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“Gather ye stickybuns while ye may!
Tomorrow, May 27, is the last day in business for El Chorro Lodge, the Paradise Valley eatery where a scenic mountain view, killer eats (everything from eggs benedict to steaks) and old-school cool have earned it many Best of Phoenix awards over the years.” ~ via Chow Bella, Michele Laudig
Over the past several days, many of you have been writing in pissed off with emails that begin with WTF????, due to our site being down. First of all, THANK YOU!!! You care, you really, really care. Secondly, here is the scoop…
Although we have been writing for several months now, we still haven’t officially launched, ironic eh? We have been using this time to really understand what people want in content, readability and immediacy. After all this exhausting research we must admit we still have no better idea. Having said that, we have been having a blast.
As of June 15th, we will be “officially launching.” The most noticeable difference will be a total redesign of the site thanks to the ever creative handy-work of Fine Citizen.
We hope you will enjoy the new look as well as the reorganization of our posts to come out with specific categories on specific days, so that we can create some much needed consistency. We are also going to be rolling out our event program, advertising & marketing opportunities and a rewards program for our subscribers (so sign up now and get your friends to!)
So there you have it. Now the cat’s out of the bag.
Stay tuned….and forgive us if over the next couple of weeks you find us temporarily unavailable. If there is anything REALLY big, we will Tweet it so make sure you sign up for our EATERAZ Twitter feed too.
You people owe me. I don’t know what, exactly, you owe me, but you are definitely in my debt.
I just got back from the saddest place on earth and it’s killing me from the inside out.
You see, last week, I stopped in the new Bacon restaurant (the new gig by the owners of Devil’s Martini, in the old Café Blue space) and had a damn delicious sandwich. It looked like this:
Basically, it’s a BLT with a fried egg, served with beans and sweet potatoes.
Somewhere along the way, I thought it’d be funny if I pitted this beauty against the new Denny’s Grand Slamwich—which is kind-of-but-not-really supposed to be a Grand Slam, in sandwich form. It’s not. It’s disgusting, and I feel like crap now. This is the culprit:
I was going to compare the artisanal ingredients of the Bacon sandwich against mass-distributed ones from Denny’s. But at the end of the day, who really cares where it comes from as long as it tastes good. So there’s no reason to go there.
I was going to compare price. Which one is the better value? But at the end of the day, who really cares how much it costs as long as it tastes good. So there’s no reason to go there, either.
I was going to compare service. Ironic, because last week I realized that the service at Applebee’s is better than the service at The Vig, so how funny would it be to find out that Denny’s beats out Bacon in that department. But at the end of the day, who really cares how nice your waitress is as long as the food tastes good. So again, no reason to go there.
But you know what should have tipped me off? The nutritional breakdown of the Grand Slamwich. Behold:
> 1,320 calories
> 162% of your daily cholesterol allowance
> 110% of your sodium allowance
> And 89 grams of fat, 70% of which is saturated fat
Granted, I don’t know what’s in Bacon’s sandwich, but now I know what you people owe me: A fucking bottle of Lipitor.
Remember when the very mention of the word “Russian” evoked images of spies, missiles, and vodka? Thankfully, one of those stereotypes has survived, and it’s the one that gets you nice and drunk.
A number of premium Russian vodkas have entered the market lately, but we’re excited about Hammer + Sickle, a six-time distilled, winter wheat vodka straight from Kremlin country. It’s pure and straight-forward, and, well, calls it like it is with an actual hammer and sickle right there on the bottle.
We found the taste smooth and easy, with a hint of spice and a quick, dry finish. This small-batch vodka is available in about eight U.S. states and just entered AZ via Hensley & Co. Distributing. Tomaso’s has been the first to pick it up, so head that way for a taste.
Don’t know anyone from Milwaukee? Just use this:
You once knew a guy who did a bunch of acid and he took you to a Grateful Dead show once and thankfully the seats were so good and your drugs hadn’t kicked in yet that you noticed Jerry Garcia used a Les Paul guitar at the show and as it turns out Les Paul himself is from Milwaukee. So there’s your connection, now gimme my friggin’ custard Mr. Sunshine Daydream!
“Count on Wade Moises to lead us out of the pasta wilderness. He worked at two Mario Batali restaurants in New York before coming west five years ago to head glamorous Sassi in Scottsdale.” ~ Howard Seftel
Click here to read full review
After 5 years of operations, Chef James Porter is closing the doors to his beloved Tapino Kitchen + Wine Bar. Porter and his marketing/operations gal, Wendy Goldman, completed their dinner service on Saturday, and under dark skies Sunday night, cleared the place out. Twenty two staff members are getting the news as you read this, as they report for work for Tuesday service.
“I’ve never been this sick in my life,” says Porter. “These people have given everything to me, to Tapino. So it’ll be hard. We’ll open some champagne and celebrate the next chapter.”
All staff will be given the option to work in Porter’s new spot, Petite Maison, scheduled to open in about three months. (A couple mid construction shots are pictured above.) Not all will take the option, and that works out for everybody because the new place is just what it’s called: petite. Probably the largest deciding factor in closing Tapino was the sheer size of the space, “so I’m looking forward to scaling back and doing something smaller, more intimate,” says Porter. Maison will have a 12-seat bar and about 50 seats inside and out. Located in the old Baby Kay’s & Buckets on Shoeman Lane in Old Town Scottsdale, Maison will be Porter’s try at a French country bistro with extremely affordable prices. “The dining landscape has changed because of the economy,” he says. “People are scaling back but they still want value and quality and authenticity, that’s where small spots like this come into play.” Porter doesn’t envision major design changes to the old space – “I’d rather just spend the money on the food and wine.”
And he is sure to use most or all of his contacts with local farmers for the daily-changing menu. So while Tapino throws in the towel, Petite Maison marches on. Cheers to the Tapino staff for some memorable meals!
INDUSTRY DEAL—Folks in the food and bev industry are hating life right now. Say f#@* it to the slow summer/recession combo and take a staycation at the Hotel Valley Ho. This month and possibly beyond, the Ho is offering an Industry Rate of $99 per night (Sun-Wed only) with food and drink specials available to industry only, all day Tuesday. All you need to do is show your creds (a food handler’s card, pay stub, etc.). While there, industry can mingle with the commoners at Trader Vic’s for what looks like the least expensive bar menu we’ve ever seen anywhere. Behold:
Food specials: Monday-Wednesday, 4pm-6pm & 9pm-11pm
Drink specials: daily, same times as above
To book rooms, call (866) 882-4484
www.hotelvalleyho.com
Last night, luxury spirits brand Hennessy launched it’s newest cognac, Black, in the AZ market at the Midnight Room in the Mondrian. We went less for the cognac and more to check out the space. We’d been hearing about a redesign and rebranding of the old Sky Bar (that dark room kindasorta behind Asia de Cuba), but apparently all that noise was just that–noise. Place looks and flows exactly the same.
But it turns out we were wrong to dismiss the mixable cognac – the stuff’s delicious. However, the crowd, kindasorta couldn’t stop hilariously chattering about the multiple levels of irony taking place last night: a new product by a brand adored by the African-American community calling it like it is: Black. In a black room no less. Although we felt like the token white folk in the stylishly dressed crowd of Hennessy-lovers, no one in the room could deny that the spirit mixes perfectly with almost anything – from Moet Champagne to virtually any type of cola.
As we said back in April when we announced this launch —The Dark Night, Black’s mixability is “a smart move on Hennessy’s part. As the economy continues to tank, people will increasingly look for more affordable versions of luxury brands. This will surely prove to be one of them.”
God, we’re good. You know what, so is Hennessy.
Although J&G’s burger did not make our Top 9 Burger list (to be honest, we just couldn’t fit another burger down our throats) they surely will next year with this perfect ground offering. As they describe it: a fresh ground, hand-formed beef pattie, topped with Jean-Georges’ from-scratch Russian dressing, house-pickled cucumbers, juicy Vidalia sweet onions dipped in batter and lightly fried, crisp Butter lettuce, and locally sourced tomatoes all served alongside crispy-on-the-outside-only French fries. Sounds good right? Well it is really is and worth every penny of the $16.
And what better accompaniment to a burger than a brew? Natch. So J&G has come up with their “Burger & Brew” program: for an additional $3 bucks you get a beer with that burger. Although it sounds delicious, we’re weary of calling this program a program at all. Why? So the burger costs $16 and you’re getting a beer for $3, which is probably a couple bucks off now that you’ve spent a whopping $16. J&G, if you’re gonna promote recession friendly deal, MAKE IT A RECESSION FRIENDLY DEAL. Still, diners get a damn good burger and a cold one at the Phoenician with one of the best views in town. We’ll put this on the regular rotation.
Burger & Brew is available every evening.
J&G Steakhouse (at The Phoenician Resort)
6000 E. Camelback Rd.
Scottsdale, AZ 85251
480.214.8000
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