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Looking for a good way to boost the local economy? Alexhandra Hotko of Hotko Bread Co. has put together The PHX Sampler, a selection of local products that you can order online and have delivered to your door. Hotko’s mission is to get local products into the hands of residents and visitors who may not be leaving home because of the pandemic or don’t know where to shop for them. The samplers come in three...

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As the pandemic plods along and I continue to largely self-quarantine at home with my partner, our dogs and my mother, I have been coming up with imaginative and increasingly desperate ways to pretend like I’m somewhere else.   I know I’m not the only one. I’ve read articles about parents setting up in-home “pub crawls” for their newly 21-year-olds, Zoom dance parties for milestone birthdays and virtual tours of tropical isles. I read a great essay by a kindred spirit who opened a “pretend restaurant” for...

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Many people know Alex Stratta as a Michelin-starred, James Beard award-winning chef. His storied career includes stints at Mary Elaine’s at The Phoenician, the eponymous Alex restaurant inside the Wynn Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, and most recently as executive chef of Wright’s at Arizona Biltmore. After enjoying top billing at many fine dining restaurants locally and in Las Vegas, Stratta is pivoting and opening a casual restaurant, Stratta Kitchen in Scottsdale. The restaurant,...

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100 international bitterness units (IBUs) in a double IPA? That must translate into some face-melting hops bitterness, right? Magically, it does not with this superbly tuned hammer of a beer from Mesa-based The Beer Research Institute. Employing Citra and Denali hops for a citrus-pineapple punch, the brewers employ “zero-second,” after-boil late hopping to “avoid that overpowering bitterness,” according to manager Zack Forsythe. “It’s an amazingly balanced beer for how heavy it is.” Now available in...

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Temporarily closing FnB, the little gin joint I help run in Scottsdale, due to COVID-19 was challenging and sad. In stark contrast, my other life in Baja Arizona has never been busier. The vineyards don’t stop growing at Los Milics, our nascent winery in Sonoita, so my wife and I have been hard at work. For the last couple of months, we’ve been finalizing trellis architecture. In 2019, we finally put our own vines in...

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Valley spirit producers Mezcal Carreño, Tequila Corrido and Tequila Corcel burst onto the scene over the past year. How to tell them apart? Mezcal Carreño is easy – it’s a mezcal producer. The tequilerias are more confusing. Here’s a cheat sheet: Tequila Corrido Owner: food and bev pro Sarah Foote (founded by her late uncle) Name inspo: A corrido is a traditional Mexican ballad, often a narration of a historical event. Tequila Corcel Owners: brothers...

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Takeout Family-Style Meals We’re digging the sweet spot between bulk catering and regular family takeout with its costly individualization. We’re all having North Italia pasta for dinner, fam. Deal with it. Cocktails To Go People take home growlers of IPAs all the time. Why not growlers of Negronis? Meal Donation Shouldn’t it always be this easy to thank a first responder with a salad or a cup of coffee? Gift Card Bonuses Many restaurants rewarded...

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Since March, the Valley’s Serrano’s Mexican Food Restaurants have been sharing their classic Mexican cuisine in the form of family meals and bulk market items such as meats, tortillas, rice and beans. Now, Serrano’s is sharing a recipe for its popular Pollo Ranchera, the filling for its famed Pollo Fundido. It’s also a delicious addition to rice and beans and in flour tortillas. Serrano’s Pollo Ranchera Serves 4 Ingredients: 1 lb. of chicken breast 1/2...

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Here is a trio of regular virtual happy hours that offer camaraderie, entertainment and an alcoholic education by some of the best bartenders in town – and you don’t even have to get up. Marshall Shore’s History Happy Hours “Arizona’s Hip Historian,” Marshall Shore, hosts this weekly happy hour filled with fun Arizona history trivia, tidbits from the state’s past, a view from the “Hist-O-Cam,” lively conversations with guests such as Valley drag performance legend...

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Paradise Valley creator Shanna Israel considers herself somewhat of an artistic chameleon. She blends into each of her pieces to let the story behind them converse with the audience. “You’ll never know that my pieces come from the same person,” Israel says. One recurring theme is impossible to squander in all her artwork, though – the purpose behind it. Israel often collaborates with other people in the Phoenix community to produce story-based art and raise...