The Scottsdale Culinary Festival sounds monolithic, but the granddaddy among the Valley's culinary festivals is surprisingly multifaceted -- a dozen different events at 16 different restaurants and venues around town, ranging from casual tastings to semi-formal sit-down occasions.
The folks behind Crave Arizona set the bar really high with the event's debut last year (it was originally dubbed Eats3), but round two, set for October 22 to 24, promises to be an even bigger culinary blowout, featuring 50 high-profile Arizona chefs and a handful of celebrity guests who'll lure Valley foodies to SouthBridge and various locales in Old Town Scottsdale.
Among the food and beverage experts involved in the festivities, look for national luminaries like Michael Mina and Dou