downtown phoenix events
Check Please! Arizona Festival at CityScape UPDATED
Posted on 4/25/13 by DPJ Staff » No Comments
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The most popular locally produced TV show on Eight, Arizona PBS is taking its show on the road, and bringing dozens of restaurants and James Beard Award winners along for the ride.
Eight’s Check, Please! Arizona Festival will take place at CityScape on Sunday, April 28, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
The event will feature cooking demonstrations, panel discussions, wine & craft beer sessions, and the chance to audition for a spot on Check, Please! Arizona. Producers are seeking “congenial fans who are passionate about their favorite local restaurant, articulate about food and honest about their dining-out experiences.” Cameras will be present to tape the auditions.
A highlight of the schedule is a panel discussion led by Check, Please! Arizona host and James Beard Award winner, Robert McGrath. McGrath will be joined by fellow James Beard Award winners Christopher Gross, Nobuo Fukuda and Chris Bianco. The discussion will be about Phoenix emerging as a culinary destination, each chef’s unique culinary journey and the experience of receiving the James Beard honor.
Tickets please! DPJ readers: get a $10 discount off your tickets by entering the promo code “Check.”
THE FEST FACTS
Eight’s Check, Please! Arizona Festival takes over CityScape for a live food event exploring its show-inspired lineup of independently owned, Arizona restaurants. From five-star dining establishments to tucked away cafes, the event showcases Eight’s Check, Please! Arizona favorites.
Get a $10 discount off tickets!
Click the image above and enter the promo code “Check” when buying tickets.
WHERE
CityScape, 1 E. Washington St.
Get light rail/parking info
WHEN
Sunday, April 28, 2013, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
PARTICIPANTS
America’s Taco Shop
Amuse Bouche Gourmet Bistro & Catering
Betty’s Nosh
Cornish Pasty Co.
Coup Des Tartes
Durant’s
Eddie’s House
Flancer’s
Four Peaks Brewery
Frasher’s Steakhouse & Lounge
Haus Murphy’s German Restaurant
Hob Nobs Café & Spirits
LON’s at the Hermosa
MacAlpine’s Soda Fountain
Mrs. White’s Golden Rule Café
Petite Maison
Phoenix City Grille
Pittsburgh Willy’s Gourmet Hot Dogs
Shugrue’s Hillside Grill
Tarbell’s
Thee Pitts Again
Vogue Bistro
SAMPLING OF RESTAURANT MENUS
America’s Taco Shop. Grilled meat tacos
Durant’s. Brioche crostini & horseradish cream; roast sirloin and basil pesto; chocolate indulgence cake
Amuse Bouche Bistro. Meatloaf sliders w/tomato glaze; smoked bacon & onion aioli; chocolate éclair cake
Betty’s Nosh. Mushroom soup; stuffed mushrooms
Eddie’s House. Israeli Fattoush couscous
Frasher’s. BBQ pulled pork; gooey butter cake
Haus Murphy’s. Beefy Bratwurst w/sauerkraut
Hob Nobs Cafe & Spirits. Gourmet pizza
MacAlpine’s Soda Fountain. Velvet Elvis Ice Cream soda; pulled pork sandwiches & potato salad
Pittsburgh Willy’s. 2 of their gourmet hot dogs: Freddie G. and Wing Ding Willy
Shugrue’s. Seafood gumbo
Thee Pitts “Again.” Pulled pork
SCHEDULE
Chow Bella Stage
Noon. John Cavanagh of Tuck Shop – The Art of the Perfect Mixer
1pm. Andy Ingram of Four Peaks Brewery – Craft Beer Seminar
2pm. JAMES BEARD AWARD WINNERS DISCUSSION PANEL
Four of Arizona’s James Beard Award Winning chefs will participate in a panel discussion about Phoenix as a culinary destination, each chef’s unique culinary journey and what the James Beard honor has meant to them.
- Chef Robert McGrath. Check, Please! Arizona show host will lead this panel. Executive Chef of Market Street Kitchen, McGrath was awarded Best Chef Southwest in 2001.
- Chef Christopher Gross. Gross, of Christopher’s & Crush Lounge, was awarded Best Chef Southwest in 1995. Gross will host an exclusive wine seminar for VIP guests.
- Chef Nobuo Fukuda. Recently acclaimed for Nobuo at Teeter House, Fukuda won Best Chef Southwest in 2007. Chef Fukuda will serve exclusive VIP samples.
- Chef Chris Bianco. Best known for his world-famous pizza at Pizzeria Bianco, earned Best Chef Southwest in 2003.
3pm. Exclusive Wine Seminar with Mark Tarbell, Tarbell’s
SubZero/Wolf Chef Demonstration Stage
Noon. James Porter – Petite Maison
1:30pm. Eddie Matney – Eddie’s House
3pm. Jeremy Pacheco – LON’S at the Hermosa
VIP Area
1pm. Private Wine Seminar with Christopher Gross
Select tastes by Chef Nobuo Fukuda
Safeway Grill Master Stage
11:45am: Brett Hoffman, Haus Murphy’s German Restaurant
12:30pm: Robert McGrath, Host of Check, Please! Arizona and Executive Chef, Market Street Kitchen
2:45pm: George Frasher, Frasher’s Steakhouse & Lounge
‘Check Please! Arizona’ Audition Stage
12pm- 4pm Opportunity for guests to try out as a ‘people’s critic’ for the popular Channel 8 TV sho
TICKETS
Purchase tickets at www.azpbs.org/checkplease
- General admission is $60. Tickets include food, wine and beer sampling.
- VIP tickets are $100. VIP ticketholders will enjoy exclusive wine tastings; 30-minute early entry (10:30am) to the festival (before general admission); and VIP Valet Parking.
- DPJ readers: get a $10 discount! Enter the promo code “Check” when buying tickets.
Wire | First Annual ‘Grow Phoenix Festival’
Posted on 4/19/13 by DPJ Staff » No Comments
DPJ’s Wire series delivers news and information straight from the source without translation.
Top Valley Chefs Headline First Annual “Grow Phoenix Festival”
Arizona Science Center and Chipotle team up to host free food and science event
WHAT: Arizona Science Center is celebrating the culmination of the Chew on This! film and lecture series with the first annual Grow Phoenix Festival. In addition to educational and interactive activities hosted by Arizona Science Center, the event will feature informative demonstrations by members of the Phoenix culinary community, with a focus on food sustainability in the Valley. A variety of food trucks will join the festival, with a popular local band providing entertainment.
Cooking demonstrations will happen every hour on the half hour (starting at 10:30 a.m.), and will include the following:
- Chef Jon Clancy from M Catering
- Chef Joshua Herbert from Posh Improvisational Cuisine
- Chef Nathan Hirsh from Whole Foods
- Chef Eddie Matney from Eddie’s House
- Chefs Sammy & Zach Sleman from North Italian Farmhouse
Festival-goers who need refreshment will be able to choose from an array of food trucks, which will be onsite between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. They’ll include Island Logo, Burgers Amore!, The Chef Genie, Kona Ice, frufrupops and Paletas Betty. Local band Peppermint James will provide musical entertainment between noon and 2 p.m. (whenever there is not a chef demonstration on stage).
Scientists from Arizona Science Center will be on hand with fun activities for the whole family, including T-shirt design stations, solar manicures, eco-weave projects, a “Calculate Your Food Mile” challenge and much more.
The event is free and sponsored in part by Chipotle Mexican Grill, Whole Foods and M Catering by Michael’s.
WHEN: Saturday, April 20; 10 a.m. – 3 p.m.
COST: Free
WHERE: Heritage & Science Park (in front of Arizona Science Center), 600 East Washington St.
WHY: Arizona Science Center and Chipotle both share a commitment to the local community and raising awareness of important food-related issues. Chipotle has a track record for changing the way people think and eat fast food through its Food With Integrity vision, including through its own ingredient sourcing, seeking out the most sustainable sources for everything from beans to lettuce and meats. Specifically, Chipotle will serve more than 10 million pounds of locally grown produce this year. Additionally, Chipotle serves naturally raised meat – from animals that are raised in a humane way and never given antibiotics or added hormones – as well as dairy from pasture-raised cattle. Chipotle and Arizona Science Center both wanted to provide a learning platform for all ages, and the Chew on This! film and lecture series provides the perfect, fun way for families to start thinking differently about food, where it comes from, how it was raised and how it will affect the environment around them.
INFO: More information about the event and Arizona Science Center is available by visiting azscience.org or by calling (602) 716-2000.
Wire | Seventh Urban Wine Walk on Saturday
Posted on 4/18/13 by DPJ Staff » No Comments
DPJ’s Wire series delivers news and information straight from the source without translation.
SEVENTH URBAN WINE WALK IS SATURDAY, APRIL 20
Spring in Downtown Phoenix means two things: 1) The Diamondbacks begin their pursuit of an NL West championship and 2) The return of Urban Wine Walk, Downtown’s seasonal celebration of the grape.
Wine enthusiasts from all over the Valley—with palates ranging from rookie to refined—will pour into the streets April 20 from 1-6 p.m. to sample wine and snacks from 18 restaurants located in close proximity to METRO Light Rail as Urban Wine Walk makes its seventh appearance in Downtown Phoenix and the Central Corridor
Whether you’re passionate about food and wine or just looking for a good time, Wine Walk encourages urban adventurists to safely park-and-ride while soaking up some sunshine and our vibrant central city scene. With $4 all-day light rail pass in hand, Wine Walkers can pick a starting point and let their stomachs lead them from restaurant to restaurant to taste a wide variety of wines. Urban Wine Walk restaurants are strategically clustered to allow Walkers to maximize their experiences at each stop along light rail.
Wine Walk revelers. Photo provided by Downtown Phoenix Partnership.
Participating restaurants will pour three featured wines from 1 to 6 p.m. but Wine Walkers will need to get to Tom’s Tavern & 1929 Grill early to get a gift. Commemorative Urban Wine Walk glasses will be handed out to the first 300 folks who purchase a wine sample at Tom’s, beginning at 1 p.m.
Participation is FREE and wine samples cost between $2 and $3.
In addition to Tom’s Tavern, featured Urban Wine Walk restaurants include 1130 The Restaurant, Blue Hound Kitchen & Cocktails, Bonjour Vietnam, Brick Pizzeria, Cheuvront, District American Kitchen, FEZ, Hula’s Modern Tiki, ICON, Kincaid’s, LUSTRE, Networks, Province, The Rose & Crown, Steve’s Greenhouse Grill, The Arrogant Butcher, The Duce and The Strand Urban Italian.
Urban Wine Walk is proudly sponsored by the Downtown Phoenix Partnership and Tom’s Tavern & 1929 Grill.
For all things Urban Wine Walk, including maps and menus, visit downtownphoenix.com/winewalk
Wire | Tweetup with SI’s Peter King at Tom’s Tavern
Posted on 4/16/13 by DPJ Staff » No Comments
DPJ’s Wire series delivers news and information straight from the source without translation.
Peter King’s Pre-Pat’s Run Tweetup Hosted by @AZCardinals
Sports Illustrated NFL writer Peter King will be conducting a Tweetup to benefit the Pat Tillman Foundation on Friday, April 19 from 5:00-7:00 p.m. at Tom’s Tavern (2 N. Central Avenue, Phoenix).
The event takes place on the eve of the 9th Annual Pat’s Run at Sun Devil Stadium.
Tickets for the event are $40.00 with 100% of the proceeds going directly to the Tillman Foundation. Each ticket purchase includes admission, happy hour food and carbo-loading pasta stations, as well as two drink tickets redeemable for draft beer and wine.
The event will also include a football discussion and Q&A moderated by King and featuring Cardinals President Michael Bidwill, new Head Coach Bruce Arians and new GM Steve Keim (pictured left to right below).
There will also be appearances by current Cardinals players, cheerleaders and Big Red.
Space is limited and advance tickets are available now by calling 602-379-0102 as well as by visiting the Cardinals Tempe Training Facility (8701 S. Hardy Dr.) or University of Phoenix Stadium Box Office.
If you go
Event: Peter King Pre-Pats’ Run Tweetup Hosted by @AZCardinals
When: Friday, April 19 from 5 to 7 p.m.
Where: Tom’s Tavern, 2 N. Central Ave.
Tickets: $40 each with all proceeds going to the Pat Tillman Foundation
Transportation/Parking: Light Rail to Washington. Park in the CityScape parking garage or nearby meters (free after 5 p.m.)
Images provided by Arizona Cardinals
Gallery | Giving Thanks for the Feast
Posted on 4/16/13 by DPJ Staff » No Comments
Saturday’s Feast on the Street was epic. The event succeeded in turning the simple notion of breaking bread with one another into a spectacular festival.
Thanks to the event’s sponsors (including ArtPlace, National Endowment for the Arts, The Steele Foundation and many more supporters), the volunteers, restaurants, food trucks, musicians and, yes, beer vendors for making it a great party.
And special thanks to artists Clare Patey and Matthew Moore for inspiring ASU Art Museum and Roosevelt Row to make this historic event happen here, in our very own downtown Phoenix. Glasses up!
The half-mile long Feast table brought the community together for a historic event.
Roosevelt Row’s Kenny Barrett helps guests find a seat at the table for the 6 p.m. formal seating.
Roosevelt Row’s Cindy Dach pauses – but for just a moment – with Rhonda Bannard.
Alison Rainey and Carla Wade Logan greet guests with a smile.
Psyko Steve’s Steve Chilton was the man behind the day’s musical entertainment.
Roosevelt Row’s Greg Esser is at the wheel while Bob Rink encourages guests to take a seat.
Jim McPherson, Cory Kinkaid and Nick Bueno welcome you to the Evans Churchill Neighborhood.
Glasses up! Wayne Rainey (in black on car) records the Feast’s formal seating for posterity.
