It’s 1961 and we’re having lunch in the courtyard of our Miami Beach hotel. Parker House rolls, sweet and salty, an open-face meatloaf sandwich with mushroom gravy. There’s a surf board and a tiki carving amidst the flowers. But wait - something’s wrong!! There’s no humidity! Those are imported mushrooms in my gravy! I work to orient myself in time and space and find, what a relief, that I’m actually in Cafe ZuZu in downtown Scottsdale and it’s 2010.
The Valley Ho Resort, which houses the Cafe, is such a wonderful period piece. It opened in 1956 and was renovated in 2005 by a very wise design team that left the mid-century architecture and spirit intact. Cafe ZuZu is at the far end of the lobby, and its charming patio is surrounded with flowers. The decor is late 50’s. If you’re as old as we are, you’ll recognize it instantly. The menu consists of “Flavorful American comfort food. Familiar favorites with a contemporary twist.” There are goodies like warm Maytag blue cheese fondue ($7.50), truffled grilled cheese ($9), beef stroganoff ($17), and (gross) tuna salad with cottage cheese which brings me back to my childhood a little too clearly.
While waiting for our entrees, we received a basket of Parker House rolls. These are the nice squishy white bread treats that, if you can manage not to eat them all, make wonderful toys. You can mold them into sculptures, or shape them into little round beebees to shoot through your straw. My meatloaf sandwich ($11.25) was served on a thick piece of grilled white bread topped first with melty cheese, then the meatloaf, then the gravy. There was a mound of lumpless mashed potatoes alongside. They were so smooth Ken wondered if they were made from instant, but they tasted much too good for that. The portion was huge, I took half home (of course I knew I was going to have dessert). Ken had sauteed liver, beautifully prepared, atop a mound of kale that had been cooked with high quality bacon, sauced with a Madera reduction. He loved it. I surprised him by ordering a lemon meringue tart ($6) for us to share. There were several chocolate desserts that sounded good, but I had a vision of the mile high meringue toppings of my childhood. The tart had only modest swirls of meringue, but it had been made in such a way that it was creamy, as opposed to foamy, and it was really good.The lemon custard was the star. I remembered a gelatinous filling, but this was smooth and velvety, with just the right tart/sweet balance. The pastry was a cross between cookie and pie crust, and stood up well to the filling.
This was not an inexpensive meal, but the portions are large and quality is excellent. Plus we had joined an organization called The Lunch Club, which every weekday, emails it’s members a discount coupon for a restaurant in their specified zip code. So one of our entrees was free! (The discount coupons differ, some are 20% off the bill, others merely are for a free drink). But, to pay Cafe ZuZu the ultimate compliment - I’d come here and pay full price.
Cafe ZuZu in the Valley Ho Resort
6850 E. Main St. Scottsdale
480-421-7997
Breakfast (6-11:15AM), Lunch (11:30-2:30) and Dinner (5:30-10) daily
hotelvalleyho.com
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