Food Truck Fridays in Gilbert

Update: The Gilbert Food Court is no longer in the Historic District as of 12/18/2015. Their new name is AZ Feastivals, please check them out using the link at the bottom of the article.

There's a new event going on in Historic Downtown Gilbert called Food Truck Fridays. (Update: The event WAS in downtown Gilbert for 3+ years, but is no longer located there two months after this article was published). Basically, a bunch of vendors get together every Friday night to offer up a selection of interesting culinary creations, prepared and served from their mobile kitchens. Recently, a friend invited me to go check out Food Truck Fridays.

I should clarify that I went into this event wondering why anyone would care about a bunch of food trucks. As far as I knew, food trucks were kind of a trashy thing; stalwarts of county festivals and fairs that served overpriced and low quality food with questionable standards of cleanliness.

Arriving at Food Truck Fridays, I found no such thing. Apparently I missed the memo that food trucks are hip and cool now, and people actually like them!

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What's the Deal with WinCo Foods?

Savvy Phoenix shoppers may have noticed a new chain of grocery stores popping up around town. WinCo Foods is a new player in a landscape that has been dominated by Safeway, Albertson's, Wal-Mart, Food City, and Fry's.

So here's the lowdown on WinCo Foods: the company was founded in 1967 and is headquartered in Boise, Idaho. Prior to 1999, they were known as Waremart Food Centers.   

Their first store opened in Phoenix in 2012. They have 5 valley locations in Phoenix, Glendale, Mesa, and a new one in Gilbert.

If you are thinking about checking them out, there are a couple of things you should know about WinCo Foods:

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2 Arizona Restaurants Make Yelp's Top 100 List in 2014

One of the most popular websites for restaurant reviews is Yelp! With thousands of user-submitted reviews of restaurants in major cities all over the U.S., Yelp has become an authority for diners who want the inside scoop on hot new eateries.

Recently, the site published a list of their Top 100 Places to Eat in 2014. Of the 100 restaurants named, two of them are located right here in Phoenix!

Coming in at #81 we have the Short Leash Hot Dogs in downtown Phoenix. This gourmet food truck is owned by a husband and wife team and can often be found at local events such as Food Truck Fridays.

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Iconic Arizona Exhibit at the Phoenix Art Museum

Have you heard about Iconic Arizona? It's a new exhibit of creative photography at the Phoenix Art Museum, and it's going on now! The exhibit runs from November 12, 2011 through March 4, 2012. As you might imagine, the exhibit features many of Arizona's most well-known attractions such as the Grand Canyon and the Painted Desert. However, the exhibit has more to offer than just the natural wonders of Northern Arizona. There are photos of the San Xavier del Bac Mission, Jerome, and man-made attractions such as the Hoover Dam and Frank Lloyd Wright's Pauson House.

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Cabela's vs. Bass Pro Shops

When it comes to hunting, camping, and supplies for your outdoor adventures, there are two superstores in Arizona that rise above the rest: Cabela's and Bass Pro Shops. The similarities between these two outdoor outfitters are numerous:

• Both stores are over 150,000 square feet
• Both have one single Arizona location
• Both stores have restaurants
• Both stores offer boat sales
• Both offer a huge selection of clothing, tools, and equipment
• Both stores have an ENORMOUS selection of guns and ammunition

With so much in common, you might think these two stores are pretty much the same thing. The truth is, there are also some important differences. Let's take a look at each store in depth to determine which deserves the title of Arizona's Best Outfitter: Cabela's or Bass Pro Shops.

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Fast Times at the Tucson Roller Derby

When a friend invited me to attend the Tucson Roller Derby on Saturday, August 28th, I could barely contain my excitement. Ever since I first heard about roller derby, I had been hoping to see this unique event for myself.

For those not familiar with the sport, allow me to explain. Roller derby is an aggressive contact sport in which teams of skaters compete against each other on a flat track course (banked tracks exist but are not as common). The majority of leagues are all-female, however junior and men's leagues also exist.

In a nutshell, two teams of skaters make their way around an oval track in 2-minute heats called "jams." Teams score points when a designated member of each team called a "jammer" passes members of the opposing team. The opposing team can try to regain the lead by blocking the offending jammer. It is a very fast-paced sport where players come in full contact with each other at high speeds.

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What's So Special About In-N-Out Burger?

When In-N-Out Burger first came to Arizona nine years ago, I didn't understand what the fuss was all about. Now I have a much better understanding of what it is that makes In-N-Out so special: it's everything.

In-N-Out Burger started in California way back in 1948. Since then, they have grown to 248 restaurants with locations in California, Nevada, Arizona, and Utah. The first Arizona location opened at Scottsdale Road and Frank Lloyd Wright Blvd. in the year 2000.

At the time, In-N-Out's entry into the Phoenix area was an event that made headlines. It was more than just the grand opening of a new burger stand; it was an event that people came to be part of. My dad took me there on opening day and I was shocked at the long line of cars snaking its way around the parking lot. We must have waited over an hour to get to the front of the line, it was so busy! I had never seen anything like it. After all, they are just burgers, right?

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Phoenix News You Can Use

Finding a reliable and reputable source for news can be a hassle. With so many frivolous stories in newspapers and on television, where do you turn for the latest news from Phoenix? Here are some of my favorite websites that carry news about Phoenix and other news from around Arizona:

Arizona Republic www.azcentral.com
Phoenix New Times www.phoenixnewtimes.com
Arizona Daily Sun azdailysun.com
Arizona Daily Star tucson.com
Phoenix Business Journal bizjournals.com/phoenix/

Organ Stop Pizza is the Valley's Best Pizza Gimmick

Pizza ranks highly on my list of all-time favorite foods, and I am always willing to try a new place in the pursuit of that perfect slice. Recently, I ventured far from the comfort and safety of North Phoenix to the faraway land of Mesa to visit Organ Stop Pizza.

Of course, they wouldn't give it a name like Organ Stop for nothing! The front of the building has a large glass-paned diaphone chamber for the organ, but other than that it looks pretty normal from the outside. You'd never guess that inside is the largest Wurlitzer pipe organ in the entire world. That's right, world's largest Wurlitzer organ plus pizza in Mesa. Seems like a good combination to me.

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An Honest Review of Culver's Deer Valley

Overview
If you do not venture up near the Deer Valley Airport on a regular basis, then you may not have heard of Culver's by now. It's the newest contestant in the battle for fast food supremacy along Deer Valley Road, and it's going to be a tough one to beat.

The Wisconsin-based franchise has selected Arizona for its newest test market. Culver's Deer Valley opened up earlier this year, in March of 2008. Besides the Phoenix location, there is another one in Mesa and a third one under construction in Surprise. That's a very small number of restaurants and if you do not live nearby, you may be wondering if it's worth the drive. Maybe I should start by explaining what makes Culver's different from the other fast food franchises.

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