Oh my goodness – what a food scene in addition to quite the natural beauty in Scottsdale and Phoenix!

We had some time off during the holidays and wanted to ring in the new year somewhere else, so Scottsdale it was! It was a rather quick choice for me being that I’d been a few times for work and heard the food scene was up and coming.

Planning a trip with enough restaurant options is always a challenge and stressful but I made the most out of all of your recommendations and Yelp, too!

Brunch/Lunch

Farm and Craft

First up on the brunch list was Farm and Craft.

The Old Town Scottsdale location is not only an absolutely beauty, but with the outdoor seating area, it was so bright, lit and quite the happening spot for humans and pups!

I mean check out these pics and that quote on the wall – #goals

Cali Chicken Bowl and Turkey Wrap – YUM!

The entrance and outdoor seating

gah, so pretty

“All I want is food and affection” – TRUTH!

Bar with windows opening up to the outside bar top

Dreaming about the Cali Chicken Bowl

*Pro Tip – they have reverse happy hour everyday from 9PM-Close.

We got these yummies that same night as when we brunched there 🙂

Up front is the Avocado Lime Hummus and in the back is the Wild Mushroom Flatbread!

Daily Dose

On our way out for the day to Sedona, we stopped by Daily Dose for a hearty breakfast before the 2-hour drive and 2-hour hike ahead. Hardly had to wait 20 minutes even though this place had quite the crowd outside waiting for tables. (We have no issue sitting at the bar and in fact, prefer it – so we did)!

I ordered the Turkey Sausage and Polenta Bowl and hubs had the Flannel Hash (not pictured b/c he inhaled it faster than I could take a snap). The bowl was DIVINE! There is a bed of white beans below all of this goodness and the polenta are fried!

Turkey Sausage and Polenta Bowl

Olive & Ivy

Gah, what a beautiful spot on the waterfront in Old Town Scottsdale. You’ll want to walk around in the area before or after anyway because it’s just too pretty there. They had this really cool art installation going on too and apparently the installations rotate out with the seasons!

Ask to be seated at a table out on the patio or close to the patio along the windows. You’ll want to look out while you’re nomming. This place is HUGE though and there are many areas with different vibes to enjoy your meal.

I had the Mediterranean Salad (no tomatoes) and hubs ordered the Chopped Chicken Salad. We’d rate these as 5-stars on the favorite salad list of ours!

Up front is the Mediterranean Salad – loved the very light dressing on it.

They had an extensive pastry selection and I didn’t get anything but really wanted to! I did pair my salad with a refreshing glass of Chenin Blanc though!

Postino’s

A foodie friend of mine who just visited the area suggested Postino’s for it’s food and incredible deal on bevs – $5 glasses of wine and pitchers of beer before 5PM everyday! WHAT?!?

Indeed it’s true! I had an amazing glass of a French rose ($12 usually) but for $5!

Ordered the Farmer’s Scramble and hubby had the Roast Beef Panini on Ciabatta.

My scramble was so creamy and yum. There were a couple kinds of cheeses mixed in. The mixed greens on the side were totally woah! I had a bit of the panini and the roast beef was excellent!

Blanco Tacos & Tequila

Our first stop as soon as we landed in Phoenix was Blanco Tacos & Tequila at the Biltmore Fashion Mall area as it came highly recommended.

Don’t pass on the chips and salsa – those chips were some of the best I’ve had and the salsa was definitely something special!

We shared the combo fajitas with Carne Asada and Pollo. They were the best fajita meats I’ve ever had y’all. I don’t know if they seasoned it with some native red or green chile but dang, I’m drooling just thinking about it. We had them with corn tortillas which came in the cutest wrapping nice and hot!

Hubs has been doing this “perfect” gesture with his hands in my food pics lately.

SO GOOD!

Coffee

My trips are never complete without checking out cute coffeeshops. I found quite a few on our trip!

Cartel

Their location in Old Town Scottsdale was packed with people hanging out and working as well as just chit-chatting. There are a few rooms to sit in though so space wasn’t an issue. I really liked the Cardamom Capuccino I had at Cartel. Seemed like a unique drink and I really loved the fresh ground cardamom on top!

Berdena’s

Shortly after drinking the cardamom cap above, we walked past Berdena’s and it stopped me in my tracks. All the prettiest, modern, clean vibes at that place. It reminds me so much of Fleet Coffee in Austin.

First visit, I got a Chocolate Chip Walnut Cookie to avoid another cup of caffeination! It was a decent size cookie and here is a picture of it with the pretty orange table and chairs outside as well as a sneak peak in!

Chocolate Chip Walnut

Intentionally stopped by on day 3 for a latte – and they have HONEY LAVENDER!

Isn’t the tile gorgeous?

Sip Coffee & Beer Garage

Interesting name right? We totally ended up here randomly because it was our last day, we were sitting out at a park in the Arcadia area, enjoying the weather and I needed to pee! And before heading to the airport, I wanted some caffeine. Enter Sip Coffee & Beer Garage.

You can go through the drive through and grab you a bev, or go in – I’d suggest going in. Love the feels in this space. I had a hazelnut iced latte – looks like they make their own hazelnut and bottle it. I think…I really wanted the hubs to have a beer because their beer list was loaded up with all the super rare craft beers. He was “detoxing” from vacay alcohol consumption I guess though because he didn’t get anything even though his eyes lit up at the sight of the list.

Love their logo!

Dinner/Happy Hour

AZ88

Our first night, we dined at AZ88 for dinner. It’s in Scottsdale and had a very interesting vibe to it. More like a scene from a club but I think the white chairs and the loungy feel of it reminded me of Miami.

They’re known for their cocktails and their wings. These aren’t just your usual wings. They were so good! We had the teriyaki (comes with waffle fries – so crispy).

I had a Moscow Mule – it had cucumber puree in it and it was very very good! Hubs had an Aged Old Fashion and then another cocktail – he’s quite the cocktail aficionado and while he enjoyed his drinks, he said he had better elsewhere.

Regardless, I’d suggest dining at AZ88! The wings and burger were excellent!

Buck’n (teriyaki wings)

Burger Au Poivre – loved the black peppercorn and burgundy sauce!

Citizen Public House

I found Citizen Public House on Yelp during my pre-planning days and it came highly rated! Made a reservation just to be sure we got a table and I booked it for 5:30 so we could take advantage of Social Hour until 6PM.

Probably was too early because we had this epic charcuterie board and were full! They’ve got $5 glasses of special wine and a great deal on cocktails too so definitely check it out. It’s in Old Town Scottsdale and it’s a beautiful space with great service!

It got pretty full for dinner service so that was a good sign. Wish we had more room in our tummies to eat dinner.

Charcuterie Board – it was really good – there was an apple butter on it that paired so well with the gorgonzola!

Bitter and Twisted Cocktail Parlour

If you want to go into downtown Phoenix, go and have a cocktail and dinner at Bitter and Twisted! Get on the waitlist if you’re like us and saw a bit of a line at the door. Yelp has the Waitlist function and we only had a 20 minute wait before getting a spot inside. They have a doorman and at first glance, you’ll think this place is a bit pretentious. After going in, you’ll appreciate the limited access as you won’t have people swarming around you if you sit at the bar like we did.

Their cocktail menu is beautifully illustrated and HUGE so try to take a deep breath and flip through for your favorite spirit. The last page was our go-to since it had their best sellers on the list and it made the choice a bit easier. I went with the Lemongrass Collins and it was perfect. Hubs loved his Old Fashioned!

The Lemongrass Collins – large right?!

Go in hungry because you’ll want to eat their Chef’s creations! I had the Chish and Fips (yes, I spelled that right) and hubs ordered the “Dragon” Dumpling Burger. The menu has an Asian flare to it and the Chef has really nailed it! Sadly, I wasn’t able to take pics of my food because it was dark and a pic wouldn’t do it justice. The burger quite possibly is the best burger we’ve ever devoured. It was a burger that tasted like the tastiest dumpling! Enough from me…just go…trust me!

Anyway, as you have probably gathered, we ate and drank our way through Scottsdale and Phoenix. It’s always fun exploring new towns and experiencing the culinary scene!

If you need more recommendations for your future trip, just let me know. I have a list of others I’d love to hit up on my next visit. Hope this was helpful!

Until next time, Bon Appetite!

-Shveta

January, 2018