Taste of Quiessence Summer Tasting Menu is available for only a few weeks.

Each week 36 lucky diners will get to experience Quiessence at The Farm’s Summer Seasonal Tasting Menu running from Tues August 23rd – Sept 22nd as their seasonal dinner series returns on Tues, Wed. and Thurs evenings. This once a year menu is limited to only 12 diners per evening for the 4 weeks running.

Photo courtesy of Quiessence at The farm
Photo courtesy of Quiessence at The farm

Wine pairings additional

This 3 course Chef’s menu costs $45++ and wine pairings are an extra $20++ per person and will be selected from the restaurants award-winning wine list, having just received The Wine Spectator’s “Award of Excellence”.

Photo courtesy of Quiessence at The farm
Photo courtesy of Quiessence at The farm

Reservations will only be taken by phone at 602.276.0601 and Quiessence is at 6106 S. 32nd St. Phoenix 85042 www.qatthefarm.com

 

 

 

Go Gold in September as restaurants raise money for Pediatric Cancer Awareness Month

The Rio Olympics will be over but you can still Go Gold www.GoGold4PCH.org in the month of September as Phoenix Children’s Hospital Foundation launches Pediatric Cancer Awareness Month and it’s Go Gold campaign to raise $1 MIllion dollars for the hospital’s Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders.Go Gold !cid_image009_jpg@01D1F88B

Restaurants donate

Many Phoenix area restaurants will be donating a portion of sales from individual food items or off the total amount of your bill from September 1st – 30th to the Go Gold campaign. For a full list see below

Buffalo Wild Wings(Westgate Entertainment District location) Eat wings and raise funds! All day Saturday, September 17, Buffalo Wild Wings at Westgate will be donating 10% of your total bill when you show your Phoenix Children’s Hospital golden ticket. People can visit the Westgate website and look under event listings in their calendar to print out the ticket.

Thirsty Lion Gastropub & Grill – (Tempe Marketplace location) Featuring a special beer flight for the month of September with gold beers.  $1 for each flight sold will be donated to PCH for Go Gold.  Thirsty Lion will also feature the special flight on their Seasonal Fresh Sheet, so every customer during the month of September will see the offer at their table.

Kabuki Japanese Restaurant(Tempe Marketplace and Westgate Entertainment District) Special Dish for the month of September: Curry Shrimp on Crispy Rice.  $1 from the sale of each dish will be donated back to PCH.

California Pizza Kitchen(Tempe Marketplace and Desert Ridge Marketplace) Every Wednesday in September, the California Pizza Kitchen locations at Tempe Marketplace and Desert Ridge Marketplace will donate 20% of diners’ total bills to PCH when diners mention “Go Gold for PCH” at the table.

Slices(Tempe Marketplace location) Slices Pizza Joint will give 10% of all its sales on the BBQ Chicken Slice during the month of September and a dedicated 10% of sales every Tuesday in September to PCH.

Churn(All locations): Portion of proceeds from gold themed treat will go to PCH.

Miracle Mile Deli: $1 from every “Straw” Sandwich to go to Go Gold.

Papa John’s (All locations): Go to papajohns.com and enter code PCH at checkout for 40% off your order. Ten-percent of proceeds will go to PCH.

Sauce Pizza & Wine (All locations): September 12 – 18, Sauce is donating 100% of proceeds from kids menu items to Go Gold.

Spinatos Pizzeria (All locations): $1 from every dessert sold to go to Go Gold.

The Vig: $1 from every Four Peaks 8th Street Pale to go to Go Gold. Also, if you upload a picture with your Pale Ale to social media using the Go Gold hashtag (#GoGold4PCH) and tag The Vig location, you will receive 15% off your bill.

Zoyo Neighborhood Yogurt(All locations): Will launch a flavor of the month and do a give-back night in September that will go to Go Gold.

Dunkin Donuts (All locations): Will sell a Go Gold donut with 50 cents from each donut sold going to PCH.

Ribbon Cutting

To kick of the Go Gold campaign, mayors from around the valley will cut a gold ribbon at 4 shopping centers around Phoenix on September 1st.

For a complete list of sponsors, events or to donate all month long visit www.GoGold4PCH.org

Save the Date(s)….lots of events and festivals for foodies in coming months…here’s a list

Summer is slowly coming to an end as kids return to school, the Cardinals take the field and your hearing how Pumpkin Porters & Pumpkin Spiced lattes are only weeks from being available for your consumption. With the cooling weather comes many food and drink related festivals, dinners, release parties and other events, enough to make one’s head spin.
beer drinkers 2

Here is list of a few events that should be on your calendar(in no particular order)……

7th Annual Arizona Taco Festival at Salt Rive Fields. Sat & Sun. October October 15th & 16th starting at 11am. $12 online http://aztacofestival.com/

Wine Country Brunch at The Camby in Phoenix– Sun. September 25th. $65 for more information & tickets http://www.scottsdalefest.org/2016wcb

C-CAP’s 3rd Annual Harvest Moon Feast– Mon. November 14th. Desert Foothills Barn in Scottsdale. $150 http://www.ccapaz.org/

Rockin’ Taco Street Festival in Chandler– Sat. Septeber 15th. Starts at 12 noon $8. http://www.rockintacoaz.com/

SanTan Brewing Co. Oktoberfest, Sat. October 1st, 3pm $12 http://www.santanoktoberfest.com/

2nd Annual Phoenix Pizza Festival– Sat. Nov. 19th Margaret T. Hance Park in downtown Phoenix 11am- 5pm $10 http://www.phoenix.pizza/

Spectator Sips wine dinner at Quintessence at The Farm at South Mtn. Wed. Sept. 28th at 6:30 pm $89++ http://www.qatthefarm.com/page/upcoming-events/

Exploring Vinaigrettes & Specialty Oils at vomFass Scottsdale (at The Waterfront). Sat Aug. 27th 11am $25 www.scottsdale.vomfassusa.com

Make a Wish and Sip for a Cause at Sorso Wine Room in Scottsdale at Scottsdale Quarter. Sat. Aug 28th 11am-10pm. All day Happy Hour. http://www.sorsowineroom.com/

August is National Sandwich Month and Miracle Mile Deli offers deals all month long

New Yorker sandwich
New Yorker sandwich
Americans eat more than 300 million sandwiches everyday and even more will be eaten in August as it’s National Sandwich Month. Locally owned Miracle Mile Deli is doing their part by offering 4 different made-to-order deli sandwiches each week for only $9.

August 1-7: The New Yorker—Hot Pastrami topped with homemade coleslaw and Miracle Mile Dressing. It’s a little taste of New York’s best in every bite!

August 8-14: The Hot Brisket of Beef—A family recipe of the most tender and leanest beef that simply melts in your mouth.

Hot Brisket Sandwich
Hot Brisket Sandwich
August 15-21: The Combo Sandwich—The perfect combination of Miracle Mile Deli’s two most popular meats, Hot Pastrami and Hot Corned Beef, stacked together for one tasty meal!

August 22-31: The Straw—Hot Pastrami, melted Swiss cheese and steamy sauerkraut piled high on your favorite bread.

Hot Pastrami sandwich
Hot Pastrami sandwich
Miracle Mile Deli is located at 4433 N. 16th Street in Phoenix, just two blocks south of Camelback Road. www.MiracleMileDeli.com

TEXAZ Grill celebrates National Root Beer Float Day with $5 Root Beer Floats

Photo courtesy of TEXAZ Grill
Photo courtesy of TEXAZ Grill
Root Beer has a long history dating back to the 1870s when Charles Hires concocted it in his Philadelphia pharmacy. Who added vanilla ice cream to it and created the first Root Beer float is still a mystery. Considered by many as an All American comfort food, the Root Beer float is summertime favorite and Saturday August 6th is National Root Beer Float Day and TEXAZ Grill in Phoenix is celebrating with $5 from 11 a.m. – 10 p.m.

Louisiana craft brewer’s Abita Root Beer will be combined with creamy Vanilla ice cream to create a sweet treat and will compliment anything on TEXAZ’s comfort food driven menu such as their famous Chicken Fried Steak.

TEXAZ Grill is at 6003 N. 16th St. Phoenix, AZ 85016 602.248.STAR (7827) www.texazgrill.com

The hot dog days of July at Miracle Mile Deli in Phoenix

miracle mile hot dog
Hot dogs, apple pie and lemonade are classic American food staples and for the week of July 18th-24th Miracle Mile Deli is celebrating one of those staples…the hot dog as July is National Hot Dog Month as Americans eat about 20 billion hot dogs a year.

During lunch and dinner that week you can purchase a Hebrew National hot dog, French fries and a small soft drink for only $5 when you ask for the “hot dog special”.

Miracle Mile Deli has been in the Valley for 67 years and the locally-owned restaurant is located at 4433 N. 16th Street in Phoenix www.miraclemiledeli.com

Burger Review: The Farm Fresh burger at Burger Theory

Photo credit: Burger Theory
Photo credit: Burger Theory
As mentioned in a recent post I have decided to include my burger reviews on this blog after the site where I was reviewing burgers decided to cease operations, after 293 burger reviews this is my 1st review on this blog. By reviewing burgers on this blog I will have the freedom to express my thoughts without the restrictions of a corporate entity and will be a work in progress while I explore the right format I want to take it in. If you’ve read my burger reviews on the other site you will see a resemblance but I hope to mix it up and expand on it a bit without losing the burger review aspect of it. I often dine out with friends but will review only the burger I ate but our dining experience and opinions may be included.

The recently opened Burger Theory connected to the Holiday Inn & Suites on McDowell Rd. at 44th St seemed like an out of the way place for a sit down burger restaurant despite the heavily trafficked intersection. As my dining companions arrived we weren’t sure if this was an independently owned restaurant renting space from the hotel or part of the hotel, many indications led us to believe it’s part of the hotel’s corporate structure. Regardless of who owns and runs it we were there for burgers and with 6 1/3 lb. burgers of Angus chuck, brisket and short rib blended beef and another 4,300+ ways to Build Your Own Burger we dove into the menu to see which burger each of us would go for.

Although all of the burgers sounded delicious I opted for the Farm Fresh burger with a single patty for $10 (a double patty is $14) and comes topped with a Portobello mushrooms, grilled onions, diced roasted red peppers, iceberg lettuce (on the bottom half), goat cheese and roasted garlic mayo in between a toasted potato bun that looked and tasted like you ordinary hamburger bun. All came served in a plastic basket lined with Burger Theory wax paper.
Burger theory
Although satisfying I felt there was a heavy hand when it came to the Goat Cheese and that’s not easy to admit as I love Goat cheese but the strong flavor took away from the flavors of the vegetables and made the roasted garlic mayo un-necessary. The burger which is cooked to order was cooked pretty much the way I like it and had drops of juices dripping after the first few bites. Sides are not included in the price and a side of fries will set you back another $3.50.

I was somewhat happy with the Farm Fresh burger but felt a bit let down with a 1/3 lb burger for $10 with sides being extra. There are better burgers around town for your burger dollar. I decided to include a picture from the Burger Theory website and a photo of my actual burger. Had I been served the burger from there website this could’ve been a better burger.

Burger Theory is at 4401 E. McDowell Rd. Phoenix, Arizona 85008 602-358-0924 and is open for lunch and dinner from Mon-Thu. 11am-11pm, Fri-Sat. 11am-12am and Sunday 11am-11pm www.burgertheoryphx.com

Some news about brews..

A new ale house opening in downtown Phoenix & a new brewing company coming to Gilbert.

As we continue to sweat out the dog days of summer nothing helps cool you off than a cold beer. I met up with some craft brew enthusiasts for a couple of pints and to catch up on some local beer news and met with the owners of a couple of new beer focused establishments.

Angels Trumpets Ale House opens in mid August in downtown Phoenix, just off Roosevelt Row by Mat & Sherry Englehorn. They will have 31 taps w/ rotating beers and 6 taps for wine. In addition to beer they will be offering food and hope to attract the lunch crowd with a quick turnaround for workers in the area. It will be a welcome addition to the always growing downtown area. In addition for kegs the cooler will have room for a couple of casks of beer and in the future they plan to have beer dinners and teach beer classes with the help from brewers. With over 1,400 “Likes” on their Facebook page they’re expecting to be busy from opening day. Angels Trumpet is at 810 N. 2nd St. Phoenix 85004 (602)317- 0170 www.facebook.com/angelstrumpetalehouse

In the east valley city of Gilbert, Owner/ Yeast Whisperer Jonathan Buford and partners are working on opening Arizona Wilderness Brewing Co. at the intersection of Arizona Ave. & Guadalupe Rd before the end of the year. After being snubbed by tenants at the strip mall in Queen Creek they were hoping to open at, the city of Gilbert welcomed them with open arms. Still in the process of building out and going through the licensing process they reached their financial goal through crowd funding on Kicktarter. Self taught brewer Jonathan will be sourcing several kinds of yeast from all over for the brewing process for his beers. To follow their progress you can “Like” them on there Facebook page www.facebook.com/azwbc

CHOMPIE’S 3RD ANNUAL ULTIMATE SLIDER CELEBRATION Featuring Jewish Sliders, a Customer Favorite Featured on Travel Channel’s Man v. Food, for Just 99 Cents

 
On Wednesday, July 18, 2012, Chompie’s, Arizona’s New York Deli Since 1979, will host their 3rd Annual Customer Appreciation Ultimate Slider Celebration, offering customers Jewish Sliders™ (normally $3.99 each) for just $.99 each from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. (or while supplies last) to thank them for their support over the past 33 years Chompie’s has enjoyed their patronage.
The annual event was born on July 14, 2010 to celebrate the premiere TV broadcast of Chompie’s Ultimate Slider Challenge on Travel Channel’s Man v. Food season 3 “Phoenix” episode, featuring host Adam Richman attempting the Challenge. That day, Chompie’s four locations in Phoenix, Scottsdale, Tempe and Chandler sold more than 7,600 $.99 Jewish Sliders combined. At one point, the crowd waiting to get into Chompie’s Tempe, where Man v. Food was filmed, filled the lobby and wrapped around the building. The following summer’s Ultimate Slider Celebration proved to be even more popular with customers, a.k.a. “Chompers”, who enjoyed over 8,650 $.99 Jewish Sliders on July 20, 2011.
The Ultimate Slider Challenge was conceived in late 2009, when, as big fans of Travel Channel’s Man v. Food, Chompie’s owners, the Borenstein family, thought, if anybody is known for huge portions, it’s us. Shortly thereafter, in early 2010, Chompie’s put the Challenge on the menu. It consists of a platter filled with twelve original Jewish Sliders and a mound of onion strings, totaling 5 pounds of food, which a challenger must finish within 30 minutes. Winners are awarded a free Ultimate Slider Challenge t-shirt, a coveted spot on Chompie’s Wall of Fame and the meal free.
Within a few months of its introduction, Travel Channel’s Man v. Food producers happened across Chompie’s Ultimate Slider Challenge online and called to say the show’s host, Adam Richman, wanted visit Chompie’s to give the challenge a try. The rest is Jewish Slider history. “When we first put it on our menu, we just thought the challenge would be fun for our customers,” says co-owner, Wendy Borenstein-Tucker, who enjoys seeing the astonished look on customers’ faces when the gargantuan platter is set before a challenger. “We dreamed, of course, but we never expected it would actually be on national TV! We knew our customers would be thrilled too, so we held a celebration that included them–our first Ultimate Slider Celebration.” Chompie’s Man v. Food episode, featuring Adam’s Ultimate Slider Challenge, was filmed at Chompie’s Tempe location on March 18, 2010. When the show premiered, no one had yet succeeded in winning the Challenge, including Adam. To-date, only 9 people have succeeded out of nearly 200 attempts.
The popularity of Chompie’s famous Jewish Slider continues to grow. “It’s amazing what a not-so-little sandwich can do,” says Wendy. “It makes people happy and brings people together. That’s what Chompie’s has always been about.”
Chompie’s original Jewish Slider consists of a mini-challah roll filled with moist lean beef brisket, Jack cheese, a crispy homemade potato pancake and brown gravy. Chompie’s N.Y. style delicatessen, restaurant, bagel factory, bakery, and caterer, has served the Valley since 1979 with mouthwatering breakfast-all-day, lunch, and dinner 7-days a week. Chompie’s four restaurants in Phoenix, Scottsdale, Tempe and Chandler are individually owned and operated. For more information, visit www.chompies.com.

Lagunitas Brewing Co.


Usually wine is on the agenda here, but as we are smack dab in the middle of the dog days of summer(no coincidence their is a dog on almost every label) an invite to a beer tasting sounded quite refreshing, so I grabbed my pen and pad and texted my drinking partner. It was a great chance to revisit some beers(and try some new ones) that I have not had in a few years, since I sold them around town. We tasted with Lauren, who came to town from San Diego on behalf of Lagunitas at Sportsmans, Phoenix location.
Lagunitas has been around since 1993 and is brewed in Petaluma, Ca.

First up was “Little Sumpin” Sumpin Ale- it’s Lagunitas, limited release summer wheat ale. It’s a hazy ale made with 50% wheat and offers a hoppy, smooth, profile. Nice finish. 4 bottle tops out of 5.

Next up came the “Hop Stoopid” Ale(22oz.), a big hop and malt style, a bitter flavor and richness that includes 7 different hops with 1 being extracted. Very aromatic on the nose. 3 1/2 bottle tops out of 5.

We then went on to the “Lucky 13 Mondo Large” Red Ale which is Lagunitas 13th anniversary brew, that gets made every years because it’s a staff fave. Using darker malts 13 has a smoky, big flavor. 4 bottle tops out of 5.

The finally was the “Maximus” IPA(22oz.)which is bigger style which includes more hops, more alcohol and more body. For those who like their IPAs with a spicier, fuller bodied taste this is the one. 3 1/2 bottle tops out of 5.