RUBEE TUESDAY: May 10-16: Il Capo Pizzeria, Hearth '61, Hyatt Regency Scottsdale, The House Brasserie,Tacos Chiwas
A semi-regular feature, Rubee Tuesday is a recap of my week's adventures in dining and drinking in the Phoenix area.
On Wednesday, May 10th, I was invited to attend an advance screening of the culinary film "Jeremiah Tower: The Last Magnificent". Wow, loved it! It's a powerful documentary about fascinating legendary chef Jeremiah Tower. Produced by Anthony Bourdain, it opens Friday, May 19th. Here's the trailer:
Afterwards, we walked over to Il Capo Pizzeria, owned by the Rana family, whom we got to know when they owned Cuoco Pazzo in Old Town Scottsdale. James Rana told us about their brewery, State 48, in Surprise, with a second location soon to open in downtown Phoenix. Thanks to James, we sampled their Blueberry ale (my husband's favorite), Belgium blonde, blood orange Belgium blonde, brown ale (my favorite) and oatmeal stout. We each had a slice of pizza - for me, Grandma's Square. Great service from Maryann at the bar, and a treat to chat with Jack Blanton who left the kitchen to say hello.
On Thursday afternoon, May 11th, I filmed with news anchor Olivia Fierro of AZFamily Channel 3 for her segment on her dream job as a food writer. We spent an afternoon at the newly opened Hearth '61 at Mountain Shadows Resort with Chef Christopher Brugman and had so much fun! You can watch the segment by clicking the photo below.
That evening, we were invited by our dear friend Kirti Dwivedi to a fundraiser and cocktail dinner, with 100% of the proceeeds going to LLS. She has been nominated as Woman of the Year for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society and this special event as part of her campaign was held at Hyatt Regency Scottsdale. Chef Brian Contreras of the Hyatt Gainey property joined Cullen Campbell of Crudo, Keenan Bosworth of Pig & Pickle, andAaron James-wayne Ward of Brat Haus, with cocktails created by master mixologist Luke Detraz.
Luke Detraz' sparkling rosé wine punch
On Monday, May 15, I joined fellow media as we sipped and savored our way through Billy Bessinger's new cocktails at The House Brasserie. I've been missing out! His well-balanced creations have made The House one of my top spots for craft cocktails in Old Town Scottsdale. We sampled his addictive Tequila Funrise combining Don Julio Blanco tequila, and Galliano complemented by lime juice, lavender honey, and blueberry; the crowd-pleasing Smoked Manhattan capturing the essence of alderwood and stirred with cherry Coke reduction, Carpano Antica vermouth, and black walnut bitters; the refreshing Pimm's Mule with Pimm's, Amaro Nonino, lime, demerara simple syrup, and ginger beer; Snowbird, a tropical sipper perfect for our Arizona summers with Żubrówka (a Polish bison grass-infused vodka), dry curacao, lime juice, Coco Real, orgeat, and bordeaux syrup; and Pour Decisions with warm caramel/butterscotch notes from a combination of Brugal rum, St. George pear brandy, amontillado sherry, and housemade root beer shrub. Which one should you order? All of them!
Billy and his Tequila Funrise
You can watch a video of Billy making his Smoked Manhattan here:
Afterwards, we hit one of our favorite casual taco spots - Tacos Chiwas (past link here). We feasted on favorites such as deshebrada verde and raja gorditas, tripas tacos, and picadillo burritos.
Next week's plans include visits to Desert Mountain Club, Hotel Valley Ho, Arrowhead Grill, and the Mix-Up Bar and T. Cook's at the Royal Palms Resort
For last week's Rubee Tuesday, visit this link.