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.
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 Bistro: Mushroom Burger and Shrimp Po’boy
Dvine Bistro & Wine Bar: Braised Short Rib and Brussels Sprout
Taste of Louisiana: Shrimp Jambalaya
Yupha’s: Pad Thai and Fried Rice
Red, White & Brew: Pesto Chicken over Cheese Tortellini and Asian Spiced Beef Meatballs
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: Meatball and Spinach Salad
Citizen Public House: Original Chopped Salad and Gluten Free Fudge Brownie
Salt Cellar: Shrimp San Remo
Havana Café: Pollo Parrilla
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!