EaterAZ is looking for a few good taco judges
The people behind the local food blog EaterAZ did a barbecue fest last year, and then looked around for new challenges.
They noticed that the taco field was wide open; the first Arizona Taco Festival is scheduled for October. Now they need judges:
As you know, we are producing the first taco festival in the history of the world. (No, really, it’s never been done. Isn’t that freakin’ crazy?!) Because we wanted to keep the judging fair and balanced (meaning blind and qualified), we launched an organization called the National Taco Association. Consider it the Kansas City Barbecue Society (KCBS) of tacos. After attending a brief class on taco judging and score keeping, you will hold one of the most important positions at the Arizona Taco Festival on October 9. A judges duties are grueling–-you will hang out in a tent from 10AM to 4PM, eating free tacos and marking scores and having fun.
Interested? Send a note to info@aztacofestival.com.
Details here.
8:59 AM
EaterAZ gives Verde a thumbs-up
Verde is a new casual Mexican restaurant on 1st Street just south of Roosevelt. PHXated loves it.
So does EaterAZ:
The Verde menu is simple: most meals are served in a three-compartment plate with a protein, sides of rice and beans, and a couple fresh-made tortillas. Verde Joe’s dad made all the tables and chairs with leftover wood from a warehouse, the table bases come from a farm Verde Joe once worked on, and the ladies making the tortillas are family members using grandma’s age-old recipe. The tortillas are cooked in a pecan wood-fired oven and made with a generous portion of lard, meaning they’re not all that healthy and friggin’ delicious.
Some other things you need to know: our favorite item is the green chile pork; you order at the counter and they’ll bring your food; almost everything in the place is recycled or recyclable; and it’s affordable—truly.
8:09 AM
EaterAZ spanks Noca
The local food blog likes the Arcadia restaurant helmed by Eliot Wexler:
On a regular visit, diners leave Noca with a check average of $40+ and that is by no means a lavish meal, but definitely worth the money spent. Noca generally has good service, top notch comfort food in a fine dining environment, and of course the affable Wexler keenly and shrewdly working the floor. Wexler has made an art out of giving just the right amount of attention to the right people, ensuring their loyalty.
But it doesn’t like a new gambit the place has embarked on. “Sunday Simple Suppers” is supposed to get you three courses for $35:
It was just two small/medium-sized pieces of fried chicken on a bed of potato salad—ZZZ… And therein lies the rub (or not enough in their case). No biscuit and honey (as advertised). No special somethin’-somethin’ goin’ on with the chicken. No item on the plate that seemed to justify a (we’re figuring) $18 or $19 entree price.
[A chef like Daniel] Boulud, worth it or not, creates an experience in your mouth in a dish that is not likely easily found elsewhere. Noca’s could easily have been found at KFC for about 80% less cost. […] In fact, it seemed odd that after actually spending double than the advertised $35 menu price (we had two drinks, plus tip and tax) that we should still be hungry–a common complaint we later heard from other diners that night.
EaterAZ is here.
NOca’s Sunday Simple Supper menu is here.
8:55 PM
The Arizona Republic: All the fluff that's fit to recycle
Over at EaterAZ, an item that catches the Arizona Republic writing the same article twice, and even recycling the same phrases and sentences.
Here’s a sample EaterAZ found, from two pieces the paper did on the local food blog Foodies Like Us, with similar phrases in bold:
“Foodies Like Us is a 6,000-strong social-networking group founded in July by friends and former bankers Jay Pizarro and Susie Timm. It celebrates cooking, eating, dining and drinks, uniting Valley residents from all walks of life who love to socialize around the table. The website features restaurant reviews, recipe swaps, food chatter, cooking blogs, market finds and tips. The group also sponsors cooking classes, progressive dinners by trolley, wine tastings and happy hours.“
[EaterAZ commented:] After scratching our head as to why they’re a “dining newcomer,” we began to think that all this sounded too familiar. The picture looked familiar, too. Hey, wait a second. That IS the same picture… And many of the same press-release copied words (in bold) are there as well. Check it out, here’s something AZCentral.com published two months ago on Foodies:
“Leave it up to food lovers to create a virtual table for like-minded fans. Former banking colleagues and friends Susie Timm and Jay Pizarro (above) parlayed their mutual interest in food to create a 6,000-member-and-growing social-networking group that celebrates cooking, eating, dining and drinks. Their mantra: We are a 365-days-a-year food festival. Their Web site is filled with all things food, including restaurant reviews, recipe swaps, food chatter, cooking blogs, market finds and advice for the home mixologist. The Scottsdale-based company also sponsors cooking classes, progressive dinners by trolley, wine tastings and happy hours at top Valley eateries.”
5:26 PM
