Breakfast at The Royal Palms in Scottsdale

I was in Scottsdale last week and if I want a little San Miguel de Allende fix, I head over to the Royal Palms for brunch at their restaurant, T. Cooks.

The grounds are so beautiful... blooming flowers, cascading bougain villia, stone carved fountains, beautiful tiles... This particular stone fountain that greets you when you drive in is over 250 years old.  Very similar to the fountains that I see around San Miguel.  The stone pavers, made of laja negra or black stone, are from Queretaro, Mexico dating back to 1692.

 This is the central courtyard with the original building behind it.  In 1929, Delos Cooke (Cunard Steamship executive and financier) built this as a summer retreat for he and his wife.

 I was fascinated by these old tiles that were part of a fireplace surround.

 They are definitely from the original construction!

Now for brunch. My Mom had the Mediterranean Benedict; the hollandaise sauce had a nice little kick to it and the eggs were poached perfectly.

I went for something a little more sweet than savory;  house made lemon brioche stuffed with cream cheese and T. Cooks signature orange marmalade topped with a vanilla creme anglaise and fresh berries.  It also came with a side of the house made pork sausage which was very tasty.

 We had a little visitor at the table next to us.  This Grackle (just like the birds that fly up to the jardin in San Miguel to roost at night) was helping himself to the leftovers from the previous diners.

A primitive but engaging tile mural that is on one of the patio walls.  It made me smile.

This gorgeous hand-painted mural is from Spain and original to the main building.  A figure right out of Sevilla.

I shot this from the car as I was driving through the intersection on the way to the airport.  I just love it.   The Grill next Door serving Beer, Burgers and Buns.  I may just have to try it on my next trip.