weekend food.

the people of mesa are weird.
they all seem to decide that a certain restaurant is good, so then it becomes popular to eat there.
some eat there because they actually love it; some just because it is popular.



ted and i have heard many-a-whisperings about "gecko grill".
i once saw it when i was next door to it eating Dippin' Dots, and I clearly remember thinking the title "Gecko Grill" didn't sound very appetizing. I then was grateful for the small bowl of delicious ice cream in my hands.



friday ted and i decided to try out this "gecko grill".
one, because people go crazy nutzo for it.
two, because people said we weren't true "mesans" until we ate there.
for shame!

when we arrived, probably 75% of the people there were people I have ran into at least twice in my life. the other 25% were close enough to us to give us a hug without feeling like they overstepped their boundaries. like i said, mesa people "flock" to places.


we were very impressed with the chips, salsa and bean dip.
however, the bean dip didn't meet the awesomeness that is the serrano's bean dip.

our friend, Bill Wahl was there (of course he was) and he told us to order the mango shrimp quesadilla. we trust Bill with his infinite knowledge, so we ordered it. at first bite I was in love. I wanted to leave ted for the delicious quesadilla. but then after the second bite, I decided it was too rich. holy moly freakinspice. sooooooo rich! i had to take a breather.

i ordered the shrimp and crab burrito. i thought the quesadilla was rich.
um. no. i took one bite of the burrito and called it a night.
so, after a handful of chips, two bites of quesadilla, one bite of burrito and 30 dollars later, i went home with a tummy ache and disappointment.
should.have.went.to.costa.vida.


--------------------------------------------


tonight i was feeling like something warm and hearty so i decided to make soup.
one of my favorite ways to make soup is with the organic ready-made-soups from Sprout's.


I chopped up one shallot, 5 cloves of garlic, 2 carrots, 1 bell pepper and the juice of one lemon.
while i sauteed the veggies in a pan with a tsp of olive oil, i cooked some wild rice.
once the veggies were tender I added in the ready made "fire roasted tomato" soup and let it simmer for a while.
when the rice was done i added it in, along with half a can of black beans.
right before serving i added a handful of sundried tomatoes.




i quickly toasted up some homemade croutons by cubing two slices of whole wheat sourdough, tossing with a little olive oil, sprinkling with garlic salt and fresh ground pepper, then throwing in the oven for about 10 minutes on 350.

top the soup with the croutons and fresh mozzarella, and voila!
this dinner made for a very happy tedward.