Get out a napkin, because what follows is a drool-worthy sampling of just some of the menus planned for the sixth annual SAVOR Southern Arizona Food and Wine Festival on Saturday, Feb. 2.
- Casino del Sol is bringing its locally-sourced short rib dumplings drizzled with a tamari-caramel sauce and served with a refreshing cherry blossom zen garden cocktail.
- Beyond Bread is topping mixed greens with a savory chicken curry salad and toasted almonds.
- Boca Tacos Y Tequila is dishing up mini chile rellenos.
- Brother Johnโs Beer, Bourbon & BBQ is slow-smoking a pig and serving it with pit beans and a whiskey cocktail.
- And donโt get us started on the sweet stuff: Online Tucson bakery Mad Batter Bakery (madbatterbakerytucson.com) is serving prickly pear cookies, dark chocolate merlot cupcakes and Sonoran chai pear scones kicked into overdrive with a spicy chai drizzle.
Artisan coffee shops will brew up bitter and bold java alongside craft brewers tapping their finest beers. Local wine and whiskey makers will add to the happy mix of food and libations that define SAVOR, billed as the largest food festival in Southern Arizona; Tucson Meet Yourself, which has a strong food element to it, is arguably a bigger event, but is not really a food festival.
Hereโs the who and what of the SAVOR festival, and donโt forget that napkin:
What: Sixth annual SAVOR Southern Arizona Food & Wine Festival.
When: 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 2.
Where: Tucson Botanical Garden, 2150 N. Alvernon Way.
Cost: $79 which includes food and drink samples from more than 60 Tucson and Southern Arizona restaurants, wineries, distilleries and craft breweries. Available at saaca.org or by calling 531-9227.
Et cetera: This is a 21-and-older event.
The restaurants: Alfonso Gourmet Olive Oil & Balsamics; Angieโs Gourmet To Go; Beyond Bread; Boca Tacos Y Tequila; Brother Johnโs Beer, Bourbon & BBQ; Brushfire BBQ; Cafรฉ Botanica; Casino Del Sol; Chef Chic; Dominicks Real Italian; El Cisne Cocina de Mexico; Fermented Tea Co.; Gourmet Girls Bakery/Bistro; Mad Batter Bakery; Merkin Vineyards Pizza Wagon; Noah Mi Amore Custom Catering; Nook; Obon Sushi+ Bar+ Ramen; Omni Tucson National; Pastiche Modern Eatery; Peppersauce Kitchen; (POPPED) Artisan Popcorn; Queen Ceviche; Reilly Craft Pizza & Drink; Reneeโs Organic Oven; Rigoโs Restaurant; Seis Kitchen; The Parish; Tohono Chul Garden Bistro; Villa Peru and Wild Tonic.
The wineries, breweries and distilleries: 3 Amigos Tequila, Angry Orchard, Barrio Brewing, Button Brew House, Caduceus Cellars, Deep Sky Vineyard, Dragoon Brewing Co., Four 8 Wineworks, Huss Brewing, Laramita Cellars, Maynards Market & Kitchen, Merkin Vineyards, Mother Road Brewing Co., Mudshark Brewing Co., Pillsbury Wine Co., PRP Wine International, Roger Clyneโs Mexican Moonshine Tequila, Sand-Reckoner Winery, The Grand Canyon Brewing Co. + Distillery, The Shop Beer Co., Whiskey Del Bac and Wilhelm Family Vineyards.
But wait, thereโs more: A half-dozen exhibitors will be on hand to introduce themselves and their roles in Tucsonโs wide world of food and drink โ Compost Cats, Food Conspiracy Co-Op, Green Living Magazine, the Garden Kitchen, Tucson City of Gastronomy and Tucson CSA.
