SAKE    *Japanese alcoholic beverage made from fermented rice; usually served hot .

( Full disclosure : I don't like sake)

Parents in Scottsdale for a first look at the new house / neighborhood. We were on the horns of a dilemma : ? Would a mid week , early season dinner at the club be too quiet? Should we  descend south of  the Frank Loyd Wright  into south - north Scottsdale....??

We opted for the safe bet - booked a car and headed south to the Ocean Club.

** A) never drink and drive in Scottsdale ( or anywhere else for that matter)

**B) if you're a foreigner - never- ever drink and drive in Scottsdale

**C) A + B refer to you Nikolai Khabibulin 


(( A nod of support to the YELP community . After perusing the Ocean Club reviews retrospectively I believe the correlation existing between the posted notes and reality to be around 0.90 Well Done!!
( I would go as high as a correlation of 0.95 if high and low marks were thrown out ( similar to olympic skating or gymnastics)))


We arrived at the club---- a good bar crowd ( not quite as Mountain lioness(y) as i had expected (? hoped?) -- ? mid week perhaps...?,
a good blend of hipsters , hobos and Mrs Lovey Howell III's 

( score +1 for the Ocean Club)


We were promptly seated - at a good table - well positioned , near the back and partially curtained - nice.

( score + 1 for the Ocean Club)

The waiter then promptly arrived to take our drink orders:

Now - I don't like Sake ( see note above) - but on occasion - I like to fancy myself as the kind of guy who may indeed like Sake- hence , I order a Grey Goose Sake Martini -

" I have no Sake" the waiter announces sadly.
Now - this is tricky - can I in good conscience penalize the establishment for not having a beverage that I really don't like or want in the first place?

Too bad for you Ocean Club 'cause yes I can.

( score -1 for the Ocean Club)

The drinks arrive - I have opted for Grey Goose sans Sake
and yes -sweet Jesus  they are huge ( see prior posts).

( score + 1 for the Ocean Club)

The waiter then arrives to review the menu and describe the specials-
This he does without note , blackboard , evening card or inked cheat note on his wrist-

He recites for what seems to be forever...
It is like a reading from the old testament - but instead of a mere chapter of the book of Leviticus - he recites the entire book....
I am captivated ....( or is it the Grey Goose)

?? does he really know the name of the Italian girl who dug this evenings truffles up in Piedmont...??

?? does he really know the glove size of the Japanese ranch worker who massaged the Wagyu beef and from which prefecture he hailed...??
( if so - why didn't he have him send me some Sake....??)

at any rate - I am entertained

( score + 1 for the Ocean Club)


The food arrives - the portions are huge and the flavors sublime.

( at this point in the evening my memory fades into Grey Goose and Châteauneuf-du-Pape...... is that Joan Rivers - across the bar making eyes at me....?? ) 

( score + 1 for the Ocean Club)

dessert arrives, sated ,  - we cannot really eat any more but I remember thinking that the desserts may be the best I have tried outside Europe-

( score + 1 for the Ocean Club)

                                                    * * * * *

Adding it all up five stars and a promise to find a way to post six stars next time I am there if they find me some gosh darn Sake!!