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Isabel’s Amor, a new Mexican restaurant from the family behind the Valley’s Someburros chain, will open in October on the northwest corner of Val Vista and Williams Field in Gilbert. The Forum at Gilbert Ranch development already is home to

Please welcome Max and Ted’s 480 Bar as MXSW’s newest sponsor. The Chandler neighborhood bar on Arizona Avenue just north of downtown Chandler got a new owner in April. Dottie and Roy Maxted, who launched the 480 Bar 17 years ago, sold

A slice of Spinato’s mouth-watering pizza soon will be as close as your home freezer. Starting Monday, Sept. 2, Spinato’s gluten-free frozen pizzas will be available at all AJ’s Fine Foods stores. Unfortunately, it looks like only gluten-free varieties at this time.

Don’t know the difference between Cabernet and Chardonnay? Learn the basics about wine when My Wine Cellar in Ahwatukee begins another series of Wine 101 classes on Sept. 14. The 90-minute classes, which meet at 1 p.m. Saturdays, will be taught

Cooks & Corks, one of several annual events during the week-long Scottsdale Culinary Festival every April, is declaring its independence. On Nov. 8, it will debut as a stand-alone event on the lawn at the Four Seasons Resort Scottsdale at Troon North.

After four years in downtown Chandler, the Taste Chandler culinary festival is being moved by its organizer to Downtown Ocotillo, a commercial development southwest of Dobson and Queen Creek roads. The fifth annual Taste will take place from 6-10 p.m.

The ever-tinkering Randy Walters at Pittsburgh Willy’s has come up with a new hot dog at his Chandler eatery, and he’s looking for help with its name. The newcomer is his signature Big Willy dog topped with sour cream, guacamole, salsa

The twice-a-year Arizona Restaurant Week returns one month from today. As usual, East Valley restaurants mostly seem to be ignoring it. Of the 36 participating restaurants listed (so far), only four are in the East Valley: Cork and Roy’s in

The Perch, a restaurant and nano-brewery scheduled to open in downtown Chandler in October, is looking for a head chef. General manager James Swann says he’s looking for a creative, hardworking chef who can do a modern Southwest gastropub-style menu.

With football season and the school year upon us, Lucky Break, the neighborhood sports bar and billiards hall in south Tempe, has updated its lineup of happy hour and daily specials. Happy hour deals (11:30 a.m.-6:30 p.m. Monday-Friday) $2 domestic

Chandler fine-dining restaurant Cork restarts its monthly Sunday tasting dinners with a Taste of Morocco menu on Sunday, Aug. 25. Taste of Morocco menu: Optional starter: Merguez sausage with spicy tomato sauce (add $10) 1st course: Moroccan carrot soup with

Queen Creek Olive Mill has announced its first-ever Olivepalooza Food Truck Festival, which will take place Saturday, Oct. 12, and Sunday, Oct. 13. Food trucks from all over the Valley will be sreving up their signature menu items from 11

Chandler will get Arizona’s first Burger 21, a new fast-casual concept from the Florida-based owners of The Melting Pot, according to the Phoenix Business Journal. The opening will be next year, but the exact location has not been disclosed. The

Are you a wine lover who is interested in getting to the next level of wine drinking and knowledge? My Wine Cellar in Ahwatukee begins another of its four-week Wine 201 series of classes Saturday. Unlike their Wine 101 classes, which

By the end of this week, you’ll be able to make reservations directly on 20,000 U.S. restaurants’ Facebook pages, thanks to the social media giant’s new integration with OpenTable. Unlike OpenTable’s integration with Yelp and Google Maps, which requires users

A seven-week Hatch Chile Fest is in full swing at AZ Food Crafters in Chandler. Through Sept. 29, the hand-pie shop on the southeast corner of Alma School and Ray will be selling a variety of items featuring the New

Salad and Go, the Valley’s first gourmet salad drive-through restaurant, begins serving breakfast today. Breakfast menu Warm Berry Quinoa Bowl: Warm quinoa, fresh berries, bananas, all-natural peanut butter with toasted almonds and coconut ($4.99) Greek Yogurt Parfait: Non-fat Greek yogurt, fresh

Biscuits Cafe is opening its third Valley location on University Drive, a quarter-mile west of Mill, in Tempe this fall. The Oregon-based chain of cafes is taking over the 2,876-square-foot space previously occupied by Baja Fresh, according to the Phoenix

Please welcome House of Brews as MXSW’s newest sponsor. The restaurant and bar just reopened under new ownership on the southeast corner of Cooper and Warner in Gilbert. The new and improved menu includes lobster rolls, Hawaiian ham and cheese sandwiches, blackened

It’s Shark Week on the Discovery Channel, and the Sandbar Mexican Grill in Chandler has jumped on board with a haul of “jaw-some” specials this week. Through Sunday, munch down on shark tacos (three for $9) while tossing back Shark

Are marshmallows the new cupcakes? Tricia Medina thinks so, which is why the Chandler entrepreneur wants to take her at-home business, Fluff It Bakery, to the next level. Not surprisingly, she’s doing it the new-fashioned way – with a Kickstarter

Chompie’s is offering a buy-one-get-one-free deal on all of its made-from-scratch breakfast pastries, including cinnamon rolls, cheese pocket, raspberry bear claws, raspberry pastry sticks, chocolate pastry sticks, and honey-raisin bran muffins. The deal is good for takeout only and runs

The Sushi Room‘s monthly sushi-making class is getting popular. The two-hour class, held on the second Saturday of every month, has sold out this Saturday. For $35, participants get hands-on instruction in making their own sushi rolls, plus appetizers, sushi

Papago Brewing is one of 25 finalists in a contest to win a fresh cask of Pilsner Urquell flown directly from the legendary European brewery. Cast your vote for the Scottsdale bar here. Pilsner Urquell is the world’s first pilsner

“The American Dream in a Pint Glass,” a documentary following Arizona Wilderness Brewing‘s 18-month journey to become Gilbert’s first brewery, will have its premiere at 7 tonight at Wild Side Grill in Queen Creek. The one-hour film will be shown

About 10 days ago on Facebook, I was raving about the Philly cheesesteak I was eating at Devil’s Kitchen, a relatively new spot on Warner just west of Arizona Avenue (next to Hoosiers Cafe). So I went back Friday to

Here’s a novel concept: The House of Brews (pictured during renovations) is paying attention to the brews. The Gilbert restaurant and bar already has closed twice this year under two different owners. Part of the problem? The 26 tap handles were

Hint: It’s not the tables and chairs.

Nosh Arizona kicks off Round 3 of its ongoing “Bar Fight” series today, pitting Bell’s Two Hearted Ale against Deschutes Inversion IPA (since today is National IPA Day, of course). Here’s how “Bar Fight” works: After choosing two craft beers,

Chandler fine-dining restaurant Cork returns from its annual summer hiatus tonight and will unveil chef Brian Peterson’s new fall menu. Appetizer highlights include a Baja Crab Fritter with sweet corn, Peruvian pepper, and avocado, and Confit Pork Belly with pretzel

Thursday is National IPA Day. The simultaneous 7 p.m. tapping of the Wolfpack double IPA collaboration at a dozen craft beer bars around the Valley will be the day’s highlight, but there will be other hop-heavy offerings: At The Watering

Take a mini-vacation to the Islands tonight when The Sushi Room in Chandler launches a new promotion, “Hot Hawaiian Nights,” featuring a special menu of Island dishes and cocktail specials. Hot Hawaiian Nights menu: Steamed edamame ($2) Boiled peanuts ($2) Kalua

Eight’s “Check, Please! Arizona” Festival will return to downtown Phoenix’s CityScape in 2014, but will take place a month earlier in hopes of avoiding the Valley’s early-summer heat. The food festival, featuring restaurants profiled on the PBS show “Check, Please! Arizona,”

Wolfpack, a limited-release double IPA collaboration brewed by representatives from a dozen of the Valley’s top craft beer bars, will make its synchronized debut Thursday at those bars for National IPA Day. The beer will be tapped at 7 p.m. Thursday

“The American Dream in a Pint Glass,” a documentary following Arizona Wilderness Brewing on its journey to becoming Gilbert’s first brewery, has been posted on YouTube. Well, at least the first 25 minutes have. The rest of the video will

Today is National Cheesecake Day… At Chompies, buy a slice of cheesecake (pictured on left) for the regular price of $4.95 and you’ll get a second slice for free. The offer is good for dine-in or takeout at all four

The date and location have been set for the next Chef Off!, an ongoing series of friendly culinary competitions between East Valley chefs. The next installment will be held Monday, Aug. 26, at Zappone’s Italian Bistro. John Wong of sN Asian

The growth of the U.S. craft beer industry is showing no signs of slowing down. So say the latest statistics from the Brewers Association, which released its 2013 mid-year report today. Among its findings: • Although overall U.S. beer sales for

Gelato Dolce Vita has closed its store at SanTan Village in Gilbert, explaining on its Facebook page the landlord refused to renew its lease: To all our Gilbert fans: Our lease is up – we had no option to renew.

The annual “Burger Daze” promotion starts Thursday at Liberty Market. The downtown Gilbert restaurant will offer a different specialty burger every day during August. The always-popular Tot Burger, topped with tater tots and cheese (pictured on left), starts things off

Pittsburgh Willy’s is staying open late tonight to help a customer battling cancer. Kris Deihl was diagnosed with testicular cancer in January. Not only did he miss several months of work, but he also has no medical insurance. The Chandler hot

Saturday will be the first of three one-hour workshops on prickly pear cactus fruit at Boyce Thompson Arboretum near Superior. The popular annual classes teach how to pick, prepare, process, and preserve the seasonal fruit. East Valley author Jean Groen and

Wil Wheaton: “Star Trek” alumnus, technology evangelist, Sheldon Cooper nemesis … and craft brewer? Back in April, the actor was invited by longtime friend Greg Koch to brew a beer. Koch, of course, is the co-owner of Stone Brewing Company.

Sidewinder Subs in Gilbert is offering a two-for-one deal on sandwiches through the Shopping Buyz website. Unlike Groupon or similar deals, this one doesn’t require you to buy the coupon – you can just print it . For free. Sidewinder, located on

Lucky Break continues its monthlong fundraiser for Lucky Dog Rescue on Saturday with a “Family Day” party featuring face painters, balloon animals, silent auction, and, of course, a selection of adoptable dogs looking for loving families. All month, the Tempe

Boulders on Broadway is the latest craft beer bar to celebrate “Christmas in July.” Today’s lineup of holiday-season drafts includes Lost Abbey Angel’s Share, Lagunitas Brown Shugga’, Dogfish Head Olde School, Sierra Nevada Celebration, Marble 2012 Reserve, Epic Smoked and Oaked, Widmer

Today is National Tequila Day. TQLA in Mesa is offering $2 shots of its hyper-cooled tequilas on tap and $6 margaritas, as well as $5 off tequila flights. Fajitas are half-price. Someburros has $1 frozen margaritas at all four of

Attention, all Jimmys and Joes. Wednesday, you can get a free slice of pizza at Jimmy & Joe’s Pizzeria in Mesa or Chandler. The annual freebie deal also is good for those with any variation of Jimmy or Joe, such

Tuesday is National Hot Dog Day, and Pittsburgh Willy’s is celebrating the occasion with something special: The Gourmet Twilly Dog. The Twilly gets its name from a combination of Twinkie and Big Willy, the Chandler eatery’s signature hot dog. It

Liberty Market in Gilbert is celebrating the 28th birthday of its Faema E61 espresso machine by giving away free espresso, macchiato, and cappuccino today. Faema, an Italian company, introduced the E61 model in 1961, and its numerous engineering innovations immediately revolutionized

Downtown Chandler’s SanTan Brewing hosts its fourth annual “Christmas in July” party all day Saturday. Santa will dig into his secret stash of winter seasonal beers, such as Winter Warmer (accompanied by gingerbread cookies) or Railslide Imperial Spiced Ale. Hoist

Hollywood Alley, an East Valley institution for a quarter-century, has announced its closing its doors at the end of the month. The Mesa venue, located on Baseline just east of the 101, made the announcement on its Facebook page. Best

BJ’s and Borderlands will be the subjects of weekend beer classes at Whole Foods Chandler: • At 7 p.m. Friday, BJ’s will be featured in the store’s weekly Friday Beer Class. Meet brewer Derek “Doc” Osborne and sample several of

If you don’t like craft beer, this might be the beer fest for you: The Blue Collar Beer Festival will take place Saturday at the Arizona Event Center in Mesa. Featured will be what organizers call “classic beers,” including Budweiser, Coors,

Salad and Go, the Valley’s first drive-through gourmet salad bar that opened in Gilbert in February, will start offering breakfast in mid-August, owner Roushan Christofellis tells MXSW. “We have had great success making drive-through fast food better and healthier during lunch and

How well do you know your American vodkas? Find out Saturday when BLD in Chandler hosts a blind tasting in its new private dining room a 5 p.m. The event will last about an hour. For $30*, you’ll receive samples of

It’s Thursday, which means craft beer promos, although this week’s schedule is a little light… • From 6:30-8:30 p.m., Flanny’s in Tempe hosts the big event of the night (maybe of the month): An Epic tap takeover. Salt Lake City

Rawhide Western Town and Steakhouse, an Old West tourist attraction at Wild Horse Pass Resort & Spa near Chandler, sustained major damage in this week’s monsoon storms and will be closed for more than a month. Monday’s storms, which included 50

Salt Lake City’s Epic Brewing will bring more than two dozen beers to this month’s tap takeover Thursday at Flanny’s in Tempe. Among the most notable brews will be Smoked & Oaked Belgian Strong Ale, Santa Cruz Brown Ale, Copper

Bubba Phatz BBQ, which opened last summer in downtown Mesa, is closing, according to a Facebook post from owner Brian Banasek: We regret to inform ya that Bubba Phatz in Mesa will be closing its doors forever but the good news is you can

Wednesday is Chompie’s fourth annual Customer Appreciation Day, and its four Valley locations will be selling its signature Jewish Sliders for just 99 cents apiece from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. The sliders are mini challah rolls filled with lean brisket,

It’s official: Pittsburgh Willy’s Dog House, a spinoff of Pittsburgh Willy’s hot dog shop, is coming to downtown Chandler this fall. Owner Randy Walters confirms he signed a lease last week to take over a pale yellow house surrounded by a

King James Brew, James Swann‘s website about Arizona craft beer, has a new look. Gone is the simple blog format. The design now features more stories, more colorful artwork, and more social media elements. Swann, the beer buyer for Whole

Buffalo Wild Wings rolls out its house craft beer, Game Changer, on taps at all of its 925-plus locations in the U.S. and Canada today. The beer, a pale ale with an amber color, has an ABV of 4.6%. It

For the first time ever, an Arizona wine has received a 90-point score from Wine Spectator magazine. Two wines, in fact: the 2010 Colibri Syrah Clone 174 from Page Springs Cellars near Cornville and the 2010 Colibri Vineyard Syrah (pictured) from Burning

Thursday’s “Back to Basics” panel discussion on the birth and evolution of U.S. craft beer was a sellout. For those who couldn’t get in the door at Papago Brewing, and for those who had other commitments, I recorded the event.

Fibber Magees, the longtime Irish pub in Chandler, rolls out its first-ever craft beer event Saturday, and it’s a doozy. The Feast of St. Arnold will feature more than 80 rare or limited-release beers from 50 breweries all over the

Just -released Black Butte XXV, the 25th anniversary edition of Deschutes Brewing‘s popular imperial porter, will be the subject of this week’s Friday Beer Class at Whole Foods Chandler. It’s the sixth vintage of Black Butte to be released in limited quantities

Still more restaurant fundraisers for the families of the 19 fallen Granite Mountain firefighters: • From 4:30-7:30 today, the Super Farm Market at Superstition Farm in Mesa will donate vendor booth fees and hayride proceeds. There also will be firefighters

It’s Thursday, which means craft beer promos… • At 5:30 p.m., Sleepy Dog in Gilbert will host a Full Sail tap takeover, selling $6 sampler flights and $4 pints of the Oregon brewery’s beers. • At 6 p.m., Bison Witches in Tempe

At a time when every new beer seems to be an imperial, a sour, a hybrid, or a collaboration, Papago Brewing Company wants to get “Back to Basics.” That’s the title of an all-star panel discussion the Scottsdale venue will host

On Saturday, Pittsburgh Willy’s will be accepting donations of dog food for the Good Dog Food Bank, a local non-profit group that helps financially struggling families keep their dogs. Drop off a bag of dry dog food or cans of

Supper, a “pop-up” Italian restaurant, will debut this weekend at NCounter on downtown Mill Avenue in Tempe. It will be open for dinner Fridays and Saturdays for just three weeks. Chef Anthony Andiaro (pictured), formerly of Quiessence in south Phoenix,

Starting today, AZ Food Crafters will be giving away had pies in exchange for school supplies for A New Leaf, an East Valley domestic violence and homeless shelter. Items needed are backpacks, calculators, notebooks, colored pencils, markers, notebooks, three-ring binders with

Pacino’s Real Italian – described by its owner as “a contemporary Italian restaurant” – has opened at The Village at Las Sendas in northeast Mesa. The restaurant takes over the short-lived Anzio Landing space between D’Vine Bistro and Breadsmith. The space originally

Five beers from Lake Havasu City’s Mudshark Brewing will be featured in a five-course beer dinner next Thursday, July 17, at El Palacio Mexican restaurant in Chandler. Mudshark Beer Dinner 1st course: 7 Layer Salsa with salsa fresco, salsa picante, beans,

The 19 fallen Granite Mountain firefighters will be honored with a commemorative beer – an American brown ale dubbed Heroes 19 – from Arizona’s craft breweries. The beer will feature 19 different hops and be brewed at Prescott Brewing, where

Please welcome The Devil’s Kitchen as MXSW’s newest sponsor. The independently owned restaurant opened in August 2012 on Warner Road, just west of Arizona Avenue, in Chandler. The Devil’s Kitchen offers a menu of all-American favorites like made-to-order burgers (traditional and stuffed),

Top of the Rock, the restaurant at the Buttes Marriott Resort in Tempe, is hosting a series of guest chef  “summer suppers” called Chef’s Collection starting this week. Every Thursday through Aug. 29, a Valley chef will prepare a three-course, prix-fixe

Restaurant fundraisers for the families of the 19 fallen Granite Mountain firefighters continue this week. At Fate Brewing in Scottsdale, all proceeds from food, drink, and merchandise sales today will be donated. Doors open at 3 p.m. RA Sushi will

Congrats to SanTan Brewing in Chandler and Mother Road Brewing in Flagstaff, which won medals at the U.S. Open Beer Championship in Atlanta. SanTan’s Sex Panther won a bronze medal in the Chocolate/Cocoa Beer category. Mother Road’s Anniversary Porter took

It’s another busy beer weekend at the Watering Hole bar at Whole Foods Chandler. At 7 tonight, Oskar Blues Brewery from Lyons, Colo., will be the subject of the store’s weekly Friday Beer Class. Besides the brewery’s core beers (Dale’s

Last month, defunct Monsterland announced it would hold a ”Resurrection Party” on Aug. 24, paving the way to reopen as an occasional one-off event venue. Diehard fans took it as a sign the former horror-themed museum, restaurant, and nightclub in downtown Mesa

The Traveling Monk, the Valley’s newest food truck, makes its debut from 5-9 p.m. today in the parking lot of The Hungry Monk in Chandler. Hungry Monk owner Jim Lolli bought the used truck, which he thinks was a Snap-on

Local First celebrates “Independents Week” with a Mill Avenue pub crawl tonight. Stops will include Monti’s La Casa Vieja, Robbie Fox’s Public House, Canteen Modern Tequila, Handlebar, and Bison Witches. The pub crawl starts at Monti’s at 8 p.m., but you can join at any point (follow

Happy Fourth of July! What, you think I’m a day early? Not in Ahwatukee, which celebrates tonight with Red White & Boom, featuring food, drink, live entertainment, kids activities, and, of course, fireworks. While the event at the Ahwatukee Country

Valley restaurants are stepping up to help the families of the fallen Granite Mountain Hotshots Crew. Today, Spinato’s Pizzeria is donating $1 from every large pizza sold at its five locations to a fund for the families of the victims.

Please welcome King James Brew as MXSW’s newest sponsor. King James Brew is the professional brand (and website name) for James Swann, one of the most recognizable figures in Arizona’s craft beer industry. Swann is a veteran of the local beer scene. He

A “Break The Slice Record” challenge takes place today at Jimmy & Joe’s Pizzeria in Mesa. The eatery is offering a “throwback deal” of one of its giant slices and a drink for $4 all day. Jimmy & Joe’s hopes

It’s official. Guerrero’s, a Tempe mom-and-pop restaurant that’s been dishing out above-average Mexican food for 31 years, will close July 31, it confirms on its Facebook page: Guerrero’s Mexican Food is sad to announce that after 31 years of serving the

If you missed last week’s Grapes & Grains dinner at Vintage 95 in downtown Chandler, you’re in luck. Il Vinaio in downtown Mesa will host a similar dinner – featuring four courses of food, each paired with a beer and

Chandler roadhouse Iguana Mack’s (pictured) is offering a couple Groupon deals. Get $20 worth of food for $10, or $30 worth of food for $15. Buy it here. CHoP Chandler steakhouse has a Groupon for $60 worth of food for $30.

Please welcome Nosh Arizona as MXSW’s newest sponsor. The self-described gastropub and wine bar opened in December in the Alberston’s strip mall on the northwest corner of McClintock and Ray in Chandler. Owners Mark and Stacey Carson have introduced a new happy hour – 4-7

Original ChopShop, a fast-casual concept that debuted earlier this year in Scottsdale, opens a second location today on University, just east of Mill, in Tempe. The health-conscious eatery – open for breakfast, lunch and dinner daily – features chop salads,

Lucky Break will be raising money all this month – National Hot Dog Month – for the local Lucky Dog Rescue, an all-volunteer, non-profit animal rescue organization dedicated to saving the lives of homeless animals and educating the community on responsible pet

House of Brews, a neighborhood grill and bar on the southeast corner of Cooper and Warner in Gilbert, is reopening – again – under new ownership. House of Brews closed in January after 20 months in business, but reopened under new

Could there be a better day for the Beat the Heat beer festival. While temperatures are expected to reach 118 degrees Saturday, beer drinkers will be able to sample from more than 50 craft beers in the air-conditioned comfort of