Foodie news roundup for the week of Jan. 13.
Third Thursday is returning to The Macintosh in Phoenix. Every Third Thursday of the month, The Macintosh will partner with a local meat and seafood markets, distilleries, wineries and breweries to create a special four-course menu, with optional drink pairings. The 2020 Third Thursday series is kicking off Jan. 16 with Huss Brewing Company ($34 per person and $16 per person for beer pairings).
Downtown Phoenix’s Barrel & Bushel (pictured) is hosting a grand opening celebration with The Biggest Patio Party the area has ever seen. Check out the long-awaited addition to the local restaurant scene and join the grand opening celebration from 3 to 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 22, on the corner of 2nd and Adams Streets. It’s going to be an all-out affair featuring all-day happy hour pricing, complimentary passed bites and more.
Matt’s Big Breakfast is opening its first Scottsdale location on Friday, Jan. 17. The first 50 people in line when doors open at 6:30 a.m. will get free bacon for the first six months of 2020, and all of the grand opening day proceeds will help fund child hunger relief efforts.
On Jan. 20, Fired Pie will be offering a buy one get, one free on all mac ‘n cheese dishes. The dish is topped with parmesan cheese and bread crumbs and baked in a stone hearth pizza oven. Guests can also choose from 40 different toppings. This deal is valid for dine-in only; not available through third-party delivery. Free dish is valid for mac ‘n cheese dish of equal or less value.
On Jan. 24, Press Coffee will donate 100 percent of profits from sales to Phoenix Children’s Hospital as part of its PressOn Charities Day. Press has recruited several other local businesses to match its donation: Over Easy, Ageless Men’s Health, Spike Lawrence Ventures and CNTR.
Air Guitar is set to revitalize the corner store concept when it opens in Gilbert in late 2020 on the northwest corner of Higley and Ray roads (right next door to Epicenter at Agritopia). Air Guitar will offer healthy grab-and-go items with premium beer, wine, coffee and tea. Led by restaurateurs and co-founders of Upward Projects, Craig and Kris DeMarco, and retail store gurus, Eric and Elissa Seitz of Bro Retail Group, Air Guitar promises to bring “life’s little luxuries” under one stylish, convenient roof.
FLINT by Baltaire is hosting the pioneering Rutherford, Calif., winemaker Bruce Cakebread of Cakebread Cellars for a four-course paired wine dinner on Jan. 21 (6 to 9 p.m.) inside the onsite 2,500-bottle, glass-encased wine room.
On Feb. 26, Phoenix will welcome the James Beard Foundation’s Taste America presented by Capital One for a pop-up dinner as part of the larger National tour. Spotlighting issues within the Foundation’s Good Food for Good platform, including food-waste reduction, sustainability, inclusivity and chef advocacy, the seventh-annual cross-country food series will highlight the organization’s mission-forward impact programs and initiatives, while dishing out tasty bites. Taste America’s Phoenix Pop Up Dinner starts at 6 p.m. at Wrigley Mansion. The intimate dinner will feature a menu crafted by Taste America Visiting All-Star Kristen Kish and Local All-Star and Host Chef Christopher Gross. The dinner will celebrate the diverse flavors, cuisines, and backgrounds that contribute to American cooking.
