The first, and what is for sure to become an annual, “Check Please! Arizona” was everything I had been waiting for in a food & wine event. Located at Downtown Phoenix’s City Scape, this tasting frenzy stretched the entire City Scape event street. $60 bucks seemed like a bargain when I found out all the high name local chefs that were participating. Multiple wineries were represented and you had a choice of wine stations or Fours Peaks Beer Brewery to quench your thirst.
I was like a kid in a candy store! Other food and wine events tend to have small food samples, but these were more like portions versus samples. The small lines and plethora of food made the treasures easily accessible and I had to remember: Pace yourself! The Meatloaf Sandwich from Amuse Bouche was heavenly. The flavorful meat was moist and sandwiched between two slices of delicious focaccia bread- a great start to a great day! Highlights included the mouthwatering Prime Rib Pesto Crostini from Durant’s, Petite Maison’s decadent Chicken Liver Pate, inventive tastes from Cornish Pasty Co, and the refreshing Chilled Shrimp Couscous from Eddie’s House. For dessert I indulged in Frasier’s Butter Cake and Durant’s Rich Chocolate Mousse Tort. Every “taste” I sampled was wonderful! This truly was a foodie’s dream.
The beginning of the event started with beautiful weather. Phoenix’s high-rises conveniently blocked the blazing sun from the many food grazers. As the afternoon wore on, the shade was fading and those temperatures we all fear started to creep on. But like the many patrons there, I quickly found a shady spot and kicked back to listen to chefs give demonstrations and divulge secrets about the yummy food they were showing off at the festival. Yum! I even got a lessons on how to make great cocktails with the perfect mixers by Tuck Shop’s John Cavanagh. Cheers!
The James Beard Award Winner’s Round Table was awesome. The general discussion with Chris Bianco, Christopher Gross and Nobuo Fukuda was fascinating. What a day! I am convinced that this successful event is going to catch on like wildfire and have to move to a bigger venue. This foodie is marking this event as an annual MUST and rates this as one of the BEST spring events in AZ!