Tom’s Thumb Fresh Market Expands Dinner Menu at Campfire Bistro and beer & wine now also available to go with that award-winning barbecue

Here is an update for some new additions to Tom’s Thumb Fresh Market which is on the Southwest corner of 94^th and Bell Roads and continues to be more than just a gas station. The corner store has quickly become a neighborhood meeting spot for a cup of locally roasted coffee at Pinnacle Perk or breakfast and lunch at the Campfire Bistro. This week, the Bistro introduces an expanded dinner menu and full table service from 4:30 – 8pm nightly. The new offerings coincide with its license approval to serve beer and wine.

Chef Tudie Frank-Johnson has taken the café’s award-winning barbecue and Southern-inspired specialties to create a range of family dinner-worthy dishes. Headlining the menu are the Barbecue Ribs – a half rack of ribs with two side dishes for $16. The Campfire Bistro ribs recently took top honors at the Channel 15 Sonoran Living BBQ Challenge.

Also on the menu are Grilled Salmon over Smashed Sweet Potatoes with Red Pepper Coulis and Sautéed Zucchini with Shallots ($13.99), Crab Cakes, and rotating specials like Blackened Catfish with Fries, Fiesta Slaw and Drizzled with Chipolte Aioli ($10.99) and Peach Cobbler ($3.99).

“The community has been so supportive of Tom’s and everything we offer. The Bistro is truly becoming the meeting place we’ve hoped for – where neighbors come in for breakfast or business people for lunch,” says operator Jonathan Kish. “We’re excited to be able to offer a formal dinner menu for our guests to enjoy in the evening with their friends and families.”

The dinner menu is available from 4:30 – 8pm nightly when the Bistro transforms into a full restaurant with table service.

Tom’s Thumb also is now serving beer and wine by the bottle and glass. The selection changes weekly and comes from its range of affordable, high quality wines and craft beers selected by Market Sommelier Chuck Hesson. Prices range from $4 – 5 per bottle for beer and $5 – 11 for wine. Drinks are $1 off during happy hour from 3 – 6pm daily.

Tom’s Thumb Fresh Market is located at 9393 E. Bell Road, Scottsdale on the SouthWest corner of 94^th and Bell. Find menus and other updates about the market on its website, TomsThumbFreshMarket.com, on Facebook (facebook.com/Toms-Thumb-Fresh-Market) and the Twitter (@TheThumb1). 480-513-8186.

Graze Desert Grille at Zona Hotel and Suites in Scottsdale

Tucked up in the desert amongst golf courses and the growth of north Scottsdale is the 431 room Zona Hotel and Suites. To coincide with a renovation that started in the summer of 2011, they also have re-branded the restaurant that is on property calling it, Graze Desert Grille. Emphasizing the cuisine of the Southwest, Executive Chef Kevin Myers uses the ingredients sourced from local farmers and suppliers and using all natural ingredients. Food and Beverage director Brian Blanke will compliment the food by featuring Arizona wines, spirits and beers along with other selections. I recently had the opportunity to taste several items from the new menu to debut April 5th, 2012.

The evening started with select cocktails of our choice including Flagstaff's High Spirits Distillery gin for Martinis.
If your a fan of corned beef hash you won't be disappointed by the Corned Beef & Green Chile Hash that comes topped with an Sunny Side Up egg. tasty and with a hint of spice this is a good way to start your day.

I enjoyed the Duck & Brie Quesadilla that includes duck confit, caramelized apples and Brie cheese and drizzled with Balsamic vinegar. A nice combination of sweet, creamy and savory make this a unique take on the classic appetizer.

Locally grown vegetables are the stars of 2 of the salads I tasted, The Rocket Salad uses Arugula that is tossed with dried apricot,  aged Manchego cheese, pistachios and oregano dressing. The Beet Salad is complimented with Purple Haze goat cheese, baby lettuce and a hazelnut vinaigrette. Both salads are flavorful and make for a great light lunch or as a start to your dinner.

Pressed Pulled Pork Sandwich uses in house seasoned and smoked pork that comes served on a locally baked Ciabatta rolled and is topped with Arugula, sweet and sour onions and a Guajillo pepper aioli. This was one of my favorites of the evening and comes served with thick cut, crispy French fries.

Two of the entrees were tasted on this evening and I recommend both of them. If you're in the mood for fish the pan seared Grouper should serve you well. The white, flaky fish is served over a bed of spaghetti squash, it is drizzled with smoked tomato butter and comes with braised greens that offer a nice contrast to the other ingredients. If red meat is part of your plan the Whiskey Braised Shortribs is not to be missed. Placed atop a pile of white cheddar and chive mashed potatoes, it comes with spinach from local farmers markets, an oven roasted tomato and its own juices pour over it. Tender and flavorful the meat is very good.

All courses were paired with the wines from Arizona Stronghold Vineyards with the exception of the pork sandwich which was paired with Lake Havasu City's Mudshark Brewery's Scorpion Amber Ale. The wines all tasted very good and were paired well with the food. National Sales Manager Paula Woosley joined us to talk about the wines and the success Arizona Stronghold and the Arizona wine industry is enjoying.

Graze Desert Grille
7677 East Princess Boulevard
Scottsdale, Arizona 85255
480.585.1000
http://grazedesertgrille.com/

Celebrate AZ Beer Week at BoomBozz Pizza & Taphouse!

Here a list of what's going at BoomBozz Pizza during Arizona Beer Week in Gilbert. Starting Monday, Feb. 20, they will pair two pints of a featured local craft beer with a large, award-winning, Famous Creations pizza for $20!

MONDAY, FEB. 20:

Mudshark Brewing Company (Amber) paired with the International Gourmet Pizza Winner (named after the founder’s daughter) D'Sienna

TUESDAY, FEB. 21:

Grand Canyon (Pilsner) paired with the American Pizza Championship Winner Tuscan Chicken

WEDNESDAY, FEB. 22:

Oak Creek Brewing Company (Nut Brown) paired with the International Gourmet Pizza Winner Portobello Bello

THURSDAY, FEB. 23:

San Tan Brewing (Devil's Ale) paired with the International Pizza of the Year Winner Fire Roasted Fajita

FRIDAY, FEB. 24:

Sonoran Brewing (IPA) paired with the International Pizza of the Year Winner Pollotate', also recognized by Food Network Magazine as one of “America’s Best Pizzas!”

At 5:30 p.m. each day a representative from each brewing company will also be onsite with additional beer samples and promotional items!

For more details regarding the unique menu items and ingredients at BoomBozz Pizza visit http://www.boombozztaphouse.com/Menu/GilbertGilbertTownSquare/tabid/201/Default.aspx.

HB Hanratty’s Toasts the Three Amigos of Arizona Beer Week: Bikes, Brews, and Food

Bike-In Movie Night has Western Comedy on the Big Screen
Chef Jeff Kraus in the Kitchen

Calendar Listing
Bike In Movie Night: The Three AmigosFriday, February 24, 2012
6:30 – 7:30 – Previews + Prix Fixe
7:30 – 9:00 – Main Feature

$10 for Prix Fixe sampler – RSVP requested
$3 to $5 ala carte food and drink menu

HB Hanratty’s Pub537 E. Camelback Rd.
Phoenix, AZ


Spruce up your cruisers, fixies and tandems for Bike-In Movie Night at HB Hanratty’s Pub. Everyone is encouraged to ride their bikes to this Arizona Beer Week celebration of Mr. Hanratty’s “Three Amigos” – bicycles, brews and food. Inside, the classic western comedy The Three Amigos will play on the big screens, a selection of Beer Bargains will be on tap, and movie-themed snacks from Chef extraordinaire Jeff Kraus of ++experience++ will be available ala cart. The movie showing is free and beers and snacks will be priced at $5 or less per item.

Mr. Hanratty and Chef Kraus team up again for Arizona Beer Week after their successful tasting event last year. This time, Mr. Hanratty declared: “Let them ride bikes!” It is his favorite form of transportation and one that Arizonans can ride comfortably nearly year-round. Cycling through the pub’s Central and Camelback neighborhoods is a wonderful and much safer way to “bar hop,” he explains. For those outside the neighborhood, a bicycle makes the pub within easy access of the Light Rail.

Kraus is also no stranger to “alternative” transportation. After circling the Valley in his popular food truck, Truckin’ Good Food, he shuttered the mobile eatery to develop ++experience++. He now specializes in pop-up and guest chef events where he can be even more creative with his menus. After serious viewings of The Three Amigos in the name of research, he is planning a range of movie-appropriate snacks that will also pair to Hanratty’s featured Beer Bargains.

The Bike-In begins with Previews from 6:30 – 7:30 where a prix fixe sampler will be available for $10. This will include a sampler of snacks not available on the ala carte menu plus one Arizona draft beer. At 7:30 the curtain rises for The Three Amigos.

As always, there will be prizes and give aways throughout the night. Those who arrive on bicycle will receive a gift and second entry in the give away drawing.

RSVPs are requested for the Prix Fixe Sampler on the HB Hanratty’s Facebook page – facebook.com/hbhanrattys.

What is natural wine?

As the organic food movement has picked up speed over the last few years, there is also a movement with organic, biodynamic and natural wine. Organic & biodynamic happen in the grape growing process, for them to be natural the process must continue in the wine making process. By not using or using the least amount possible any of the 200 approved additives permitted in wine, this also includes the technological manipulation(spinning cones, laboratory cultivated yeast,etc) that will take away what the individual terror & what mother nature has provided. This is the way wine has been made for centuries before technology was introduced.

The definition is similar to the German Law of Purity for beer, where only water, barley and hops are used. Natural wine is just grape juice and nothing else.

Some aspects to consider in natural wine...
Avoiding chemical herbicides.
Using indigenous yeasts.
Hand picked grapes.
Low to no filtering & sulfites.
No chaptilization.
No adding of powdered tannins.
Respecting of the grapes including rough handling,pumping or micro-oxygenation.

Natural winemaking represents the true expression of terroir and prevents wine varietals from all tasting the same.

Lagunitas Brewing Co.

Usually wine is on the agenda here, but as we are smack dab in the middle of the dog days of summer(no coincidence their is a dog on almost every label) an invite to a beer tasting sounded quite refreshing, so I grabbed my pen and pad and texted my drinking partner. It was a great chance to revisit some beers(and try some new ones) that I have not had in a few years, since I sold them around town. We tasted with Lauren, who came to town from San Diego on behalf of Lagunitas at Sportsmans, Phoenix location.
Lagunitas has been around since 1993 and is brewed in Petaluma, Ca.

First up was "Little Sumpin" Sumpin Ale- it's Lagunitas, limited release summer wheat ale. It's a hazy ale made with 50% wheat and offers a hoppy, smooth, profile. Nice finish. 4 bottle tops out of 5.

Next up came the "Hop Stoopid" Ale(22oz.), a big hop and malt style, a bitter flavor and richness that includes 7 different hops with 1 being extracted. Very aromatic on the nose. 3 1/2 bottle tops out of 5.

We then went on to the "Lucky 13 Mondo Large" Red Ale which is Lagunitas 13th anniversary brew, that gets made every years because it's a staff fave. Using darker malts 13 has a smoky, big flavor. 4 bottle tops out of 5.

The finally was the "Maximus" IPA(22oz.)which is bigger style which includes more hops, more alcohol and more body. For those who like their IPAs with a spicier, fuller bodied taste this is the one. 3 1/2 bottle tops out of 5.