Monday, December 21, 2015
Tucson's chapter of the United States Bartender's Guild held their annual bar awards on Sunday, Dec. 20. Of the 12 categories, Tough Luck Club/Reilly Craft Pizza and Che's Lounge tied for the top with three wins each.
Here is the full list of the 2015 winners:
Bartender of the Year:
Winner: Keith Caywood – Hotel Congress
Best Cocktail Bartender:
Winner: Erick Bornmann – Sidecar
High-Volume Bartender:
Winner: Donovan White. – Che’s Lounge.
Neighborhood Bartender:
Winner: Nicole Dybel – Che’s Lounge
Rookie of the Year:
Winner: Robert Gillies – Tough Luck Club
Bar of the Year:
Winner: Club Congress
Cocktail Bar of the Year:
Winner: Tough Luck Club
Restaurant Bar of the Year:
Winner: Reilly Craft Pizza + Drink
Neighborhood Bar of the Year:
Winner: Che’s Lounge
College Bar of the Year:
Winner: Frog & Firkin
Beer & Win Bar of the Year:
Winner: Tap & Bottle
Local Product of the Year:
Winner: Dragoon Brewing, “IPA”
The winners for the USBG Tucson Bar Awards are selected by an industry vote. For more information on the Tucson chapter of the USBG, visit the organization's Facebook page.
Tags: tucson , best bars , best bartenders , usbg , che's lounge , tough luck club , reilly. club congress , erick bornmann , kieth caywood
Tuesday, December 15, 2015
After gleaning hundreds of pounds of dates last fall, Iskashitaa Refugee Network put their bounty to use by teaming up with Borderlands Brewing Co. (119 E. Toole Ave.) to create a unique new brew with local dates at the forefront. On Thursday, Dec. 17 local beer lovers can get their first taste of Borderlands’ Harvest Tucson Date Dunkelweizen, which resulted from those Iskashitaa-gathered dates.
Dates, which grow on date palms, are tricky to harvest. With fruiting trees scattered around Tucson, the Medjool dates, indigenous to Iraq, often end up going uncollected. However, this year, Iskashitaa worked in conjunction with Bartlett Tree Experts to get the fruit from the trees and into Iskashitaa’s hands. After harvesting any produce, Iskashitaa redistributes a portion to refugees, while also reserving a portion to make value-added products to sell at farmers markets. In the case of these dates, Borderlands also received some to make their Dunkelweizen.
You can try out the resulting beer at Borderlands on Thursday beginning at 6 p.m. For more information on Iskashitaa and their “Harvest Tucson” campaign to raise awareness about food waste, visit the organization's website.
Tags: iskashitaa , refugee , tucson , gleaning , dates , medjool , borderlands brewing co , harvest tucson , craft beer
Thursday, December 3, 2015
Having a tough time getting into the holiday spirit? Get your hands on some whisky (it doesn't have to be the one in this 45 minute advertisement), an arm chair and a fireplace and stare into Nick Offerman's eyes for almost an hour. Then try and tell me you're not feeling jolly.
Participating brewers for this event are:
- Phoenix Ale Brewery
- The Address Brewing
- Thunder Canyon Brewery
- Ten55 Brewing
- Four Peaks Brewing Company
- Borderlands Brewing Company
- O.H.S.O. Brewery
- Dragoon Brewing Co.
- Catalina Brewing Company
- Mother Road Brewing
- Public Brewhouse
- 1912 Brewing Company
Of course, no beer event would be complete without a rousing beer pong tournament. A $10 buy-in and a partner gets you in the running, with prizes for the first three placing teams. Food vendors for the event include American Flying Buffalo, Mutts Premium Hot Dogs & Sausages, Mama Louisa’s Italian Restaurant and more. The Sonoran Glass School will also be on-site to help you craft your very own beer bottle cap jewelry while Tucson's own Crystal Radio performs.
Art on Tap will be pouring drafts from 4 until 9 p.m. and Saturday, Dec. 5 at the Tucson Museum of Art (140 N. Main Ave.). Tickets are $40 the day of the event and $30 online in advance via the museum's website.
Tags: art on tap , tucson museum of art , local , craft beer , tucson , dime novel , western heroes , comic , brewery , dragoon , 1912 , bordelands , ten55 , public brewhouse , beer pong , sonoran glass school
Friday, November 20, 2015
That's right, folks. Pizzeria Bianco (272 E. Congress St.) is now open for lunch and serving up the three sandwiches in the style of Pane Bianco, with some differences. Although the bread is the same fluffy focaccia rounds, split in half, the menu is a little different:
Sandwiches:
-Sopressata, aged provolone, peppronata ($10)
-Fresh goat cheese, roasted tomato, arugula ($10)
-Market sandwich ($12)
Like Pane Bianco, the market sandwich at Pizzeria Bianco could be tender porchetta, slow roasted lamb or a "Sloppy Giuseppe"—the spot's take on a Sloppy Joe with an Italian twist. When tomatoes are in season, you'll also likely see Pane's hallmark sandwich offering—the housemade mozzarella, tomato and basil—as a special. If you're one of those people who far too often has to eat at their desk, the sandwiches are available to go as well.
The pizzeria is serving their six pizzas and three salad options during lunch too, which runs daily from 11 a.m. until 4 p.m. Pizzeria Bianco also plans to start serving spirits and cocktails at the restaurant in the near future.
Tags: pizzeria bianco , tucson , lunch , sandwiches , to go , pane bianco , focaccia , cocktails , liquor , restaurants , downtown
Monday, November 16, 2015
The Crush pARTy returned to the Tucson Museum of Art on Sunday, Nov. 15 to offer up tastes of about 40 different local restaurants. The cuisine ranged from Greek to French to Indian to Japanese and more, with more samples than any one person could possibly eat. Like any food fest, my advice for those going to the next event or any like it is to bring a friend and divide and conquer—that way you get to try more of what's being served.
In terms of trends, duck seemed to be a popular ingredient for the day, with several stands offering duck confit, duck as a meatball and more. The most unique use of duck, and likely the day's most inventive dish, came from the museum's own Cafe a la C'art, which offered a grilled chile lime shrimp over duck fat polenta with Mexican chorizo, which was then topped with a prickly pear and lavender foam.
Other standouts for the day included The Coronet's Dragoon sausage (not pictured), Tohono Chul's duck confit tostada (mostly because a deep fried wonton wrapper dusted with duck fat couldn't be bad) and Primo's porchetta slider.
Check out some scenes from yesterday's Crush pARTy, which benefitted both the museum and the Southern Arizona Arts and Cultural Alliance:
Tags: crush , food , wine , art , party , festival , fundraiser , slideshow , saaca , tucson , museum of art , Image , Slideshow
Wednesday, November 11, 2015
Although I mentioned previously that bartender Sara Roche would be taking over the helm as head bartender at Wilko (943 E. University Blvd.) in a recent cover story, it seems that's not all that's changing over at the upscale UA-area restaurant these days. Wilko has hired a new head chef after the departure of Ian Sugarman and is offering a new menu for both food and drink.
Before Sugarman left, he put the finishing touches on a menu, which is now available at the restaurant. However, with the recent acquisition of Jesse Curtin in the kitchen, the new chef, who came to Tucson from the Bay area, plans to revamp the menu yet again over the next few months to put his touch on it.
Until then, he's offering specials to show exactly what he can do. Judging from a recent dish Curtin was offering at Wilko, which paired a seemingly incongruous mix of components like seared scallops, beet, tea-soaked lentils and fried turmeric, Old Pueblo diners are in for a treat.
However, I couldn't very well finish up this blog without showing off Roche's new cocktail menu, which she also designed:
The 12-drink menu serves up several drinks that utilize savory, herby and floral components that offer a unique experience that's pretty much a balanced (in flavor, you guys) meal in a cup. From the cover's reimagined Sriracha bottle to the inside drink illustrations, the whole thing is pretty much ripe to be tattooed on many a Tucsonan's bodies. Plus, those illustrations are nice to coupe-averse cocktail drinkers because you know you're glassware before you order.
You can check out Roche's new menu, as well as a special from chef Curtin, now at Wilko. The restaurant is open Monday through Saturday from 8 a.m. until 10 p.m. and Sunday from 8 a.m. until 9 p.m.
Tags: wilko , tucson , restaurant , new chef , new menu , jesse curtin , sara roche , ian sugarman , cocktails , dining , Image
Monday, November 9, 2015
Grapes, grains... can't we all just get along? Well, apparently not, because the two fermented drinks are going head to head for a dinner event at Proper (300 E. Congress St.) on Monday, Nov. 16. While local brewery Iron John's will be providing the competing beer, Sam Pillsbury Winery of Cottonwood has the wine covered.
The specific beers and wines to be served at the dinner are yet to be announced, but Proper chef Kris Vrolijk has his three courses hammered out already. His menu for the night is characteristically packed with seasonal veggies and will include:
1- Grilled persimmon salad, glazed pecan, radicchio, shaved fennel, Black Mesa Ranch chèvre
2- Roasted chicken breast, grilled delicata squash, collard greens, chanterelle mushrooms
3- Yuzu creme brûlée, huckleberries
Proper's Wine versus Beer Dinner kicks off at 7 p.m. on Nov. 17. The event is $40 per person. You can make reservations for the dinner by calling the restaurant at 396-3357.
Tags: proper , iron johns , sam pillsbury , beer , wine , dinner , event , tucson , kris vrolijk
Wednesday, November 4, 2015
The Crush pARTy is taking over the Tucson Museum of Art yet again to offer a full day of food, drinks and, of course, art. The event, which is presented by the Southern Arizona Arts and Cultural Alliance as a fundraiser for both the organization and the museum, will showcase a wide variety of wine, beer and coffee as well as nearly 40 restaurants.
Here's who will be attending this time:
47 Scott, Agustin Kitchen, Athens on 4th Avenue, Commoner & Co., El Charro Café, El Cisne Restaurant, Gourmet Girls Gluten Free Bakery, Guiseppe's Ristorante Italiano, HighWire Lounge, HUB Ice Cream Factory, Humble Pie, Kalina Russian Cuisine & Tea House, Le Rendez-vous, Noble Hops, Obon Sushi Bar Ramen, Pastiche, Prep & Pastry, Primo, PY Steakhouse, RA Sushi Bar Restaurant, Reforma Cocina y Cantina, Saffron Indian Bistro, Sonoran Sno-Cones, Sonya's Brown Sugar Bakery, Street Taco & Beer Co., Table of Elementz, Tavolino Ristorante, Tequila Factory, The Coronet, The Living Room, The Melting Pot, The Still, Tohono Chul Garden Bistro, Tucson Tamale Company, UME: Asian Cuisine & Sushi, Union Public House, and Vero Amore.
The Crush pARTy will also offer live music, manicures, a photo booth and a silent auction for both art and wine. The festival kicks off at 12 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 15 at the Tucson Museum of Art (140 N. Main Ave.) and runs until 3 p.m. General admission tickets are $80 and VIP passes are available for $150. For more information on this event, or to purchase tickets, visit the event's website.
Tags: crush party , food , wine , art , festival , saaca , tucson museum of art , event , restaurants , fundraiser , 47 scott , agustin kitchen , el charro , hub , primo , vero amore
Thursday, October 15, 2015
Tucson’s Latin American food scene took a major hit when Don Pedro’s Peruvian bistro shuttered its South Tucson location in July. Rather than throwing in the towel, though, owner Peter Gonzvar got to work converting his Peruvian restaurant into a food truck. You can get the first tastes of Don Pedro’s new mobile digs on Friday, Oct. 16 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Jacome Plaza (101 N. Stone Ave.). Prices will range from $5 to $15.
The Living Room wine café and lounge also opened recently at La Encantada (2905 E. Skyline Dr.) Taking over the well-loved Armitage Wine Lounge space, The Living Room seeks to offer a wide range of wines, sharable bites and a relaxed atmosphere. The bar is open Monday-Thursday: 11 a.m.-12 a.m., Friday: 11 a.m.-2 a.m., Saturday: 9 a.m.-2 a.m. and Sunday: 9 a.m.-10 p.m. You can find more information at www.livingroomwinebar.com.
