"Danzeisen Dairy is a local, family run dairy with over 60 years dairy experience in Phoenix, Arizona. Our dairy is the first local dairy to offer glass bottles to grocers within the Arizona market – direct and fresh from a local dairy farm only 10 miles from downtown Phoenix. Danzeisen Dairy offers the freshest, best tasting milk direct from the farm to your local grocer," according to the website.



The milk is indeed delicious. I bought a small bottle of the strawberry milk and kept the glass bottle as a souvenir. But, when you go to their creamery, they offer milkshakes, ice cream, waffles, floats, smoothies, lemonades and more.



I went with the Salted Caramel Stack - Salted caramel flavored milkshake with salted caramel sauce, pretzel rods, Cracker Jacks®, Twix®, and whipped cream.



Think about what makes a good milkshake a good milkshake. It's that thick, full-fat deliciousness. And this shake had that, plus the silky smooth caramel and crunchy candy pieces. Doesn't get much better.



Grade: A

My friend Kayla and I visited Café Patachou for breakfast recently. "Founded in 1989 by six-time James Beard Foundation semifinalist Martha Hoover, Cafe Patachou is an award-winning restaurant offering a world class breakfast and lunch experience," according to the website.



The light, airy dining space was like an adult student union, with coffees, breakfast items, and friendly chatter bouncing around the walls.



The menu features all day breakfast, which, of course, includes eggs, french toast and avocado toast.



I ordered: "SMOKED SALMON BAGEL - Sustainable Ora King smoked salmon, cream cheese, dill, red onions, capers on an open face bagel. Served with microgreen salad: cherry tomatoes, carrot, red onions, EVOO, and salt."



This bagel was stacked high and came with ample components for me to build it to my liking. I especially liked the pile of capers, because I love adding a little extra briny-ness to my sandwich. Fresh and flavorful, this bagel was delish.



I added a side of fresh fruit, which is key to adding a balance of sweetness to the meal. It offers a reprieve from the fattiness in the sandwich.



Overall, a nice space with some tasty food that I would certainly not hesitate to visit again.



Grade: A

Drunken Tiger is Arizona's first Korean pub serving up authentic and modern Korean street and bar food.



"Casual, dark and gritty, with just a touch of intoxication, Drunken Tiger deviates from traditional restaurants and bars as the first Korean pub in Arizona. Drunken Tiger—the ‘misfit of Korean restaurants’—celebrates the best of Korean and American cultures and presents a bodacious menu filled with quintessential Korean street and bar food along with creative Korean-American culinary concoctions," according to the website.



"Gentle palates will quickly accustom to bulgogi fries or ‘chimek’ (Korean double-fried chicken and beer) while more daring foodies can broaden their horizons with silkworm pupae soup or chicken gizzards. If you're somewhere in the middle, classic dishes like the tteokbokki (spicy rice cakes) customized with cheese and ramen noodles are always a good idea. Prefer your food as hot as the summers in Arizona? The fire chicken or fire corn cheese is sure to singe the tastebuds of people who claim to be reincarnates of fire-breathing dragons."



I ordered a Makkoli (Korean Rice Wine) in peach, which was sweet but potent. And we tried two different snacks: Takoyaki - ball-shaped Japanese snack made of a wheat flour-based batter with octopus (tako), tempura scraps (tenkasu), pickled ginger (beni shoga), and green onion (negi). The balls are brushed with takoyaki sauce (similar to Worcestershire sauce) and mayonnaise, and then sprinkled with green laver (aonori) and shavings of dried bonito (katsuobushi). The bonito was a bit much for me, but I loved this sweet and sour seafood meatball. The last was tteok kochi, which are these chewy rice cakes in a spicy red sauce. Loved the textures of both these dishes. Tasty and satisfying.



Grade: A

Here's a photo dump of lots of West Virginia products I've been checking out lately:
   

Two Fat Cousins - Homemade BBQ sauces in flavors like Apple Pie Moonshine, Kickin Mustard BBQ, Carolina Vinegar, Habanero Peach and Sweet Spiced Rum.

Bluegrass BBQ - Comes in original, blueberry and spicy

Tipsy Roo - Booze-infused BBQ sauces

Good Time Mixes - Based in Nitro, some dip mixes and even coffee

K2 Motor Sports - hot sauce<

Morris Chocolates - Based in Seth, they make all kinds of goodies

Just Wingin' It Sauce - Homemade hot sauce 

Teays Valley Biscuit Mix - Baking mixes for biscuits, cornbread, fudge, and tavern bread 

Bistro Soup Mix - Soup base from Charleston restaurant that can be the base for many meals



Cave Mountain Soap Co - We have an amazing product line that is made with only the highest quality ingredients that will leave skin nourished and pampered. Goat milk is a powerhouse when it comes to taking care of your skin. Goat milk is rich in Vitamin A, Vitamin, E, Vitamin B6 and B12, Vitamin C, Vitamin D, Calcium, Selenium and other Anti-oxidant rich properties. Fresh hand milked Goat Milk from here on the farm is the very first part of what makes our soap the best.



Hill & Holler Herbal Company - "Learning herbalism is a way for me to get back to my roots and connect to my ancestors, and I can't wait to share my culture's magic and history with you through my products! Every ingredient is 100% organic and sustainably sourced, with almost half of my ingredient list foraged or homegrown and all of my shop's packaging is reusable or 100% tree-free and home compostable (including the labels!) Thank you so much for supporting my dream and my heritage!"



Rica's - Dip mixes 



Yoder's Country Kettle - Apple butter, jams, chow chow, honey, pickled beets



Lem's Meat Varnish - Small batch sauce and rubs



Native Eats - hot sauces



Duck's - "Don also known as "Duck" and his wife, Donna, originally experienced the unique taste of Marinated Green Tomatoes in Myrtle Beach. Many years ago they purchased them at a flea market and took them back to the motel and ate the whole jar! They were in love! Every year thereafter they went back looking for more, but were unable to find them again. So, out of desperation, they began the long process of creating their own from scratch. Canning and discarding recipe after recipe until finally coming up with their own Marinated Green Tomato recipe. Family and friends were guinea pigs! Ironically, recently while on a trip to Myrtle Beach they found those original tomatoes again. Imagine their delight. They bought them, took them back to the condo and opened them. They weren't even sealed!! Once they tasted them they couldn't believe how awful and bland they tasted compared to the Duck recipe. Guess their memories were distorted! Prejudiced? They don't think so. Don "Duck" and Donna Miller reside in Jackson County, West Virginia, where the Duck products are prepared. They love what they do and enjoy life immensely. Don has recently retired and has been in many "honey-do" projects, including designing and constructing a new recreation building, including a pool table, bar and dance floor for "Shagging" which they love, and a new "tomato" kitchen. Being people-oriented, they love festivals and all the people they have met and come to know. They are especially delighted that their son, Bruce, has become involved in the business, and helps with all phases - even the slicing and dicing! Kitchen time is also fun time dragging many of their friends and family members in."



McCutcheon's Rub - For chicken, pork, beef and seafood

La Famiglia - "Our signature line of products including house White Balsamic Vinaigrette, Calabrian Hot Sauce, Imported EVOO, and Holiday Gift Ideas"

WV Veteran Produced - Jelly, honey, syrup

Larkin Tea Co - Loose leaf tea

Oliverio's - "Oliverio sauces are unique when compared to others on the market. They are a meal creation tool with endless possibilities, which create an abundant array of cooking delights. Our line is designed to be used as a cooking ingredient; to enhance your pasta, added to meats for a new dimension, or as a topping for sandwiches, pizza and dips. We use ingredients you would if you had the time. Oliverio's does it for you. They allow your cooking experiences to be fun, fast and flavorful. When you open a jar of your favorite Oliverio product, we feel confident that our products are going to add quality, flavor and convenience to anything you serve. By using the natural characteristics of the many special varieties of fresh peppers and vegetables, Oliverio's has created a signature line to which others cannot compare."



Figarettis - Jars of sauce from the Wheeling restaurant 



Woodbine Jams Jellies - A small batch company producing WV all natural jams and jellies such as red and black raspberry, wine jellies like elderberry and other fruit jellies



Sasseen - Famous house dressing







New River Brands - Copperhead Bloody Mary Mix, as well as Blue Smoke Salsa, which has new flavors in combination with Chef Paul Smith - blueberry jalapeno, cherry chipotle, pineapple habanero

Up The Creek - Mustards and hot dog sauce



Andor Peppers - Small bath, fermented hot sauces and smoked spice mixes



Sassy Gals - Dip mixes



Arbaugh Farms - Grass-fed beef, sorghum molasses, cornmeal



Cavalier - Meat wholesaler





Mountain State Beef - Ground local beef



Uncle Frankies - Marinara sauce



Chefs Signature - Hot sauces and other condiments 
Hinerman Hill - granola, sourdough starter, poultry, salves and more 

SR Spices - spice blend manufacturer

St. Elmo Steak House is the oldest steak house in Indiana and known worldwide for being one of the best, too - with numerous awards like a James Beard Classics to their name.



"Founded by Joe Stahr, the restaurant was named after the patron saint of sailors, St. Elmo. Starting out with a beautiful tiger-oak back-bar purchased in Chicago, the restaurant was simply a small tavern with a basic menu. Through the years, its classic turn-of-the-century Chicago saloon decor has changed very little, beyond the inevitable expansions," according to the website.



The old-school steakhouse is dimly lit and classic. White table cloths, red table lamps, cloth napkins, and wooden board & batten on the walls. It's a vibe.



And, while they're of course known for their steaks (which they serve with navy bean soup or tomato juice), the steak house may be best known for its "world famous" shrimp cocktail with its spicy signature sauce.



The shrimp cocktail is only four shrimp mixed with the cocktail sauce in an iced vessel. I was very thankful for that ice cold temperature, because as soon as I had a giant dollop of the cocktail sauce on a bite of shrimp, my entire sinus cavity warmed up. Horseradish is a special kind of heat that you feel on the backend, whereas many hot pepper flavors light up your tongue. I actually prefer the horseradish sting.



My eyes welled up with tears on a few different bites, but I kept coming back for more because the flavor was delicious. I even ended up using some of the cocktail sauce to go with the bread basket I was snacking on.



The bread was quite tasty in its own right, with a cheese cracker, soft white bread, and a ramekin of butter that I slathered all over each bite.



I finished with a spinach salad: Oranges, candied walnuts, Indiana goat cheese locally sourced from Caprini Creamery, crispy fried onions, Dijon-bacon vinaigrette. Light, with bold flavors made for the perfect palate cleanser.



Grade: A