https://www.phoenixmag.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/6359654b30e8d2945a445098_INNAZ23_admat-p-1080-1080x720.png

Now in its fifth year, the signature event that unites the Valley’s collective love of sports and music will slide into Tempe Beach Park on February 25 and 26, 2023. The two-day festival produced by C3 Presents – the same team behind major music festivals like Lollapalooza, Austin City Limits and Bonnaroo – first launched in 2018 to supplement Arizona’s spring training festivities, which already attract droves of out-of-towners during the Valley’s high season. This...

https://www.phoenixmag.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/IMG_20220518_182140_433-1080x720.webp

Photo by Aimee Smith Usually, when someone tells us to “smile” it causes us to roll our eyes, at best. But while viewing this mural by “Just” Giovannie, located on the back wall of the Cambria Downtown Phoenix, we can’t help but break out in a grin. By the time we read the “Smile” prompt in the conversation bubble, we already are.   Photo by Aimee Smith This smiling face is the gatekeeper to an alley...

https://www.phoenixmag.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/thumbnail_vodka-pasta.jpg

Chef Rocco Pezzano, owner of Sfizio Modern Italian Kitchen in the Desert Ridge area, says that pasta with vodka sauce is making a comeback. “This (dish) used to be popular in the ’80s and then disappeared. Now it’s coming back and the younger generation loves it,” he says. Pezzano offers a couple of tips: Don’t put oil in the water, because oil coats the pasta and then the sauce won’t adhere; and use a short,...

https://www.phoenixmag.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/thumbnail_SH_PHXWP_04_2022_KAI_CHEF_DREW.jpg

Chef de Cuisine Drew Anderson has taken over the kitchen at Kai, the celebrated restaurant honoring Native American cuisine at the Sheraton Grand at Wild Horse Pass. Anderson incorporates “the essence of the Pima and Maricopa tribes” in his cuisine and uses local products and seasonal produce from the Gila River Indian Community whenever possible. The award-winning restaurant has the distinction of being the only AAA Five Diamond and Forbes Five Star restaurant in Arizona....

https://www.phoenixmag.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/RG-190313_rg_the_who_Shot_1_061_060_combi-1024x683-1.jpg

The Who | Photo by Rick Guest Every week, we present a curated list of live music in a wide range of genres all around the Valley, and this week, we feature legends. October 26 Sophie B. Hawkins Among her numerous hits from the ’90s, including “Damn I Wish I Was Your Lover” and “As I Lay Me Down,” the singer-songwriter also wrote the song “Gone Baby” off her 2012 album The Crossing, with Mary Steenburgen....

https://www.phoenixmag.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/IMG_3695-1280x720.jpg

High Plains Mediterranean Drifter Garbanzo Tostada | Photo by Madison Rutherford It’s no secret that local Mediterranean chain Pita Jungle likes to keep things fresh. It hangs its hat on garden-fresh ingredients that cater to vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free diners. But even its meat-centric meals are made with wholesome, healthy lean proteins. So, it’s also no surprise that the kitchen likes to keep things fresh by switching up its menu seasonally. About three or four...

https://www.phoenixmag.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/thumbnail_Hottie2-1086x720.jpeg

If you’re hankering for a hot chicken sandwich, but don’t feel like going out, we’ve got a solution for you: Make yourself a spicy sandwich at home. To help you out, we spoke to Miguel Banuelos, executive chef at Chickadees Chicken and Fries, an Old Town Scottsdale spot that opened on Labor Day weekend. He graciously shared one of the chicken sandwich recipes with us. Banuelos offers a couple of tips when making the sandwich...

https://www.phoenixmag.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/Screen-Shot-2022-10-21-at-4.22.21-PM-598x720.png

Scottsdale resident Deena Goldstein never set out to write a book about her late father, with whom she shared a treasured relationship. “We just had the most amazing connection,” she says. But, the day before her father died, Goldstein sat by his bedside and jotted down some thoughts about him on her phone. It wasn’t until later that she wrote a heartfelt father/daughter memoir titled, OK, Little Bird, which tells the universal story of losing...

https://www.phoenixmag.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/thumbnail_Lauren-29.jpeg

Phoenix-based food blogger Lauren Allen grew up in a home where her mom cooked everything from scratch. So when she went off to college, Allen was surprised that many of her fellow students didn’t know how to cook or appreciate good food. “It was weird for me to meet other college girls my age who didn’t even know how to boil water,” Allen says. “I wanted to teach people that cooking is easy. You can...

https://www.phoenixmag.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/1-1280x720.jpg

Lil Nas X | Photo by Aaron Idelson Every week, we present a curated list of live music in a wide range of genres all around the Valley, and this week features singer-songwriters known for their confessional lyrics. October 18 Wednesday, Wednesday: A Weekly Songwriter’s Showcase If you’re looking for an entry point into the vast Phoenix music scene, start with this weekly showcase curated by Jesse Teer of The Senators. 8 p.m., free, Crescent...

https://www.phoenixmag.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/claudio_schiacciata__Navarro_bowl-1280x720.jpg

In a move that surprises no one who knows him, chef Claudio Urciuoli has left Pa’La and Pa’La Downtown, the Italian-influenced, seafood-centric restaurants in which he partnered with Omar Alvarez of Tortas Paquime. As you may recall, the two opened the first Pa’La on 24th Street in late 2017, followed by a larger, full-service Pa’La Downtown — where the kitchen was (and is) helmed by Jason Alford – in 2021. He has amicably parted ways...