Not a whole lot happens in Arizona during the summer but something you can count on is the Wine Country BBQ hosted by LDV Winery in Pearce. On Saturday August 6th, in the foothills of the Chiricahua Mountains of southeastern Arizona winery owners Peggy Fiadaca and Kurt Dunham host wine club members and guests for their annual celebration of the harvest in progress.
The fun starts at 11:30 a.m. with lunch between 11:30 a.m. and 2 p..m. followed by tours until 4 p.m. Lunch will of course be paired with award-winning wines and the educational tour will visit the winery and vineyards. Taking pictures is encouraged as the property has picturesque views and lots of natural beauty.
Those looking to spend the night are encouraged to speak with Peggy about nearby lodging. Those with RVs or looking to camp (bring your own tent,etc) are invited to spend the night “amongst the vines”. Cost is $40 per person and $30 for wine club members. Lunch, a glass of wine and a tour are all included. You can register to attend here or call or email Peggy at 480-664-4822.
As things heat up in the valley, farmer’s markets tend to wind down until the Fall and the Hotel Valley Ho is filling that void with its Sip + Shop Summer Market Series. Hotel guests and locals are invited to attend the monthly market on the 3rd Saturday morning of June, July August and September from 9 a.m. – 1 p.m. Sip + Shop is reminiscent to the hotel’s Chef + Farmers Market series from 2018 & 2019.
Each month’s market will have a theme with live music and feature local chefs & purveyors offering samples. It’s free to attend and each guest will receive a wristband allowing for 6 tastes of wine, spirits and beer. Guests will also receive a voucher for 20% off at Zuzu to be used before the next month’s market. Cocktails will be available for purchase and will include recipes.
Quick sips & bites of news about what’s going on around the Phoenix restaurant community, breweries and wineries.
Enjoy the dog days of summer with a new Trapp Dawg at Trapp Haus BBQ
The downtown Phoenix BBQ joint is offering 3 new all beef brisket hot dawgs for a limited time starting Monday August 2nd. These dawgs are available 7 days a week for $7.99 each. The Lou — topped with potato salad and crispy fried onions. The Jersey — topped with crispy potato and cheddar cheese sauce. The Village — topped with BBQ baked beans and jalapeño honey slaw.
Hearth ’61 Sunday Supper Club with guest chef Sean Currid
The Maple & Ash Executive Chef will join Chef Chuck Wiley’s team to create a 5-course menu paired with Australian wines from Barossa Valley selected by Mountain Shadows F & B manager Jim Gallen. Reservations are required for the Sunday August 15th dinner that starts at 6 p.m. Seats are $149 ++ per person and can be made by calling 866-572-8774. To see the pairing menu visit their website.
Chompie’s hiring fair for new Phoenix location and other locations
All four valley locations and the soon to open north Phoenix location is looking to hire back & front of the house help. They are holding a 3 day job fair at the Embassy Suites at 4415 Paradise Village Pkwy S. Phoenix 85032. 80 employees are needed for the new location with additional employees needed to support the growth at other locations. The job fair is Monday, August 2nd 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Tuesday, August 3rd 9:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. & Wednesday, August 4th 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Candidates should come prepared with a resume and be prepared to interview with hiring done on the spot.
Eat Up Drive- In is now open for lunch.
The fast casual Arcadia Lite restaurant that opened in March is now open for lunch and extended their hours 7 days a week from 11 a.m. – 9 p.m. The restaurant features individual and family style meals for dine-in or to-go.
Grimaldi’s Pizzeria to support the American Heart Assoc. in August
For all 31 days in August guests who donate $5 will get a $5 Bounce Back card to use at any Grimaldi’s nationwide (except To-Go locations in Austin TX & Scottsdale AZ and NYC, NJ & CT locations) until Dec. 31st 2022. Guests can donate up to $25 to get $25 Bounce Back per visit.
Phoenix’s Miracle Mile Deli re-opens it’s dining room at 50% capacity today just in time for National Sandwich Month. To celebrate the are offering weekly $10 sandwich deals for four of their popular sandwiches. In addition to limiting seating they’re following other CDC guidelines including requiring wearing face masks when not seated to keep customers safe and healthy.
The weekly deals are for dine-in, take-out or curbside pick-up and come with a choice of a side dish and a kosher dill pickle spear. The sandwich deals below are available Monday – Saturday from 11 a.m. – 7p.m.
8/3-8/9 – The Straw
8/10-8/16 – Brisket of Beef Sandwich
8/17-8/23 – Combo (Pastrami & Corned Beef piled high)
8/24-8/30 – New Yorker
Side dishes include….
French Fries
Potato Salad
Cole Slaw
Macaroni Salad
Carrot Raisin Salad
Pasta Salad
Fresh Fruit
Applesauce
Steamed Vegetables
Jello
Potato Chips
When you wake up tomorrow it will be August 1st or as Gilbert’s Liberty Market calls it “Burger Days”. For 31 days in August the restaurant serves a unique burger for their annual celebration of the American comfort food. For this years event executive chef David Traina created the list of burgers with input from loyal customers and staff.
Customers ordering a burger on a given day may find other than locally raised beef between the buns. Bison, elk and a veggie burger will be served and all will have unique flavor profiles and toppings. All burgers are a 1/2 pound and many will have an international spin.
Miso Sticky burger. All photos courtesy of Sarah Roberson
Customers save your receipts
Save your receipts from each burger visit as you will be rewarded with gift cards. A $50 Liberty Market gift card will be given to customers who eat 10 different burgers. If you stop by for all 31 burgers a $250 gift card is yours. Customers will have until the end of the first week of September to redeem their gift cards.
Here is the list of 31 burgers.
1- Short Rib – AZ raised beef patty, blue cheese sauce, roasted onion and arugula on onion bun.
2- Carne Asada – AZ raised beef patty, drunken beans, grilled green onions, cotija cheese, and guacamole on onion bun.
3- Buffalo Blue Cheese Fry* – bison patty, curly fries, buffalo cheese sauce, blue cheese, and chives on a pretzel bun.
4- French Onion – AZ raised beef patty, sherry caramelized onions, Gruyere cheese, fresh garlic aioli, and au jus, on a Ciabatta bun.
5- Philly Cheese Steak – AZ raised beef patty, Cheese Whizz, roasted peppers, provolone cheese and onions on Ciabatta bun.
6- Torta Style – AZ raised beef patty, topped with adobo braised pork, beans, jalapeño salsa, crema, cotija cheese, avocado, and cabbage slaw, on a bollio bun.
7- The Issac – AZ raised beef patty, pesto aioli, fried fresh mozzarella, bacon, and tomato on an Italian rosemary bun.
8- Chicken Katsu – AZ raised beef patty, fried chicken, jalapeño aioli slaw, and Katsu sauce on a sesame bun.
9- Cajun Shrimp – AZ raised beef patty, roasted red bell peppers and onions, and Tabasco aioli on a Ciabatta bun.
10- Breakfast Nduja – AZ raised beef patty, sunny side up egg, grain mustard, Seahive cheese, and arugula on ciabatta round.
11- Anti-Pasto – AZ raised beef patty, fried mozzarella, salami, marinated artichoke, roasted red peppers, pesto, and arugula on a Kalamata olive bun.
12- Korean BBQ – AZ raised beef patty, Korean bbq sauce, cabbage nauc cham slaw, sesame seeds, rice wine cucumbers, on a brioche bun.
13- Whiskey Onion – AZ raised beef patty, BBQ sauce, bacon, cheddar cheese, and whiskey onions on fried cheddar cheese as the bun.
14- Hatch-Frito – AZ raised beef patty, brisket patty, pepper jack cheese, chipotle bbq aioli, and Fritos on a chili cheese bun.
15- Bourbon BLT – AZ raised beef patty, bourbon brown sugar bacon, oven dried tomato aioli, and butter lettuce on onion bun.
Buffalo Blue Cheese burger
16- Piggly Wiggly* – AZ raised beef patty, hatch cheddar, pulled pork, sliced ham, fried onion straws, yellow BBQ sauce, and chicharrones on an onion bun.
17- Crab Salad – AZ raised beef patty, marinated crab salad, cambozola cheese, Tabasco aioli, and butter lettuce on a brioche bun with 9 grain topping.
18- Burrata Burger – AZ raised beef patty, truffle dressed arugula, bacon, tomato, and black pepper aioli on Italian olive oil bun.
19- Miso Sticky* – AZ raised beef patty, miso and maple glazed pork belly, pickled cucumber and carrots, red onion, thin jalapeño slices, butter lettuce, sesame seeds, and gochujang aioli, on a bollio bun.
20- Pepper Jack Sausage – AZ raised beef patty, Beehive Barely Buzzed cheese, roasted onions, cajun aioli on a ciabatta roll.
21- Ma’s Meatloaf – AZ raised beef patty bacon meatloaf, arugula, roasted garlic onion and horseradish aioli on a brioche bun.
22- Cuban Mojo –Â house blend patty (orange, lime zest, garlic cumin oregano, cilantro, Fresno chiles) Manchego cheese, grilled yellow onions and Anaheim chiles, avocado, and tequila-lime aioli, on an onion bun.
23- Cheesy Tot* – AZ raised beef patty, onion dip ranch, tater tots, hatch chile cheese curds on an onion bun.
24- Crispy Carmen – AZ raised beef patty, chilaquiles, sunny side up egg, tomatillo salsa, cotija cheese, on a ciabatta bun.
25- Mac Daddy* – AZ raised beef patty, jalapeño bacon mac and cheese, BBQ short rib, grilled red onion, cheddar cheese, and sriracha aioli on a jalapeño Ciabatta bun.
26- Pastrami Style – AZ raised beef patty, sauerkraut, and 1000 Island dressing on marble rye.
27-Veggie – house made red bean and rice patty, Cajun tofu, and cashew butter on rustic bun.
28- Far East – AZ raised beef patty, topped with greens, wontons, hoisin aioli, tamarind-ginger glaze on seeded Kaiser roll.
29- Green Goddess – AZ raised beef patty, Green Goddess dressing, fried zucchini, roasted portobello mushrooms, lemon ricotta, and arugula on a rustic bun.
30- Lobster-Prosciutto* –Â AZ raised beef patty, brie, Boston lettuce, classic aioli on a french bun.
31- Elk Burger – AZ raised beef patty, speck, peppadews, Gruyere cheese, spring mix, and whole grain mustard sauce on a garlic bun.Â
Chainsaw Chili burgerWith the month of August less than a week away burger aficionados are holding out for Liberty Market’s annual Burger Daze for the 31 days of the month. 31 days means a different specialty burger each day to owner Joe Johnson and co-owner & executive chef David Traina. Traina is no stranger to burgers as he was the 1st chef at Delux Burgers in Phoenix before partnering with Johnson at Liberty Market.
Many of the burgers are made with local, natural ground chuck beef while others will be made with other proteins such as chicken, pork, Spam and more with unique toppings giving each burger its own unique flavor and giving Traina the opportunity to show off a global spin to the all American burger.
If trying the unique burgers are not enough there is an incentive for those that visit and eat at least 10 different burgers during the month, a $50 Liberty Market gift card, eat all 31 different burger and get a $250 gift card. Customers must save all receipts and have verified by the end of the 1st week of September.
Liberty Market 230 N. Gilbert Rd., Gilbert (480) 892-1900 Daily 7a-9p, Friday & Saturday until 10p. www.libertymarket.com The Burger Daze line up is…….
$14-1st-Coffee Burger: Coffee rubbed, smoked gouda, candied bacon, red onion cream, Hawaiian bun. $15-2nd-Dossant Burger: Maple bacon dossant bun, Farm at Agritopia egg, havarti. $16-3rd-The Hump Burger: Triple 4oz patties, habañero-bbq, havarti, matchstick boar’s head ham, griddled red onions, potato bun. $14-4th-Pasta House Burger: Pasta, fresh mozzarella, marinara, parmesan, basil-garlic, ciabatta bun. $14-5th-Chicken Wing Burger: Boneless chicken wings, Franks Red Hot®, blue cheese and celery (plus a drizzle of blue cheese dressing), onion bun. $20-6th-Hangover Burger: Roasted short rib, fried Farm at Agritopia duck egg, parmesan, choice of Bloody Mary or Golden Monkey beer, pretzel bun. $16-7th-Breakfast Burger: Fried Farm at Agritopia egg, american cheese, bacon, lettuce, tomatoes, breakfast potatoes, english muffin.
Graze Desert Grille has some great craft beer & food pairings this month every Wednesday evening. With representatives on hand to speak about the beer paired with executive chef Keith Osmundson’s locally sourced cuisine should make for a cool and refreshing evening on these hot summer nights. Hurry, seats are limited to 18 people per week.
