty enough to recommend. Gardner designed the cupcake with a sparkling glove on top, in honor of MJ's favorite accessory (aside from the face mask). And, completely inappropriate or not, the cupcake was delicious.

Best Use of Fondant

Tammie Coe Cakes

We owe Tammie Coe an apology. For years, we've admired the beauty of her cakes — striped Mad Hatter-esque creations with impossibly smooth icing in vibrant colors. Our favorite is a recent creation — plain white covered perfectly with rainbow sprinkles, with a candy candle on top. Adorable.

But we've long refused to eat Coe's fancy cakes; the icing is beautiful, but to be honest, it's not so easy on the taste buds. Then we got hooked on those reality shows about cake decorating (Cake Boss on TLC and The Food Network's Ace of Cakes) and we learned about fondant. Coe is a local fondant pioneer, it turns out — taking a cake-decorating staple and making it mainstream. When we decided to try out fondant for ourselves, the first thing the clerk at the baking supply store said was, "Now, you know no one really ever eats fondant, right? It tastes horrible. You're supposed to peel it off and eat the butter-cream frosting underneath."

Oops. Our apologies, Tammie. You really do take the cake — and make it look better than anyone else.

Best Snow Cone

New Orleans Sno Ball

Evie Carpenter

The snow cone is perfect in its simplicity — ice, bathed in a sweet, flavored syrup. No finer snow cone is found in our hot metropolis than New Orleans Sno Ball. This isn't your ballpark or state fair snow cone, no sirree. Instead of rock-hard chunks of ice, the Sno Ball shaves ice into soft flakes, piled into a cup, that melt on your tongue. Owner Abron Morgan hand-blends more than 50 sophisticated flavors, like real almond, apricot, real vanilla, and margarita, and then layers them so that the sweet flavor is evenly dispersed. As any snow cone aficionado will tell you, evenly dispersed flavor is critical to the cone's being good to the last drop. Of course, if your inner child reigns supreme in the flavor department, he's got classics like Tutti-Frutti and Blue Eagle (bubblegum). If your inner child is concerned about calories, don't fret, because you'd have to eat a lot of Sno Ball before you hit the 100-calorie mark. Soft, shaved ice, loaded with flavor, and lo-cal? We're on our way.

Best Gelato

The Gelato Maker

Gelato Maker owner Yaron Cohen dispenses samples of gelato like a benevolent judge dispenses justice. He stands behind the counter, confidently presiding over the rainbow of flavors, and sizes up his customers' tastes. Ask to try the coconut gelato and he'll also suggest you taste his favorite, mojito. Interested in Nutella? You should also sample the hazelnut gelato, called nocilla. "The secret is the fresh ingredients," Cohen says, as he brags about $300 shipments of pistachios from Sicily. The Gelato Maker opened in April and we're not telling how many times we've been since.

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