THE LA COSTA LINEAGE - If you’re still bemoaning Tucson's Ventana Canyon Resort’s closing its five-diamond restaurant, Ventana Room, become a Zonie and head out to La Costa Resort and Spa in Carlsbad, CA. Chef Gina Rodriguez, who took the Ventana to five diamonds, is the chef de cuisine at La Costa’s BlueFire Grill and is continuing in her five-diamond brilliance.
La Costa has some big history.
When the resort opened in 1965, celebrities and athletes (it’s the place for golf and tennis to this day) were a constant because of the elegant grounds (coastal hills), aesthetic architecture (many of the building materials were created in Mexico), and impeccable service. It became known as the resort to end all resorts – “the ultimate international watering hole.” The beautiful resort still exudes the class and energy from its exciting past.
La Costa’s spa was the first in the world to earn an endorsement from the American Medical Association because of its unmatched integration of health and well-being. The spa director, Dr. R. Philip Smith, had a laboratory and medical wing on the premises. Another first.
The spa provided a full cadre of treatments from facials to foot rubs, and it incorporated cutting-edge modalities (salt rubs and herb wraps). Water came in all forms in private wet areas for each gender (which, one writer correctly pointed out, allowed for nude sunbathing on the outdoor exercise areas, both named Plaza del Sol) – whirlpools, steam rooms, activity pool, and a Roman pool filled with mineral water.
The spa even had its teachers of charms, beauticians plucked from Paris to give guests the latest looks of beauty.
Today, the southern California favorite continues in its trail-blazing way with innovative treatments that you won’t necessarily find anywhere else in the world. Clock chimes, in Big Ben style, signal treatment times, when a group of experienced technicians appear to gather guests and escort them to the dozens of treatment rooms.
The teachers of charm are now beauticians that create new looks based on feng shui in the (Billy) Yamaguchi Salon. Yamaguchi designs hair styles and colors to reflect the energetic element a person has – earth, fire, wood, water, metal – to connect who they are on the inside to the outside.
The exclusive medical influence continues with the (Deepak) Chopra Center. The Center has a menu of Auyevedic treatments. You can also take part in programs for physical and emotional healing, spiritual awakening, mind-body workshops, empowerment workshops, and meditation workships.
Interestingly, the town of Carlsbad was named for the famous Karlsbad Spa near Prague . The spa, allegedly discovered by Bohemian king Charles IV in 1358 while hunting, hosted all strata of society, from Goethe, Beethoven and Chopin to those seeking cures from the spa’s dozen hot springs’ therapeutic waters. If the town’s Pacific Coast beaches aren’t curative enough, La Costa is.
LON'S NEW LOOKS - You’ve heard the saying – What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas? It’s not necessarily true.
While the world’s greatest chefs drop in and out of Las Vegas constantly, Arizona has its own piece of world-class Vegas cuisine happening. Arizona’s native son, Chef Jeremy Pacheco, who rubbed shoulders with Daniel Boulud, Wolfgang Puck and Laurent Tourondel and their ilk in the Society Café Encore kitchen where he was chef de cuisine has come back home and is now the executive chef at LON’S at the Hermosa.
Chef Jeremy’s style, using only three or four ingredients to produce big flavors, creates a lively meal you might rate among some of your best. Also, the Hermosa has gone through a renovation and it’s back on track as one of Arizona’s great historic boutiques.
DESERT JEWEL STILL SHINES - The Biltmore just doesn’t quit. When the Jewel of the Desert opened its doors in
1929, it attracted royalty, Hollywood and politicos (including every
president from Hoover to W), offering a place to escape the weight of
their word for the poetic retreat of the Sonora Desert. It still does.
Cloistered in Phoenix’s It location with ever-improving service to meet
guests’ trendy needs, the Grande Dame of Arizona is still one grand
resort and a pleasure to experience at least once. Especially now,
during the summer slow season when value becomes the most affordable.
You can get in on the tail end of the summer series of special
entertainment called Hollywood and Vine. Musicians, special speakers,
and vintners give guests and residents a behind the scenes look at
movies, music, wine and products. If you venture into the spa, check
out the Intracuetical treatments and products. All the chatter about
Madonna and her face lift – did she or didn’t she – happened when she
started using Intracueticals. Frank & Albert’s (named for the
resort’s architects, Frank Lloyd Wright and Albert McArthur) and the
lobby bar gets busy during happy hour with community camaraderie. If
you stay to eat, ask Chef Conor when he’s going to add some of the
soul-satisfying dishes from the cuisine with which he grew up (think
Cajun) on the Frank & Albert’s menu. In the mean time, enjoy either
of his menus where his flavor profiles sparkle.
JUST DESSERTS - Speaking of world-class, Arizona also has one of the 10 best pastry chefs in the world creating his confections at the Phoenician. Chef Roy Pell was a member of Team USA that competed in the 2009 World Pastry Cup and the 2004 Culinary Olympics. You can check out his current creation, a chocolate Big Ben, in the Café & Ice Cream Parlor and taste them at Afternoon Tea; Il Terrazzo; Sunday Brunch; Relish Burger Bistro (and banquet/catered events).
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TRIED AND TRUE - In our never-ending quest to try something new, sometimes the tried and true gets forgotten. Don't forget about Tonto Bar & Grill (5736 E. Rancho Manana Blvd., Cave Creek; 480-488-0698). Especially since they're getting back to the land, so to speak, with local foods, all natural meat and ingredients they've wildcrafted from the land. Wildcrafting isn't exactly a new thing. It surfaced in our mechanized world about 50 years ago, and recently Food & Wine magazine dubbed it "the next locavore fixation." Take a drive to Tonto and see what Chef Aaron has gathered from the desert for dinner.
TUCSON
MAKE UP MAVEN GETS A MAKE OVER - This summer check out a "new" B&B - El Rancho Merlita (520-495-0071) - located just a few miles from Sabino Canyon. The make-up maven, Merle Norman, built the compound with partying in mind. Innkeeper Pattie Bell knows all about the state, if you need some direction on what to do with your day, and sends you off with a great healthy breakfast. Best of all, the rates are great.
EVENTS (where to find Christine)
Join Christine and David for a workshop entitled Pollinators and Shutterbugs at Boyce Thompson Arboretum on August 15th at 6:30 a.m. Learn some of the secrets of Arizona’s desert wildflowers and their pollinators from Christine while you learn how to capture them with your camera from David. Reservations are necessary and limited (only 10). The fee is $30 for Arboretum annual members or $37.50 for nonmembers. Enroll and prepay with a call to Arboretum staff at 520-689-2723 during summer daily business hours from 6:00 AM to 3:00 PM.
Join Christine and David for a night of skinny tire fun at the Arizona Outdoor Travel Club’s November meeting at 7 p.m. in the Scottsdale Civic Library located at 3839 N. Drinkwater Blvd. Just east of Scottsdale Rd. and south of Indian School Rd.). Free.
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