Following Laiken Jordahl on social media opens a direct secret window to the border wall construction reshaping our southern wildernesses. The restive Center for Biological Diversity wildlife and ecosystems champion takes his camera to spaces like Devil’s Highway and the Cabeza Prieta Wilderness, where he exposes newly blasted land and man-felled saguaro.
The Arizona Cardinals didn’t have the top pick in this year’s NFL draft, but they still made headlines. Even Super Bowl quarterback Patrick Mahomes tweeted enviously of the stately Camelback Mountain views enjoyed by the head coach in his Paradise Valley home as he monitored the draft via videoconference. Kingsbury may have inadvertently made Phoenix an offseason destination for coaches.
Eighty-one beers on tap. It’s an impressive figure to behold, made more impressive by the artfully curated product that flows from those taps. Fret not, beer fan, this Midtown market-pub doesn’t achieve that impressive tap total by plugging in high-volume big-box brands, à la Yard House. Instead, you’ll find a rotating roster of seasonal specials, barrel-aged ABV freaks, Belgian styles and other beer-nerd-pleasing oddities. Their wine and cider selection is pretty stout, too.
Before the coronavirus truncated the Suns’ 2019-2020 season, Oubre Jr. had taken his game to another level. The wide-smiling forward was putting up more than 18 points a game, transforming himself into a reliable second scoring option behind Devin Booker. Cementing his fan-favorite rep, he also started a scholarship program at the University of Arizona and launched an apparel brand, Dope Soul.
Mesa native Julie Ertz plays defense and midfield for the Chicago Red Stars of the National Women’s Soccer League. She’s also one of the best players on the U.S. Women’s team, the best soccer team in the world. In 2019, Ertz was U.S. Soccer Female Player of the Year. She has won two World Cups, and in both she started every game.
The head culinary honcho behind the Valley’s two Chula operations takes giant ocean fish and reduces them to cuts so smooth and beautiful they have an alien quality. Creamy opah collars, stark bone jutting. Pearly swordfish chops. Svelte purple bigeye tuna lengths striated with frosty fat. The time-lapse Instagram videos of him at work are hypnotic.
Housed in a brick-walled 1919 bungalow, tiny, art-filled Josephine is both intimate and sophisticated, a fine place to while away an hour over cocktails at the beautiful bar or graze through executive chef Ryan Pitt’s French-influenced, globally inspired small plates in the dimly lit dining room. Grab an après-dinner drink at Coup de Grâce, the sexy, neon-lit bar behind Josephine, and let its risqué art set the tone.
Many East Coast transplants bemoan the Valley’s bagel scene, but you can find a solid one at JJ’s in North Scottsdale. More than 20 varieties emerge from boiling water daily, and they’re just the low-hanging fruit at this deli with New York roots and a dictionary-length menu. Here, they prepare Jewish classics like pastrami, whitefish salad and matzo ball soup. Don’t miss the bacon knish.
Blueberry pancake lovers are in fruity heaven at Campbell’s, as regulars shorten the name of this rustic bar and restaurant. Berries stud the hot cakes and the side of house-made whipped cream served alongside them.
If you’re like us, you’ve been nesting like crazy – reorganizing pantries, getting rid of old junk (remind us why we have a dozen purses?!) and generally prettying up the place. We’ve bought ourselves more than one piece of quarantine art, and now we’re eyeing a limited edition from one of our favorites, Tempe artist Jake Early. This spring, the United Nations put out a global call for art and Early responded with a beautiful...
“Jaime’s Local Love” is more than a TV segment for Emmy Award-winning Arizona’s Family anchor Jaime Cerreta – it’s simply how she lives. Whether she’s reporting live from Crow’s Dairy or bopping around town off the clock, you can spot Cerreta sporting her “local love,” from a Pomchies face mask to earrings from Practical Art. Follow her on Instagram @cerretanews and click on her Local Love stories highlight for more Valley business spotlights.
Stay Home cotton tee handprinted in Phoenix. $25 direct purchase through Instagram (@jackalopetradingpost). Unisex, sizes XS-XXL.
Hump Day Burlesque & Variety Show brings a blend of erotic and exotic dances, circus performances, comedy and singing to a packed backroom at The Lost Leaf. All genders, races, body shapes and sizes are celebrated at the performances, which take place at 9:30 p.m. the first and third Wednesdays of every month.
Everything was perfect about the new High Street Farmers Market before it closed in March due to coronavirus. Though tiny, it had a few strong vegetable vendors. It sported coffee, bao buns, Thai street food, barbecue pretzels, artisan food products and music, all along an ample street with broad sidewalks. The market is slated to relaunch in October, and we’ll be pulling for it.
Few barkeeps take cocktail history to the sweetly geeky level that beverage director Bobby Kramer and bar manager Michael Regan do at HH. Their retro menu, illustrated by local artist Caroline Estelle and filled with cocktail lore, is divided into four sections: pre-Prohibition, Prohibition, Tiki and modern classics, so you can see – as well as taste – their love for the craft. 159 W. Commonwealth Ave.
