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Beer enthusiasts across the state and beyond will have the opportunity to sample their favorite local brews and discover new ones from the comfort and safety of their own home this Saturday, April 18 as the Arizona Craft Brewers Guild hosts its first Keep Arizona Brewing Virtual Beer Festival. Participants are encouraged to pick up or pre-order beer from a local brewery and enjoy their brews with other Arizona beer enthusiasts online starting at 2...

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While the COVID-19 pandemic in many ways has us feeling like we’re living in the Middle Ages (Black Death vibes abound), there are bits of happiness and hope to be found. For drinkers, there are many. We’re learning how to make our own drinks! We can order cocktails to go! We don’t have to worry about getting home safely because we’re already home!   For appreciators of agave spirits and “support local” devotees such as moi, there’s a huge burst of happiness: We are at the beginning of a Golden Age for locally...

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LDV Winery owners Peggy Fianduca and Curt Dunham miss the comradery that comes with pouring glasses of wine for their customers at their Scottsdale tasting room. Forced to close amid coronavirus concerns, the couple came up with a way to bring people together virtually while sheltering in place at their vineyard in southeastern Arizona – online cooking classes. “We’ve always loved to cook and we’ve always loved entertaining and everything about bringing people to the...

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PHOENIX magazine dining critic Nikki Buchanan on the shutdown, curbside dining and the specific, special challenges faced by Valley restaurants. As a person who has written about restaurants for decades and enjoyed more fabulous restaurant meals than anyone has a right to, I have a special little worry-place in my heart right now for restaurants and all the people associated with the industry. Restaurants across the country are closed indefinitely, putting 15.6 million cooks, bartenders,...

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In this (short-lived, we hope) series, the PHOENIX magazine editorial and art teams share what quarantine is like for them, from who they’re sheltering in place with to where they’re ordering takeout.  What has been your quarantine takeout of choice?   Craig Outhier – Editor-in-Chief  There are two places in my ’hood that I’ve made a point to patronize as much as possible, because life (and, possibly, my property values) would be poorer without them: Luci’s at the Orchard, which was...

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Utilizing delivery and curbside service options is an important way you can help keep the local restaurant industry afloat. More selfishly, it’s also a good opportunity to finally try out that bucket-list, James Beard Award-nominated bistro or steakhouse, via reduced-rate special menus. Binkley’s Kevin Binkley’s acclaimed, one-seating-a-night, 20-plus-dish prix fixe tasting menu ($200/person) has been remolded into Binkley’s At Home, a $65 to-go sampler of the chef’s small-plate masterpieces. Half-off wine bottles and cocktails also...

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“I have respect for beer!” Russell Crowe shouts, thrusting his arms skyward, in his portrayal of mathematician John Nash in 2001’s A Beautiful Mind.   I can relate. While beer has never been my thing, I have interviewed many talented, thoughtful brewers and written quite a bit about local breweries. Beermaking is a beautiful mix of art and science that never ceases to amaze me. The craft beer community has my utmost respect, especially in how it has pivoted during the pandemic to reach customers in new and innovative ways.   Not...

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Easter is Sunday, April 12 and although your celebrations might include Zoom chats and FaceTime get-togethers instead of Easter egg hunts and a hearty brunch at your favorite local haunt, many restaurants are providing a sense of normalcy with traditional meals to go. From down-home to upscale, here are a few takeout specials to enjoy this Easter. Chompie’s The beloved deli is offering Easter and Passover family feasts, which can be delivered to your doorstep...

Over the past couple of quarantined weeks, I’ve written about making your own happy hour spread at home and I’ve rounded up some great takeout happy hour options so you can #supportlocal while you #stayhome. Now, I suppose I’ll start making my own way through said takeout options. (Though if you have questions or suggestions on DIY happy hours at home, I’m all ears! Email me at leah.lemoine@phoenixmag.com.)  I should have taken this week’s Happy Hour To Go blog as an opportunity to try a new restaurant. I haven’t encountered one of those in a...

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This week, chef Rene Andrade of Ghost Ranch shares his barbacoa burrito recipe that you can make in a crockpot, which will come in handy once the temperature rises and you don’t want to use the oven. Before wrapping your burrito, Andrade suggests heating up the tortilla to make it more flexible. “After you wrap it, put it back in the pan for 5 seconds on each side to get a nice crispiness on the...

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Last week I wrote about creating your own happy hour spread at home with DIY snack plates and cocktails using the provisions you have on hand. This week, I’m highlighting where you can pick up cocktails – in their completed forms or in components to mix yourself at home – from local businesses to keep supporting them during this truly insane time. Plenty more places are offering these things, so find your favorite local restaurants and bars on social media to see their up-to-date...

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For those who could use a little treat right now, we’ve rounded up a tasty and healthy smoothie for you to make at home courtesy of Alexandra Maw, co-owner of Kaleidoscope Juice. In addition to being downright tasty, the mint chip smoothie has many health benefits. “The avocado provides a heart-healthy fat, spirulina is one of nature’s superfoods and is full of B-vitamins, copper and iron and the almond milk and almond butter are great...

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Bob McClendon owns one of the state’s only USDA-certified small farms, McClendon’s Select, which grows 100 different varieties of organic fruits and vegetables across 93 acres of farmland in Peoria and Goodyear. McClendon’s main sources of revenue are supplying his bounty to restaurants and farmers markets across the Valley. Business is typically booming for specialty growers during the spring months, but sales have suddenly screeched to a halt due to the coronavirus outbreak in Arizona....

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“Fancy hot sauce.” That’s what Natalie Cutino calls the hot sauces she and her husband, Jacob Cutino, make in small batches. They blend miso hot sauce and strawberry hot sauce, deftly balanced and neatly packaged. Their rust-red and marigold-orange bottles have become a common sight at specialty shops and local eateries. Some, like The Larder + The Delta, even use Cutino Sauce Co. products to brighten select dishes.   These days, though, restaurants have fallen...

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Like many small businesses across the country, Blue Clover Distillery in Scottsdale is struggling to stay afloat during the coronavirus crisis. “The past few days have been an interesting frenzy,” the distillery’s owner, Weston Holm, says. “We’ve gone from having to lay off restaurant employees to having to transition our focus to stay alive.” Known for its vodka and gin, Blue Clover had to get creative to keep up. Its solution? Start making hand sanitizer...