Tag: Arizona Wilderness Brewing Company

Gilbert Pizza Festival slices up crave worthy food for first annual event

Update: Festival tentatively postponed until April 25. Tickets to be valid then. Those wanting a refund can email dave@phxfest.com until March 21st. Check back to details.

Details were announced this week for the inaugural Gilbert Pizza Festival on Saturday, March 21st 2020. 15 pizza vendors will meet up south of downtown at the Gilbert Civic Center for six hours of pizza heaven starting at 11 a.m. Slices will be sold for $2-$4 and whole pies will be available.

Local pizza makers Fiordino’s Pizza Muffin Truck, Il Bosco, Freak Bros., NYPD and Jimmy & Joe’s are a few scheduled to participate. Local craft brewer Arizona Wilderness will be pouring beer and wine for festival goers. The festival will offer a dessert station to sweetin’ things up along with lawn games from AZ Board Source, live music and a kid’s craft zone.

Tickets for the Gilbert Pizza Festival are available online for $10 at their website. The festival is expected to sell out in advance like the Phoenix Pizza Festival from the same event organizer. Kids 12 and under are free. More pizza vendors are being added and stay up to date by checking their website.

The Gilbert Civic Center is at 50 E. Civic Center Drive, Gilbert, AZ 85296.

The Maggiore Group to open a 2nd location of The Sicilian Butcher

One the heels of the successful opening of The Sicilian Butcher, chef Joey Maggiore and wife Cristina of The Maggiore Group have announced a 2nd location in Chandler. The new location is scheduled to open in December and will be at Primegate at Fashion Center. The Maggiore’s were impressed with modern architecture of Primegate that fits with their classic Italian and modern concept.

“In addition to the incredible location, what really drew me to PRIMEGATE over other possibilities was that the architecture and setting was unlike anything else we’d seen. I thought about how positively that would reflect our brand too,” Maggiore said. “This is a rare project where we have the chance to create a banner location that will generate buzz in the community. We will be able to provide a top-notch neighborhood experience for our customers, whether they are lunching out, dining in or taking out, all in a high-end, high exposure destination.”

The Sicilian Butcher decor

The 4,600 square foot restaurant features roll-up doors that leads to a large outdoor patio for dining and lounge area. Water features and art create a lively and energetic atmosphere for guests stopping in for a drink or staying for a meal.

A signature Build-Your-Cannoli Bar

The Sicilian Butcher in Chandler will be the first to feature a build-your-own cannoli bar in the market. The line forms behind me because cannoli is one of my favorite desserts.

Similarly the northeast Phoenix restaurant is known for its fresh made in-house pastas and charcuterie boards along with craft meatballs. The food at The Sicilian Kitchen combines a modern twist with old world traditions. Guests can expect the same when the new restaurant opens in Chandler.

The restaurant will offer to-go meals and a marketplace and will serve classic Italian wines.

The Sicilian Kitchen is the fourth concept of the family owned Maggiore Group with restaurants in Phoenix & San Diego.  The others are Hash Kitchen, Tomaso’s When in Rome and the Phoenix classic Tomaso’s which opened in 1977.

The Sicilian Kitchen at Primegate will be at 3151 W. Frye Rd. Chandler 85226. For more information visit their website.

 

Bourbon, Brews and Basketball up on the roof at Hotel Valley Ho

All eyes will be on the Phoenix area as we are set to host the NCAA’s Final Four basketball tournament the first weekend of April. Scottsdale’s Hotel Valley Ho is getting us psyched up for the big game with another edition of their Rooftop Beer Garden series with a Bourbon, Brews and Basketball themed party on Sunday April 2nd from 3-6pm.

Guests will be elevatored up 8 stories to the roof top to not only see gorgeous views of Camelback Mountain and 360 degree scenic views of the valley but to sip on beers from Arizona Wilderness Brewery Company and bourbon from Woodford Reserve.

A delicious BBQ & Southern food menu will be served and includes Beef Brisket and Pork Cheek Baked Beans from the smoker, Whole Roasted BBQ Chicken & Beer Glazed Pork Spare Ribs at the Chef Station along with a Salad Bar where guest can choose any or all of the side dishes that include Ham Hock Collard Greens w/ Jalepeno, Shrimp and Corn “Frogmore Stew” and more.

Be sure to save room for desserts such as Brown Sugar Peach Cobbler with Ice Cream and Classic Southern Buttermilk Pie with Lemon.

DJ Mr. P-Body will be spinning tunes to keep us entertained while watching vintage championship basketball clips.

Advance reservations are required for this event and cost is $59 per person plus tax & gratuity. Reservations can be made by calling (480)376-2600 and more information can be found at http://www.hotelvalleyho.com/

 

Burger Battle returns to see who makes the Best Burger in the Valley

The Scottsdale League of the Arts annual Burger Battle returns this Thursday March 9th with more burgers, beers and fun to its new location at the Scottsdale Waterfront at 7 p.m.

The Burger Battle is one of the non-profits more popular events which helps raise money for artists, art programs and art education through several fund-raising events throughout the year.

This years Burger Battle will be emcee’d by local sports writer and sports  talk show host Dan Bickley. Burgers will be served from local restaurants such as Hand Cut Burgers, Aioli Gourmet Burgers and Arizona Wilderness Brewing Company.

In between tasting burgers, side dishes and desserts attendees will be able to play lawn games and dance to the sounds of The Groove Merchants.

After tasting burgers patrons will be able to cast their vote for the People’s Choice Award for Best Burger while 5 judges will be selecting the Judge’s Choice Award. 2 winners will then compete in the World Food Championships in November.

Tickets for the competition are $65 when purchased in advance or $75 at the door. VIP tickets are available for $85 and include early entry at 6 p.m., a VIP gift and access to a private lounge. This is a 21 and over event. Tickets can be purchased at http://scottsdalefest.org/

 

 

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