Ten reasons you should be going to the Devoured culinary festival this weekend on the grounds of Phoenix Art Museum:
1. Your ticket ($59 in advance, $69 at door) not only includes all the food and beverages you can consume, but also general admission to the museum.
2. After recently leaving a highly publicized gig at Caffe Boa, chef Payton Curry (pictured above on the cooking stage at last year’s fest) debuts his new company, Guerilla Gourmet.
3. Wine expert Anthony Dias Blue – whose books, magazine columns, TV and radio shows reportedly have a combined audience of 30 million people each month – gives you the lowdown on Arizona wines.
4. Forecast: 85 degrees and sunny.
5. Slow-roasted Yucatán pork from Barrio Cafe, where chef-owner Silvana Salcido Esparza was just nominated for a James Beard best Southwest chef award for the second straight year.
6. Valley musician Roger Clyne, pimping his Mexican Moonshine brand of tequila, performs on the tiny side stage Sunday.
7. It’s an opportunity to check out many of those recently opened Valley restaurants – Province, Citizen Public House, Vitamin T, etc. – you haven’t gotten to yet.
8. Kai tries to top its memorable offerings of recent years with “Kai Toast” (fried quail eggs, pancetta and agave nectar syrup).
9. Find out if the rumors about the Valley’s first “mystery restaurant” are true.
10. New this year: Dessert lounge.
Restaurant lineups for Devoured [MXSW]
Devoured culinary festival [website]
