Before it was a beer style, it was a party. The first Oktoberfest celebration was held on October 12, 1810, but far from the drinking festival it’s become today, this first party was actually held to celebrate a wedding. Ludwig, Crown Prince of Bavaria (who’d later become King Ludwig I)…
The Spot: The District at the Downtown Sheraton 320 N. 3rd St. Phoenix 602-817-5400 http://www.districtrestaurant.com The Hours: Happy hour is from 3 to 7 p.m. daily in the bar and lounge. See also: Rokerij: Happy Hour Report Card…
Anyone waxing melancholy about the loss of Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse either hadn’t eaten there during the sad year before that venerable steakhouse was shuttered or has yet to dine at The Gladly, which moved into Ruth’s longtime location late last summer. Even if the owners of Scottsdale’s award-winning Citizen Public…
When a new spot opens in town, we can’t wait to check it out — and let you know our initial impressions, share a few photos, and dish about some menu items. First Taste, as the name implies, is not a full-blown review, but instead a peek inside restaurants that…
Last month Phoenix New Times celebrated the cream of the crop with our 36th annual Best of Phoenix edition. Here are our top picks for ethnic restaurants in metro Phoenix. Best Japanese Restaurant: ShinBay On the exterior, chef Shinji Kurita’s James Beard Award-nominated restaurant looks like just another sleek strip…
If you’re a fan of dark dining rooms, good- looking people, and Korean barbecue short ribs, then you might want to know about ROK Social House, a new-ish restaurant and bar in Old Town Scottsdale. The dining and drinking spot comes courtesy of Andrew Nam, as in the man behind…
Later this fall Scottsdale will welcome its first Arizona vineyard wine shop and tasting room when the Lawrence Dunham Vineyards Wine Gallery tasting room and shop opens at 6951 E. 1st Street. The southern Arizona winery’s tasting room will be taking over a redeveloped ranch house on the southwest corner…
Altitude Coffee Lab recently celebrated its one-year anniversary in the best possible way: by winning a New Times Best of Phoenix award…
Gabriele Bertaccini Owner, Executive chef il Tocco Food www.iltoccofood.com Gabriele Bertaccini looks more like an Italian clothing model than a hardworking, über successful chef. But if you get him talking about cooking, dining, and Italian cuisine, it becomes immediately clear that he’s much more than just a handsome face and…
Cowboy Ciao Tuesday, October 14 Friendly competition between local wine experts is nothing new to Cowboy Ciao. In fact, the restaurant regularly hosts Sommelier Showdowns that pit two wine professionals against each other in a contest to pick a better pairing. This month the restaurant is shaking things up from…
In last week’s Last Call, I got to show off a punch recipe with a sanguine hue. It’s great for just about any variety of Halloween party you can imagine, especially one that leans more toward the sophisticated end of the Halloween party spectrum. However, there’s a lot of fun…
Hopdoddy, the fast-casual burger restaurant and bar in Scottsdale has taken two things we love, the milk shake and tres leches cake, blended them together and presented heaven in a cup. If you would like a serving of your own, be sure to get there by Sunday before their drink…
Next month the James Beard Foundation’s Celebrity Chef Tour will make an appearance at Binkley’s Restaurant in Cave Creek. The annual tour is designed to bring “the experience of dining at New York City’s historic James Beard House to cities around the country.” Host chef Kevin Binkley will welcome seven…
When a new spot opens in town, we can’t wait to check it out — and let you know our initial impressions, share a few photos, and dish about some menu items. First Taste, as the name implies, is not a full-blown review, but instead a peek inside restaurants that…
Next month some of the Valley’s top women chefs will gather in the kitchen at Chrysa Robertson’s Rancho Pinot restaurant to cook food and to make a stand, to show everyone that great, talented women chefs exist. And furthermore, that they deserve to be recognized. It’s not the first time…
If you read the words “Bacon & Beer Festival” in the headline and your heart skipped a beat, there’ll be plenty more heart-stopping action where that came from when you actually head out to the Wigwam Resort’s event celebrating all things porcine and sudsy. The event, which takes place on…
Over the weekend, if you haven’t heard, the city of Denver was swarmed with brewers and beer nerds celebrating the 2014 edition of the Great American Beer Festival, the largest celebration of American craft beer in the country. While a grand beer-tasting set up in the main hall of the…
Since owners Lylah and Michael Ledner decided to close The Simple Farm — which is also the couple’s private residence — to the public in August, there’s been limited opportunity to see the cute urban farm and visit the Ledners’ Nubian goats. The good news is that later this month…
Oktoberfest at Tempe Town Lake Friday, October 10 This weekend Oktoberfest is in full swing around the Valley and the biggest celebration will be held at Tempe Town Lake over the next three days. Starting tomorrow you’ll be able to find a half dozen beer gardens with scores of beers…
With the popularity of Starbucks’ Pumpkin Spice Latte, companies in every field are trying to cash in on the seasonal flavor. Of course, not every pumpkin spice product you see on the internet is actually being produced, some are just photoshop hoaxes. See if you can guess which are actual…
If you’ve missed the chef connection you were privy to during the Sanctuary’s Lunch and Learn series this summer, you’re in luck because the interactive format of the lunch is back with some big names during a special one-night-only dinner event on Friday, October 10. Obviously, chef Beau MacMillan of…
It was a bright but short run for The Local. The downtown Phoenix restaurant opened on Roosevelt Row this spring, and almost exactly six months to date from its official opening, it has shuttered. “We poured our hearts and souls into it, but at the end of the day if…
