Our curated list of the top events to seek out for the coming week and weekend.
cocktails Archives
Desert DigestLocal Foodie News
Sydnee WilsonApril 28, 2023
All the news that’s fit to nosh. Fiesta Time: Joyride Taco House is celebrating Cinco De Mayo all weekend long with an exclusive Agave Lounge extension filled with festive decor. The lounge will include extended seating and buckets of Huss Rio Salado Mexican Lager and a specialty tequila-based cocktail called Island Time. Chips and salsa can be enjoyed on the patio and a variety of taco favorites like carne asada, Baja fish, pork adobada, carnitas...
Desert DigestFirst Dish: Over Easy
Sydnee WilsonApril 3, 2023
Over Easy isn’t just a way to cook eggs, it’s a local breakfast cafe serving up tasty dishes and good vibes. There are 10 locations of this local chain throughout the Valley with three new locations opening this year, but I recently visited the Surprise location to check out the seasonal menu. Upon entering, I was greeted by bright yellow and blue hues and a happy atmosphere that could help anyone start their day on...
Food ReviewsFour Corners: Bodega
Nikki BuchananMarch 3, 2023
Everything about Bodega in Westgate Entertainment District exudes an upbeat Latin vibe inspired by Miami and its Cuban culture.
Food ReviewsDining Review: Tipsy Chicken
Nikki BuchananMarch 3, 2023
Asian libations, K-pop and rambunctious, Seoul-inspired street food make for a fine time in west Mesa.
Valley NewsWhat’s Up March/April 2023
Editorial StaffMarch 3, 2023
A glimpse of the goings on in the Valley this spring.
THE SCENE Bars and restaurants are playing it fast and loose with the word “experience” these days. Calling a dimly lit bar a speakeasy and charging $20 for a cocktail does not an experience make. But over at the Century Grand compound on Indian School and 36th Street – the playground of cocktail innovators Jason Asher, Rich Furnari, Jeff Holland, Mat Snapp, Kailee Asher and Jax Donahue – true experiences abound. At each of Barter...
2022Best of the ValleyFood & DrinkBest of the Valley 2022 Cocktail Spotlight
Editorial StaffJuly 1, 2022
Our picks on the best places to imbibe, enjoy spirits and sip on a cocktail.
bar manager Aiden Dunnigan pours a Chartreuse Float | Photo by Sara Crocker As a consumer hungry for all the Phoenix news that’s fit to eat and drink, you don’t need me to tell you to go to Valentine. But, if you’re as smitten with Arizona, its history and its potable bounty, then you do need to head to the back of the building to Bar 1912. “The Southwest is a gastronomical empire,” says Chadwick...
Silk Road cocktail | Photo by Sara Crocker Can a cocktail evoke a sense of place and memory? It’s the ambitious question that underpins the experience at Khla, a new Roosevelt Row-adjacent alley bar fronted by the team that brought Phonecians the playful cocktail-slinging camper Baby Boy. “At the end of the day, we were chasing childhood ingredients, stuff that we grew up eating that wasn’t as popular then as it is today,” co-owner Tyka...
How many of us would love to go back to that carefree feeling of frolicking around the playground as a child? Indeed, it would be pretty cool to relive those memories as an adult – perhaps even with a cocktail in hand. Good news for the young at heart: Recreo, a new playground-themed restaurant in downtown Chandler, is serving up inventive eats and playful cocktails with a serious side of nostalgia. The expansive patio and...
Desert DigestFood & DrinkFirst Dish: Espiritu
Nikki BuchananApril 18, 2022
When Espiritu opened last January, it was cast as a bar not a restaurant, a let’s-get-crazy play place for drinkers unashamed to admit they like getting a little toasty. Under the short cocktail menu (five regular cocktails and one daily special) is a section called “Shots & Other Mistakes,” featuring nine possibly bad decisions (their verbiage, not mine). Here, you’ll find wild concoctions given hilarious names and descriptions, including Yeetlejuice (Jaeger cold brew, pineapple amaro,...
Desert DigestFood & Drink4 Christmas Cocktail Pop-ups Around the Valley
Madison RutherfordDecember 9, 2021
‘Tis the season for holiday imbibing! Eat, drink and be merry at these four festive pop-up concepts at local bars and restaurants. Feliz Navidad Cantina at Salt and Lime Modern Mexican Grill This over-the-top pop-up concept was first introduced last year. It’s even bigger and better in 2021, complete with floor-to-ceiling Christmas decorations, festive food and drinks, servers decked out in holiday garb and weekly visits from Santa and the Grinch. The pop-up will run...
Photo courtesy Tarbell’s When you dine at Tarbell’s, you will embark on an odyssey of opposites. This, you’ll soon learn, is a large part of its lasting charm. Mark Tarbell opened the restaurant in 1994 to immediate acclaim. The eatery soon became synonymous with fine dining in the Valley, attracting a welter of well-heeled patrons and possessing a certain je ne sais quoi that generated a positive buzz. Nearly three decades later, the Tarbell’s...
Desert DigestFood & DrinkAioli Gourmet Burgers and Bitter & Twisted Partner on New Food Menu
Madison RutherfordOctober 14, 2021
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...