This is the last time we will ever eat at Pinnacle Peak Patio in Scottsdale, Arizona. The steakhouse opened in 1957, and on June 28, 2015, it will serve its last Cowboy steak. While we never ate here frequently, it was nice knowing that places like this still survived.

Overhead are some of the thousands of ties that had been cut off the patrons who dared enter this place wearing formal attire. Other than prices going up over the years, nothing really changed, and the menu remained consistent.

This is the 24-ounce Cowboy steak, a Porterhouse. Served with whole wheat bread, cowboy beans, and some corn on the cob, this was as fancy as it got here. A little more of the flavor of the Old West is disappearing.

No, I didn’t drive to Texas for lunch, I had lunch at the Texaz Grill at Bethany Home Rd and 16th St. in Phoenix, Arizona. It was after the lunch crowds had departed that I sat down for my meal. There were some folks at the bar laughing it up and a couple of other tables occupied, but Mondays through Fridays by 3:00 p.m. things are pretty quiet at most restaurants around the valley. The Texaz Grill is the place you want to go for Chicken Fried Steak. On the other hand, Texaz Grill is not the place to go if you are trying to eat healthy, hence I come here alone as I have not rebelled yet against my obesity, while everyone else I know seems to have found dietary enlightenment.

Went to the Shah’s last night for dinner and got rightly stuffed on bitter melon, undhiyu, beet salad, tuvar dal, paratha, masala bhakhari, rice, and chhaas – a buttermilk drink. For dessert, we had ever so yummy falooda. The bitter melon was a special request of mine, typically it is only enjoyed by old people, guess I’m one of them now. And although it would primarily be eaten by Rinku and Krupesh’s mom, Caroline, Purvi, and me, they took the time to make this specialty for me. I enjoy this so much, I asked the Shah’s mom and Purvi to teach me how to make this dish. So here on Saturday at midday, I came over the house with two pounds of bitter melon and we got to work removing seeds, chopping, teaching me the ones I should have chosen, cutting onion and finally cooking this bitter dish with some mustard seed, turmeric, chili powder, and jaggery. How did it turn out? Bitter and spicy, just the way I like it.

I normally don’t like posting photos of prepared meals as they don’t look very appealing to me. But I love photos of fresh food with all of its vibrant colors. As I sat down to a meal without Caroline (she was attending a user group meeting) this bowl of Pho from Viet Kitchen around the corner from us just looked beautiful in the late afternoon sun. I suppose this is in keeping with my appreciation of fresh food photos as most of what we see are the bean sprouts and cilantro sitting atop the steaming bowl of broth and noodles below.