Rose All Day Happy Hour at The Thirsty Camel starts May 29th

With so much to see at luxurious Phoenican Resort in Scottsdale you may not realize they have fantastic lobby bar, The Thirsty Camel. Locals looking to escape the heat with a refreshing cocktail, sangria or glass of rose should plan to spend some time at The Thirsty Camel this summer as they start their all day happy hour from 2 p.m. -11 p.m.

Quench your thirst at The Thirsty Camel

Whether you choose to lounge out on the terrace or inside from May 29th until August 31st guests of the AAA 5 Diamond resort can sip on one of my favorite roses, Spain’s Muga or the sparkling Piper Sonoma rose for only $10 a glass or 20% off a bottle.

Prefer a cold beer, sip on Dos Equis , Corona or other beers for only $5. House made red, white or rose Summer Sangria are part of the revolving cocktail list created for the summer. A glass of sangria is $12.

Grab a bite to eat

You can’t have happy hour without a bite to eat and a variety of Sonoran style bites including Carne Asada Quesadilla made with Hanger steak and Grilled Artichoke Flatbread topped with Morel mushrooms, spring onion, pea and Stinging Nettle hot sauce are just a couple of bites available.

The Phoenician Resort is at 6000 E. Camelback Rd. Scottsdale 85251. For more information check their website.

We all won at Devour Culinary Classic

As the weekend is here and plans are being made for baseball games, food festivals and more I’m still reminiscing about last weekends Devour Culinary Classic . Moving to the Desert Botanical Garden for the first time it looked to me that all was good on Sunday when I got a chance to go.The great weather, spacious & pretty DBG,  great food and people made for a winning combination. There was also a little competitive spirit on both days as 8 judge’s walked through all 10 tasting zones tasting food from many if not all the restaurants participating.

Saturday’s winners

The judges picked these dishes as their winners on Saturday.

Excellence in Presentation 
  • Winner: Cibo
    • Arancini no.1 – Pan Fried rice balls with mozzarella and green peas
    • Arancini no. 2- Pam fried rice balls with mozzarella and lamb
  • Runner Up: Phoenix Public Market
    • Arizona Citrus Salad – goat cheese, pistachios, local dates, sweet shallot honey vinaigrette, micro greens
Excellence in Innovation
  • Winner: True Food Kitchen
    • Grilled Cauliflower Planks – black walnut pesto, truffle tahini, aleppo chili
  • Runner Up: Helio Basin Brewery
    • Venison Sausage
Excellence in Taste 
  • Winner: Gallo Blanco
    • Flapjacks with Plantains Foster
  • Runner Up: Dust Cutter
    • Huevos Rancheros / Sonoran Native Tepary Bean Chili, Ground bison, quail egg and chorizo espuma

      Differnt Pointe of View’s runner-up Muscovy Duck

Sunday’s winners

Good to see Sedona & Flagstaff restaurants Elote Cafe and Shift  catching the attention of the judge’s.

Excellence in Presentation 

  • Winner: Kai
    • Smoked Ocean Trout, Squash Escabeche, Huitlacoche Chumeth, Black Tepary Miso.
  • Runner Up: FnB / The Inbetweens
    • Fresh vegetable salad with sugar snap peas and country ham

Excellence in Innovation

  • Winner: Shift
    • Beef tongue Philly Cheese steak
  • Runner Up: The Dressing Room
    • Tako Yaki Hushpuppy with a Tomato Sriracha Jam

Excellence in Taste 

  • Winner: Elote Cafe
    • Spicy Anasazi beans with local heritage barley and mesquite corn bread
  • Runner Up: Different Point of View
    • Grain Mustard Soy Grilled Muscovy Duck; Sweet Corn Milk Griddle Cakes & Bliss Maple Drizzle , Kumquat Shallot Jam, Duck Cracklings, Basil Oil

Excellence in Distinction: FnB

Runner up: Kai