Consumer Non-Cyclicals

Four Peaks SunBru: A Can-tastic Gold Medal Winner

Beer: Sunbru Brewery: Four Peaks Brewing Co. Style: Kolsch ABV: 5.2 percent If you people are any part the beer geeks you claim to be, you'll journey outside your homes on Saturday, May 18, into the increasingly balmy summer air and over to the AmeriCAN Canned Craft Beer Festival. You'll get to lis ... More >>

First Horse Slaughterhouse in the United States to Open Soon

Not so long ago, it was perfectly legal to slaughter horses for meat in the U.S. Is it again? In 2006 lawmakers eliminated federal funding for the inspection of horse meat processing facilities (read: slaughterhouses), effectively making horse meat production illegal in the states. But then in 201 ... More >>

Colbert on Yelp: "The Critical Palate of Zagat With Not Having Anything Better to Do"

Monday night on The Colbert Report, Stephen Colbert joined the chorus of people who like to hate on Yelp, the business-review site. Colbert called Yelp a social media site that combines the "critical palate of Zagat with not having anything better to do." See also: - Is Yelp Fair to Restaurants? - ... More >>

Top Restaurants Where Cheating Spouses Like to Eat/Cheat in Greater Phoenix

Where do cheaters like to cheat when they want a meal with their extramarital rendezvous? See also: - 10 Best Food Art Masterpieces from Artist "Red" Hong Yi's Month-Long Series - 10 Best/Worst Pizza Tattoos According to a survey conducted by AshleyMadison.com, a hook-up site for married people lo ... More >>

Psst, Anybody Out There Wanna Buy the Fresh & Easy Chain?

On Wednesday, Tesco, the English-based company and owner of Fresh & Easy, announced it was getting the hell out of the U.S. and selling its money pit grocery store chain that wouldn't let you touch the fruit, never had the brands you wanted, and made you check out your own damn self. See also: - CL ... More >>

Old World Brewery: The Old World Must've Been Messed Up

A word often flung around the beer-rating websites on which I sometimes dwell is homerism. The term has a broad definition, but most basically it means support for a local brewery that goes beyond what said brewery deserves. It's most often used by people from states outside a certain brewery's dist ... More >>

Bear Republic Racer 5, In Beer And Whiskey Form

Beer: Racer 5 Brewery: Bear Republic Brewing Co. Style: American IPA ABV: 7 percent Brewing beer and distilling whiskey are closely related enterprises. To make beer, all you need to do is add yeast to a boiled blend of malted barley and hops called wort. To make whiskey, you take hops out the equ ... More >>

MAN-CAT's Pussy Cola Antics Grabbed Attention of Pepsi's Lawyers

Lana Del Rey's "Cola" put some interesting visuals in our heads, especially that line about the particular flavor of her labia - "My pussy tastes like Pepsi Cola," she sings. As we've already gone into, local pranksters MAN-CAT took the vulgarity one step further, creating their own ad campaign, com ... More >>

Maynard James Keenan: Biodynamics For Dummies

With few exceptions, knowing is better than not knowing. As they say, "Knowledge is power." If you believe this as much as I do, then you can understand why some of our historic monsters went to such great lengths to eliminate knowledge and why forward thinkers and the socially conscious would die ... More >>

Four Wines Under $6

Feeling thrifty? Good, because this week we explore wines under $6-$7. You know, the ones no one really boasts about buying....but admit it, you do. These bottles cost less than an entire glass of wine a nice wine bar, so you pick one up at the grocer's in hopes you'll be pleasantly surprised. Whet ... More >>

Local and Online Wine Clubs to Try

Thinking of starting 2013 with a wine club membership for yourself or as a gift for a fellow wine lover? Afraid of commitment? Looking for special access to members only wines? Discounts? Today, we compare some online and local options, all of which have free membership. See also: - Shit Wine Snob ... More >>

Four Peaks Opens New Brewery and Tap Room, Food Trucks on Hand for Eats

There's no kitchen, no official signage (yet), and the long, industrial building with the green stripe probably won't be winning any architectural awards, but there's beer in them there walls, folks -- Four Peaks beer. See also: Best Local Beer 2012 - Four Peaks Hop Knot This week, Four Peaks, the ... More >>

Inaugural Phoenix Brewers Invitational Festival Coming December 7 and 8

The craft beer movement has been steadily growing in Phoenix over the past few years, and now all the hard work we've done downing pints and sampling flights has paid off with one really big event. The first Phoenix Brewers Invitational Festival will take place from noon to 10 p.m. on Friday, Decemb ... More >>

Local-Motion

Texaz Grill's Bottomless Chicken Fried Steak Laughs in the Face of Olive Garden's Endless Salad and Breadsticks

An open letter (not really) from the bottomless chicken fried steak offer happening this Wednesday, October 15, through Friday, October 26, at Texaz Grill, the neighborhood bar and restaurant, in east Phoenix. Dear Endless Breaksticks and Salad from Olive Garden, Shhh. Do you hear that? Yes, the l ... More >>

Ethiopian Famous Restaurant & Coffee Moves Out of Convenience Mart and Into Its Own Digs

See also: Ethiopian Famous Restaurant & Coffee's Oddball Location Belies the Treats Inside Abebech Ejersa was beaming when I popped in her new place at 4111 East McDowell Road in Phoenix on Sunday. "I couldn't have done it without all the wonderful people who came to visit me," she said. Ejersa, ... More >>

AZ Hops & Vines in Sonoita Grows Arizona's First Commercial Hops Crop

See also: Ten Favorite Arizona Summer Festivals and Adventures for Food, Wine and Beer Lovers Nowadays, the rolling grasslands of Sonoita and Elgin are better known for wineries than big cattle ranches. But apparently, grapes aren't destined to be the only gold in them thar hills. Shannon Austin ... More >>

Rascal Flatts Restaurant Chain to Launch in Phoenix With 14,000-Square-Foot Space

Look out Alice, Rascal Flatts, the award-winning American country band who've sang with Justin Bieber, are developing their own fashion line, and, according to Forbes, pulled down 45 million big ones in 2010, have their sights set on a new venture: a restaurant chain. And where better to put a res ... More >>

Arizona Wilderness Brewing Co. Receives Liquor License Approval

See Also: Craft Beer of the Week: Bell's Oarsman Ale Good news, East Valley Craft beer lovers. Arizona Wilderness Brewing Co. just received approval for their Series 3 Domestic Microbrewery Liquor License! That means that the Kickstarter assisted brewery that will eventually be housed at 721 N. A ... More >>

Arizona State University's Party-School Reputation Apparently Dead at Age 25

After a 25-year run as one of the nation's top party schools, Arizona State University's party-school reputation is likely dead in the eyes of national party-analysts.Just a week after Newsweek gave ASU one of the school's lowest party rankings of all-time at 24th in the nation, the just-released Pr ... More >>

Three Things to Eat, Drink, and Bake this Weekend

See also: World of Beer Grand Opening in Tempe Happy weekend Chow Bella friends! We're going to sweat it out this weekend with a little bit of barbecue at one of Phoenix's newest restaurants, then we're popping over to Tempe to check out their newest beer bar, and wrapping things up with a easy p ... More >>

Ten Places in Metro Phoenix to Get Your Growler Filled -- and Some Handy Tips on the Whole Growler Thing.

See Also: Ten Favorite Places in Metro Phoenix for Craft Beer by the Bottle (or the Can) Last week, Arizona's brand new growler laws went into effect. As we explained here, Arizona beer nerds can now take home 64oz of their favorite draft beer from some of their favorite craft beer watering holes. ... More >>

Ten Favorite Places in Metro Phoenix for Craft Beer by the Bottle (or the Can)

See Also: Ten Favorite Metro Phoenix Craft Beer Bars Starting this Thursday, you'll be able to fill up growlers of your favorite craft beer on draft at most of your favorite craft beer destinations but you're still going to need your trusty liquor stores to pick up beautiful bottles (and cans) of y ... More >>

Get Thirsty: Chef Gabriele Bertaccini Introduces BACCHUS MISCHiEF

MISCHiEF maker and il Tocco chef, Gabriele Bertaccini is at again, and this time, he brought the wine. BACCHUS MISCHiEF will make its premiere (and already sold-out) appearance at an undisclosed location on July 28. Bertaccini's new event is the new younger sibling of the three-year-old CULINARY M ... More >>

Holly Jolly July

Noodle Knockout: North Fattoria Italiana vs. Olive Garden

Don't worry, you read that right. We put Sam Fox's brand new North up against Olive Garden. We thought it would be funny. We thought maybe Sam Fox's new Italian restaurant would prove to be comparable to corporate Italian beast Olive Garden. We thought that we could prove once and for all that no ... More >>

Distrito Kicks Off Fourth of July with Barbacoa Tasting Dinner and Prix Fixe Menu

Slow-cooked meats went fast at Chef Jose Garces' Distrito Barbacoa Tasting Dinner Thursday night. The dinner, which was led by Chef Michael Fiorello, Culinary Director for the Garces' Restaurant Group, served as both a barbacoa how-to as well as a preview for the restaurant's upcoming prix fixe di ... More >>

Shake It Up

Local Restaurants Featured on Food Network's Mystery Diners Tonight

A new reality TV show called Mystery Diners airs on Food Network tonight at 10 pm, and the "stars" -- for the next five or six weeks anyway -- are Phoenix area restaurant owners and their employees.

For Your Health

Five Ways Not to Buy Wine

Vine Geek Brian Reeder co-owns AZ Wine Merchants in Scottsdale. Wine is subjective. Every wine is different. It all depends on your taste. Price doesn't equal quality. It's all the same anyway. Just drink what you like. Blah. Blah. Blah. We've all heard the nomenclatures. The bullshit lines that e ... More >>

Pink Slime Oozes its Way Into School Lunches

​Now that fast food companies have ditched the bright pink ammonia-treated meat goop AKA "Pink Slime," there seems to be an unused abundance of the stuff. So where's all that disgusting pink goo going to go? To feed hungry dogs in shelters? In the trash? Or maybe meat companies will just stop ... More >>

Hot Scotchy, the Brewer's Cocktail

​An arcane and mysterious sect, brewers like to perform a number of rituals during the making of beer: the pre-mash dance and battle cry, the sacramental blessing of the hops, the ceremonial loogie into the day's first boil. (ED NOTE: These are all made up. We hope.) But perhaps no brewday custom ... More >>

Chow Bella Prepares for the Coming Achocalypse with Prescott Brewing Company

Who hasn't wanted to spend a few minutes chatting up the guys who make their favorite brews? The Chow Bella team, lucky dogs that we are, recently got the opportunity to do just that. Thing is, we only got a few minutes with each one. These guys are busy! Watch the short video below for an insight ... More >>

Chow Bella Chills Out in the Fridge at Papago Brewing Company

Who hasn't wanted to spend a few minutes chatting up the guys who make their favorite brews? The Chow Bella team, lucky dogs that we are, recently got the opportunity to do just that. The catch? We only got about three minutes with each one. These guys are busy! Watch the short video below for an ... More >>

Yule Laugh

Blueberry Pinot Noir, Green Apple Riesling, White Chocolate Ale and Other Sips of the Kokopelli Wine Festival

"Going once....going twice...sold!" Kokopelli winemaker Dennis Minchella auctions off one of the 1,000,000th bottles.​We spent more time (okay, all of our time) sipping at grapes rather than crushing them over the weekend at the 10th Annual Kokopelli Krush, a wine festival put on by Kok ... More >>

Doritos Inventor Arch Clark West Will be Buried With, You Guessed It, Doritos

http://jaydeanhcr.wordpress.com/ The original Dorito packaging. The word "dorito" sounds like "doradito," which translates to "little golden" in Spanish. ​Throughout history, famous people have been buried with gold. So it's fitting, we suppose, that the guy who invited Doritos --the s ... More >>

Biltmore Offering After-Dark Dinner Deals Through July 31

Biltmore Fashion ParkBlack Chile's enchiladas are part of the Biltmore's "After Dark" deal.​We're thrilled that Arizona now has two Restaurant Weeks -- one during the spring season and another in fall. But it kind of sucks that you have to wait around for months just to partake in the event's dini ... More >>

Irish Pub Quiz

CLOSED: EVERY Marie Callender's in the Entire State of Arizona

​Can't say we didn't see this coming. We haven't actually stepped foot inside of a Marie Callender's since sometime around 1998 but we have heard the restaurant chain has been slowly going down hill for quite sometime -- our grandmother was the source. Get the rest of the pie after the jump.& ... More >>

Follow Friday: Twitterers of the AZ Wine World

It's that time again. We've compiled a small but meaningful list of great Twitter-ers for any Phoenix foodie to follow. This week we're giving Arizona grapes the glory. http://www.arizonawine.org/growingRegions.html Arizona Wine Map​Arizona Wine Growers Association (@AZWineries) This non-pr ... More >>

Sheen on the Screen

Winemaker Dinner at Crudo Cafe and "The Most Dangerous Appetizer" in Today's Eater's Digest

Allen Salkin​Hungry for your early morning serving of food news, with no preservatives or additives?Winemaker DinnerTonight Old Town Scottsdale's Crudo Cafe welcomes you to join them for a special Winemakers Dinner with John McLoughlin of Dribble Creek Wines. The local wine-man will be talking abo ... More >>

Carl's Jr. New Hand-Breaded Chicken Tender Wrappers Packaged with Whatever's Handy

White is ranch, pink is...wait, what's pink again?​Following nearly everyone else in fast-food land, Carl's Jr. has finally come out with its own chicken wrap. Called Hand-Breaded Chicken Tender Wrappers, each one features one of CJ's chicken tenders rolled up in a flour tortilla with shredded ... More >>

Dump the Dive

No more sticky floors at Sticky Fingers

Fast Food Toast Has Us on Meltdown

Fine’s Cellar pairs well with the Scottsdale dining scene

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THE JOYLESS OUT-OF-LUCK CLUB