Tag: Undertow

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.

Sunday Supper with The TLC eXperience at Clayton House

Reserve your seats for the final monthly dinner of 2021 as they come inside for a festive holiday dinner. Cocktail hour starts at 5 p.m. on Sunday, December 19th with dinner to follow at the Scottsdale event venue. Chef Tom’s menu remains a mystery, reserve your seats here.

Christmas Market coming to Match Market & Bar

The downtown Phoenix restaurant & market inside the Found:RE Hotel brings back their exclusive event. Inspired by the German Christkindlmarkt, guests can eat, drink shop with small & locally owned business and food vendors. The market is Saturday, December 18th from 6:00 p.m. – 10 p.m and is free to attend.

Barter & Shake Cocktail Entertainment hires Mat Snapp

The company behind the Century Grand and UnderTow bar concepts hires the industry veteran as Partner & Executive Vice President of Operations. Snapp had worked for 17 years at Fox Restaurant Concepts most recently, as Beverage Director will help B & S continue its growth of new concept bars and cocktail programs.

Restaurant hosted toy drives around Phoenix

Local restaurants continue to collect toys for children who might otherwise miss out on receiving a gift during the holidays. All Grimaldi’s Pizzeria locations are collecting new & unused non-violent toys and clothing for Childhelp until Monday December 13th. Angry Crab Shack is hosting a drive for the Shriners collecting new & unused toys through December 22nd. Children in foster care benefit from the toy drive at the Scottsdale Quarter inside Santa City or donate online until December 19th.

Pedal Haus Brewery celebrates 6th anniversary with an Ugly Sweater Party

The downtown Tempe location of the award-winning brewery celebrates the milestone with the holiday tradition on Thursday, December 16th from 6 – 9 p.m. Those wearing an ugly holiday sweater get their 1st beer for $1 while listening to the live music of People Who Could Fly. Raffle tickets benefiting the Rob Dollar Foundation will be sold. Admission is free with VIP tickets available for $15.

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Undertow goes above ground with pop-up in Scottsdale

The popular and award-winning cocktail bar Undertow has taken its below ground concept to street level with a pop-up at the Hotel Valley Ho. From August of 2016 to December 2020 was housed below Sip Coffee & Beer Garage in Phoenix, a converted quick oil change business. With Covid-19 taking over 2020 owners Rich Furnari and Jason Asher decided to move Undertow next door to its Century Grand location.

In addition to the new Undertow, Century Grand will be adding new concepts Platform 18 and The Grey Hen Rx with construction ending in March. Until then Undertow has taken over the former Trader Vic’s restaurant at the Scottsdale hotel for a 4-day a week “Best of Menus Past” pop-up.

“UnderTow has a strong following, and we always wanted to have a little more space to accommodate additional guests and larger parties, all without compromising the intimate guest experience” says Furnari. With UnderTow’s lease ending in 2020, and our difficult decision to permanently close the restaurant element of Century Grand, there was a prime opportunity to re-locate UnderTow into a larger space in the same geographic neighborhood. In addition, the more flexible physical infrastructure in the new location will allow us to continue to offer our guests the most advanced and enjoyable immersive environment for years to come”.

The two have worked day and night with Hotel Valley Ho’s Food and Beverage Director Andre Nicholson to bridge the gap until construction ends in Phoenix. Housed in the Sands venue at the hotel, the pop-up will be open Thursday through Sunday serving many retired top-selling signature cocktails. Limited food will be served from local chefs who will rotate their own pop- up restaurant. A Sunday market could also be added once things are up and running and the tiki/tropical decor from local artists gives Undertow its laid back vibe.

Hotel Valley Ho is at 6850 E. Main St. Scottsdale 85251 and you can find more information about the pop-up at their website.

James Beard Foundation’s “Taste America” stops in Phoenix

Phoenix is on the map of the James Beard Foundation hot off the recent win by FnB’s Charleen Badman’s for “Best Chef: Southwest”. It’s also on the map for the foundations “Taste America” tour scheduled for September 19th- 21st. Phoenix is one of 20 cities chosen to host the event.

Tickets went on sale this week for the three day event for the cross country culinary experience.

Photos courtesy of Rose Moser Ally PR

Taste America events

The weekend kicks off on Thursday September 19th with the “Raising the Bar” walk around reception at Seventh and Union. Guests will meet rising star chefs and mixologists while sipping on cocktails and tasting culinary creations. Kyla Dahl of Pigtails Cocktail Bar, Henry Whittaker of Century Grand and Matt Steward of Undertow are a few of the mixologists pouring cocktails.

Dom Ruggiero of Hush Public House, Juan Zamora of Chula Seafood and Tamara Stanger of Cotton & Copper along with others will show off their culinary talents.

Friday night is the “Gala Benefit Dinner” at The Royal Palms Resort & Spa. The cocktail and tasting reception starts at 7 p.m. with tastes created by local chefs Stephen Jones of The Larder & Delta, Cat Bunnag of Glai Baan and others. Guests will then be treated to a three- course dinner menu created by visiting chef Tiffany Derry of Plano’s Roots Chicken Shack, local all-star Danielle Leoni of The Breadfruit & Rum Bar and host chef Alexander Robinson.

A dessert reception with Danielle O’Day of Sweet Dee’s Bakeshop and Hollie Layman-Sanders of The Royal Palms ends the night.

A silent and live auction will be held during the evening. A portion of the proceeds from dinner and auctions will go to the foundations scholarship programs.

The weekend concludes with the James Beard Foundation’s Women’s Leadership Program, Owning It. The workshop will bring together 60 women who are in the idea or growth phase of a food related business. A few women will pitch local investors for funding for their project and all will learn how to advance in the culinary industry.

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