In addition to the 1,600-square-foot hybrid ice skating rink, a faux snow machine will produce falling flakes every hour, and the rink-side bar will serve specialty cocktails. Twinkling lights and private, decorated cabanas complement the festive atmosphere, with live music performances and DJs scheduled on select weekend evenings throughout the holiday season.

Adults and kids aged five and up are welcome to don a pair of skates (rental available on-site) and take to the ice Monday-Friday 4pm-12am and Saturday-Sunday 12pm-12am. The synthetic ice does not require the need for generators or electricity and is made from a recyclable, eco-friendly polymer compound. The rink feels 10-15% slower than skating on typical refrigerated ice and feels much like skating on a real frozen pond!

W Scottsdale guests will enjoy unlimited skate rentals as part of the hotel’s corresponding Chill Out room package, valid November 16, 2012-January 6, 2013. The Chill Out package starts at $239 per night and includes:

• Accommodations in a Wonderful room for two
• Two SIP (drink) tickets
• Unlimited skate rental

For more information or to make a reservation, please call (877) 782-0104 or visit www.wscottsdalehotel.com/chill.

When walking through the entrance of the newest Scottsdale restaurant, you’re immediately transported to a new location.  The north building offers a brewery feel, the patio offers shade and misters and the south building is perfect for quick bites, parties with small children and to-go orders.

My husband and I were ready for a cocktail, so we opted for the brewery side. We were immediately greeted by the Cicerone, or the “beer sommelier.” With help from such a pro, all guests can be guided to the perfect beer, even if you’re not a lover of brew.  Our first drinks of the night were followed by tastings, with an emphasis on local Arizona brews.

The brains behind the menu is local favorite, Chef Payton Curry, so I admit that we were expecting greatness.  That is exactly what was delivered.  Best known for artisan sausage and Belgium fries, I was also anxious to try the veggie dog and house made pretzel. The pretzel, baked on a stone heart, is served with house made mustards (yellow, Dijon, whole grain and honey mustard.) The veggie dog was more like a falafel dog, but very good.   Brat Haus offers astonishing options in house made sausages (which is a rarity in the Valley,) including rattle snake, duck, turkey loukaniko and chicken. My high-maintenance-foodie husband especially loved the Moroccan lamb.  Brat Haus boasts delicious, fresh bread and all wieners come with made from scratch options like sauerkraut, spicy peppers, pickle relish, root beer onions, apricot onion chutney and pickled red onions. The “thrice cooked” Belgium fries are served with choices of hush hush sauce, ranch, truffle aioli, sriracha aioli, chipotle aioli and bleu cheese-bacon sauce – all unique, freshly made and delish.

My husband was bummed he didn’t have room to try another house specialty Pig Mac. He is already anxiously awaiting his next visit, specifically to try the burger made of 1/4 pound of pork sausage and 1/4 pound ground beef, served with lettuce, pickle, caramelized onion and the infamous hush hush sauce.

Deserts are extraordinary and offer an adult-twist.  The Drunken Date Cake is an intoxicating sponge cake made with Oatmeal Stout and topped with vanilla ice cream.  Who can resist an adult milkshake, with flavors like vanilla, chocolate, nutella, AZ dateshake – alcohol optional?

If you haven’t yet been, I suggest adding the Brat Haus to your calendar!  The ultra-convenient location, hip atmosphere, extraordinary service and innovative menu makes it perfect for lunch, dinner and late night eats.

The new spot in town is housed at the old Oregano’s location, directly next to Salty Senorita in Scottsdale. 3622 N. Scottsdale Rd., Scottsdale, AZ.

For more information visit brathausaz.com and  www.facebook.com/BratHausAZ.

The night will get rumbling with DJ Noah Wylie spinning and a “Power Hour” where all The Mint’s succulent cocktails will be available for $5. There is an additional $10 admission fee between 9-10pm at the door. If you want to drink in the breeze from 9-10pm, the outside patio will be open to the public with no cover charge. The cover charge will include the all male review show by “Men of X-treme Heat”, a male dancer performance and a raffle ticket.

The raffle ticket includes a prize package of a complimentary dinner at The Mint, transportation, provided by Top Notch, to and from the iPic Theatre in the Scottsdale Quarter, 4 movie tickets to Magic Mike, as well as, a complimentary table and bottle service at The Mint.

Event Details:

Thursday, July 26^th

9:00-10:00PM – Cover Charge: $10

9:00-10:00PM – No Cover for Outside Patio

10:00PM-2:00AM – No Cover

For more information visit  www.themintaz.com or follow them at www.facebook.com/TheMintAZ

After celebrating nearly 2,000 local birthdays this year, AZ Air Time is celebrating their own birthday and you’re invited. On July 28 from 5pm to10 pm, the popular indoor trampoline park will be hosting their first birthday party at their Scottsdale flagship location, including a Lady GaGa lookalike, famous designer deserts and lots of prizes and giveaways, including remix watches and a free birthday party!

For $5 an hour, party-goers can enjoy food, fun and jumping. Guests will mix and mingle during a Coca Cola and Pop Chips tasting and have the chance to participate in games with Remix Watches to win prizes from the watch company. There will be a face painter and tons of giveaways, including free jump time, hats, tee shirts and even a birthday party. The event will also feature a performance, meet-and-greet and photo session with a Lady Gaga lookalike performer. No birthday party would be complete without a cake, so AZ Air Time has enlisted local bakery 21 Cakes to create an enormous sweet treat. 21 Cakes cake designer Cisco Zazueta, winner of the first season of Cupcake Wars on Food Network, will create a special trampoline and dodgeball themed cupcake cake that is nearly three-feet high and will feed 500 people.

AZ Air Time has reason to celebrate, as they have had a hugely successful first year. One of the few independent and family owned trampoline centers in Phoenix, the company created their business around providing safety, fun and value to families. Their business model has proved successful, as plans for expansion and franchising hatched only 9 months into their operation of their Scottsdale store. This opportunity to go national is both impressive and rare, as the small, independent company was approached before even celebrating their one-year anniversary, whereas most companies work for years to prepare for franchising.

With separate jump areas for big kids and little kids, all are welcome to participate in the fun. Because the party is expected to be full, guests are asked to call 480.427.2000 to reserve jump time before July 28th. AZ Air Time will then put you on the list and hold your spot.

To find out more about AZ Air Time visit azairtime.com or find them on Facebook (facebook.com/azairtime) and Twitter (@azairtime).

Scottish singer, songwriter, producer and DJ, Calvin Harris, has made notable waves in the electronic dance music (EDM) scene since the release of his debut gold-selling album in 2007, I Created Disco. Since then, the 27-year-old has released a second gold-selling album and worked with numerous artists including LMFAO and Kylie Minogue. One of his most recent and well-known collaborations features pop sensation Rihanna on the quadruple-platinum hit “We Found Love”. The song was No. 1 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 for nine consecutive weeks, the longest No. 1 reign since Black Eyed Peas “I Gotta Feeling”. Other hits include his tracks “Awooga”, “Bounce ft. Kelis” and “Feel So Close”.

Since wrapping up his tour with Rihanna in 2011, Harris has maintained a residency at the Las Vegas hotels Wynn and Encore, as well as playing sold out shows and festivals around the world. In 2011, Harris was nominated for the “Greatest Dance Act of All Time” by the EDM magazine Mixmag and was named the most successful songwriter in the 2011 UK singles chart by the trade magazine Music Week, beating out artists like Adele, Rihanna, Lady Gaga and Ed Sheeran. Harris’ third solo album is set to release later this year featuring his collaborations with Ne-Yo, Kelis, Rihanna and Example.

Past Sound Wave headliners included Kaskade, Dirty South, Diplo, Porter Robinson and Boys Noize. More acts to be announced at a later date.

For more information or to purchase tickets, please visit, www.soundwaveaz.com.

And, don’t worry.  We hear the Bungalow will be having a Grand Re-Opening celebration in the next few weeks.  We’ll keep you updated as we learn more.

Bungalow’s Skinny Margarita!
1.5 oz. Tres Agave Tequila
.75 oz. Pure Tres Agave Nectar
1-2oz Fresh Squeezed lime juice with a splash water

Fore more information visit www.bungalowbarandgrill.com or follow them at www.facebook.com/bungalowbarandgrill / twitter.com/bungalowgrill

Fascinations will hold its first women’s fashion show at the Tempe nightclub, Margarita Rocks on Ladies Night. Complete with models and runway, the show will feature clothing lines from manufacturers such as Voodoo Vixen, Living Dead Souls, and Akumu as well as lingerie lines. Fascinations is offering news lines of purses, shoes, dresses and jewelry which will be featured in this exciting fashion show. The club will offer 2 for 1 drinks to all ladies as well as free bottles of champagne to ladies groups of 4 or more.

Friday, July 20
Doors open at 7 p.m.
Fashion shows at 9 p.m. and 10:30 p.m.

Margarita Rocks (@margrockstempe)
410 South Mill Avenue
Tempe, AZ 85281

For more information on Fascinations visit www.fascinations.net

For more information on Margarita Rocks visit www.margaritarocks.com.

On Wednesday July 11, 2012 in Mesa, the Chicago Cubs broke ground on a stadium and training complex set to open in February 2014.  The tone was excitement and hope while the voice of Harry Caray, rasping from loudspeakers, leads the crowd in “Take Me Out to the Ball Game.”

This has the potential to make the Mesa Spring Training Facility an entertainment destination – definitely a plus for the city and fans alike.

For the Cubs, this is about much more than revenue.

“Today marks a new beginning for Cubs baseball and real progress toward our goal of winning the World Series,” owner Tom Ricketts said. They currently are only a few percentage points away from having the worst record in Major League Baseball.

But Ricketts said the Mesa complex, with the latest in training facilities, will lead to on-field excellence. Ricketts and stadium designer David Bower promised the new baseball mecca will be visually stunning, with architectural allusions to Wrigley Field in Chicago and plenty of shade. “This will be a knock-dead facility,” said Bower

Hopefully the new stadium will help this beloved Chicago team finally beat the curse of the Billy Goat! 2014 may be the year!

Quickly staking its claim as the MUST READ of summer 2012, this novel has taken the world by storm.  On Thursday July 19^th it will make its mark in Old Town Scottsdale at The Mint’s Fifty Shades of Mintparty.

 Guests will experience an atmosphere straight from the novel’s spine, including the infamous Red Room of Pain. The ladies and gents of The Mint will bring the book’s two leading characters to life as they serve cocktails and entertain guests dressed as Christian Grey and Anastasia Steele. Male staff will sport Grey’s classic silver tie and business shirt, while the ladies will be outfitted in men’s white button-ups along with black shorts.

Guests can soak up the Fifty Shades of Mint, sip on specialty themed cocktails, and listen to seductive spins by DJ Noah Wylie, all while having their burning questions about the world of S&M answered by Fascinations’ love expert, Meghan Krein. Fascinations, a boutique retailer specializing in lingerie and romantic apparel, intimacy inspiring merchandise, and personal accessories, will also showcase a new line of products inspired by the novel.

In addition to the racy ambiance, there will be three drink specials offered throughout the evening; the Christian Grey, made with St. Germain, Beefeater Gin, lemon, champagne and strawberry ($7); Laters Baby, made with splashes of vodka, rum, tequila and gin, Blue Curacao, Triple Sec and a dash of sweet and sour mix ($7); and the S&M, a cherry Jello shot ($5). For bottle service and table reservations, please contact Kelly O’Connor at (480) 516-9748. All booked tables will receive special gift bags from Fascinations.

The event will be on Thursday, July 19th from 10PM – 2AM. For more information visit themintaz.com.

A great way to forget about this heat a is to indulge in a great bottle of wine.  One of my all time favorite spots in town, Mabel’s on Main, agrees.  They host Wine Down Wednesday every Wednesday evening from 7PM – close, which means $20 bottles of select premium wines for guests. Also enjoy Local Legend, Chef Aaron May’s, modern spin on culinary classics paired with the perfect wine.

If you’re not familiar with Mabel’s on Main you better get with it  There is no time like the present.

The stunning interior is reminiscent of a vintage speakeasy; something you’d expect to find in New York or Chicago.  The deep red leather booths, inner brick walls, dark wood floors, sensual lightening and gorgeous fixtures radiate vibes of sexiness.  This lounge location, nestled in the middle of the bustling nightlife district, maintains a very exclusive and intimate feel.  The private room, available for parties and bottle service, is hidden by a one-way mirror and secret entrance.

Not only will you find an impressive wine list and exquisite eats but the mixologists at Mabel’s on Main are amongst the best in town.  With ingredients so fresh you’d think they had a garden in back.

For additional information visit www.mabelsonmain.com or follow them on Facebook at www.facebook.com/mabelsonmain.