"Food: Part of the spiritual expression of the French, and I do not believe that they have ever heard of calories."

~Beverley Baxter

"Food…can look beautiful, taste exquisite, smell wonderful, make people feel good, bring them together, inspire romantic feelings…At its most basic, it is fuel for a hungry machine…"

~Rosamond Richardson

"Food is not about impressing people. It's about making them feel comfortable."

~Ina Garten

Hmmm, what was I doing last Valentine's Day?! Oh, that's right! I was working. Shocking! It is one of the busiest restaurant nights in the year. It's usually a tasting menu and by the 200th chocolate cake I've plated, I am ready to drink a magnum of cheap champagne and burn myself with the brulee torch.

This year, no work for me! Hurrah! But, what to do? A text from my lovely friend Jason, inviting me to come with him to the newly formed, Phoenix-based, Stealthy Table. Taking a note from big city underground dinner clubs, Stealthy Table's first event location was mysteriously hidden from diners till 24 hours prior.

The meat-centic menu, appropriately titled "My Bloody Valentine", was prepared by four local chefs, Cullen Campbell (Crudo), Brandon Crouser (Crudo), Tracy Dempsey (Tracy Dempsey Originals), and Lisa G.

I was worried about ambiance, but my fears were quickly squashed as I walked in the small courtyard behind Via Mediterranee shop, to the twinkle of a hundred candles and beautifully bedecked tables.

I will warn you now that my expert lighting team (Thanks Jason, Gabi and Jared!) were using tea lights to help me take pictures and my camera was only moderately cooperative. The pictures are a little "artistic" aka blurry. I think it adds to the ambiance of the whole evening.

Tracy Dempsey – Salad of roasted beets, mixed greens, candied pecans, kumquat vinaigrette & chevre tartine (Good salad. All the elements were well done and together it made for an excellent first course.)

Cullen Campbell – Pork belly with crispy jowl, melted truffled onions and cherry gastrique (My favorite dish of the evening. I love pork belly. Delicious with the cherry.)

Brandon Crouser – Short rib two ways: cocoa nib crusted braised short rib & vanilla espelette short rib carpaccio with micro chervil and pommes frites (The braised short rib was tasty but I was not a big fan of the carpaccio. It was too tough to chew and I wasn't feeling the vanilla.)

Lisa G. – Beef, pork and veal meatballs with parmigiana-reggiano & Italian parsley served in a basil san marzano sauce (By this point, I could only eat a bite or two because I was so full.)

Tracy Dempsey – Chocolate macaron with heart of cherry and black pepper ice cream

It was a lot of meat! I never thought I would say that, but by the time I hit the meatballs, I was on carnivore overload. But I really enjoyed the pork belly, the wine, the atmosphere and the fabulous people I met. 

Being their first event, I think it went off very well. I'm looking forward to the next event by Stealthy Table and possibly a chance to get to bring in my team and be guest chefs for an event in the future.

"Make food simple and let things taste of what they are."

~Curnonsky

"Enchant, stay beautiful and graceful, but do this, eat well. Bring the same consideration to the preparation of your food as you devote to your appearance. Let your dinner be a poem, like your dress."

~Charles Pierre Monselet

"I once read cooking is something you do for your family. But when you're alone you sometimes have to treat yourself like family. And now that my apartment's redolent with the smell of food it feels more like a home than a box where I hang my hat."

~Waiter Rant

Sent from my iPhone

Sent from my iPhone

Warm, homemade granola with dried cherries and yogurt…Happy Sunday. And Happy Valentine's Day!