Category: healthy food

Cala to open with all-star culinary team led by Beau MacMillan

When the Cala restaurant opens next week at the new Senna House hotel in Scottsdale it will have an all-star cast running the food, wine & cocktail programs. Celebrity chef and Food Network star Beau MacMillan serves as Culinary Director with Executive Chef Peter McQuaid Jr. returning to Phoenix to from Las Vegas where he opened Money, Baby! at the Virgin Hotels Las Vegas.

Also returning to Phoenix from Las Vegas is Clint “Spotty” Spotleson who will oversee the restaurants cocktail program and just this weekend David Johnson announced he’s coming on board as the restaurants Sommelier and Wine Director. Johnson was last at Octotillo Restaurant in central Phoenix as General Manager and both are long time staples on the valley’s cocktail and wine scene.

What to expect at Cala

Once opened Cala will serve Mediterranean dishes inspired by the cuisine of Spain, Italy, Morocco and other seaside countries. Envision handmade pastas, fresh cheeses & breads, locally grown vegetables and fresh seafood in a relaxed atmosphere. The simple, healthy and flavorful dishes will emphasize the seasonal ingredients of the coastal regions.

“Cala is a place that guests will find themselves not wanting to leave; it’s vibrant with great energy creating an immersive environment with an experience that offers something for everyone,” said MacMillan. “We’ve intentionally created a modern establishment with a perfectly curated vibe and approachable food that is incredibly cared for alongside unforgettable cocktails.”

Macmillan will continue at Sanctuary Camelback Mountain where he was recently named Culinary Advisor and McQuaid Jr. will be overseeing the day to day operations at Cala. It’s not the first time the two have worked together as McQuaid Jr. worked with MacMillan at Sanctuary and considers him a mentor. You can hear McQuaid Jr. tell his story and his relationship with MacMillan on Episode 42 of The Podcast.

Senna House opened last month in Scottsdale’s Entertainment District on the spot that used to house the legendary Don & Charlie’s Restaurant and is paid tribute too with a montage of sports memorabilia in the hotel’s lobby. Cala is owned by local restaurant & hospitality group Clive Collective which also owns Money, Baby! in Las Vegas. MacMillan also oversees the culinary program at Money, Baby! and is Clive Collective’s Director of Culinary Operations. Cala and Senna House is at 7501 E. Camelback Rd. Scottsdale 85251 and reservations can be made at their website.

Sips & Bites: News you can use from the Phoenix restaurant community

Quick sips & bites of news about what’s going on around the Phoenix restaurant community, breweries and wineries.

GenuWine Arizona celebrates 4th anniversary

The downtown Phoenix wine bar has successfully maneuvered the rocky last few years and is celebrating on Saturday January 8th. Starting at 2:30 p.m. there will be wine and beer tastings, Zydeco Louisiana Food Trucks starts serving at 1 p.m. and live music at 7:30.

eXperience Juncture dinner with TLC

The monthly supper club from Tom & Lin Catering is happening this month on Saturday January 22nd at Juncture in Phoenix. Chef Tom’s menu remains a mystery until you arrive for the reception that starts at 5 p.m. Dinner starts at 6 and seats are $150 per person and seats & gift certificates can be reserved or purchased here.

A new balanced seasonal menu is available at Pita Jungle

The Mediterranean inspired fast casual concept with 23 locations around Arizona is now serving the “It’s All About Balance” menu. Nuts, grains, fruits, vegetables and lean proteins are featured ingredients in dishes Chile Verde Beef, White Bean Hummus with Garlic Cilantro Pesto Shrimp, a plant based Gyro Super Hero and more.

Piled high hot pastrami sandwiches for only $12

Next Friday January 14th is National Hot Pastrami Sandwich Day and fans can celebrate at Miracle Mile Deli. Choose from their Pastrami, New Yorker, Straw or Combo. All sandwiches come with a side dish & pickle and the special runs from 10:30 a.m. – 8:00 p.m. and is available for dine-in or take-out.

Feeding the Future fundraiser re-scheduled

The Blue Watermelon Project’s annual fundraiser scheduled for January 22nd has been re-scheduled until February 26th. The reason is safety concerns for student chefs with up tick on Covid positive cases. It will still be held at The Farm at South Mountain.

Don’t forget to check out my podcast Pulling Corks & Forks: The Podcast with Sandy Wasserman to hear from those in our community. Please subscribe, like & comment.

Santé to open in north Scottsdale in mid- December

A new healthy food focused restaurant is opening on December 14th in the Kierland neighborhood of north Scottsdale. Santé, the brainchild of restaurateur Nic Neuman, owner of EVO and friend Nico Doniele, who has  hospitality experience and is a certified health coach. The new restaurant will serve dishes that incorporate flavors from around the world along with being healthy and favorable towards all diets.

The upscale restaurant has a grab n go section, will serve breakfast, happy hour and dinner with lunch starting in 2022. In addition to serving keto, vegan, vegetarian, paleo and gluten-free foods, Santé will be sustainable as much as possible including sourcing organic ingredients from ethical sources to composting.

“My motto is ‘let us live to eat and live longer to eat,’ and Santé embodies that,” said Doniele. “We wanted to create a beautiful, inclusive restaurant where people with all kinds of dietary restrictions can dine together and enjoy the community and connection we’ve been missing over the last nearly two years.”

Inspired by Nico’s travels and health journey the menu will include signature dishes including Buttermilk Brined Chicken and a Bison filet. A wine list of 50 offerings will be bio-dynamic from old world countries that will include orange wines and sparkling rose. For cocktails, a bar cart will travel the room making table-side cocktails during brunch & dinner. Customers on the go can grab healthy snacks, meals and supplements along with coffee and tea from the gourmet café. The restaurant will also offer community events including Sunday School, fun and educational seminars with wellness professionals.

Santé is at 15507 N. Scottsdale Rd. 85254. For more information visit their website.

Sips & Bites: News you can use from the Phoenix restaurant community

Quick sips & bites of news about what’s going on around the Phoenix restaurant community, breweries and wineries.

Burger & a beer for $14.99 at U.S. Egg for National Hamburger Day

I’ll be at my nearby U.S. Egg for lunch next Wed. July 28th to celebrate a favorite food. Choose from 9 options on the menu and pair it with a draft beer including several local breweries. To find one of th 6 Phoenix area locations of the locally owned breakfast & lunch restaurant check their website.

Koibito Poke introduces Dole Whips, Happy Hour and more

Starting today at 4 p.m. at Arcadia, Scottsdale Waterfront & Chandler locations start daily happy hour with drink specials from 4-6 p.m. and all day Saturday & Sunday. Gainey Ranch to launch soon with $4 beers & $5 wines, seltzers, sakes until Sept. 31st. They just introduced the cool and refreshing Dole Whip at the Gainey Ranch location & via delivery from other locations. The 5 oz. pineapple treat is only $4.99 with new flavors coming soon. Keep an eye out for their new food truck hitting the streets of the valley this summer with poke bowls and more. The truck is available for private catering & corporate events.

LDV Winery releases 2015 Sky Island Grenache

Cheers to a perfect summer wine from this southern Arizona winery. This weekend get 10% off at their Scottsdale tasting room. Only 336 cases were made and it retails for $30 or $10 a glass at the tasting room.

Nonna Urban Eatery offers 3 course summer menu

Choose from 6 dishes from each the 1st & 2nd courses before narrowing down a choice of 3 desserts at this Old Town Scottsdale restaurant. Choose from Hiramasa Sashimi, Pastor Pork Chops, Bouillabaisse and more for $48++. Reservations can be made by clicking the link. Modified menus can be made for bar & patio dining, for more information visit their website.

Sailor Cherry and Sailor Strawberry ciders available at Cider Corps

The award-winning Mesa cidery pays tribute to “Navy tattoo art” and to Navy tattoo legend “Sailor Jerry” Collins with 2 new ciders that are available on tap or in 4 pack cans. The labels were made by fellow downtown business Naysayer Tattoo Shop. The sour cherry and sweet strawberry ciders also have hints of peach, tangerine, lemon & lime.

Don’t forget to check out my podcast, Pulling Corks & Forks: The Podcast with Sandy Wasserman to hear from those in our community. Please subscribe, like & comment.

 

Picazzo’s Healthy Italian Kitchen opens 6th location

Arizona and family -owned Picazzo’s Healthy Italian Kitchen opened its newest restaurant in Gilbert with a limited schedule. Currently opened Thursday – Sunday the new location will gradually open on other days in the coming weeks. Picazzo’s originally started in Sedona serving organic and healthy pizzas, salads and other Italian specialties but in the years since have grown to include the flavors of Asian, Mediterranean and Mexican ingredients.

“We can’t wait to welcome the Gilbert community to Picazzo’s!” says Picazzo’s Operations Manager, Chris Disney. It’s our pleasure to offer a variety of vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free and allergy-friendly items. Families can enjoy a meal at Picazzo’s and get their favorite dishes, whether they have special dietary needs or preferences or not. We’ve actually had guests cry with happiness when they realize they can order exactly what they want, how they want it!”

The menu in Gilbert is the same as the other locations and includes 95% organic ingredients for its pizzas, pastas, entrees, salads and more. Guests will notice a new modern look that will be rolled out to the other restaurants in the future.  A separate vegan menu is available using plant- based ingredients from Follow Your Heart, Daiya and Beyond Meat.

Picazzo’s new modern look

The restaurant’s spacious 4,300 square feet includes a roll-up garage door connecting the indoors and outdoors. “We thought a lot about our consumer when designing the new restaurant,” explains Disney. “That means creating a space that can accommodate solo diners and couples just as easily as large families. We also focused on selecting aesthetically pleasing textures and surfaces on everything from countertops to walls to the patio decking. We think our guests are going to love the experience here – and we hope they take advantage of the Instagram-worthy setting for taking photos with family and friends!”

Picazzo’s Healthy Italian Kitchen is at 884 E. Williams Field Rd. Gilbert 85295 with the other locations in Paradise Valley, Scottsdale, Tempe/Chandler, Arrowhead and Sedona. To find the location closest to you and to view the menu, visit their website.

 

CoreLife Eatery opening location in Gilbert with “Pay What You Want Day”

Former ASU & NFL player Adam Archuleta is opening the 2nd Arizona location of his healthy fast casual concept CoreLife Eatery in Gilbert next week. The restaurant is known for offering nutritious meals, useing fresh ingredients free of GMOs, trans fats, artificial colors, sweeteners and additives. Grass-fed beef, antibiotic-free chicken & pork and cage-free eggs are used for their grain bowls, salads and dinner plates.

Archuleta, Managing Partner of CoreLife, spent 7 years in the NFL with the St. Louis Rams, Washington Redskins & Chicago Bears and during the football season he’s an NFL Game Analyst with CBS Sports. As an athlete Archuleta knows the benefits of eating nutritious meals and is passionate about promoting healthy eating at CoreLife. The menu caters to all diets and eaters with its customizable greens, grains & broth bowls. The menu also offers made-to- order tacos and wraps and features global flavors with naan bread, tortilla shell or or lettuce wraps. Handcrafted beverages are also available.

“Customers have been trained to believe that healthy food cannot taste good, but we are debunking that myth,” says Todd Mansfield, partner and chief cultural officer for CoreLife Eatery. “We create our menu every day in store from simple, top-quality ingredients that taste great and our customers want to eat.”

CoreLife Eatery opens on Thursday May 20th for its “Pay What You Want Day” to benefit Phoenix Children’s Hospital. Guests will decide who to pay for their meals with all the day’s proceeds being donated. Friday the 21st will be the Grand Opening. The first location opened in Tempe in October 2020 and there are plans to open as many as 300 locations. There are currently 3 locations in Utah.

The Gilbert location is at 1555 N. Higley Rd., Suite C-105 85234. For more information visit their website.

Sips & Bites: News you can use from the Phoenix restaurant community

Quick sips & bites of news about what’s going on around the Phoenix restaurant community, breweries and wineries.

The running of the Kentucky Derby on Saturday

The 1st Saturday of May is the famed Kentucky Derby from Louisville. Here in Phoenix you can celebrate around town at the Bulleit Bourbon Derby DayClub at Turf Paradise along with other restaurants and bars offering cocktails and food for the festive day. Belle’s Nashville Kitchen, CRUjiente Tacos and Blue Clover Distillery have specials for the day.

May the 4th be with you at SanTan Spirit House

Star Wars fans are invited to dress up like their favorite character from the George Lucas film and head to downtown Chandler to celebrate on Tuesday. Specially created Stars Wars themed cocktails will be available along with Millennium Falcon and Death Star raffles.

Cinco de Mayo happens Wednesday around Phoenix

The popular May 5th celebration has quite a few restaurants around the valley celebrating with food, drinks, live music and more. Head to places such as Z’ Tejas, Thirsty Lion Gastropub, Hopdoddy Burger Bar,  A Su Salud, Ghost Ranch, The Lodge Sasquatch Kitchen, The Spotted Donkey Cantina, Ghett’ Yo’ Tacos,

Macayo’s Mexican Restaurants celebrate teachers and nurses

All 7 of the Phoenix area locations celebrate Teacher Appreciation Week May 3rd -7th with teachers getting 20% off their order. May 6th – 12th nurses can get 25% their orders during Nurses Appreciation Week.

Thai Chili 2 Go emphasize new vegan & vegetarian dishes on menu

Meat and dairy-less Pineapple Fried Rice and Vegetarian Spring rolls are now available for take-out and delivery at all 10 valley locations.

Sips & Bites: News you can use from the Phoenix restaurant community

Quick sips & bites of news about what’s going on around the Phoenix restaurant community, breweries and wineries.

Duckhorn Wine Dinner at The Boulders Resort & Spa

Reservations are being taken for the March 11th dinner with the iconic Napa Valley winery. The 4-course dinner will be paired with wines only found at the winery. Dinner will be under the stars in the resort’s Organic Garden. Seats are $175 per person and reservations can be made by calling 480-595-4668.

PHX Beer Co.’s new beer supports Arizona Craft Brewers Guild

The new Hefeweizen styled beer, Rebuild the Guild Benefit Beer donates part of the sales to the struggling non-profit while supplies last. Reliant on events the ACBG has not been able to hold any due to the pandemic. Saturday March 27th both Scottsdale & Phoenix locations will donate all money from sales to the organization that support and lobbies for Arizona’s craft brewers.

Cider Corps owner receives big honor

Veteran and owner Jason Duren was named one of 29 Rising Stars in the food and beverage industry from around the country. FSR Magazine recognizes people in the industry who are making a positive change in the industry. Two of the reasons for the honor are Jason’s leadership in the cider industry and his continued support of the veteran community.

Belle’s Nashville Kitchen starts nutritious meal prep service

The new honky tonk bar in Old Town Scottsdale just launched “Belle’s on Wheels” meal prep service. Chef Samantha Roberts created a clean eating & nutritious selection of meals high in protein, low in sodium with no added chemicals. Gluten free and dairy free meals are available. Meals are made in advance with proteins costing $4-$14 per serving and sides are $3. Buying in bulk for family meals is also an option. Curbside and in- store pick -up is available with deliveries available for those within 3 miles of the restaurant. To order your meals call 480-590-3190 or visit their website.

World Famous cream puffs coming to Scottsdale

Beard Papa’s build your own cream puffs opens its newest location at Scottsdale Quarter on Saturday February 27th. The Japanese based bakery will offer free cream puffs with all purchases and a FREE SWAG bag to the first 100 customers.

 

Fresh Taste Meal Prep cooks for you and donates meals to those in need

A new local meal prep service launched last year that prepares fully cooked meals from its weekly menu. Fresh Taste Meal Prep delivers meals to your door or you can pick up at its north Phoenix location. Started by Tommy D’Ambrosio and his Aioli Gourmet Burgers team, he saw the need and popularity of fresh cooked meals for busy and home bound people.

It works like this, order your meals from their weekly offerings on the website and arrange for pick up or delivery. Meals can include Baked Ziti, Lemon Herb Salmon, Steak Chimichurri and of course Aioli Gourmet Burgers. Most meals are reasonably priced at $10-$13 with healthy and Keto friendly options. Order 5-9 meals and the price per meal drops to $9 each, 10 – 13 meals for $8.50 each and 14+ meals are $8 each.

“When the pandemic hit, we quickly pivoted our business model, moving into a prepared meals program for those staying at home. Soon after, my team quickly realized that frontline workers needed support and we created a meal donation program. During the first month after we launched, we donated more than 1,000 meals to the staff at HonorHealth, Valleywise Health and Phoenix Children’s Hospital. That’s what sparked the creation of Fresh Taste Meal Prep. Giving us the opportunity to support a local cause or food bank, every month of the year,” Tommy D’Ambrosio, chef and owner, Fresh Taste Meal Prep.

For every 10 meals ordered, 1 meal will be donated to Phoenix area non-profits to help feed the hungry. Fresh Taste Meal Prep partners with local non-profits monthly and has recently donated meals to Harvest Compassion Center.

Meals need to be ordered by Thursday 3 p.m. for delivery or pick up the following Sunday or Monday. Delivery is available valley wide or you can pick up your meals at Aioli’s 32nd St. & Shea location.

 

 

 

Sips & Bites: News you can use from the Phoenix restaurant community

Quick sips & bites of news about what’s going on around the Phoenix restaurant community, breweries and wineries.

Pita Jungle opening Chandler Heights location on February 8th.

The newest location serving Mediterranean cuisine is opening on Monday. Located at the Steelyard at Gilbert Rd. & Chandler Heights the restaurant will have a large dining room, full bar and outdoor patio. The first 50 tables at lunch and dinner will receive a small order of hummus for free. One per table, dine-in only.

It’s Brisket Lovers Month at Miracle Mile Deli

All 3 signature brisket sandwiches (The Original Brisket of Beef, The Big Dipper & The Times Square Cheesesteak) are $12 in February. Available for dine-in, take-out or curbside pick-up Mon.-Sat.

The Boulders Resort & Spa hosting The Prisoner wine dinner

The award-winning Carefree resort hosts a 4- course gourmet dinner on Saturday February 13th at 6 p.m. in The Palo Verde Restaurant. All courses will be paired with The Prisoner wines and is $175 per person. Reservations can be made by calling 480-595-4668.

Twin Peaks opens at Tempe Marketplace on Monday

The 4th location in the Phoenix area opens on in Tempe in a few days. The new build is on the eastern end of the shopping center and offers 29 degree cold beers including local favorites and scratch made comfort food in a lodge setting.

Vote for the best pizza at Pedal Haus Brewery?

You have until National Pizza Day on February 9th to vote for the best pizza created by founders Julian Wright & Derek “Doc” Osborne. Julian’s pizza features slow roasted pulled pork, fresh mozzarella, caramelized onions, peppadew peppers and fresh herbs. Doc’s is a Diavola Soprassata pizza with Boars Head pepperoni, Calabrian chilis, jalapenos and honey drizzle. The creator of the winning pizza will donate $500 and 50% of sales on the 9th to Valley Dogs if Julian wins or AZK9 rescue if Doc wins.