Sips & Bites: News from the Phoenix restaurant community

Events & news about what’s going on around the Phoenix restaurant community, breweries and wineries.

Get a Lox Box for National Bagel & Lox Day at Chompie’s

Thursday, February 9th all 4 locations of the Jewish deli will be offering the favorite breakfast to-go for $24.99. The Lox Box includes 6 bagels (2 plain, 2 sesame & 2 everything) 8oz. of cream cheese and 8oz. of smoked salmon. The special is available all day.

Source Restaurant grand opening in Gilbert

Tomorrow Saturday, February 24th the new fast fine dining concept celebrates it grand opening from open to close. The new Mediterranean inspired restaurant, bakery and market at Gilbert’s new Epicenter mix used development will welcome guests with 20% off everything and a DJ.  The best part is you can enter to win a year’s worth of artisan bread.

The new Papago Brewing Company opens today

Friday February 3rd marks the re-incarnation of the popular taproom and restaurant at its new location at Mesa Riverview. Leah and Jeff Huss of Huss Brewing Co. brought the popular Scottsdale taproom back to life after the original location closed for re-development. Read the full story at my feature post from November.

Valentine’s Day inspired drinks at Stemistry in February

The Gen Z version of a flower & coffee shop from 16 year old Dylan Capshaw opened last year combining his two passions, flowers and coffee. The Scottsdale location is at 90th St. & Via Linda with a new downtown Phoenix location opening soon. Three lovely coffee drink specials are available all month long.

  • Red Velvet Mocha- Rose and dark chocolate latte
  • Love Bug Latte- Fresh rose petals, rose cold foam
  • Cupid’s Cappuccino- Dark chocolate coconut cappuccino

Ask Dylan about his Valentine’s Day flower specials.

Morning Squeeze opens The Catering Kitchen

To meet the demand of office and group catering functions the breakfast and lunch spot has opened a separate kitchen. The Catering Kitchen offers a similar menu at the 3 locations and caters to groups of 10 or more. Breakfast items include breakfast burritos, bagel & lox, sandwiches and lots of coffee. They serve over 100 gallons of coffee per month through their catering operation. More information and to order from The Catering Kitchen visit https://morningsqueeze.com/

Check out my podcast Pulling Corks & Forks: The Podcast with Sandy Wasserman to hear from those in our community. Please subscribe, like & comment.

 

Pyro to be first restaurant at The Grove

The intersection at 44th St. & Camelback Rd. has always been one of the busiest in Phoenix and will get even busier when the mixed-used development The Grove opens later this year. The first restaurant to announce it will open there will be the Japanese bistro Pyro from Omaha-based Flagship Restaurant Group.

“The Flagship Restaurant Group team and I are very excited to bring Pyro to The Grove,” said Nick Hogan, CEO and co-founder of Flagship Restaurant Group. “We felt that it was the right time to bring our brand-new concept to this location, as there is much development taking place in-market and residents and travelers in Phoenix are always looking for the right mix of creativity coupled with responsibly-sourced fare. Everything we serve our guests is fully transparent, from the farms the vegetables come from to the areas where each of our fish is sourced. We are looking forward to another new chapter in the city.”

Flagship’s other concepts in Phoenix are Châm Pang Lanes, Palma and Ghost Donkey in the Roosevelt Row Arts District.

What to expect at Pyro

When opened Pyro will be 4,200 square feet including large outdoor patio with an open hearth and full bar. The restaurant uses an open flame for cooking sustainably sourced seafood and proteins. The fire will give each dish its own unique layers of flavor and texture. The cocktail bar will offer classic and signature cocktails from a wide variety of spirits and wine.

“The Grove is dedicated to bringing innovative and exclusive dining options to the Valley with a sophisticated flair,” said Mike Ebert, managing partner at RED Development. “Pyro is setting the standard for the caliber of culinary offerings we’ll be welcoming at The Grove, we couldn’t be more honored to announce an original concept as the first restaurant to call it home.”

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

MIXT brings fast casual farm to table healthy food to Scottsdale Quarter

California based MIXT is almost ready to open its newest restaurant on March 7th at the new wing of Scottsdale Quarter. It will be the fast casual farm to table concept’s first restaurant in Arizona and the 16th since the company was founded in 2005 by Leslie and David Silverglide. The other 15 locations are in California and Texas.

“We’re beyond excited to bring MIXT’s delicious, sustainable, healthy food to Scottsdale,” says MIXT CEO Leslie Silverglide. “We’re looking forward to serving the growing number of Arizonans looking for fresh, delicious, and fulfilling meals that fit a health-conscious lifestyle.”

The high quality sourcing of ingredients translates into healthy grain bowls, salads, sandwiches and protein plates. MIXT tries to source as much as possible locally for its scratch made dishes. The menu changes when the seasons change with the availability of produce. Salads are customized to your liking with over 75 ingredients to choose from. MIXT Market Plates include herb roasted grilled chicken and Steelhead trout that are paired with house-made sauces.

Kombucha on tap, house made iced teas & lemonade, local beers and boutique wines are offered with lunch and dinner. MIXT

MIXT Salet

No miss-spelling, MIXT offers a Salad Valet for those on the go who place orders on their app or on-line. You won’t need to leave your car as the Salet will bring your order right to you when you pull up to the “take-out zone”. Looking to stay, MIXT has an inviting modern look to dine inside or out to enjoy your chef created meals.

With its sustainable business practices MIXT is the first multi-unit concept to become a Certified B Corporation. Not only is the food good for you, it’s good for the community as well.

MIXT will be open daily from 11 a.m. – 9 p.m. Check out their website for more information or to fill out an application as they are hiring 50 staffers.

EVO’s owner opening Breadwinner in downtown Phoenix

Nick Neuman owner of Scottsdale’s EVO has set his sights like many on downtown Phoenix with the August opening of Breadwinner. The sandwich focused hangout will be in The Churchill, the trendy retail & restaurant complex built with shipping containers on the northeast corner of 1st St & Garfield(901 N. 1st St.).

Serving lunch, dinner & weekend brunch Breadwinner will serve handcrafted sandwiches, wraps and salads of the traditional variety with Neuman’s creative twist. Expect the likes of oven roasted turkey, Cuban, Muffeletta or roast beef sandwiches or wraps ($9-$12) along with hearty side dishes, fresh salads and non-alcoholic beverages.

After guests order and pay at the counter their meal will be delivered to them at communal style dining tables in The Churhill’s courtyard.

The sense of community at The Churchill is part of the attraction to Neuman where Breadwinner employees will give 4 hours a month to community service as part of their monthly  “social rent”.