Global Foodies, New to AZ: Trader Vic's

Week 1: Trader Vic's | Slideshow

In our first dining experience for Chow & Tell, the Global Foodies New to AZ decided to explore a Polynesian getaway at Trader Vic’s in Scottsdale. We left our car to the complimentary valet service and entered the authentic atmosphere of the pacific islands. In the entrance was a massive structure hanging on the left side of the wall consisting of tribal masks with hunting spears to encapsulate the kick-off of the journey.

The maître d was pleasant upon arrival and escorted us to our table, which was set by the window with a view of the garden and palm trees lining the streets. The table was elegantly set with Polynesian style candles and salt and pepper shakers that idolized statues on a totem pole. The plates carried Trader Vic’s name along the top rim with its logo in the center.

Our waiter arrived in a white chef-style coat and greeted us shortly after we sat down and handed us our drink menus. He educated us on the history of the Mai Tai meaning “very best” in Tahitian.

The menu offered a wide variety of choices from a Tiki Puka Puka to the classic Mai Tai. After extensive debate on the overwhelming drink menu, Emmanuelle decided on the Bahia, which basically was a piña colada and Doug chose a Scottsdale Cactus Bloom.

After waiting ten to 15 minutes for our drinks, the server placed them on the table in front of us.. We toasted with the flashy drinks: Doug’s was bright pink with a cactus leaf in it, while Emmanuelle’s was a soft yellow with froth on the top and a slice of pineapple and cherry skewered on a plastic stick. The drinks were moderately good in flavor and not too strong in punch with alcohol.

The dinner menu began with a selection of Tidbits and Pupus, which had more of a Chinese flair and carried on with starters. We decided to share a starter, “Hawaiian Chicken Salad with fresh Fruits and Thai Chili Vinaigrette”. The lovely dish had in the center a round heap of chicken coated with mayonnaise mixed with pineapple, red onions, and herbs. This was placed on top of arugula and sprouts drizzled with the Thai Chili vinaigrette. On each four corners of the plate were bite-size pieces of honeydew, mango, pineapple and strawberries.

There were plenty of colors for the delight of our mouths, and we couldn’t wait to dig in and try this flamboyant dish. The appearance of the dish ended up matching its taste, very colorful and full of flavors.

In finishing the starter we had quite some time before our main entrées came, so we took in the ambiance. Both of us chose entrées from the wood-fired oven. The nice part about this restaurant is that the oven is visible by guests through a glass casing allowing us to watch the chefs prepare food.

According to Trader Vic’s menu “The ovens can be traced back to the Han Dynasty (206 B.C. to A.D. 20). The natural smoke and heat is derived from Pecan & Oak Woods. The meats, fowl or fresh seafood are suspended from hooks and slowly cooked, producing a unique and original flavor.”

Continuing to take in our surroundings we noticed that we were dining in the presence of a celebrity for the evening, Charles Barkley, NBA legend and sports caster who was entertaining guests. We certainly didn’t get the treatment allotted to someone of his prestige but we enjoyed the evening and it added to our experience.

The main entrées arrived to the table just around the 45-minute mark noted on the menu. We had the Apple Wood Bacon Wrapped Jumbo Sea Scallops with Balsamic Glaze and the Blue Cheese Crusted Filet Mignon with Potato Gratin & Peppered Pan Sauce.

Breaking down the two entrées: The Sea Scallops were cooked perfectly with the bacon holding shape around the sides of each. The flavor was delightfully aromatic from the pecan and oak woods in the oven. It was served with shredded carrots and minced peanuts, which complimented the scallops quite nicely.

The Filet Mignon dish, however, did not live up to expectations. The dish looked like something that could come out of any ordinary household. The blue cheese overwhelmed the flavor of the meat and the vegetable that was served along side was overcooked broccoli. Fortunately, there was the potato gratin. The gratin was perfectly cooked and flavorful. Maybe the chef was just having a bad night, scoring 50 percent on our entree exam.

Finishing up the evening, we picked two desserts from the menu: Polynesian Snowball with bittersweet chocolate sauce and Banana Fritters with vanilla ice cream and dark rum syrup.

The snowball was vanilla ice cream topped with shredded coconut surrounded with a moat of bittersweet chocolate sauce. The fritters were perfectly fried with the bananas just warm enough to cut through easily along with a helping of vanilla ice cream drizzled over with the dark rum syrup. Both were a delicate way to end, although neither of us finished because of the satiation that was taking place in our stomachs.

Trader Vic’s would be recommended as a restaurant for a romantic date where guests have to wait 45 minutes for their food to come if they order from the oven choices; during the wait a couple can spend that time discovering each other.

Tip: It is probably best to reserve a table for dining because all tables were occupied throughout most of the evening.

Emmanuelle and Dough Resh are the Global Foodies New to AZ