Talk about service!

Last week we went to Roy's in Desert Ridge, AZ. Priya and Vinny went to the flagship location in Hawaii, and said the seafood was amazing. I don't eat seafood, but Ash enjoys it, and I was looking forward to their signature hot chocolate souffle, so we made a reservation. :-) FYI--though this is a "chain" restaurant, each menu is different, as each branch depends on local ingredients. There are a few signature items that you'll find on each menu, but other than that, each restaurant is its own.

We happened to visit the one in Desert Ridge, so I can only speak for that location. The food was fantastic. I mean fan-tas-tic. Aside from that, the service was impeccable. The restaurant was located in the JW Marriott resort, which was beautiful, and the outdoor seating area had a fire pit and tiki torches, while the inside had cozy booths. Due to the ninety degree weather, we ate inside, and were pleased all around.

Ash kept raving about the butterfish he had for the remainder of the trip, so we almost debated going back for a second meal. However, we wanted to try other places, so we chose not to. When we picked up our mail upon our return, we found a postcard with a Roy's signature cocktail recipe on the front, and a personal handwritten message on the back (I've blacked out our name and address, but everything was personalized):



Who does that? Who sends a personalized postcard to diners through snail mail after they've eaten at the restaurant?? Talk about amazing service. I almost wanted to call up Tony (who did drop by our table when we were eating to make sure everything was to our liking) and thank him! For those of you wondering how he got our address--I signed up for their mailing list, as they send out recipes every now and then. (If you watched Top Chef Master's, this restaurant was created by and named after Roy Yamaguchi, who was a contestant on the show.)

To make a long story short, if you are in the vicinity of Desert Ridge near Roy's Hawaiian Grill, I recommend you visit. It's wonderful!

Some people know me so well...

Sometimes I can only laugh at how well some people know me. Yesterday I received an email from Jenny containing the subject line--"ALERT ALERT." She knew to brace me before I opened the email. A million thoughts ran through my head--none of which I'll share here--but I prepared myself mentally before opening the email.

What was the message? Payard has closed. Now, to anyone else, that may not be big news. To me? Oh. My. God. I loved Payard. (Evidenced by the previous blog posts here and here.) However, in order to break the news lightly, she mentioned that she was going to get to the bottom of it--as though it might not be closed, but I should brace myself in case it has indeed shut its doors.

As if that wasn't enough, Priya was also cc'ed on the email, and quickly sent a follow up email stating that perhaps they needed to check on my well-being. Before I read these emails, I called Priya, and the first thing she asked was if I had received Jenny's email. I said no, so she proceeded to break the news to me. Once I got over my initial shock (I even visited the website hoping it was all lies--no such luck), I read the email exchange and couldn't stop laughing. Every now and then I realize how well some people know me--it gives me a warm and fuzzy feeling and makes me laugh--all at the same time.

PS- When I broke the news to Ash, his reaction was "NOOOOOOOO. That's TERRIBLE news." And then he was quiet for a minute. Perhaps I should've prepared him the way Jenny and Priya prepared me. Oops.