An imperial stout brewed with bananas is among the Goldwater offerings at Strong Beer Fest.
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Ales From The Crypt have emerged as the best barrel brews in Arizona.
Desert DigestFood & DrinkFirst Dish: Fata Morgana Mediterranean Cuisine
Nikki BuchananFebruary 16, 2022
Photo by Nikki Buchanan What drew me like a spell to a new Mediterranean restaurant in North Scottsdale? Weirdly, its name — Fata Morgana, which sounded exotic yet vaguely familiar. As it turns out, Fata Morgana is the Italian word for the sorceress Morgan le Fay, who was King Arthur’s half-sister and his antagonist. She could work all sorts of magic, including creating mirages in the ocean. Now, here’s where it gets interesting: the ocean...
Craft BeerAZ Beer Week 2022: Laughs, Love & Lots of New Beer at Arizona Wilderness Brewing
Matthew JohnsonFebruary 15, 2022
Expect 5 good pours at Strong Beer Fest and at least 7 new releases during Beer Week.
Craft BeerDesert Monks Brewing Gears Up for Strong Beer Fest and Arizona Beer Week
Matthew JohnsonFebruary 11, 2022
This Gilbert brewery is expecting to pour 4-5 beers at Strong Beer Fest on Feb. 19.
Desert DigestFood & DrinkValentine’s in the Valley: 31 Places to Celebrate with Your Sweetheart
Madison RutherfordFebruary 10, 2022
STK Steakhouse Love is in the air at these Valley restaurants, which are offering swoon-worthy multi-course meals and sweet dining deals for couples this Valentine’s Day. Adams Table Share the love with half-off bottles of wine and a Chef’s Board (Noble bread, sour cherry jam, rosemary ham, marinated olives, deviled eggs and cheese) at this beloved Downtown haunt. This offer is available February 11 through 14. eatatadams.com Alto Ristorante e Bar The culinary team...
Desert DigestFood & DrinkCassie Shortino Cooks for a Good Cause at Dirty Drummer Fundraising Event
Nikki BuchananFebruary 10, 2022
If you’re up for eating great food, listening to great music, having a great time and doing some good while you’re at it, here’s a great idea: drop by the Dirty Drummer on 44th Street near Oak on Saturday, February 26 for a fundraiser benefiting The Gillian Reny Stepping Strong Center for Trauma Innovation in Boston. “Huh?” you may be asking right about now. Hang on and I’ll give you the backstory in a minute,...
West coast tradition and family heritage come alive at this new brewery in the East Valley.
Jeff Herbert, co-founder of Superstition Meadery, joins us on the podcast to discuss his origins in brewing.
Desert DigestFood & DrinkJanuary 2022 Restaurant Openings and Closings
Marilyn HawkesFebruary 2, 2022
Opening Arizona Stronghold Vineyards Old Town Scottsdale’s newest wine tasting room features wine flights, bottles to go and cheese and charcuterie plates. They also have a tasting room in Cottonwood. 4225 N. Marshall Way, Scottsdale, azstronghold.com Badlands Bar & Grill Back in November 2021, Badlands Bar & Grill opened, featuring comfort food classics for breakfast, lunch and dinner. 7192 S. Price Rd., Tempe, 480-800-4600, badlandsbarandgrill.com Boba Whaaat Vietnamese tea shop and restaurant that serves Vietnamese...
Susan and Clay Caldwell discuss barbecue philosophy on the latest episode.
Desert DigestFood & DrinkHappy Hour: Streets of New York
Leah LeMoineJanuary 31, 2022
THE SCENE As I get older, I find myself ruminating about how so often we are the products of our time and place. For example, I grew up in the West Valley in the 1990s and early 2000s. In my sprawling slices of suburbia (I lived in Peoria, Glendale, Surprise and Avondale at various times), there weren’t a lot of independently owned and operated places – restaurants nor retail. I came of age with birthday...
New craft brews to seek out the weekend of January 28-30.
2022 is here, and it’s fitting to reflect as we commence another year. Back in 2004, while driving south on Napa Valley’s Silverado Trail after helping at Neyers Vineyards with my friend Tadeo Borchardt, I whispered to myself that one day I would be involved in the world of making wine. Was I mollifying my own existential anxiety over the future by dreaming the impossible? Perhaps. “Be careful what you wish for,” the saying goes....
Desert DigestFood & DrinkFirst Dish: Buddha’s Ritual
Nikki BuchananJanuary 26, 2022
At 1:30 on a Thursday afternoon, Buddha’s Ritual in North Scottsdale entertains a small, relaxed crowd — six or seven jeans-clad guys in their 30s having a beer-y business lunch and three pairs of 20-something women nibbling light bites and sipping cocktails. The garage doors are open, and a breeze blows across the bar, riffling the napkins as two equally young barkeeps make photogenic herb-laden cocktails for a photo shoot that will announce Buddha’s soon-to-launch...