If you made it to Sherpa Kitchen in 2020, before the pandemic caused Subash and Chandra Yadav to close their doors in November of that year, then you know what a wonderful addition to the food community it was: a small, inviting Nepali restaurant born of a food truck (Everest Momo) beloved for its handmade Nepali dumplings called momos. Steamed or deep-fried, they were a revelation, whether set afloat in nourishing broth or tossed in...
Every week, we present a curated list of live music in a wide range of genres all around the Valley. Reggae-rock bands, Chicago-style blues, dubstep, and instrumental prog rock top the list this week. Strawberry Girls Wednesday, August 18 at The Rebel Lounge Instrumental prog rock trio Strawberry Girls bring their post-hardcore California sound to town in support of their fourth studio album, Tasmanian Glow. 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, August 18 at The Rebel Lounge, 2303...
After years of reporting on Sheriff Joe Arpaio’s famously restrictive immigration policies and detention practices, local journalism luminaries Terry Greene Sterling and Jude Joffe-Block joined forces to write Driving While Brown: Sheriff Joe Arpaio Versus the Latino Resistance (University of California Press, $27.95). The book reads alternately like one long feature story and like a suspenseful journalism procedural, with plenty of historical and legal background for context. Greene Sterling and Joffe-Block dive into the real...
After battling 80-mile-per-hour winds on Humphreys Peak, evading a pack of charging javelinas in the Mazatzal Wilderness and hiking the Grand Canyon in a blizzard, John Heckenlaible decided it was time to give something back to the Arizona trails he loves. Joining the City of Phoenix parks stewardship program felt like a good way to do so. “I was climbing Piestewa Peak one day and saw two guys wearing bright yellow Phoenix Park Steward shirts,”...
One of the best barrel-aged beers in Arizona returns this weekend!
Explore the Beauty of the Desert at Night Guests experience a magical twilight adventure during self-paced Flashlight Tours, which provide an opportunity to see, hear and feel the desert night, including nighthawks, snakes, insects and night-blooming flowers. Socially distanced activities for all ages are offered, including “Painting with Light.” A nighttime farmers’ market is new this year, featuring locally grown produce, local honey, handmade soaps and artisanal crafts. Saturdays through Sept. 4, 7-9:30 p.m. Bring...
Photo courtesy Campo Italian Bistro and Bar All the news that’s fit to nosh. Brunch Time: It seems every week I come bearing brunch news, and this week is no different: After settling into a nice happy hour and dinner rhythm, Campo Italian Bistro and Bar is opening for brunch service starting this Saturday, August 14. Expect Italian-inflected brunch classics like eggs Benedict topped with spinach, capicola and roasted pepper hollandaise, and a savory Dutch baby gilded with prosciutto, pesto and...
One of the Valley’s best-known menswear labels is expanding its women’s line. In 2018, software engineer and information security pro Chris Coriale started Christopher J. Apparel with one item: a comfortable and well-cut men’s undershirt made of Tencel modal, a sustainable and biodegradable fabric that lasts as long as average fabrics but is compostable once it’s “worn out.” Since then, he added more men’s pieces and launched a women’s line in 2020, which he expanded...
When the pandemic first shuttered Phoenix, Aileen Martinez began painting places she missed. An ongoing series was born, in which Martinez portrays buildings around town, giving them character, ebullient color and a deep sense of longing. Her Crescent Ballroom has airy brown bricks and pastel accents, fringed by palm trees so loose the green spills from their leaf outlines, tops almost seeming to waver. Her Pizzeria Bianco stands wistfully empty under a pink sky, structural...
You might not think of Cleveland as a summer vacation destination, but Phoenix native Ryan Swanson says the midwestern city is an “underrated gem.” The head chef at Kai at Sheraton Grand at Wild Horse Pass – Arizona’s only AAA Five Diamond and Forbes Five Star restaurant – visits The Forest City twice a year with his girlfriend to see her family. They make an effort to find something new each time, especially museums, parks...
Ask Rabbi Jordan Brumer why he purchased Kitchen 18, a kosher restaurant in Scottsdale, and he’ll tell you he fell off a chair, banged his head and the next thing he knew, he owned a restaurant. All kidding aside, “It was a childhood dream of mine,” says Brumer, the former director of Jewish Arizonans on Campus. When Brumer bought the restaurant from Nathan Uvaydov in May 2021, the kitchen and dining room had recently been...
Slated for March but pushed back by you-know-what, the 2021 Phoenix Film Festival is now scheduled to open this coming Thursday, August 12 and run through Sunday, August 22. It’s a slightly less extravagant affair this year; fewer screenings, fewer special guests, no party tent, and all Harkins COVID protections will be observed. But the focus, we’re assured, is on quality more than quantity, with an emphasis on diversity and inclusion. Cases in point: This...
Summer is in full swing, but if you haven’t booked your staycation yet, don’t worry – Valley resorts and hotels are generally amenable to last-minute reservations. One we neglected to mention in our May/June staycation guide: Canopy by Hilton Tempe Downtown. The year-old hotel was inspired by a “desert oasis” and boasts work by local artists as well as ALIBI, a rooftop bar specializing in global street food. “Bringing our vision to life has been...
At Los Milics Vineyards in Sonoita, we’re hosting tastings on our crush pad while the tasting room is built. If I am not in the weeds, I give tours of the production facility. Invariably, someone asks about barrels. Questions like “Where do you get your barrels?” or “Are they all new?” are common. There are three major reasons to use oak barrels: to add aromatic and flavor compounds; allow for slow oxygen exchange through porous...
If you’ve lost faith in crowd-sourced contractor recommendations, you might need SavonServices. The membership-based app ($29.99/year) connects users with vetted electricians, landscapers, locksmiths and more, with built-in, pre-negotiated discounts. Available in the App Store and Google Play. savonservices.com
