The azcentral Wine + Food experience was held at Salt River Fields in Pima – Maricopa Indian Community near Scottsdale Arizona November 2nd and 3rd 2019. Pre-sale general admission was around $50.00 and pre-sale VIP was around $120.00. (after pre-sale $65.00 and VIP $140.00) Your ticket got you bottomless tastings of food, wine, liquor, chef demonstrations and more. VIPs got one hour early entry, the AJ’s fine foods tent and top wines. The headliner guest was chef Alex Guarnaschelli. I caught the end when she was taking questions from the audience.
Our own chef Christopher Collins did a demo too.
Here is some of what I came across. I didn’t try everything but I tried a lot. My husband can eat more than me so he nearly tried everything.
The first tent I got to was made not entirely but was mostly chef Christopher Collins Restaurants.
From chef Christopher Collins restaurant The Macintosh was short ribs over cheesy grits.
Chef Collins – Wally’s American Gastro Pub a very tasty fried chicken sandwich that was cooked to perfection with a really perfect herbed slaw and a sweet mustard sauce.
Chef Collins – Twisted Grove Restaurant – a shrimp noodle salad.
Chef Collins – The Collins
I didn’t try this one so I forgot what it was but I do remember my husband ate the whole thing so it couldn’t be bad. Latter when we got home my husband did say that this was really good.
Next was chef Collins – The Grassroots Restaurant offering tuna poke with cooked shrimp.
Chef Collins also brought his house made ice cream from his dessert shop Sweet Provisions.
Spinatos was cooking off a variety of their frozen pizzas and mushrooms stuffed with herbed parmesan cream cheese.
Mowry and Cotton offered the most eye catching plates.
Butternut squash salads and monkey bread.
My husbands favorite plate was one of the plates I skipped…..
A plate from Otro Cafe.
They made their own fresh tortillas.
Otro Cafe Taco (above)
Next was the brisket taco from Stonegrill.
The Clever Koi made a SUPER TENDER -melt in the mouth kind of sweet/hot fried chicken bun. This one was really great!
AJ’s offered cheesy pasta, pasta with tomato sauce and some sort of salad
Beckets Table made a very unusual sort of corn cake with lightly smoked chicken cooked in bacon fat…..It was very unique.
Gadzooks offered an open face version of their award winning chicken tacos with cornbread stuffing. You couldn’t pick them up to eat and they were still good but didn’t give the same effect as when you eat them whole.
Timo gave out lamb and butternut squash soup.
Match offered chicken bites and buffalo cauliflower.
Frank and Alberts made mushroom tostadas.
Famous 48 offered pulled pork topped Mac-N-Cheese.
It was all this and MORE!
That was Nov. 2 of the azcentral Wine + Food experience 2019.
www.wineandfood.azcentral.com
