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<\/a>Living History at the Little Red School House.<\/p><\/div>\n
Just before eleven we arrived at the Old Red School House<\/a>, which also houses the Scottsdale Historical Museum– a good start for getting acclimated to where you are, both geographically and historically. \u00a0The warmth of the welcome and the passion of the hosts working in the museum nearly caught us off guard. \u00a0We strolled the exhibits looking at old photos, maps, artifacts, and recreations of historical settings in the valley while we waited for our guide from Arizona Food Tours <\/a>to meet us in the square just outside.<\/p>\n And then we gave ourselves over to the energetic and entirely personable Zack for the next three hours as we fed ourselves and strolled the old town and learned a little more history en route.<\/p>\n Our first stop was The Rusty Spur<\/a>\u00a0on East Main, where we were welcomed with a platter of South-of-the-Border burgers piled with roasted hatch chiles, cheese, and bacon while a cowboy musician took requests, and for some reason a man dressed in a chicken suit drank at the bar. \u00a0The atmosphere was old-west funky and I could tell it would be worth our while to try to carve out some time to come back in the evening to hear the Psycho Billy Rodeo Band. \u00a0The bar is also famous for it’s decor of signed dollar bills that patrons tack to the walls, and which are rounded up each Christmas and donated– with an equal match from the Rusty Spur– to charity.<\/p>\n Golf Road Warrior Jay Stuller at the Rusty Spur.<\/p><\/div>\n We left the Spur before videographer Jamie McWilliams had a chance to do an old Hank Williams number on the guitar– we had more food to consume, for God’ssakes. \u00a0From the old saloon we headed for AZ88<\/a>, which bills itself as a “modern day saloon,” according to Zach. \u00a0The jolly proprietor described AZ88 as an airy place with “a long bar, high ceilings, and lots of whisky.”\u00a0 Though we’d be the last guys to find fault with drinking whisky before noon, we passed on the libations, which left more room for AZ88’s Hellfire chips– house made potato chips loaded with bleu cheese and hot sauce. \u00a0While we wistfully perused the creative cocktail list, plates of homemade shrimp ceviche appeared as if by magic. \u00a0The dish was created when the owners of the restaurant noticed that a lot of their shrimp seemed to be disappearing– they eventually found it out behind the restaurant, in this dish, which had been conjured by some of the Mexican workers who’d artfully mixed the shrimp with radish, cilantro, avocado, and tomatoes. \u00a0AZ88 now serves the ceviche heaped on homemade pita chips. \u00a0We finished the triumvirate of great appies with water chestnuts wrapped in bacon and then lightly deep fried and served alongside a honey dipping sauce.<\/p>\n The sleek AZ88.<\/p><\/div>\n Leaving the Civic Center Plaza– and its performing arts locales, library, and jail behind– we crossed over to Frontiertown and followed its rustic wooden boardwalk to Outrageous Olive Oils and Vinegars<\/a>\u00a0for an extensive tasting of some of the freshest oils and oldest balsamic vinegars to share shelf space and mingle in tiny little tasting cups. \u00a0Rayna, the owner and head taster, provided us with context about the 600 varietals of olives and the 6,000-year history of the olive from Asia Minor to the Mediterranean. \u00a0She explained the health benefits and offered tips for buying the best olive oils, which should come in dark bottles and provide the crush date as a mark of freshness. \u00a0At this particular time of year, Australia and Chile had recently harvested olives and so were providing the best extra virgin oils. \u00a0Rayna’s presentation was like an introductory survey class at Olive University. We also tasted an 18-year-old balsamic that was every bit as rich as a single malt scotch, and sweet enough to drink like a cocktail.<\/p>\n Olive U.<\/p><\/div>\n And speaking of cocktails, our next stop took us into Old Scottsdale’s Arts District, lined with galleries and home to\u00a05th and Wine<\/a>, where we sampled the red and white homemade sangrias and snacked on a trio of bruschettas made with roasted red peppers and goat cheese; a caprese version with cheese, tomatoes and basil; and a house made hummus. \u00a0The white sangria washed it all down beautifully with the light fruitiness of watermelon, apple, orange, and rum. \u00a0The indoor-outdoor seating, pull-up-a-stool bar, and whimsical artwork made this a place worth coming back to– particularly any day between 11:00 and 6:00, when all wines are five dollars a glass and twenty dollars a bottle.<\/p>\n Is there a cuter wine bar-- with better bruschetta-- anywhere?<\/p><\/div>\n Our final food stops took us into Scottsdale’s newest section, the shopping district that was first built to support the Superbowl coming to town a few years ago. \u00a0Cowboy Ciao<\/a>— famous for its clever name suggestive of equally creative food pairings– served us a chopped salad of arugula, trail mix with manchego cheese, Israeli cous cous, corn, pepitas (pumpkin seeds), and a few other fresh, delicious ingredients all perkily attired in a pesto buttermilk dressing.<\/p>\n Cowboy Ciao: you just want to drink in a place that has cool art like this!<\/p><\/div>\n Could their possibly be a better idea than mixing ice-cream with liquor? \u00a0And could you imagine anything else better to cap off a warm afternoon of eating and drinking before transitioning to a later-afternoon nine-hole round of golf at the Phonician? \u00a0The rather stuffed Golf Road Warriors, in danger of missing their tee time, were disappointed (Dennis Silvers in particular, as ice cream and liquor happen to be two of his areas of expertise) to have to skip the last stop on our tour. \u00a0But sensing potential tragedy, the ever-resourceful Zach made a surgical strike and went to\u00a0Lee’s Cream Liqueur<\/a>\u00a0for us while we munched our chopped salads at Cowboy Ciao, and lassoed up bowls of \u00a0Chocolate Swirl \u00a0laced with Jack Daniels for us to take with as we headed off for the rest of our great Scottsdale adventure.<\/p>\n<\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a>