Check, Please! Arizona Now Accepting Statewide Restaurant Picks and Hosting a Tasting Tour (Dare to Dream, Yuma!)

In an announcement that must have caused a collective gasp from restaurants in Arizona cities like Yuma, Show Low, and Flagstaff, Check, Please! Arizona, PBS's popular restaurant review series where Arizonans share dining-out experiences roundtable-style with James Beard Award-winning chef and host Robert McGrath, has announced the program will expand...

By Laura Hahnefeld

May 18, 2012

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In an announcement that must have caused a collective gasp from restaurants in Arizona cities like Yuma, Show Low, and Flagstaff, Check, Please! Arizona, PBS's popular restaurant review series where Arizonans share dining-out experiences roundtable-style with James Beard Award-winning chef and host Robert McGrath, has announced the program will expand its restaurant reach to areas outside of the Phoenix area for its third season.

In addition, the show will also host its first Check, Please! Arizona Tasting Tour. And with the omission of national chains like My Big Fat Greek Restaurant, it already seems more legit than downtown's "Taste it Tours."

The first Check, Please! Arizona Tasting Tour is scheduled for Tuesday, October 23, and features a private motor coach to five of the show's most memorable dining destinations, where, for a donation of $125 per person, you and other Check, Please! fans sample an array of food and beverages from El Chorro Lodge, Fuego Bistro, Christopher's and Crush Lounge, Salt Cellar Restaurant, and Malee's Thai Bistro.

In addition, members of the Arizona Wine Growers Association will provide complimentary wine tastings from different vineyards at each location.

To sign up for the tour, which is limited to two groups of fifty guests, go here. To nominate your favorite restaurant and be a guest on the show, go here.

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