Monday, February 15, 2016
Celebrate the finale of Arizona Cocktail Week right here in Tucson for the first year ever when Romo Tonight Live will present AZCW’s Last Call.
Featuring pop-up bars and craft drink samples from some of the state’s top cocktail bars, including Penca, PY Steakhouse, Sidecar and more from Tucson and Counter Intuitive, The Ostrich and Okra from the Phoenix area, the event will showcase the state’s talent behind the stick.
However, since it’s still a Steven Romo joint, you can expect guests like the crew from Hamilton Distillers and AZCW founder Damon Scott, live music from Katterwaul, a comedy set from Paul Casillas and more from the live late night-style variety talk show.
A portion of the proceeds from the event will go to the Tucson chapter of the USBG. The event runs from 6:30 until 11 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 21 at The Flycatcher (340 E. Sixth St.). You can get tickets (which are $15 in advance and $20 the day of) by visiting the Last Call event page on the Arizona Cocktail Week website.
Tags: arizona cocktail week , tucson , bars , romo tonight live , last call , event , craft cocktails , py steakhouse , penca , sidecar , okra , counter intuitive , katterwaul , pauly casillas , Image
Thursday, February 11, 2016
Take it from Brenna Bailey's round-up:
CRAWL FOR BEERYou can get your tickets online before the prices go up day of, or you can try your luck and maybe let us get you in for free. We are giving away a single pair of tickets. Want 'em? Fill out our form (make sure you know the name of the person you want to bring with you) and we'll be in touch if you win.
Hotel Congress, Ermanos, Thunder Canyon Brewery, Playground, Reilly, Pueblo Vida, Borderlands and a mysterious, unidentified downtown beer garden will all host local craft brewers' hoppy creations on Saturday, Feb. 20 for the second annual Tucson Craft Beer Crawl. Laura Adams Reese, Beer Crawl's PR rep, said the crawl "has a strong sense of place and downtown pride" that anyone can dig. Crawl starts at 1 p.m. Grab your tickets now at www.TucsonCraftBeerCrawl.com. Bonus: online ticket purchases are discounted.
Tags: Tucson Craft Beer Crawl , arizona beer week , beer week in tucson , tucson craft brewing , local beer , beer crawl , free stuff , Video
Monday, February 8, 2016
If you're one of many Tucsonans who caught a mean case of jaguar fever after footage of the rare predator in the Santa Rita mountains was released last week, you can hang out with like-minded El Jefe fans and learn more about the native cat at an event hosted by the Center for Biological Diversity.
On Wednesday, Feb. 10, the organization will be hosting an event at Barrio Brewing Co. (800 E. 16th St.) to shed some light on the country's only known wild jag. The event, which runs from 6 until 9 p.m., will include unreleased photos and video of El Jefe, along with other northern jaguars. Free snacks will be served to pair with Barrio's new thematically-appropriate brew, the Santa Rita Jefeweizen.
The Night of the Jaguar also aims to inform attendees about threats to El Jefe and his habitat, including the proposed Rosemont Mine and existing border security policies.
The event is free to attend, but organizers ask that you RSVP if you plan on joining.
Tags: el jefe , tucson , santa rita , jaguar , barrio brewing , center for biological diversity , beer , event
Wednesday, February 3, 2016
Over at The Parish (6453 N. Oracle Road), the restaurant's regular Southern offerings will be expanded to include a crawfish boil. Starting at 2 p.m. on Mardi Gras, Cajun fare and a whole lot of crawfish will be available with drink and food specials and live music in a range of genres including zydeco, Americana, blues, rock, funk and soul. Cover for the event is $10. Reservations are not necessary.
And, for its 22nd year, Kingfisher (2564 E. Grant Road) will also be serving up a taste of Louisiana courtesy of chef Jim Murphy of Kingfisher. The special Mardi Gras menu will be served up a la carte from 5 until 11 p.m. and will include the following:
- Baked Oysters “Storyville”: champagne, crabmeat, cayenne, crème fraiche, Parmesan cheese (5) - $15
- Old N’awlins Seafood Gumbo: shrimp, oysters, seafood, crawfish, Cajun mirepoix, okra, andouille sausage, scallions, Texmati rice, dark brown roux - bowl $16, cup $9
- Cajun Red beans and Texmati Rice with Andouille Sausage - appetizer $8, dinner $15
- Shrimp, Andouille Sausage and Tasso Ham Jambalaya: garlic, scallions, sauce piquant, Tasso, shrimp, Cajun mirepoix, Texmati rice - appetizer $9, dinner $19
- Deep Fried Cornmeal Crusted Catfish: Texmati rice, honeyed carrots, sauce Remoulade - $18
- Flaming Bananas Foster: brown sugar, banana liquor, rum, oranges, cinnamon, sweet cream butter, bananas, vanilla ice cream - $15
- New Orleans King Cake - $6
- Beignets - $8
- New Orleans Bread Pudding with warm whiskey custard sauce - $7.50
Drinks for the Kingfisher event will include New Orleans favorites, such as Hurricanes, Sazeracs and a selection of Louisiana brews like Dixie Lager and Abita Turbodog. Live performances from The Old Pueblo Jazz Band and Dr. Mojo and the Zydeco Cannibals will keep guests entertained at the special Mardi Gras event. Reservations are strongly suggested, and you can make yours by calling 323-7739.
Tags: kingfisher , the parish , tucson , restaurants , dining , mardi gras , cajun , creole , southern , crawfish , jambalaya , gumbo , beignets , live music , events
Monday, February 1, 2016
The Savor Food & Wine Festival is back for its third year to bring another full day of southern Arizona's leading food, wine, beer and spirits makers together to present their wares. In addition to 30 restaurants, a dozen wineries and breweries, three distilleries and several other food and beverage vendors, the festival will be featuring some of the many elements that won Tucson its 2015 UNESCO designation as a Creative City of Gastronomy.
As far as the food goes, you can expect local Top Knot duck tinga from Agustin Kitchen, Wagyu beef rillette from the Omni Tucson, chorizo-stuffed clams from Fini's Landing, smoked nopal canape from the on-site Café Botanica and much more when the restaurants serve up tasting samples throughout the event. Local beer, wine, coffee, kombucha and more will also be available courtesy of Borderlands Brewing Co., Sand Reckoner, Hermosa Coffee Roasters, Fermented Tea Company and several other purveyors. Cocktails will be mixed up from The Still, Kingfisher and PY Steakhouse.
However, this year's event also seeks to highlight elements, aside from value-added food and beverage makers, that make the city unique. Exhibitors like the Caridad Community Kitchen from the Community Food Bank, Native Seeds/SEARCH, Iskashitaa Refugee Network, Compost Cats and others will give glimpses into some of the ways Tucson promotes food justice and the heritage of the region's food ways, while seeking to eliminate food waste. Locally grown produce will be showcased by the Santa Cruz River Farmers Market.
You can get your fill of food and drink samples, mingle with local chefs and learn more about the folks changing the landscape of how food is grown, made, distributed, used and consumed in Tucson at the third annual Savor Food & Wine Festival on Saturday, Feb, 6. The event runs from 11 a.m. until 3 p.m. at the Tucson Botanical Gardens (2150 N. Alvernon Way). Tickets are $65 in advance or $75 the day of, if there are tickets left. Admission for the event also includes full access to the garden and its exhibits, including the Butterfly Magic exhibit. For tickets and more information, visit the SAACA website.
Tags: savor , food and wine , festival , tucson , craft beer , cocktails , unesco , saaca , festival , events , Image
Thursday, January 28, 2016
From 3 p.m. until 7 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 31, Tucson’s female beer crew will be serving up six brews with the cookies you know and love from the little ladies in green. Since there was such a big turnout for previous events, this time around you can get your cookies and beer at two different locations: Tap & Bottle (403 N. Sixth Ave., #135) and Borderlands Brewing Co. (119 E. Toole Ave.)
Here's what you can expect:
- Upslope Brown with a Do Si Do
- Hangar 24 Orange Wheat with a Trefoil
- Sierra Nevada Big Foot Barleywine with a Samoa
- Barrio 2015 Girls Pint Stout Russian Imperial Stout with a Thin Mint
- New Belgium Citradelic Tangerine IPA with a Savannah Smiles
- New Belgium Glüttony with a Toffee-tastic (both gluten free)
Cookie and coffee pairings will be offered at Exo Roast Co. for the teetotalers right next door to Tap & Bottle. Girl Scouts will also be on-site if you want to buy a few boxes to take home, which, let’s be honest, you probably do.
Tags: girl scout cookies , beer , tucson , events , girls pint out , tap & bottle , borderlands , pairing
Tuesday, January 19, 2016
North Korean scientists—and every drinker out there—have a lot to celebrate: They have created hangover-free alcohol.
An article by Foreign Policy says that according to the Pyongyang Times, the liquor, which is called Koryo, is roughly between 30 to 40 percent alcohol and “exudes national flavor," thanks to its two main ingredients, ginseng and rice.
And it could even classify ginseng as a miracle plant: In August, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un claimed that a drug made with it can also cure Ebola, AIDS, and cancer.The alcohol was reportedly made with insam—a North Korean-kind of ginseng. According to the article, scientists replaced sugar with scorched rice, which is the ingredient credit to reducing the chances of a hangover the following glorious day.
The Taedonggang Foodstuff Factory is responsible for this week’s success, and the Pyongyang Times said it won a “quality medal for preserving national smack.”
“Koryo Liquor, which is made of six-year-old Kaesong Koryo insam, known as being highest in medicinal effect, and the scorched rice, is highly appreciated by experts and lovers as it is suave and causes no hangover,” the article says. It also adds that the alcohol “has already been registered as a national scientific and technological hit.”
Tags: north korea , kim jong un , foreing policy , pyongyang times , hangover-free , alcohol , liquor , koryo
Thursday, January 14, 2016
On Saturday, Jan. 16, the brewery will be marking the occasion with three of their most popular seasonal or collaborative brews. At noon, the event will kick off with the tapping of the Conspiracy Pale Ale—a collaborative beer brewed in conjunction with Food Conspiracy Food Co-op. Then, at 3 p.m., a seasonal apricot sour will be available. Finally, an Ermanos-Borderlands collab called Gose is the New Black will be on draft at 7 p.m.
This Saturday's event will also feature live music from 5 until 7 p.m. and eats from The Blacktop Grill food truck, with festivities lasting until 10 p.m. It’s free to attend, which means you’ll have plenty to spend on all those limited-release craft brews.
Tags: borderlands , brewery , tucson , arizona , citrana , craft beer
Monday, January 4, 2016
Taking over wine bar Unplugged's former location, Batch celebrated its grand opening the weekend of Friday, Jan. 1 with donuts and whiskey at 118 E. Congress St.
The rotating daily selection features about ten different donut varieties, several topped with popular kid cereals like Cocoa Puffs and Fruity Pebbles. Filled donuts are $3.50 and hole donuts are $2.50. As far as whiskey, the first menu features more than 40 different varieties, including three Jacks, two Jims, two Johnnies and a handful of craft distilled, small batch options.
Batch is also serving a modest selection of draft beer to pair with your donuts. However, if you decide you're looking for more than just donuts to eat, the small counter service restaurant offers build-your-own grilled cheeses ($5) with bread options like a glazed donut or ciabatta and cheese choices such as sharp cheddar, swiss or havarti, which can be embellished further with jalapeño, bacon, tomato, prosciutto and more. Batch has a daily cheese plate ($12), a daily bruschetta ($5), a mixed green salad ($6.50) and deviled eggs ($7) as well.
For more information on Batch's offerings, visit the restaurant and bar's website.
Before that, though, check out some pictures of Batch's offerings because it's Monday and we all had a long weekend:
Tags: batch , donut , whiskey , tucson , congress , unplugged , kade mislinski , bar , cafe , new , opening , Image , Slideshow
Wednesday, December 23, 2015
Well, maybe this is a tad pre-emptive, as Brother John's doesn't officially open until 6 p.m. on Dec. 23. After that, you can visit the restaurant from 11 a.m. until 10:30 p.m. on Sunday, Monday through Wednesday from 11 a.m. until midnight (kitchen closes at 11 p.m.) and Thursday through Saturday from 11 a.m. until 2 a.m. (kitchen closes at midnight).
In a previous interview with Brother John's owner and namesake John Aldecoa and his team, Aldecoa spoke about the adaptive reuse of the historic Wildcat House space. After renovating the well-loved watering hole, Aldecoa enlisted chefs Nate Eckhaus and Patrick Vezino to craft a barbecue program that focused on cooking "slow and low," never sacrificing quality for speed. Eckhaus worked under famed New York restaurateur Danny Meyer, while Vezino worked with Mike Mills (partner in Meyer's Blue Smoke) to hone his barbecue skills.
The resulting menu offers slow cooked brisket, baby back ribs, St. Louis ribs, smoked chicken, pulled pork, pork belly and turkey breast, along with the occasional short rib special when the specialty cut can be sourced locally. Of course, no barbecue menu would be complete without sides, and Brother John's has most bases covered, offering potato salad, collard greens with bacon, tangy burnt end beans, mashed potatoes, jalapeño corn bread, mac and cheese and more.
The restaurant will soon also have a 2,400 square-foot beer garden, though construction on this part of the restaurant is not yet finished. The bar offers 48 draft beers, over 100 bottled beers, cocktails and 150 different whiskeys, including a bottle of Pappy Van Winkle's Family Reserve 15 year—for you hype whiskey snobs. Brother John's also offers several local craft brewers including Dragoon Brewing Company, Barrio Brewing Co., Sentinel Peak Brewing, Nimbus Brewing Company, Ten Fifty‐Five Brewing, Borderlands Brewing Company and Iron John's Brewing Company.
For more information on Brother John's, visit the restaurant's website.
Tags: brother john's bbq , tucson , beer , whiskey , bar , pappy van winkle , brisket , blue smoke , danny meyer , new , restaurant , open , ribs , local , craft , Image
