The crowds came out in droves on Sunday for Eight’s Check, Please! Arizona Festival. The highly anticipated event sold out days before and on Sunday morning crowds swarmed the streets of Downtown Phoenix ready to enter with hungry bellies.

Check, Please! 2014

CityScape was fenced off for the event and tents lined Central Ave showcasing a large array of some of the Valley’s best restaurants. Wine and beer pairings from participating wineries and breweries were scattered around the event as well. This year’s larger crowd made lines a bit longer, but we patiently waited in anticipation for all the delicious samples.

Some of our samples:

Vogue BistroShrimp Po'Boy
Vogue Bistro: Mushroom Burger and Shrimp Po’boy

 

DVine Bistro
Dvine Bistro & Wine Bar: Braised Short Rib and Brussels Sprout

 

Taste of LouisianaShrimp
Taste of Louisiana: Shrimp Jambalaya

 

Yupha'sYupha's
Yupha’s: Pad Thai and Fried Rice

 

Red, White & Brew
Red, White & Brew: Pesto Chicken over Cheese Tortellini and Asian Spiced Beef Meatballs

 

Check, Please!Panel
Three Stages were at the event hosting cooking demonstrations, wine presentations and even discussion panels. Three James Beard award winners took the stage and we gave our stomachs a break to listen to Robert McGrath (Host of Eight’s Check, Please!), Nobuo Fukuda (Nobuo at Teeter House) and Chef Christopher Gross (Christopher’s Crush.) An open forum with Q&A from the audience was a fun interactive way to get a bit of insight into the lives of these Valley Celebrity Chefs.

Back to the food!

Centurion
Centurion: Meatball and Spinach Salad

 

CPHCPH
Citizen Public House: Original Chopped Salad and Gluten Free Fudge Brownie

 

Shrimp San Remo
Salt Cellar: Shrimp San Remo

 

Havana Cafe Havana Cafe
Havana Café: Pollo Parrilla

 

Bertha's Cafe
Bertha’s Café: S’mores and Homemade Pop Tarts

 

Satisfied we had indulged in every sample available, we left the event once again impressed with Eight’s Check, Please! for pulling off another greet year of food and fun!

© 2024 Where Should We Eat