Looking for something to put in your mouth this weekend? We've got you covered. Check out what's on our plate.
See also: - Astor House in Phoenix to Host "Mega-Authentic N'awlins Crawfish Boil" on Sunday, April 14 - Rough Draft's Barrel-Aged Freudian Slip: Your Subconscious Will Love It
For five years running, Clare Patey has managed to shut down a bridge in London to invite thousands of people to celebrate local food. Now the internationally recognized artist and curator has her sights set on Phoenix, thanks to Arizona artist and farming activist Matthew Moore of Urban Plough. On Saturday, April 13, from 2 to 9 p.m., the two artists will turn Roosevelt Row into a community celebration of foods grown, prepared, and sourced in Phoenix. The free event will include local food trucks, tasting stations, and cooking demonstrations, and there will be live music and street performances. A half-mile-long dining table, the epicenter of Feast on the Street, will be filled with goods by more than 20 local chefs and culinary experts. There also will be a mobile garden parade in the afternoon, lectures about desert plants and agricultural history, food-related storytelling, seed art and other crafts, and demonstrations including how to harvest mesquite flour from beans and composting. The eats kick off at 2:15 with an Event Opening Salad Toss, when fresh, local ingredients will be mixed parachute-style.
Think you'll never get to enjoy a food festival because of your pesky sensitivity to gluten? Think again. On Saturday, the 2013 Phoenix Gluten-Free Expo will be at The DoubleTree Resort on Scottsdale Road from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The event will include a silent auction for gluten-free gift baskets, a raffle for gift certificates and gluten-free foods, educational events, and a "Summer Survival Strategies" lecture by Dr. Peter Green, director of Celiac Disease Center at Columbia University and author of Celiac Disease: A Hidden Pandemic. There will be over 25 food vendors participating, such as Tonto Bar & Grill, Wei of Chocolate, and Bakery on Main. Admission is $10. Dr. Green's presentations are an additional $15; there will be seatings at 9 a.m. and 1 p.m.
The 35th Annual Scottsdale Culinary Festival has been in full force this week and concludes this weekend with events like the Great Arizona Picnic. Not only will there be plenty to eat out on the lawn of the Scottsdale Civic Center, provided by more than 50 restaurants, including last year's winners Sushi Roku and Jewel of the Crown, but the picnic also includes the SW Festival of Beers, the SKYY Bar & Tequila Deck, an Epicurean Expo with cooking demonstrations, and Saturday's ceremony for the Arizona Culinary Hall of Fame inductees. General admission is $10 per person; children under 12 and senior over 65 get in for free. Food and beverage tickets are sold separately. The picnic kicks off at noon on both days and ends Saturday at 9 p.m. and Sunday at 6 p.m.
Free Tasting at Pillsbury Wine in Cottonwood
Taste a Diva for free this weekend, starting today. And, no, we don't mean a talented woman with a powerful voice and attitude in spades -- we're talking wine here, a blend of 72 percent Syrah, 17 percent Mourvedre, and 11 percent Petite Syrah, to be exact. Celebrate the third birthday of Pillsbury Wine's tasting room located on Main Street in Old Town Cottonwood. After a free taste, the newly released 2011 Diva will be available for only $5 a glass. Can't head up north this weekend? Pick up a bottle of Pillsbury Wine at the Scottsdale Farmers' Market next Saturday, or catch them at the SE AZ Wine Growers Festival, held on Saturday and Sunday, April 20 and 21, at Kief-Joshua Vineyards in Elgin.
Five-Course Jose Garces Chef Wine Dinner
The evening of Saturday, April 13, eight restaurants will be hosting exclusive dinners as part of the Scottsdale Culinary Festival's Chef Wine Dinner series. Each dinner starts at 6:30 p.m., costs $125 per person, and is limited to 24 diners. James Beard Award Winner and Iron Chef Jose Garces will be crafting an unforgettable menu paired with Astrale e Terra wines. Dishes include pulpo al carbón (grilled Spanish octopus, jalapeño purée, potato confit, caper béarnaise) and hisbiscus-glazed quail with a masa crepes, shaved figs, and pistachio-jalapeño espuma. Dessert will be a unique combination of frutas con crema with lime and coconut panna cottas, tropical fruits, strawberry-lime sorbet, lime zest, and Mexican wedding cookie crumble.
