Street Eats Food Truck Festival Saturday, January 24
This weekend, Salt River Fields in Scottsdale will host a gathering of food trucks from all over the Valley and the Southwest. The gates open at 11 a.m. for the Street Eats Food Truck Festival, presented by New Times, and we'll be there to taste the trucks. This year's lineup includes everything from milk products and lobster grilled cheese to fry bread and fried chicken, so come hungry. And when you need a break, be sure to check out the contests and other live entertainment going on at the EATERAZ Contest Stage. To purchase your $12 ticket or for more information, visit the Street Eats Food Truck Festival website.
Garden Day at Roosevelt Growhouse Sunday, January 26
This Sunday, volunteers are invited to help harvest lettuce, plant vegetables, and apply compost tea to the beds at the Roosevelt Growhouse. Compost tea is great for gardening, so this will also serve as an opportunity to stop by and learn how to make some for your garden. Volunteers also will be welcome to take some of the harvest home, so you'll even get to take home something for your work. For more information, visit the Roosevelt Growhouse Facebook page.
And while you're down there, do yourself a favor and stop by Melt for a scoop of Fruity Pebbles ice cream.
Pig on the Patio Sunday, January 26
Recently, we went behind the scenes to see how Bink's Midtown prepares a roasted pig for the restaurant's weekly Pig on the Patio event. The eating doesn't begin until 5 p.m. Sunday, but the cooking starts much earlier. You can check out our story about How to Roast a Pig with Bink's Midtown and then taste it for yourself this weekend. Binkley's all-you-can-eat Pig on the Patio meal generally consists of a bread, a starch, and a veggie, as well as the pig (of course) and a sauce, all for around $25.
Hot Chocolate a la Minute
We've missed Duc Liao's Parisian pastries since he and wife Noelle had to close both locations of Scratch Pastries last year. If you're in the same boat, you'll be happy to know their new restaurant, Merci French Cafe and Patisserie, carries on Scratch's spirit. We tried a couple of the savory offerings, but make sure you save room for Liao's made-to-order hot chocolate. Your cup will brim with velvety dark chocolate that's just about as perfect as a simple drink can be.
Pig Tail and Foie Gras Fegatelli
If you've had Chef Cullen Campbell's Crispy Pig Ears at Crudo, then you know the chef has a way with offal. That's why we're pretty excited to hear he's created a new dish that combines foie gras with pig tail -- so your meal can truly be "head to tail" if you also dig into those famous pig ears. The dish is a take on a traditional Tuscan one that's usually made with liver wrapped in a membrane of caul fat. At Crudo, Campbell braises a pig's tail while foie gras is cured, poached, wrapped in the caul fat and then seared to make a unique sort of homemade sausage.
