Foodie news roundup for the week of Sept. 4.
Joe’s Farm Grill in Gilbert will be closed for remodeling starting Tuesday, Sept. 5. The remodel will make Joe’s Farm Grill even better by listening to requests from guests over the past 11 years. The amount of air-conditioned indoor seating is being doubled. The dining experience will be more comfortable and quieter. Service gets an upgrade as well as plating and presentation. Over the next few months, expect some new products, especially in the area of beverages and desserts. The restaurant will re-open Thursday, Oct. 12.
Le Macaron at Scottsdale Quarter is adding to its menu. Chocolates in the shape of the Eiffel Tower are available, along with all other chocolate candies, as well as new gift boxes. The restaurant has also introduced online ordering for the ultimate ease in ordering.
September marks Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, and all 58 Kneaders Bakery & Café locations throughout the nation, including 19 across Arizona, will sell elephant-shaped sugar cookies and “Hope Fights Childhood Cancer” campaign-themed retail items to benefit the groundbreaking work of Dr. Joshua Schiffman, respected cancer researcher. (Schiffman’s team has been exploring a cancer-fighting elephant protein called p53, which helps protect elephants from developing cancer. Humans only have two copies of p53, and some children that get cancer only have one copy of p53 in their DNA. Since announcing the discovery of the elephant p53 protein, Dr. Schiffman and his research team have been working around the clock to bring the discovery to human trial.) One-hundred percent of the Kneaders elephant-shaped sugar-cookie sales, and a portion of the retail items sold both online and in-store will be donated to Dr. Schiffman and his team at Huntsman Cancer Institute (HCI).
Stop by Brat Haus (pictured) in Downtown Scottsdale on Saturday, Sept. 16 between 4 to 10 p.m. for its annual Oktoberfest celebration. Diners can enjoy a specialty German-themed menu, live music from an accordion player and Mob vs. Ballot Box, and “Das Brat” bratwurst eating competitions. There will also be a special firkin tapping with Mayor Jim Lane and San Tan Brewing. The event is 21-and-over only; tickets are $10 in advance or $12 at the door and free admittance for anyone wearing Lederhosen or Dirndls.
On National Grandparents Day on Sept. 10 at at TEXAZ Grill in Phoenix, enjoy chicken and dumplings for only $8 from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Plus, all grandparents will receive complimentary, old-fashioned, homemade rice pudding with an entrée order (proof of grandparenthood required).
Market Street Kitchen will host a Rombauer Vineyards Wine Dinner with special guest KR Rombauer on Sept. 14 at 6 p.m. A portion of the proceeds will benefit Chances for Children. The menu includes a five-course meal paired with Rombauer wines. $95 per person. To purchase tickets, click here.
Nekter Juice Bar is joining the fight against childhood hunger with No Kid Hungry in September by donating $1 from each kid’s juice or smoothie sold at participating restaurants in Arizona and other markets during the month. Each dollar raised equates to 10 meals for hungry children.
September is National Breakfast Month and to celebrate, Farm & Craft in Old Town Scottsdale is giving away free cold brew for the entire month. Between 8 and 10 a.m., anyone who purchases a food item will receive a free cold brew. This offer is valid all month long, excluding weekends.
Throughout the month of September, Morning Squeeze in Scottsdale will donate 100 percent of its pancake proceeds to Phoenix Children’s Hospital’s Time to Shine campaign. Time to Shine is the September push to eliminate childhood cancer during Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. Funds generated through Time to Shine directly benefit the health, hope and healing at the hospital’s Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders (CCBD).
Snooze, an A.M. Eatery is ready to start hiring for all positions at its new location, scheduled to open in Ahwatukee this October. To apply, swing by Snooze’s latest location inside the Ahwatukee Foothills Towne Center (4901 E. Ray Road, just west of the I-10 freeway), which will be hosting open interviews daily (8 a.m. to 5 p.m.) from Sept. 11- 20. Following the open interviews, Snooze in Ahwatukee will host an employee orientation on Sept. 27, with the grand opening scheduled for October 2017.
Chef Jeff Smedstad of Elote Cafe in Sedona is hosting a book signing for his new cookbook Elote Cafe Notebook at Changing Hands Bookstore in Phoenix on Monday, Sept. 11 at 7 p.m. The 280-page, 200-recipe Elote Cafe Notebook ($35) is a follow-up to Smedstad’s top-selling Elote Cafe Cookbook (now in its seventh printing) and features the same straightforward yet innovative recipes that have made Elote Cafe one of Arizona’s most popular dining destinations.
Downtown Scottsdale’s local eateries on the corner of Goldwater and Scottsdale Road and Vintage Kart Company will be hosting a Cars and Cues event, in preparation of the third-annual Grand Prix of Scottsdale. Taking place on Saturday, Sept. 9, between 9 and 11 a.m., join Goldwater Brewing Company, Brat Haus and Rack Scottsdale with attendance by Grand Prix’s charity partner Southwest Human Development for a quick lap around the parking lot in one of the custom Vintage Kart’s made by Vintage Kart Company out of Mesa. Cost is free to the public and will be taking place in the Rack Scottsdale parking lot. After the event, Rack Scottsdale is offering half-off pool all day, along with food and drink specials; Brat Haus will be offering a “post-drive” lunch with bottomless mimosas for $20 and specials on giant Moscow mules; and Goldwater Brewing Company will be offering a post-race flight incorporating their signature most-popular beers.
Tomorrow, Friday, Sept. 8, the No Kid Hungry bus will be stopping at Grimaldi’s Pizzeria in Old Town at 4 p.m.. The bus has an interactive photo booth that guests are encouraged to share their message to why they are #Hangry and help raise awareness to end childhood hunger in America. The campaign is redefining the phrase hangry to mean “I’m angry that there are hungry kids in the US because…” Grimaldi’s will be giving away a free mini cannoli to every dine-in guest from 4 p.m. to close. Throughout September, guests can donate up to $10 to No Kid Hungry while dining at Grimaldi’s and receive an equivalent amount in Grimaldi’s bonus cards, limited one per customer per visit, good for the next visit. All of the proceeds raised will benefit No Kid Hungry.
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