Posted by Jess Harter on May 16, 2013 9:07 am
Beaver Choice, the acclaimed Swedish restaurant that closed in January to move into a larger space, finally is ready to reopen May 28. The restaurant had hoped to reopen in February.
Polish-born Hanna Gabrielsson, who also has lived in Sweden and Canada, opened Beaver Choice at McClintock and Broadway in Tempe in 2010, and quickly developed an enthusiastic following among foodies and non-foodies alike.
Its new home is the former Ripe Tomato Cafe on the southeast corner of Extension and Baseline in Mesa, which increases its seating capacity from 20 to 130 (including a front patio).
Besides traditional Swedish fare like meatballs with lingonberry sauce, the menu offers a few Polish dishes (pierogi, schnitzel) and a Canadian fave – poutine (french fries with gravy and cheese curds).
Posted by Jess Harter on May 15, 2013 5:27 pm
Many Mexican restaurant claim to have “award-winning” salsa. El Palacio Restaurant & Cantina has the trophies to prove it.
The Chandler restaurant took first place in both the mild and hot divisions at the 2011 My Nana’s Salsa Challenge. It won the hot division at the 2012 Maricopa Salsa Festival, and took best-salsa honors at the 2012 Arizona Taco Fest.
Now, it’s teaming up with Gilbert-based El Sol Foods to package its picante (hot) and mild salsas for $3.99 a pint.
So far, the salsas only are available at the Chandler restaurant. On Thursday, El Palacio also will be hawking them at the Chandler Farmers Market. It hopes to be selling the salsas in Valley supermarkets by late summer.
Posted by Jess Harter on May 15, 2013 1:45 pm
Fort Collins, Colo., brewery New Belgium will be the featured guest for Flanny’s monthly tap takeover from 6:30-8:30 p.m. Thursday.
The Tempe craft beer bar will have 23 New Belgium beers on draft, as well as two special firkins. The latter two will be a dry-hopped version of its Rampant imperial IPA and an extra-hopped version of its seasonal Rolle Bolle, a Belgian-style pale.
The regular version of Rolle Bolle also will be available, as will another seasonal, Dig pale ale. Another of the evening’s highlights will be Hoppy Bock lager, the first beer in the brewery’s new Hop Kitchen series.
Ten beers will be from New Belgium’s popular Lips of Faith series: Cascara Quad, La Folie, Paardebloem, Heavenly Feijoa, Pluot, Peach Porch Lounger, Biere De Garde, Imperial Chocolate Coffee Stout, Brett Beer, and Prickly Passion Saison.
The remaining nine are New Belgium’s year-round offerings: Fat Tire, 1554, Blue Paddle, Sunshine Wheat, Ranger IPA, Shift, Trippel, Abbey, and Rampant.
Posted by Jess Harter on May 15, 2013 1:18 pm
If you’re a fan of Spanish-style guitar music, you won’t want to miss a free concert by Guitarras Latinas this Saturday afternoon at Baja Joe’s Mexican Cantina in northeast Mesa.
The five-man group specializes in a wide range of traditional Latin-American music – son from Cuba, bolero from Mexico, cumbia from Colombia, samba from Brazil – as well as contemporary Latin-inspired hits by artists like Santana.
The concert will take 3-6 p.m. in the dining room.
While you’re there, you may get a peek at Baja Joe’s new “sports cantina” expansion, which is scheduled to open May 25.
Posted by Jess Harter on May 15, 2013 9:30 am
More than 200 canned craft beers from 60 breweries will be available for sampling at the Ameri-Can Canned Craft Beer Festival this Saturday at the Scottsdale Civic Center.
The East Valley’s SanTan from Chandler and Four Peaks from Tempe will be participating, as will Prescott Brewing, Lumberyard from Flagstaff, Mudshark from Lake Havasu City, and Grand Canyon from Williams.
Last weekend, the breweries competed in the festival’s judged competition. If you want to try this year’s gold-medal winners, here’s a list:
2013 Ameri-Can gold-medal winners
General admission tickets are $25 in advance or $35 at the door, which gets you a 4-ounce sampling can and 20 drink tickets. VIP tickets are $100 (presale only) and include entrance to VIP area with catered food and private restrooms.
Tickets can be purchased at any Valley Whole Foods or online here.
In addition to beer, the festival, which runs noon-6 p.m., will have local bands, food trucks, and a beer Olympics.
Earlier: Four Peaks, Grand Canyon win gold medals in Ameri-Can competition
Posted by Jess Harter on May 15, 2013 9:15 am
The twice-a-year Arizona Restaurant Week returns this weekend, starting Saturday and running 10 days.
More than 125 restaurants in the Valley and Tucson will offer special three-course menus for $30 or $40 per person.
As usual, the East Valley is woefully under-represented with just eight restaurants participating: Cork, Porkopolis, and Roy’s in Chandler, Monti’s La Casa Vieja and The Dhaba in Tempe, TQLA in Mesa, Melting Pot in Ahwatukee, and Carrabba’s Italian Grill (three locations).
Here’s what they will be offering:
Cork ($40)
- 1st course: Mediterranean mussels, or roasted baby beet salad, or pan-fried sweetbreads
- 2nd course: Pan-roased arctic char, or wild boar tenderloin, red win-braised beef cheek
- 3rd course: Mascarpone cheesecake, or flight of sorbets, or Cork S’more
Porkopolis ($40)
- 1st course: Fried pickles, or burnt-ends, or red-neck tacos
- 2nd course: Porkopolis meat platter, or blackened catfish, or baby back ribs, or BBQ jambalaya
- 3rd course: Ice cream sandwich, or apple crisp
Roy’s Restaurant ($30)
- 1st course: Waimanalo mixed green salad, or tempura-crusted spicy ahi roll, or crunchy lobster potstickers
- 2nd course: Teriyaki grilled salmon, or macadamia-crusted mahi mahi, or ”Hawaii Kai” beef short ribs
- 3rd course: Lemon-blueberry cheesecake, or chocolate souffle
Monti’s La Casa Vieja ($40)
- 1st course: Seared scallops, or ramin Southwest style, or hearts of romaine salad
- 2nd course: Filet mignon tower, or seared halibut, or spiced bone-in chicken breast
- 3rd course: Vanilla ice cream shortcake, or watermelon Popsicle
The Dhaba ($40)
- 1st course: (shared app) Amritsari samosa chaat, bhatura chole, or Bombay bhelpuri
- 2nd course: Dil bahar korma, or lakhnavi shahi paneer, or Kashmiri chicken tikka masala, or Numberdar saag murgh
- 3rd course: Rasmalai, or gulab jamun, or kulfi
- One bottle of house wine (red or white)
TQLA ($30)
- 1st course: Spicy crab cakes, or BBQ duck tamale, or Baja ceviche
- 2nd course: Pumpkin seed-crusted salmon, or carne asada, or ancho pork tenderloin, or oven-roasted chicken
- 3rd course: Seasonal cheesecake, or Patron XO flan, or cuatro leches
Melting Pot ($30)
- 1st course: Cheesy fondue
- 2nd course: Entree
- 3rd course: Chocolate fondue
Carrabba’s Italian Grill ($30)
- 1st course: (shared app or dessert) Calamari, or steamed mussels, or zucchini fritte, or mozzarella marinara, or fudge brownie, or tiramisu
- 2nd course: House, Italian or Caesar salads, or cup of homemade soup
- 3rd course: Pasta Carrabba, or chicken Bryan, or grilled salmon, or chicken parmesan/lasagne, or shrimp spiedino di mare
Reservation are stroingly recommended. Participating restaurants also will offer their regular menus during Restaurant Week.
Posted by Jess Harter on May 15, 2013 8:50 am
It’s Wednesday, which means deals on wine…
Today’s wine specials:
Posted by Jess Harter on May 14, 2013 9:05 am
SanTan Brewing seasonal Mr. Pineapple has been named one of the 33 best craft beers in a can, according to website Thrillist.com.
Mr. Pineapple is the only Arizona ale to make the cut. Others on the list include the Anderson Valley Hop Ottin, Oskar Blues Ten Fidy, and Cigar City Jai Alai IPA.
See the full list here.
Posted by Jess Harter on May 14, 2013 8:01 am
Max & Ted’s 480 Bar, the longtime neighborhood bar and grill on Arizona Avenue just north of downtown Chandler, will celebrate new ownership this Saturday.
Dottie and Roy Maxted, who launched the 480 Bar 17 years ago, have sold their establishment to Ted Smith.
All-day specials on Saturday will include $1 Jell-O shots, $1.75 domestic beers, $3 Pacifico, Dos Equis, and Corona bottles, and $3 Cuervo an Jagermeister shots.
There will be raffles every 30 minutes from 4-9 p.m., then a live band from 9 p.m.-close.
Posted by Jess Harter on May 14, 2013 7:48 am
Firecracker flatbread, meatball pasta, and blackened salmon sliders are among the 28 new items on the menu starting today at Bar Louie at Tempe Marketplace.
New drinks include a Rat Pack martini, watermelon margarita, and strawberry-peach bellini.
From 6-9 p.m. this Wednesday, try any of the 18 new drinks for just $2 each.
Next Wednesday, May 22, buy any new food item and get another free.
