Category: Things to Do

1. The seventh annual Arizona Taco Festival, the world’s largest taco competition, will take place 11 a.m.-7 p.m. Saturday and Sunday at Salt River Fields in Scottsdale. 2. General admission is $12 online or $15 at the gate. VIP packages

JC’s Steakhouse in Gilbert will hold its monthly wine dinner at 7 p.m. Wednesday. This month’s focus will be on Greece. The food-and-wine pairings: Stuffed grape leaves with two kinds of hummus, paired with Skouras Zoe White Lentil soup and Greek salad, paired

1. The 44th annual Four Peaks Oktoberfest will take place this weekend at Tempe Town Lake. Hours are 5 p.m.-midnight Friday, noon-midnight Saturday, and noon-6 p.m. Sunday. 2. For the first time, the festival will charge admission. Single-day general admission

1. The fall edition of the twice-a-year A Taste of Greece festival takes place this weekend at St. Katherine Greek Orthodox Church (map) in Chandler. Hours are 5-10 p.m. Friday, 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Saturday, and 11 a.m.-7 p.m. Sunday. 2. Free

My Wine Cellar in Ahwatukee will hold its monthly wine and cheese tasting at 6 p.m. Tuesday. This month’s four featured cheeses: Raclette Triple crème brie Toleggio Aged Stilton The tasting is $25. RSVP: 480-598-9463.

El Palacio Mexican Restaurant & Cantina will hold its fifth annual Rockin’ Taco Street Fest from noon to 9 p.m. Saturday in downtown Chandler. The new location (the event previously had been held in El Palacio’s parking lot) will allow it

The seventh annual Arizona Taco Festival is still a month away, but the organizers will try to whet your appetite with a new teaser event – Rock the Guac – from 6-9 p.m. Friday at the Hotel Valley Ho in Scottsdale. Rock

The Hungry Monk in Chandler celebrates its sixth anniversary Saturday with a slew of customer-appreciation specials. The all-day deals include $2 sliders, $2 tacos, and $3 craft beer pints. Owners Jim and Carol Lolli opened a franchise of Cincinnati-based Buffalo Wings

Wingstock, Arizona’s only chicken wing and music festival, moves from April to October this year: The event will be held Saturday, Oct. 29, at Mesa Amphitheatre. The festival, which debuted in 2011, typically has been held Easter weekend, but Easter fell in March this

The Arizona Vignerons Alliance, a nonprofit formed by Arizona wineries to educate the state’s growers, winemakers, and customers, will hold its first symposium Saturday, Nov. 5, at The Farm at South Mountain. The symposium, called #WineResearch, will feature two seminars, a

Francis Ford Coppola Winery in northern California’s Alexander Valley will be featured in the monthly wine dinner at 7 p.m. Wednesday at JC’s Steakhouse in Gilbert. (Pictured: The appetizer trio for last month’s French wine dinner.) This month’s food pairings will

Temperatures are still close to 110, but there are signs fall is just around the corner. Most kids are back in school, and the Cardinals open their NFL preseason schedule Friday. That means it’s also time to start getting your tickets to some

Two of the East Valley’s top chefs – Anthony Serrano (pictured on left) from El Palacio Mexican Restaurant & Cantina in Chandler and Salvatore Zappone (right) from Zappone’s Italian Bistro in Gilbert – are throwing down this weekend. The two are

The Rockin’ Taco Street Fest is on the move. Launched by El Palacio Mexican Restaurant & Cantina in 2012, the annual celebration has outgrown the Chandler restaurant’s parking lot and will move to downtown Chandler this fall. The fifth annual fest, which will

Zappone’s Italian Bistro in Gilbert will hold a ‘‘Summer in Calabria’’ cooking class and lunch at noon Saturday Aug. 13. Chef and owner Sal Zappone will cover the making of four dishes:  Insalata verde: Baby greens salad Zucchine ripiene con ricotta:

Looking for something for your children to do while it’s sweltering hot outside? Family-run Brooklyn V’s Pizza in Gilbert is holding a Kids Pizza Workshop from 9:30-11:30 a.m. Monday. All kids will make their own personal pizza. Cost is $10,

JC’s Steakhouse in Gilbert will hold its monthly wine tasting at 7 p.m. Wednesday. This month’s focus will be on France. The food pairings will feature classic French fare: Pairing #1: Caviar, escargot, and steak tartare, paired with Jean-Francois Merieau Touraine

Arizona Breakfast Weekend – an Arizona Restaurant Association promotion that debuted last summer to somewhat ho-hum interest – is giving it another try. From July 28-31, participating Valley breakfast and brunch restaurants will offer special dishes for $7, $10, or $15.  Confirmed restaurants

Just a reminder: If you’re a fan of Ina Garten, aka the Barefoot Contessa, tickets for her Nov. 15 show at the Mesa Arts Center went on sale over the weekend. The show will celebrate the Emmy-winning Food Network star’s 10th book, “Cooking