Drumming Up Interest in Phoenix

The highlight of Phoenix is its weather - especially in the winter season. I can sit on my porch and tan in January, while much of the country is shoveling snow. But the biggest question - especially for locals - is "What's there to do?" Non-franchised spots are hard to find, but they do exist, though they are not always convenient. These unique places are the kinds of places my friends and I enjoy.

Quick Tips:

Local events can be found in "Get Out" or "New Times." Both publications are free at many gas stations or coffee shops. Depending on your style, there are other publications with event listings, such as "Java" and "944."

Best Way To Get Around:

Car rental is definitely the way to go. Although taxis are becoming more abundant, they can be pricey. Buses get more reliable closer to the city center, and walking can be very hot and slow, depending on the time of year. Because streets in Phoenix (and the greater metro area) are based on a grid system (most streets are straight, running north-south or east-west), it's a very easy city to navigate. Many locals will simply provide crossroads when providing a location or direction.

"Chino's," as we call it around here, is a casual mix of Chinese and Mexican food. Combination plates are customizable, with entrees including chile relleno (deep-fried, lightly-breaded, cheese-filled poblano pepper [mild]), jade red pork or chicken (think of a tastier version of sweet and sour pork or chicken), and pollo diablo (literally, "devil chicken" and my personal favorite. Breaded and fried bite-sized pieces of chicken, stir-fried with garlic and red pepper flakes). Any entree is available as it is, in a quesadilla, or in a burrito. Combinations come with your choice of rice (steamed, fried, jerk fried, pork fried) and beans (refried or black beans).

Chino's is very casual and very popular with locals. (Friday lunches are usually crowded.) Order at the counter with red pen and coded order form and grab a table. Listen for the staff to yell your name, and they will bring your order to your table.

If the menu sounds a little foreign to you, not to worry. The friendly staff serves samples of any of the dishes. Samples are advisable for first-timers, especially those wary of spicy food.

Before you finish your meal, the snickerdoodles will come by. You get one of these tasty cookies with your meal, so savor every bite!

Found on the south side of Paradise Valley Mall road, Jerry Tucci's specializes in pizza. For dinner, plan to take your time, and take in a good conversation with your party or a bottle of wine.

The wine selection was surprisingly long for a casual restaurant. Likewise, there are two wine flights available and Wednesday's featured half-price wine by the bottle. Peroni beer is also available.

Minestrone is served every day. Be aware of its peppery kick! The house salad is a healthy serving of regular lettuce and carrots, but the cucumber parmesan dressing is all the flavor the salad has left - and it doesn't quite deliver.

For entrées, there is a page devoted to different pizzas, as well as the create-your-own option. The My Favorite Pizza - slices of green and red pepper, pepperoni, and sausage - was a hit at our table.

Aside from pizza, this restaurant also offers pasta dishes and a dessert menu.

Overall, Jerry Tucci's surprised me with its balance of casual dining (which Arizona is famous for) with tasty offerings and the service of finer dining, without the high-end price tag. There's only one of these restaurants around, so, naturally, it makes me proud. At Jerry Tucci's, casual food doesn't have to be a casual dining experience.

Don't let the nondescript 'COFFEE' sign on the storefront on the southeast corner of Baseline and McClintock fool you. With coffee that's French Pressed and never dripped and a wide variety of loose teas, Steve's Espresso is a unique mark in this quirky strip mall and on the Phoenix whole café scene.

The formula here is: "Better coffee, better prices. Why not?" Steve's Espresso sticks with what they know best: coffee, tea, and a couple tasty pastries. The staff are friendly and engaging - even when a new customer asks for "whatever you have that's like a frappuccino."

Steve's has a good wireless network and draws a quiet, studious crowd. The place is small, but it hasn't gotten so popular that you can't ever find a table. Extension cords abound, so no matter where you sit, your laptop can be plugged in.

True to its independent form, Steve's displays the works of local artists on its terracotta colored walls. Blue plastic over the fluorescent ceiling lights do their best to keep the lighting from getting garish, but you can only go so far with a strip mall suite. The artwork rotates regularly.

Steve's is perfect for coffee- or tea-lovers who want a decent brew but don't want to be lumped into the artsy/poetry-slam coffee scene. While there are no "coffeehouse performers," the ambient music sufficiently shuffles from eclectic house to Brazilian to jazz standards. Patrons are their respectful of their noise and space, and the authentic staff won't bog you down with hapless chatter.

Whether you want a taste of the independent tempe or just need a place to sit down and get through that last bit of work for the night, going to Steve's will guarantee that the coffee will be smooth and the atmosphere will be peaceful.

Amsterdam's (www.amsterdambar.com) touts itself as the straight-friendliest gay bar in town, and on Monday nights, you'll see a number of straight women there (like myself). The selection of martinis ranges from the dirty girl to the oatmeal raisin cookie to the mango strawberry (a good one to start with). The list is extensive, so take in the great dance music while you read it. Though furnished in dark wood, overstuffed leather couches, and plush red carpet, Amsterdam's is a notably casual lounge.

The manicures are worth the $5 - unless you get Jodi, who knocked my socks off for my first manicure experience. He massaged my lower arms and hands before getting to work on the cuticles and nails. He deserved the big tip for the attention he gave me. But my friends didn't have quite the same experience. If you can ask for Jodi, get him! All the manicurists are certified, and occasionally, there is a pedicurist there as well.

Tom-the-henna-man has a sizable book of henna tattoo designs to choose from. Don't be fooled - he draws the tattoos freehand. No chintzy spray-on stencils here! He also mixes up his own henna and lemon-sugar oil. Tom does great work and makes such calm, interesting conversation.

Tarot card and palm readings are also $5 each. My friends and I don't believe in getting readings, but if I ever wanted a glimpse into my future, this would be the budget way to go. For a reading, head to the back of the bar (past the manicurists and the staircase) and out onto the patio.

If you're interested in any of the services, be sure to sign up when you get in. Manicures, in particular, book up quickly. Depending on how many manicurists are there, signing up after 9 p.m. can be futile.

Because of Amsterdam's, my friends and I now have a Monday night ritual! "A case of the Monday's" never felt better!

The Great Arizona Beer Festival is an annual charity event taking place in 2005 on April 2nd and 3rd, and benefiting Sunsounds of Arizona, a radio reading service for the visually-impaired.

I attended the beer festival even before I knew it was a benefit and had a great time. So, it’s not because I now volunteer for both the festival and for Sunsounds that I’m writing about the event. The whole thing is just a lot of fun, but mostly for the beer-lover. Tickets are pretty steep for the non-beer drinker, although if you’re more interested in the music and the food, designated driver tickets are for sale at a reduced price. Designated drivers, however, cannot drink any alcohol at the event.

The festival has perfect timing in downtown Phoenix on the lawn of the Arizona Center, just before summer hits the valley. The north end of the festival tends to be cooler being in the shade, but the south end has the main stage, which is never quiet, thanks to the event sponsor, rock radio station KDKB. Both sides have at least 20 beer booths to fill up the glass mini beer mug that comes with admission.

Most of the beers featured are from breweries in the western and southwestern US. Ace Cider and Widmer are the bigger names I can recall, but Four Peaks, Gentle Ben’s, and Thunder Canyon – all Arizona breweries – have always had tasty offerings. The Arizona Society of Homebrewers was also in attendance last year.

There is overpriced food to keep a person from getting too drunk too quickly (Shoestring fries, Mexican food, and hot sandwiches were for sale last year). Lines to the Portapotties (an inevitability at an event such as this) move surprisingly quickly, even toward the end of the afternoon.

Advance tickets are $30; they are $35 at the door. VIP tickets are available. The festival runs from 2pm to 6pm on both days, with the last pour at 5:45pm. Arrive early, as entry into the festival is a little cumbersome, and attendees can be found lined up to the street corner by 1:30pm. The beer festival also takes place in Flagstaff and in Tucson on different dates. More information can be found on the web at www.azbeer.com/phoenix. Cheers!

Two locations:

In Tempe: 1340 East 8th St. (south of University Drive), between Rural and McClintock, 480/303-9967

In north Phoenix: southeast corner of Frank Lloyd Wright and Hayden, 480/991-1795

http://www.fourpeaks.com

Tucked in residential Tempe’s University area, Four Peaks offers an unpretentious atmosphere for the college and out-of-college crowd. Don’t bother dressing to impress – jeans or shorts are perfectly acceptable. The North Phoenix location is on the inconspicuous side of a strip mall, between a paint-your-own-pottery place and an Organized Living store.

When I was first introduced to this place, I only knew them to serve beer and breakfast, because I’d only been to Four Peaks for Sunday-morning football games. Four Peaks is a Minnesota Vikings bar, playing all the Minnesota games on Sundays during football season on their numerous televisions. Non-fans need not be alarmed: the Viking loyalty is not prevalent on non-game days. And Four Peaks is so much more than just a Vikings bar.

First of all, there’s the beer. Even a beer amateur like myself can’t not mention the beer at a microbrewery like this. If you still don’t know what to drink after looking over the menu, try the sampler, which is a wood tray with shot-sized glasses of their eight standard beers: 8th Street Ale, Kiltlifter Scottish-style Ale, Hefeweizen, Hop Knot IPA, Oatmeal Stout, Arizona Peach Ale, Raj India Pale Ale, and Fool’s Gold Ale. Of the microbrews, Kiltlifter is my favorite, while the 8th Street Ale is popular between my brother and my boyfriend. They also have seasonal brews and Ace Pear Cider on tap, and wine and other liquors are available.

As far as food goes, Four Peaks has a lot of bar standards: Brickhouse Wings (a friend reports that the buffalo wings are nearly as good as those she makes herself), pizza (a little on the cheesy side), and burgers and fries. But the non-standard bar fare is what I find interesting: the Thai hummus, garlic bread, and Bavarian pretzels are particularly addictive. Beware of the soups, as they have a spicy kick. Most entrées come in huge portions, including breakfast on football Sundays. If the "Walleye Strips and Chips" is a dinner special that pops up on the day you visit, it is a definite must-try if you’ve never had this meaty river fish before.

The only thing that detracts from Four Peaks is the parking – particularly at the original Tempe location. Parking is free, but having to walk from a block away is not uncommon on weekends. (That's what strong local loyalty will get you!) Four Peaks is where the definitive "Arizona casual" comes to life - in shorts, a T-shirt, and a local brew.