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.

Myke’s Pizza debuting new seasonal vegetable pizza series

The popular downtown Mesa pizza joint continues to support local farmers using fresh vegetables for his innovative pizzas, the first is this week’s Kale & Golden Raisin Pizza. Using baby kale from Steadfast Farms, Myke tops it with mozzarella & Idiazabal cheese, charred lemon relish and golden raisins. The new pizza is $17 and he expects kale to be available until July.

Mountain Shadows Resort introduces new Library Teapot

The Paradise Valley resort added tea to its Library Coffee Cart that launched last year. Teas are from local tea company Teaspressa and will be available all year long. Locals and guests are invited to enjoy coffee, tea and creative coffee drinks in The Living Room every Friday- Sunday from 8 a.m. – 2 p.m. and all drinks are $7.

Macayo’s Mexican Food launches new cocktail menu

Jason Asher & Mat Snapp of Barter & Shake helped to curate 7 new cocktails available at all Phoenix area locations. Several are made with ready to drink low calorie hard seltzers. New to the menu are the Guava Colada — Myer’s Platinum Rum, house made sweet and sour, pineapple juice coconut and guava with a Myer’s Dark Rum float. Ranch Water — made with Corazon Blanco, house made sweet and sour and pineapple topped with Cherry Lime Chiller Spiked Ice. Red Sangria featuring house red blend, Gran Gala Orange Liqueur, Fireball Cinnamon Whisky, house made sweet and sour, lime juice, orange juice and blackberry.

Angry Crab Shack adds meat to the menu

The seafood restaurant recently added 4 all beef dishes to the menu for a limited time. Surf & Turf includes a 8 oz. filet & lobster tail, corn on the cob, potatoes and butter for $38. A Steak Sandwich, Steak Bowl and Steak Salad were also added for $19 each. All locations prepare the beef medium to medium well.

Grand Canyon Brewing + Distilling investing over $1,000,000 in expansion.

Owner John Peasley expects to start construction any day on an additional 12,500 square feet at his flagship Williams brewery and distillery. Once completed over the summer new equipment including 5 fermenters, one large tank and a keg washer & filler will be housed for the brewery. The distillery will add four 1,000 gallon pot stills and a coffee bean roaster.

Currently combined in one building the distillery will move to the rickhouse where the whiskey is stored and aged in barrels. Production in the distillery will grow by 600% with the new stills and the new brewery equipment will let Peasley increase production of the popular Prickly Pear Wheat beer and other beers.

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.

Nico Heirloom Kitchen debuts new cocktail menu

Gilbert’s Nico Heirloom Kitchen is debuting a new cocktail menu with 8 new cocktails. Several use barrel ages spirits including gin and rum.

Smoke n Barrel

Here are the new cocktails and their ingredients.

Rose Guerra – Raspberry vodka, fresh raspberries, peach puree, fresh lemon juice, French rose

Smoke n Barrel – Barrel-aged Appleton estate rum, Cynar 70, banana liqueur, Green Chartreuse, espresso, vanilla tobacco syrup, cream

Nonna’s Cider – Glen Grant Scotch, Apple pie liqueur, Ginger liqueur, Frangelico, fresh lemon juice, Fever tree Ginger Ale

Plymouth’s Peak – Barrel Aged Plymouth’s Gin, fresh lemon juice, Lavender syrup, Creme de Violette, Cassis Sherry blend, Cherry bitters

Carda Bonds – Rittenhouse BIB, fresh lemon juice, Meletti 1870, Amaro Nonino, Cardamon bitters, Absinthe, lemon essence

Del Strappo – Exotico Reposado Tequila, Yellow Chartreuse, Cinnamon Agave, fresh pineapple juice, fresh lime juice, Serrano bitters, vanilla extract

Bella Nueva (Ice Queen’s at Virtu spin-off) – Peppercorn infused Tito’s vodka, Strawberry shrub, Luxardo Maraschino, Orgeat, fresh lemon juice, Rhubarb bitters, Champagne foam

Pink Sangria – French Rose, Vodka, Peach liqueur, Strawberry puree, Soda water.

Nico Heirloom Kitchen is at 366 N Gilbert Rd Gilbert, AZ 85234 http://www.nicoaz.com/