Photo courtesy Huss Brewing Co.
All the news that’s fit to nosh.
Nursing a Drink: In honor of National Nurses Week, Huss Brewing Co. is offering free beer flights for all nurses from May 6-12. Upon providing official identification, each nurse can enjoy a gratis flight of four 4-ounce pours at the brewery’s Tempe flagship or at its Uptown Plaza taproom in Central Phoenix. After battling COVID-19 for more than a year, who deserves a free round more than nurses?
Pizza Party: Speaking of nurses, Grimaldi’s Pizzeria will also be honoring them with 15 percent off this week. Educators can enjoy the same discount! It’s a full-on appreciation bonanza now through Friday, May 7, at Grimaldi’s seven Arizona locations.
Self-Serve: Roosevelt Row is now home to Tap That Downtown, the area’s only self-serve taproom. Guests can choose from a rotating selection of 35 different beers and wines (complete with tasting notes) and use a personal RFID to pour their own glasses and track their tab as they go. Pair your pours with a full menu of pub fare, including house-made pretzels with cheese sauce and poutine drenched in stout gravy. Alas, the food is not self-serve… yet.
Beer Money: Four Peaks Brewing Co. cares about teachers. Not only is the Valley-based beer behemoth giving educators a discount today, May 4, for Teacher Appreciation Day – $3 mainstay pints with valid ID – but it’s also kickstarting a fundraising effort benefiting schools. The brewery will be allocating a portion of sales of its signature Scottish ale, Kilt Lifter, this summer to Four Peaks For Teachers. The campaign raises funds for school supply kits to benefit 10,000 teachers across Arizona, New Mexico, Texas and Nevada. Additionally, it will also award $1,000 grants to 11 teachers. You can nominate a special educator in your life and/or make a direct, tax-deductible contribution to the mission.
Moving Box: Beloved catering company turned bakery/cafe The Herb Box has shuttered its North Scottsdale restaurant at DC Ranch. It will be relocating to a 6,000-square-foot new space on Shea Boulevard – just down the street from its original location, which opened in 1995. “Our new location on Shea is a serendipitous one, and has a lot of personal meaning to me,” owner Susan Wilcox says. “It feels like a homecoming, and I wanted to create an environment that conveys that same feeling – an inviting space where people instantly feel at home, comfortable and at ease. It is the culmination of our extensive hospitality experience.” The new Shea shop will also house The Herb Box’s catering kitchen as well as two new event spaces, each with indoor-outdoor seating options. The Herb Box’s second location, on Fifth Avenue in Old Town Scottsdale, will continue operation.
Miracle Mile-stone: Next Monday, May 10, marks the 72nd anniversary of Miracle Mile Deli. To celebrate, the family-owned restaurant is offering $11 sandwiches all day (exceptions: Triple Decker and Jax Special) for Miracle Mile Deli Day. Guests can also take their chances at winning $100 gift cards, which the eatery will be giving away every hour from 12-7 p.m. “After 72 years, we know there are going to be bumps in the road. Thankfully, there is a light at the end of the tunnel and, for the first time in over a year, we are starting to see sales pick up,” vice president Josh Garcia says. “While we are still in survival mode and not yet thriving, we have been able to keep nearly all of our staff employed during this very rough year, and for that, we are extremely proud.” They’ll also be giving back to another industry hit hard by the pandemic: On Miracle Mile Deli Day, Garcia and Co. will donate a portion of proceeds to The Phoenix Theatre Company, the oldest arts and culture venue in the Valley.
New Grill in Town: Looking for a new place to watch a game or knock back a few? Longshots Bar & Grill is now open in North Scottsdale. “We’re looking forward to creating a space for the local business and residential community that feels like a home away from home,” owner Laura Winkler says. “We want to offer our guests a place to go where the staff knows their name, and where they can expect to feel welcome each time they walk through our doors.” Longshots aims to separate itself from the bar-and-grill pack with seasonal entrees like peppercorn-crusted ahi and red–wine-braised short ribs.
Tasty Collab: Scottsdale’s retro-chic Chin Up Donuts has partnered with legendary skate shop Vans on merchandise to benefit the upstart doughnut shop, which opened in November 2020. Owner Alex McEntire applied for Vans’ Foot the Bill initiative, which provides assistance for small businesses rebounding from the economic destruction of the pandemic. “I am excited to share the groovy Chin Up merch that was developed with the help of Vans,” McEntire says of the footwear and T-shirts she helped design. “An important element to the Chin Up Donut experience is our retro-style shop and branding. I’m so grateful for Vans’ support of my small, woman–owned business during this challenging time for many local restaurants.” McEntire will be able to utilize proceeds to put toward her packaging, staffing and a mural by a local artist.
Booze on the Brain: Chicago-based Maple & Ash’s Scottsdale outpost is supporting a local cause. In honor of Brain Tumor Awareness Month (May), the ritzy steakhouse created a special cocktail, Grey Matter – JAJA tequila, activated charcoal honey, lemon and ginger ($20) – to benefit Barrow Neurological Foundation. Maple & Ash will donate a portion of the proceeds from each drink to Barrow and match the total to double the donation at the end of the month.
Ramen Invasion: While the Valley’s ramen scene has come a looong way in recent years, we still can’t hold a candle to California’s concentration of ramen-yas. At long last, one of its golden children has ventured to the desert. JINYA Ramen Bar, one of the country’s most lauded ramen chains, opened a location in Chandler last week. To celebrate the grand opening, it’s offering $10 bowls of JINYA tonkotsu black, spicy chicken and spicy vegan ramens through May 5. And JINYA is embracing our local flavor, too – it will be serving Arizona Sake, made in Holbrook, which we featured a few years ago.
Tips and Tuition: It’s a bit out of our usual coverage sphere, but it’s too cool not to share: Prescott restaurant group Vivili Hospitality Group is partnering with Yavapai College to offer employees free college tuition. The move comes amid a national labor shortage in the restaurant and hospitality industries. “Attracting and retaining the best talent is a top priority for Vivili, and creating this program with Yavapai College allows us to do just that, while also contributing to the community by funding the education of people looking to get ahead in their careers,” proprietor Skyler Reeves says. “With this being a challenging hiring time for the service sector all over the country, our vision for this program is to find a creative way to alleviate this industry-wide issue.” Vivili owns and operates five Prescott restaurants, including La Planchada, The County Seat and Rosa’s Pizzeria. Yavapai College has a main campus in Prescott as well as locations in Clarkdale, Prescott Valley, Chino Valley and Sedona.
