Bars
May First Friday | The MAP
Posted on 5/04/12 by DPJ Staff » No Comments
Hi Phoenix! Here is a map of arts and biz destinations that will make your First Friday a bit more fun.
These are the spaces that participated in the recent Art Detour 24, so you may find a few that are closed this evening – and then there a few that have popped up since Detour:
• Pedal Craft PHX – if you missed this the first time around now is the time to check it out in person. Kitchen Sink Studios, 828 N. 3rd St.
• bIGGY Art Sale – First Studio will be filled with iggyart paintings and artwork from the last 7+ years. First Studio, 631 N. 1st Ave.
• Fenix PCG – an open house at the Westminster Apartments on the corner of 2nd Ave. and Roosevelt St. (BTW, we’re calling it…2nd Avenue is the next big thing to hit Downtown. Keep your eyes/ears peeled.)
Check out the map below or download the First Friday Map here
Click to enlarge.
From the Wire | Fox to Open Second Culinary Dropout on 7th Street
Posted on 4/27/12 by DPJ Staff » 4 Comments
Some news items don’t need translation. That’s why DPJ launched the From the Wire series, so we could serve the destinations here by posting information and announcements – in their own words.
Fox Restaurant Concepts Second Culinary Dropout and New Fish House & Oyster Bar Coming Soon
Central Phoenix Mixed-Used Development to Open Late Fall
Spearheaded by Fox Restaurant Concepts, an indoor/outdoor urban dining and lounging hub is scheduled to open late Fall in the heart of Central Phoenix. Housed in a former auto and motorcycle dealership known for its iconic steel shade structure, the multi-use space will share a large park-like outdoor recreation area and beer garden and will be anchored by Fox Restaurant Concepts’ second Culinary Dropout and a new fish house and oyster bar. The development will also include a local coffee shop and two retail spaces, which will be operated by other local companies.
The new spot will reportedly offer a park-like area for guests to gather under this shade structure.
Utilizing the existing building and parking cover from the former dealership, Fox Restaurant Concepts and WDP Partners are revitalizing the neighborhood by creating a community gathering spot. Constructing a destination unlike anything in Phoenix, the vacant building will be turned into a functional, hip space that is sure to be the go to place for dining and lounging. WDP Partners and Fox Restaurant Concepts goal is to repurpose the current structures as much as possible. The area underneath the massive shade structure will be converted into a climate-controlled, landscaped recreation lawn where guests can dine outdoors, sip on coffee or cocktails, play outdoor games such as bocce ball, and listen to live music.
According to Fox Restaurant Concepts Founder and CEO, Sam Fox, “We were drawn to working on this project because of our ability to use as much of the current structures and create a park-like space in the middle of a very urban setting. Making the development even more appealing, there is enough space to create more than 100 onsite parking spots which is rare in new urban development.”
Serving as the anchor for the project will be Fox Restaurant Concepts second Culinary Dropout – a casual, chef driven gastro pub featuring craft cocktails and eclectic pub fare perfect for late-night diners. The restaurant will take advantage of the open air, garage feel, including large floor to ceiling roll-back doors, which will open onto the outdoor recreation area and beer garden. In addition to Culinary Dropout, Fox Restaurant Concepts will also be creating a soon to be named fish house and oyster bar. The new seafood concept will have a Brooklyn like vibe and be reminiscent of an old urban seafood shack. The restaurant will serve a raw bar focused menu, in addition to comfort food such as chowders, fish and chips, and po-boys. From the raw bar, order fresh seafood such as prawns, razor clams, and oysters flown in daily. Pairing well with the menu, the fish house will also serve a stand-out white wine menu and an eclectic beer list.
The project is slated to open late this year at 5632 North 7th Street, Phoenix, Ariz., 85014. For more information about Fox Restaurant Concepts, visit www.foxrc.com.
Your Downtown Beer | The Four Crescents
Posted on 4/12/12 by Rob Fullmer » 1 Comment
When people ask where to go or what to do, I’m always doing a mental calculation on the beer situation. People kind of expect it now, but I assure you there is much more under consideration. The mathematical operation is the simple addition of “beer and ____”. If I go here I can get beer and there’s a great patio for people watching. If I go there I can get beer and an amazing fried bologna sandwich.
I became more aware of how this works with other people this week when sustainability advocate and architect, Taz Loomans, recommended Crescent Ballroom as a great place to eat. I realize that Crescent enlisted Chris Bianco and Doug Robson to create the menu, but I think most people think of Crescent Ballroom as premier music and event venue. Taz is not a drinker. She was calculating the Crescent using different math. I decided it might be time to add some more variables to my equation. I concluded there were Four Crescents.
You can catch up on the first Crescent, music, right here in DPJ. I can confirm that my Pastor Burrito was top notch–grilled crispy on four sides and just the right mix of spicy beans an pork. Taz and others offered glowing recommendations of the remaining menu items. Shout out to Courtney Nush who originally reviewed the Ballroom for DPJ, the kitchen indeed delivers (and it’s now open for weekday lunch). Great food is the second Crescent.
I’m going to focus on the beer and leave the cocktail and wine to the expertise of others when I discuss the Lounge as the third Crescent. It’s nice to see that this music venue relegated the Bud, Miller and Pabst to the can cooler leaving 3 of the 4 tap handles to Sierra Nevada Pale, Odell IPA and the local Kilt Lifter. There are cans and bottles of Hop Knot, Guinness, Anchor Porter and premium Mexican beers like Bohemia and Negra Modelo giving beer drinkers of all types to find their groove. I settled in on the Odell IPA on this particular afternoon. The beer’s clean malt, resin-y pine hops and bitterness to the finish amped the sweet heat of the citrus achiote pastor. On a warmer day, I may have chosen the malt rich Kilt Lifter or the more traditional Negra Modelo to balance the burrito spiciness.
While I was there, several at the bar latched onto the Michelada, a preparation of tomato juice, lime, spices, hot pepper and beer. It’s a fitting beer cocktail given the mostly burrito and all southwestern fare.
Knowing Taz is an architect, I’d have to think that the very building figures into her equation. The red brick Ballroom was formerly the F.L. Hart Garage built in 1917. The east facing patio provides plenty of shade and large garage doors create a desirable indoor/outdoor feel. The front lounge is an ideal space for Phoenix living and the re-use of a nearly 100 year old building happens so seldom in the Valley that it’s natural for a beer drinker to celebrate with a tip of the pint.
Cheers to the fourth Crescent!
Crescent Ballroom
308 North 2nd Avenue
Phoenix, AZ 85003
(602) 716-2222
www.crescentphx.com
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- Crescent Ballroom
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- Pastor Burrito – sliced pork shoulder marinated in achiote citrus with sliced pineapple, cilantro, white onions & pinto beans.
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- Odell IPA – Bitterness Amplifies Spice
Your Downtown Beer | A New Green Beer to Ponder
Posted on 3/15/12 by Rob Fullmer » No Comments
If you’ve been following Your Downtown Beer, then you know that this is not the place for traditional St Patrick’s Day beer drinking information. I doubt that anyone will have a difficult time finding an Irish Stout, Irish Whiskey or Corned Beef. There will also be green beer, which I urge you not to drink unless you contemplate that the drink was invented by a coroner in 1914. St Patrick’s Day is an American fabrication. To that end, here are some ways to celebrate with a new kind of Green Beer – an environmentally green beer.
If we’re being forthright, brewing is not, on the face of it, a very environmentally green practice. According to the Great Lakes Water Conservation Workshop, it takes upwards of 40 pints of water to brew a pint of beer. When you factor in the water used to grow hops and malt, a pint of beer takes a whopping 317 pints. Take heart however. There are far more water resource intensive operations than brewing such as cattle ranching and citrus growing – two Arizona mainstays. An 8 ounce glass of OJ requires about 432 pints of water.
Enjoy a locally brewed Irish style.
Sleepy Dog’s Red Rover is on tap at Copper Blues in CityScape and pours a deep amber. There is a characteristic caramel hint of sweetness that finishes with low bitterness and dryness. As an American touch, Sleepy Dog adds some chocolate and darker roast malts for a deeper color and distinct flavor.
Copper Blues
50 W Jefferson St
Phoenix
480-719-5005
Try an Organic Beer.
While I am not here to tell you that I can taste the difference between an organic beer and one that is not–I can’t and I am skeptical of anyone that says they can. I do think it’s important to acknowledge breweries that take the time to source their ingredients in a way that reduces impact on the soil and water. You can get three examples of organic beer at The Lost Leaf: Samuel Smiths Strawberry Ale, Pinkus Pilsner and Deschutes Green Lakes Amber.
The Lost Leaf
914 N 5th Street
Phoenix
602-258-0014
Visit a brewery on the light rail.
Phoenix is home to two rail-friendly breweries, but only Sun Up offers a Red and a full pub menu. Phoenix Ale Brewery has a food tuck schedule. Check their websites for more information.
The Phoenix Ale Brewery
3002 E Washington St
Phoenix AZ 85034
OPEN Monday – Saturday Noon – 7 pm
Sun Up Brewing Co
322 East Camelback Road
Phoenix, AZ 85012
Open Sunday – Thursday 11:00 – 11:00
Friday and Saturday to Midnight
Drink a Canned Beer from an Arizona Brewery
Santan, Four Peaks, Prescott, Lumberyard, Mudshark and Grand Canyon are Arizona breweries that offer beers in cans. Cans are lighter than their bottle counterparts by a factor of 8 to 1. Lighter cans mean a reduced carbon footprint.
Support a distributor that uses solar.
World Class Beverages is the fine beer arm of Crescent Crown Distribution. This year, Crescent crown installed 6,840 panels on the roof of the 240,000-square-foot building near Dysart Road and Sweetwater Avenue. They also have a number of hybrid trucks. Find the beers they distribute and where to buy them using their Beerspy.
Finally, do not drink a beer from a green bottle. You’re paying a premium for a product that is packaged in a bottle that will ensure that the hops will be skunked in just under a minute in the Arizona sun. Beer in brown bottles protect hops from UV rays whereas green bottles do not. A light-struck beer is often called “skunked” as UV rays interact with hops to create a chemical compound called mercaptan. Mercaptan is the active ingredient in a skunk’s defensive spray. Green bottles from Holland on St Pats are not traditional by any stretch.
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- Sleepy Dog Tasters
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- Sun Up Brewing
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- The brew crew at Phoenix Ale Brewery
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- Phoenix Ale Brewery
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- Origins of Green Beer
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- Sleepy Dog’s Red Rover
Your Downtown Beer | My Valentine to The Love of Beer Movie
Posted on 2/21/12 by Rob Fullmer » No Comments
I have decided to devote myself to craft beer partially because I love what’s in this glass, but also because I really love the passion and the people that make this happen. I’ve never seen anything quite so beautiful. Writer, Lisa Morrison in The Love of Beer.
The byline of one of my favorite columnists, Andrew Sullivan, is “Biased and Balanced.” To be in love is to be biased, so let my Valentine to The Love of Beer movie and Film Bar count the ways. A disclaimer: I hold a board position with The Arizona Society of Homebrewers, the organization that helped bring this Arizona Beer Week movie premier to the Film Bar. In the end I will leave it to you to determine if I have met some measure of balance.
The Love of Beer is a documentary that follows the story of two women in the craft brewing industry–acclaimed Oregon brewer Tanya Cornett and Portland publican, Sarah Pederson. I was fortunate enough to be at the film’s debut last August at The McMenamins Baghdad Theater during the Portland Beer Bloggers Conference. Dozens of familiar faces appeared on the large screen, some that I’ve known for years, most others I had just shared pints with at the conference. I choked up knowing that some of my friends and colleagues were having their stories told in the iconic theater pub.
The movie allowed me to re-live a conference side trip to the Goschie Hop Farm at high harvest. Our visit is forever portrayed as a beautiful luscious and juicy green sequence interspersed with shots of matronly Hop Boss Gayle Goschie. My olfactory memory provided the aromatrack. I tell you this not as a boast, but to demonstrate where and how deep my bias lies. Can you imagine a conference of any kind concluding with a feature-length film? It was a literal, “Killing Me Softly” moment.
The principle characters of the film are women and, while I do not want to detract from their personal struggles or accomplishments, this not Norma Rae. Producer, Alison Grayson was not out to create a feminist film or craft beer call-to-arms. Instead, it is a celebration of women and their journey in the mostly embracing craft beer culture. Our Arizona beer culture is ripe for such an awakening. We have a downtown theater that features beer in an up-and-coming area and the Valley boasts a very active female craft beer group, the Arizona Girls Pint Out.
The Film Bar has fast become one of my favorite places downtown by offering a unique combination of film, art, music and a fine selection of beers and wines. The Evans Churchill neighborhood is gaining stature as a beer destination as there are now several establishments that offer a thoughtful beer selection fitting the personality of each business. Carly’s Bistro and The Roosevelt offer different takes on food and beer while The Lost Leaf is as known for its live music as its long specialty bottle list. The Film Bar has carefully crafted a mix of draft and bottled beers that pair with a quirky indy or classic euro film. The summer arrival of new craft beer bar Angels Trumpet is certain to shift the region’s East Valley centric beer axis a bit more toward Phoenix.
There are many reasons why you’re going to want to attend the Wednesday and Friday screenings at The Film Bar, especially the Arizona debut. At the opening Wednesday, there will be a meet and greet prior to the screening and a follow up panel with the filmmaker Grayson, Four Peaks Brewer Melissa Osborne, Arizona Girls Pint Out founder Maureen Basenberg and members of the Arizona Society of Homebrewers. Joe Arvallo of Film Bar has booked Andrew and his Fiesty Felines and Four Peaks will release a new Robust Porter at the event.
When beer intersects art, local business and community, I feel as Morrison does. I have never seen anything quite so beautiful.
If You Go
Film: The Love of Beer
Feb 22 | 7:00pm Pre-show panel begins 6:30
Feb 24 | 7:00pm Encore showing
Tickets: $7
Film Bar
815 N. 2nd St.
Phoenix, AZ, 85003
(602) 595-9187
The Love of Beer from Lingering Illocutions on Vimeo.
