The Spot: St. Francis, 111 E. Camelback Rd., Phoenix, (602) 200-8111www.stfrancisaz.comThe Hours: 3- 6 p.m., daily.The Details: When it comes to Phoenix dining destinations, St. Francis has always been a top contender, specializing in urban/ rustic style food and drink and an ambiance that guarantees to calculate our “big city”…
Last week we met Brian Ramsay, bartender at Murphy’s Law in Chandler. Today he shares with us the recipe for Pimp Juice, a drink with seemingly magical properties. “It was established for my buddy Brian — very shy guy,” Ramsay says. “He was working there, really shy, never talked to girls,…
The beer: Fretzy’s Unfiltered AleThe brewery: Phoenix Ale BreweryStyle: English Pale AleABV: 5 percent Imagine there’s a new restaurant in town. The owners and chefs are well-respected in the industry, so you’re excited to visit. You sit down at a table, open the menu, and find the only dish they…
The tender: Brian Ramsay The bar: Murphy’s Law (58 S. San Marcos Place, Chandler, 480-812-1588) The pedigree: Ramsay started young, barbacking at Native New Yorker at the tender age of 15. After a short stint in the military (dude did aviation ordinance during Desert Storm) he returned to Phoenix, where…
The beer: Stateside Saison The brewery: Stillwater Artisanal Ales Style: Saison ABV: 6.8 percent Phoenix may be many things, but a beer destination it is not. Compared to, say, Portland, Denver or Philadelphia — meccas for brewers and drinkers — we’re just not there yet. But it may be for…
The Spot: Kitchen 56, 3433 N. 56th St, Phoenix, (480) 994-5656www.kitchen56.comThe Hours: 3-6 p.m., daily. The Details: What’s not to love about $5 appetizers and specialty cocktails? Choose from 15 progresive and delicious cocktail inventions, including “Adult Lemonades,” and a wide ranging list of martinis and mixed drinks with clever…
Last week we met Trent Robertson, longtime bartender at the Vine Tavern, a Tempe institution. Today he shares with us the recipe for Blue Magic. “A couple years ago, a lot of people were asking for easy, tasty drinks, so I came up with this,” Robertson says. “It tastes kind of like a…
The tender: Trent RobertsonThe bar: The Vine Tavern (801 E. Apache Blvd., 480-894-2662)The pedigree: Robertson got his bartending start in Kansas, working mostly, he says, at “Applebee’s-type restaurants.” A fortuitous coin flip led him to Tempe and the Vine ten years ago, where he’s been serving drinks ever since. How’d…
The beer: Black Butte XXIII The brewery: Deschutes Brewery Style: Imperial Porter ABV: 10.8 percent Last year, as 22-year-olds are wont to do, Deschutes flaked. Black Butte XXII, their much-anticipated double porter brewed to celebrate the brewery’s 22nd anniversary, never made it into regular distribution. Dark chocolate in the recipe…
Grocery shopping sucks, but navigating crowds of mouth-breathers in narrow aisles can be made way more tolerable with the application of beer. It’s why we dig the Whole Foods Market in Chandler, which — despite its status as a fancypants, way-too-expensive grocery store — has one of the best beer bars…
Yesterday we met Trudy Thomas, former student of Wolfgang Puck and current bar manager at BLT Steak at Camelback Inn. Today she shares with us the recipe for Passionate Pisco Punch, a cocktail new for BLT’s summer 5@5 menu inspired by Thomas’ current infatuation with Pisco, a strong, clear grape…
We like beer, we like brains, and we like teamwork, so we’re loving this one. Louis Dolgoff, head of the Beer for Brains Foundation, told us yesterday a collaborative beer specially brewed for his organization is in the works and will eventually hit national distribution. Dolgoff says the brew will…
The tender: Trudy ThomasThe bar: BLT Steak at Camelback Inn, a JW Marriott Resort (5402 E. Lincoln Dr., 480-905-7979)The pedigree: Thomas’ bartending career began as a matter of convenience — she got her start in working in a bar attached to her apartment complex in Kentucky. In 1999, she moved…
The beer: CoCoNut PorTeRThe brewery: Maui Brewing Co. Style: Robust PorterABV: 6 percent Say aloha to Maui Brewing Co., the newest entrant riding the waves of the Arizona craft beer scene. Coming all the way from Lahaina, Hawaii, Maui’s microbrews all come in cans — a conscious and responsible packaging…
The Spot: Top of the Rock at The Buttes Tempe Resort, 2000 Westcourt Way, Tempe, 602- 431-2370 www.marriott.com/phxtmHours: Top of the Rock is on top of a rock. These people take things literally. And so it’s only fitting that they name their new summer happy hour Five-2-Seven. Monday through Saturday…
The beer: Brainless Belgian-Style Golden AleThe brewer: Epic BrewingStyle: Belgian Golden Strong AleABV: 8.6 percent Mistaken beliefs run rampant when it comes to the beer scene in Utah, but the most pernicious is the misconception that you can’t find a beer above 3.2 percent ABV in the state. This is…
The Spot: Rum Bar, the adjoining lounge next to the Jamaican eatery The Breadfruit, is located at 108 E Pierce, Phoenix, 602- 267-1266. www.thebreadfruit.com/rumbar The Hours: 5-7pm, weekdays. The Details: The Happy Hour offerings are a bit slim at Rum Bar, but delicious. Six of their specialty cocktails are priced…
Yesterday we met Steve Holquist, the tropical fish wrangler-turned-bartender who mixes drinks at central Phoenix’s Fuego Bistro. Today he shares with us the recipe for his classic mojito, which won a Best of Phoenix award in 2008. “A basic mojito can be taken so many different directions based on what…
After his wife died giving birth to their sixth child, Civil War vet Henry Jackson Smart was left to raise the litter all by himself. Imagine, if you will, what the average day was like for Henry: six kids of varying age screaming, kicking the crap out of each other,…
The tender: Steve HolquistThe bar: Fuego Bistro (713 E. Palo Verde Drive, 602-277-1151)The pedigree: For most of his life, Holquist was a wholesaler of tropical fish, importing the swimmers from where they were caught or raised and selling them to local pet stores. He sold the business in 2008 after discovering…
The beer: CuirThe brewer: The BrueryStyle: Old AleABV: 14.5 percent It didn’t take long for The Bruery to make its mark in the world of beer. Founded in Placentia, Calif., by Patrick Rue (get it?), the beer-maker has a penchant for putting out liquids the craft beer community routinely goes…
The Spot: Roka Akor, 7299 N. Scottsdale, Rd., Scottsdale, 480-306-8800 www.rokaakor.com The Hours: 5-7pm, daily. The Details: Happy Hour pricing is available in the lounge and bar areas only. They knock half off the price of their premium martinis and their shochu infusions. The discount brings the price down to $6-9. …
