All the news that’s fit to nosh.
Pizza Party: Take your tastebuds to an Italian-style backyard barbecue with the Summer Selections menu at Grimaldi’s Pizzeria. This menu is full of seasonal ingredients and flavor combos that are perfect for a hot summer day. Enjoy smoked brisket pizza, strawberry spinach salad, blueberry cheesecake and other specialty items at all seven Valley locations from now until Monday, September 11.
Slider Survivor: Slide on down to any of the 14 Valley Cold Beers & Cheeseburgers locations on Saturday, June 17 for the start of its first annual Summer Slider Eating Contest. Round one on June 17 will consist of 10 amateur contestants and 30 sliders. The first to finish all 30 sliders in under 10 minutes will move on to the championship round at Scottsdale’s 4th of July celebration at WestWorld. The 14 slider-eating machines will compete on the main stage to see who can devour 30 sliders in the shortest amount of time. Each participant will get a T-shirt and $25 gift card and the three winners of the qualifying round will get gift cards or Cold Beers & Cheeseburgers swag. The grand prizes for the top three contestants in the championship round will include a $500 American Express gift card, Gold Canyon Meat Box and more. Participants must be at least 18 years old. To enter and learn more visit its website. Tickets for the Scottsdale 4th of July are available here.
Don’t be Shellfish this Father’s Day: Take Dad to Ocean Prime for an exclusive Father’s Day brunch menu including lobster toast, crabcake eggs Benedict, Prime steak and eggs, brioche French toast and more. There will also be specialty sides and brunch cocktails like a citrus rhubarb mimosa and truffled potatoes available to enhance the meal. The upscale seafood spot will be serving Woodford Reserve dry-aged prime ribeye with roasted garlic butter during dinner service from Friday, June 16 through Monday, June 19. For a full menu and reservations visit its website.
Donut Worry: Bashas’ hometown grocery stores will feature three new donut flavors in their bakeries. The new flavors are lemon coconut meringue, PB & J and banana cream pie. These inventive and unique flavors are courtesy of the winners of Bashas’ eighth annual donut flavor contest that included a 15-year-old from Apache Junction, a Bashas’ employee from Flagstaff and a resident of the city of Maricopa. The winners are now the Bashas’ Official Donut Ambassadors for 2023 and will receive a dozen donuts for free every month plus $500 worth of prizes including gift cards and kitchen supplies.
UnderTow To Go: Gilbert’s exotic cocktail bar is offering to-go cocktails so guests can enjoy a delicious cocktail from their journey at sea in the comfort of their own homes. Voyagers can order to-go cocktails at the bar or place a pick-up order on Toast Tab. Each bottle pours about two beverages, one for you and one for your shipmate. Stay cool this summer with UnderTow’s to-go cocktails featuring the Lady in Lace, Royal Hawaiian, Mai Tai and Frozen Saturn.
Christmas in July: Even though it’s ho-ho-hot outside it’s cool inside Organ Stop Pizza in Mesa. The local pizza spot is collecting donations and non-perishable food items for United Food Bank from Saturday, July 1 to Monday, July 31. Guests who make a $2 cash donation or bring in two approved food items receive 10 percent off their bill. In addition, one lucky guest will win a free stocking of Organ Stop Pizza goodies every evening and Mr. and Mrs. Claus will be visiting every weekend in July. Get into the holiday spirit early and give to a great cause!
Pizza for a Good Cause: Barro’s Pizza and Pepsi are joining forces this June to raise funds for a local nonprofit dedicated to assisting Arizona families throughout their children’s cancer treatment. For the eighth consecutive year, all locations of the family-owned and operated pizzeria will donate up to $40,000 in lunch special proceeds to the Arizona Cancer Foundation for Children. Lunch specials include pizza slices, salads and drinks and the lunch hours vary by location. Grab some delicious pizza and help support the courageous children and families in our communities.
New Restaurants on the Block:
Meet Me in Milan: Ambrogio15, a restaurant group based in San Diego, is bringing a piece of Milan, Italy to Biltmore Fashion Park this winter. The modern Italian restaurant will serve Milanese-style pizzas, pastas, steaks and seafood designed by Michelin-starred chef Silvio Salmoiraghi. Ambrogio15 will also be bringing the Valley its first two-story wine tower featuring 2,000 bottles of natural wines from all over the world. Get ready to wine and dine at Phoenix’s new luxury Italian spot in December 2023.
Dessert in the Desert: Celebrity chef and Top Chef alum Fabio Viviani is bringing a new fast-casual dessert concept to the Phoenix-Scottsdale area. JARS will offer a variety of sweet treats like red velvet cheesecake, salted caramel pecan pie, tiramisu and double dark chocolate cake all served, Instagram-ready, in a jar. There will be five locations of the family-friendly, sweet-tooth-curing JARS in the Valley soon.
Eligible Menus:
Summer Sips: JOJO Coffeehouse in Old Town Scottsdale introduces some refreshing beverages to help its summer brunch-goers beat the heat. Cocktail connoisseurs can enjoy the new JOJO Paloma, Prickly Pear Margarita or Blue Sky Punch (spiked lemonade). Caffeine fiends can perk up with the Honey Bee Latte or Salted Caramel Cold Brew. These special items are available now through Thursday, August 31. JOJO Coffeehouse also has coffee and mimosa flights and a full menu of craft cocktails along with its breakfast and brunch menu available all day, seven days a week.
Juneteenth Celebration: SugarJam The Southern Kitchen is one of the only African-American woman-owned restaurants in North Scottsdale. To celebrate Juneteenth, it will offer its Yams & Jams Sundaze’s menu, available every Sunday after Monday, June 19th. This menu will include sweet potato waffles, baked jerked whole chicken wings, fried catfish and more. Experience some Southern comfort with delicious brunch and baked goods every Wednesday through Sunday.
New Menu in the Haus: Pedal Haus Brewery added a variety of seasonal menu items inspired by the tastes of summer. Items include smoked trout tip, a Mediterranean antipasto salad, BBQ bacon smash burger, watermelon margarita, the Mic Drop Sundae and more. The new menu is available now at all three Valley locations.
Swiftie-Inspired Spirits: The Americano, the Italian-inspired steakhouse in North Scottsdale, debuted a seasonal cocktail menu full of fun beverages and touches of pop culture. Taste the sunshine with these eight new cocktails featuring a variety of spirits like rum, gin, mezcal and more. The cocktails are April Showers, Cafe Fumoso, Fiore Di Vitae, Channel Orange, Take Me Home, Summer Lovin’, Live and Let Thai and Miss Americana. The Americano’s sister restaurant, Mora Italian, will also be serving The Heartbreak Prince cocktail so Swifties can get a taste of the whole song “Miss Americana & The Heartbreak Prince.”
Not a Regular Pizza: Myke’s Pizza in downtown Mesa just rolled out a menu refresh for summer. Regular menu items have been streamlined to make the most out of fresh and specialty ingredients. The titular Myke Olsen amped his pepperoni pizza game with Fripper’s sausages, Calabrian oregano, Provolone and aged Gouda cheese. He also introduced an arugula pizza with spicy harissa sauce, pickled tomatillos, Provolone, Mozzarella and aged Gouda. The ingredients will evolve to showcase seasonal flavors, but the pizzeria’s core menu with fermented dough and delicious classics remains.
Salad and Go Summer: No hot girl summer is complete without Salad and Go, a staple for affordable and healthy fast food. It just unveiled a new summer menu with Mediterranean-inspired items like the antipasto salad, Mediterranean breakfast burrito and minestrone soup. Blueberry basil lemonade is another seasonal item available in addition to its regular menu of delicious salads, wraps, burritos, soups, handcrafted lemonades and cold brew coffees. The summer selections are available now at all Salad and Go locations.
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Bonjour Booze: Joie de vivre or enjoy the art of living at Zinque’s extended weekday happy hours. The tres chic cafe, bistro and wine bar at Scottsdale Fashion Square will be serving 50-percent-off craft cocktails and wines by the glass off from 11 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. Sip on summer vibes with the gin-based matcha and melon cocktail or the Toujours Todos cocktail with Bahnez mezcal, Campari, ginger and lime. French-inspired small plates like fried artichokes and select entrees such as steak frites will also be available.
Early Dine at Ocean Prime: The high-end seafood restaurant in Phoenix is offering an exclusive early dining menu at just $65 per person plus tax and tip. The deal includes two courses, a side and dessert. Some of the items available are lobster bisque, sea scallops, teriyaki salmon, truffle mac and cheese, five-layer carrot cake and more. This menu is available now from 4 to 5:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.
Lucky Sevens: Macayo’s, a beloved local Mexican chain, is offering its monthly specials for just 77 cents on the 26th of each month in anticipation of its 77th anniversary on Tuesday, September 26th. On Monday, June 26, the restaurant will be offering house margaritas for 77 cents. The deal for Wednesday, July 26 is crispy shredded chicken or beef tacos. The deal for August and the epic anniversary celebrations will be announced soon. Stay up to date with the anniversary specials here.
