Best Happy Hour, Scottsdale 2011 | The Roaring Fork | Arts & Entertainment | Phoenix
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Best Happy Hour, Scottsdale

The Roaring Fork

Courtesy of Roaring Fork
This $5 Scottsdale happy hour spot can be summed up in three words: frozen huckleberry margarita. But we'll go ahead and offer a few more highlights to the discounted delectable goodness that's been taking place for years in the cozy, classy digs of this Old Town dining establishment. Happy hour at RF doesn't mean limiting options and lowering standards on exceptional food and drink — it just means killer prices. And we're not just talking nachos, pal. How about a "Big Ass" Burger or a lamb chop fondue pot to go along with that huckleberry marg? Now that's what we call happy.

Best Sushi Happy Hour

Hon Machi

At the corner of Dobson and Ray roads, you'll see a neon sign that lures barflies like a moth to flame: "sushi and cocktails." You can trust that sign, because Hon Machi is one mom-and-pop sushi shop that will make good on those neon promises. During happy hour, you can stuff yourself to the gills with raw fish, thanks to half-priced sushi rolls and appetizers. Try the Hon Machi chips, topped with tuna, or the crispy salmon skin roll. And no sushi happy hour would be complete without a sake bomber on the side — just five bucks during happy hour. Domo arigato, Hon Machi!

Best Place for a First Date

Cibo

Jacob Tyler Dunn
Ah, the first date. A mixture of hope, fear, and possibility all rolled into one, and if you're going to take a leap into the unknown, the best place to do it is Cibo. The warm, intimate atmosphere, combined with a stellar peach Bellini, will push awkwardness to the wayside. Set in a historic, restored 1913 bungalow, you and (maybe he or she will be) yours can dine under the care of a friendly staff while appreciating the brick fireplace, quaint patio, and hardwood floors. We recommend snagging an outdoor table among the trees to appreciate the twinkling lights while you swap anecdotes over a locally brewed beer or one of the many Italian wines available. Even if your date turns out to be a dud, Cibo will leave you waxing poetic and pining for your next encounter.

Best Street Scene

The crowd outside Hanny's

Lauren Cusimano
A friend of ours was visiting from Los Angeles, and he wanted to go out for a drink after we'd had dinner at District, the restaurant at the downtown Phoenix Sheraton. We walked over to Arizona Center, and it was dead (except for Hooters, but, um, we were trying to impress our friend, not frighten him). We headed back to the Sheraton — home to not one, but two bars — but they were no longer serving. We dropped in at a nearby hotel cafe, but they didn't serve drinks. Then we noticed the crowd outside Hanny's and made a beeline for what looked like the only Friday-night scene on the block. We were glad we did. Fast, friendly service, cool lounge-y tunes from a hip DJ, and a list of boutique cocktails made for a very cosmopolitan night. Even before the drinks, we stopped to talk with the folks who were hanging outside, and left wondering whether these hip young people hadn't been hired by Hanny's (a former department store turned bar and restaurant) to draw us in. We knew we were in the right place because hipsters never lie, and every one of the guys and gals we met on the curb outside Hanny's had one thing to say: "Go inside! It's great!" Come to think of it, we hope they weren't just trying to get rid of us.

Best Place to Be Seen

The Icehouse

It's really only fitting that this historic downtown warehouse was known as Constable Ice Storage in 1910 because, since then, there's really no question that the happenings taking place within the various rooms of this buildings have been kept raw and very cool. Between its recent art installation by Barry Schwartz, the killer acoustics of live music shows, after-hours events by Nightlife Ninja Quincy Ross, and the influx of in-the-know people attending, it's undoubtedly the newest (and oldest) place to be cold-chillin'.

Best Sign of Youth Culture in Downtown Phoenix

Bar Smith

If you're the cynical bastard still saying, "downtown Phoenix will never happen," we suggest going to Bar Smith on a Wednesday, Friday, or Saturday night, taking a look around at the rooftop full of diverse youngsters flailing their drunk and happy limbs, then shutting the hell up. Yes, watching downtown Phoenix flourish has kind of been like watching the little blue train struggle up the mountain in The Little Engine That Could, but it's taken a hip destination like Bar Smith to prove that with a little hard work and optimism — or just killer DJ dance nights — it's damn straight that downtown Phoenix can.

Best Sign of Lounge Life in Downtown Phoenix

Copper Blues

A new addition to 2011's lounge and music venue scene, Copper Blues already stands out among the rest. Making a home at downtown's CityScape, it's certainly the classiest joint on the block. Sure, you can get your cocktail on and, just as the name suggests, hear some great live blues acts. But you wouldn't expect this kind of place to house 60 draft beers and a bottled selection to match. Beer snobs, rejoice! Selections from craft companies, domestic top dogs, and local breweries line the stage, where rockers, blues bands, DJs, and vocal acts perform nearly every night. It might not be at the center point of CityScape, but as far as Valley lounges go, Copper Blues hits the bull's-eye.

Best Place to Keep It Real in Scottsdale

Coach House

Jennifer Goldberg
Serving Scottsdale since 1959, the Coach House is one of the most unpretentious places in a city known for being more champagne than PBR. During spring training, it's not uncommon to see baseball royalty sitting on the patio enjoying a cold one; major-leaguers have been hitting the Coach House since the 1960s. We can see why. Not only does the bar serve a White Russian that would make even The Dude jealous, it opens at 6 a.m. 365 days a year. We like that idea. Whether you ride a hog or a horse (there are still hitchin' posts out front) or just like drinking while watching the sun come up, you're always welcome at the Coach House. And if you've never been here during the holiday season, you're missing out. The entire bar turns into one giant light show, with thousands of Christmas lights covering the entire building . . . ceilings, walls, and all. This is one time you may actually get away with wearing your sunglasses inside and not looking like a total douche.

Best Place to See a Comedy Show

First Friday Night Live, The Firehouse

Downtown Phoenix's First Friday art walk experienced some growing pains in the past year. Streets were closed off and then reopened. Merchant tents relocated or disappeared. But this flux birthed a host of new First Friday events, including The Firehouse's new sketch comedy-slash-variety show starring such locals as Shaikh Sammad, Anna Moncada, Dwayne Holmes, and John Luther, of the band Haymarket Squares. We love the organic feel of the show, which features new skits every month and brings in guest artists, from the Strange Family Circus and Mizz Lucy Morals of Scandalesque Burlesque to Hooves (who perform the show's theme song) and event co-founder Aaron Johnson. The cast never fails to shock, whether poking fun at the "birther bill" loonies or casting the Pope's disdain for condoms in a funnier light.

Best Drag Show

"Scandaleyez," Fridays at The Rock

Lauren Cusimano
Savannah Stevens, the Phoenix drag queen who hosts Scandaleyez, isn't from the RuPaul school of drag, in which men try their best to look like beautiful women. Stevens looks more like the Divine school of drag, in which the aesthetic is more about crazy, outlandish makeup (including pinkish-red blush that makes cheekbones look like T-bones) and provocative performances that look more like wack cabaret than a Liza Minnelli or Cher tribute. Sure, it's a gas to watch a guy in heels and a Hindenburg-size curly wig lip-synch to Lady Gaga, but that's the whole idea. The fellow drag queens Stevens sometimes brings with her for the show (including Rihanna Matthews, Asia La'Vega, and Candi Colee) add their own distinctive styles to Scandaleyez, but the overall vibe stays the same: outlandish, campy fun in a haze of hairspray and padded bras.

Best Of Phoenix®

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