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Both Aioli Gourmet Burgers and Bitter & Twisted Cocktail Parlour are all about being innovative and ever evolving. The two award-winning concepts are now joining forces to bring an expanded menu of elevated street food to Downtown Phoenix. Aioli’s executive chef, Vicktor Velez, has taken the reins as the head of B & T’s in-house food program, introducing a gourmet, globally influenced menu that pairs perfectly with the cocktails at the lauded Downtown lounge. Bitter...

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Fulfill Your Need for Speed Motorists can cruise for a cause with five paced laps around the iconic mile-long oval track that hosts the NASCAR Cup Series Championship during Track Laps for Charity, Oct. 16. Proceeds benefit Arizona Accelerator Charities. Passenger vehicles only; maximum speed of 55 mph. 10 a.m.-4 p.m. $25. Phoenix Raceway, 7602 Jimmie Johnson Dr., Avondale, 866-408-7223, phoenixraceway.com/aac/#tracklaps. Get Wiggy with it at Cancer Fundraiser Guests are encouraged to wear a wig...

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Photo by Dwight McCann Photography   Every week, we present a curated list of live music in a wide range of genres all around the Valley. Everything from a country music fest headlined by Willie Nelson to R&B legend Gladys Knight to U.K. house music producer Eli Brown is on audio tap this week. Outlaw Music Festival Friday, October 15 at Ak-Chin Pavilion Willie Nelson, The Avett Brothers, Gov’t Mule, Lucinda Williams and IDA MAE...

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Mesquite Fresh Street Mex co-founders and brothers Ahmad and Naser Alatrash  are taking a different approach to marketing their modern Mexican cuisine. Instead of spending money on social media and other advertising, they’ve launched a “Free Taco Tour” available to businesses located within a four-mile radius of their Surprise, Gilbert, Mesa and Happy Valley locations. The tour gives the brothers an opportunity to connect with local businesses and area residents, Ahmad says. To take part...

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A new family-run pizzeria has opened in Downtown Phoenix. While it’s still finding its footing, it’s jumping off to a tasty start. Located on the corner of Van Buren Street and Fifth Avenue next to We’ve Got Flowers! is the new Via Della Slice Shop. Its housed in a historical warehouse, which I discovered after scrolling back through Via Della’s Instagram. I learned that the building was originally built in the 1920s as a car...

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Photo by Leah LeMoine   THE SCENE To stay connected during the pandemic – and to nurture our shared love of cooking – my friend Kristy suggested a weekly FaceTime cooking date. Her proposal: We’d take turns selecting recipes to cook along with the other, virtually. A cooking club for two? I said yes without hesitation. We started Quarantine Culinarians in July 2020 and have miraculously kept it up since, with a few skipped weeks and a brief hiatus this past summer. (I promise this will lead to a happy hour write-up – just stay with...

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Photo by Jacob Tyler Dunn | www.JacobTylerDunn.com   Hawk Salvage, located in the historic Grand Avenue arts district, is the place to find one-of-a-kind curios. The shop features a curated collection of vintage, industrial and antique oddities and, most recently, an extensive selection of rare and unique houseplants. Founded by Greg Hawk, a retired Phoenix Fire Department captain, passionate “picker” and self-proclaimed “plant nerd,” Hawk Salvage is like a perfectly preserved history museum, its walls...

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Photo by Nikki Buchanan   Banh Xeo at Belly My beau and I put away an impressive number of dishes at Southeast Asian-inflected Belly last weekend, and crispy banh xeo was among the standouts. Banh means “bread” and xeo means “sizzle” — a misleading description for Vietnam’s savory seafood crepe, which surely sizzles in the pan but looks more like an omelet-pancake-crepe situation than bread. The batter is made with rice flour, which gives the...

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Blue Hound Kitchen & Cocktails at the Hotel Palomar in Downtown Phoenix has long been lauded for its creative cocktail program and deftly executed New American dishes. Now, the restaurant has a new chef, who recently revamped the menu to reflect the vibrancy and energy of its location and quality ingredients from local farmers. Blue Hound also launched an all-new drink lineup, a coterie of cocktails that pair perfectly with the thoughtful fare coming out...

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Come for the Food and Stay for the Dancing at Greek Fest Baklava is back as the 60th annual event Phoenix Greek Festival returns Oct. 8-10, with a full weekend of Greek music, art and children’s activities complemented by such ethnic favorites as gyros, spanakopita, baklava, ouzo and imported Greek beer and wine. Opa! Friday, 5-10 p.m.; Saturday, 11 a.m.-10 p.m.; Sunday, 11 a.m.-6 p.m. $5, adults; free, children 11 and younger. Holy Trinity Greek...