Phoenix things to do: March 12-14c
FRIDAY
Funny Girl @ The Biltmore lawn
Spring is coming and so are night-time movies under the stars at the Biltmore. This week watch classic Barbara Streisand in Funny Girl. Bring a blanket. It’s been chilly.
Center lawn at Biltmore
Northeast corner of 24th Street & Camelback
7 p.m.
Free
***
Avenue Q @ ASU Gammage
A puppet show just for adults. I’ve heard nothing but good things about this bawdy stage production.
Check it out Tip: If you get to the box office 2 hours before a show, you might be able to score tickets in the first 10 rows for $25.
ASU Gammage
1200 S. Forest Ave.
Tempe, AZ 85287
March 9-14
7:30 p.m.
$19.75-$66
SATURDAY
Real Gardens for Real People garden tour
View the home gardens of certified Master Gardeners and a private preschool and kindergarten in the historic vicinity of the Central Corridor in Phoenix.
Throughout the central corridor
9 a.m. – 4 p.m.
$20
***
Obscura @ Rips
Britpop, indie, new wave — DJs Roya & Funkfinger do it up dance-style.
Win cds from White Stripes, Gorillaz, The Morning Benders, Serena Maneesh & Love is All or tickets to upcoming concerts by The Morning Benders, The Ruby Suns, Xiu Xiu and You Say Party! We Say Die! All this and $2 house pints, $3 wells, $5 calls all night. Go! Dance!
Rips Ales & Cocktails
3045 N. 16th St.
Phoenix, AZ 85016
9 p.m. – 2 a.m.
$5
SUNDAY
Devoured @ Phoenix Art Museum
If you like food — 50 restaurants, 30 wineries, craft beer and spirits reps — five different hourly chef demonstrations per day, and an impressive array of seminars, including a tequila tasting.
Phoenix Art Museum
March 13 & 14
11 a.m. – 4 p.m.
CRACKING GOOD THINGS OF THE WEEK:
- 5th graders sing Phoenix’s “Lisztomania
I sang Davy Crockett in 5th grade. Today’s youngsters and learning sweet Phoenix tunes in school. This sweet rendition made me a little teary. - Foodzie.com
A purveyor of food from local producers across the country, they carry items like bacon jam and single malt scotch bars. - Evil Devil Fish Bad for Japan
Nothing like a hideous 10 foot fish to make you feel like you’re going to die.
- The Auteurs
My film-loving friends might like this one. Watch arty films with a forum for discussion. I don’t see Bring it On on the list. - The Onion: Nation Shudders at Large Block of Uninterrupted Text
I’m giving this to my students to read.
- Phoenix fast food fish sandwiches
How that for alliteration? I love a fish sandwich — and as I predicted, McDs comes out on top. - I tried a neti pot for the first time
March means Cactus League
What is Cracking Good — Spring training games
Sitting in the sun, eating a hot dog watching America’s favorite past-time; for the rest of March, 15 different teams are playing in all corners of the Valley…and Tucson.
Check it out. There are games at Scottsdale Stadium, Goodyear Ballpark, Maryvale Baseball Park, Hohokam Park in Mesa, Peoria Sports Complex, Phoenix Municipal Stadium, Tempe Diablo Stadium and I didn’t even name them all
(view the map).
The positives: the weather is beautiful and tickets are relatively inexpensive $7-$30.
The negative: $11 for a large beer. That’s a six-pack and a half, if you’re counting.
A day in Phoenix: Indie Shopper
10 a.m. Get up and throw something on. Wear something easy to get in and out of (a dress and flip-flops?) , you’re going to be trying on clothes.
11 a.m. Head to Central and Camelback to Frances Vintage for a great accessories and gift selections. Some things you’ll find: Cool, arty dresses and tops, vintage picks, handmade accessories, and eclectic home items.
Next door, stop into Stinkweeds, one of the best local music stores in town. Listen to the newest indie albums or peruse their flyers for upcoming shows and events.
One door down: Red Hot Robot. Get inspired by their collection of vinyl toys, books and other Japanese-inspired accessories.
Next up, get a mid-morning pick-me-up at Smeeks, the cute candy shop at the end of the row.
12:30 p.m. Head a mile or so down Central to Pane Bianco, of Bianco’s Pizzaria fame, for a delicious sandwich and a Bubble Up.
If you’re a sweetie person (like me), stop next door at Lux for a baked treat. My suggestion: Anything with chocolate and/or peanut butter.
1:30 p.m. A block or so down the road, check out Vintage Fashion, Inc. for an amazing mix of designer vintage ranging from barely-affordable to not-so-much. Walk a few steps to Central Consignment next door for a brand names at discount prices.
2:00 p.m. More vintage. Head a few miles west to Hollywood Regency and peruse their selection of retro classic clothing for men and women.
Across the street: Retro Ranch for a funky collection of well-priced vintage fashions, furniture and home decor.
3:30 p.m. Stop off at Grand Ave. – home of vintage shop, Butter Toast.
Grab an iced tea next door at Paisley Violin and sit on the patio (October-May) or inside (June-Sept) and think about your purchases.
4:30 p.m. Downtown is a little sparse, but you can still check out some locally made items at
Bunky Boutique and Made.
Happy hour – You’ve been living la vida retro all day, stay in that mood with a martini from Durant’s. All it takes is one.
6:30 p.m. Take the 20-minute trip to Scottsdale. Work up an appetite trolling Scottsdale Fashion Square, home of some great high and low-end shopping.
For big spenders: Barney’s, Neiman Marcus, and Kate Spade.
For the spend-thrifts: Forever21, Charolette Russe and coming soon — H&M.
8 p.m. Depending on the damage you’ve incurred throughout your day, you might choose a less expensive dining option, like the home-style fare at Orange Table, or splurge a little at new (and much talked about) FnB for some gourmet fare.
Phoenix shabu shabu (swish swish)
Shabu Shabu is a Japanese hot pot meal, titled for the sound the meat makes when cooking in broth (swish swish). It consists of raw meat, tofu, noodles and vegetables submerged into a pot of bubbling broth. Kind of like soup, but different.
A friend and I had just been talking about Shabu Shabu.
“You know what I want?” she questioned. “Shabu shabu.”
“Too bad they don’t sell it anywhere in Phoenix, ” I told her.
Which I believed until I saw a Twitter from Hana pimping their Shabu Shabu. “We must go!” I told my husband upon viewing aforementioned Tweet.
I gave them a call and made reservations for that very night.
Upon arrival they ushered us to a 4-person table and then pulled another one along side, “There’s going to be a lot of food. You’ll need this,” our server explained.
Oh really?
Soon we had edamame and a crab/cucumber appetizer in front of us.
We set out our giant beer and sake (it’s BYOB) and settled in for an adventure.
Soon they set up a hot plate and brought out a big boiling pot of water along with a plate of veggies and noodles and a platter of raw meat.
Then came dipping sauces (ponzu and shabu shabu) and sides of chopped green onion and grated daikon.
After systematically dunking and eating a plate of veggies and 1/2 a platter of meat, we’re stuffed.
“We had a table of 3 come in an polish off 3 plates of meat,” noted our server eyeing our still-half-full plate. There’s no way.
There is, however, a little room for dessert, which is included in the meal. I’ve got dairy problems, so my husband and I were given the non-dairy option you see below. An airy and light ending to a full dinner.
Shabu shabu isn’t cheap; It’s $40 per person and you must call ahead of time to order. But it is an adventure.
Hana Japanese Eatery
5524 North 7th Ave
Phoenix, AZ 85013
(602) 973-1238
Real Gardens for Real People garden tour
If you look at your yard and wonder what on earth you could do to make it more functional, interesting, eco-friendly, you might want to visit the Real Gardens for Real People garden tour.
The tour spans the Central Corridor and covers the yards of 6 homes and a school.
Some gardens feature wild flowers, others chickens, and still more showcase herbs and veggies. The yards also demonstrate — composting and water harvesting.
Phoenix things to do: March 5 – 7
FRIDAY
Spring Fling Comedy event @ Madcap Theater
3 Digit Comedy (and one of my funniest friends) is putting on another comedy fest featuring 2 comedians from LA and 2 local talents. Whether the laughs are from the hilarity or awkwardness — they’ll undoubtedly be many.
MADCAP Theatres
Doors open @ 7 p.m. Showtime @ 8 p.m.
$10 dollars a the door.
***
Art Detour 22 @ Downtown
It’s First Friday and the downtown galleries and art spaces are open! Brave parking and join the throngs of people who mill about downtown looking at street vendors, art spaces, etc.
SATURDAY
Arizona Tree Climbing Championship @ Boyce Thompson Arboretum
If you’re looking for something new and different to do this weekend and have the time to drive the hour to Superior, the Annual Arizona Tree Climbing Championship might be just the event for you. Watch competitions such as aerial rescue, footlock and the master’s challenge. I know nothing of what these entail, but it sounds odd enough to actually be interesting.
Boyce Thompson Arboretum
37615 U.S. Highway 60
Superior, AZ 85273
7:30 a.m. – 4 p.m.
$7.50 for adults, $3 for children 5-12
***
Great Arizona Beer Festival @ Tempe Town Lake
Try up to 24 3oz beer samples and get DRUNK. Choose from microbrews and craft beers, enjoy music, games, food.
Tempe Town Lake
80 W. Rio Salado Parkway
2-6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday
$40 in advance. $50 at the door. $20 for a designated driver ticket.
SUNDAY
Watch the 82nd annual Oscars @ Home
See the dresses, the jewels the pageantry of the annual Academy Awards! I personally would like to see Colin Firth win best actor and anything but Avatar for best picture.
6 p.m. on ABC
WEEKEND DEALS:
Free shipping on orders over $75 @ Urban Outfitters
Use coupon code SHIPIT at checkout to receive your discount. Ends Sunday at midnight.
10-12% off and free shipping & returns @ Boden
Shop Boden’s fun basics and get 12% off on Friday and 10% off on Saturday.
Butter Toast
It’s a spring blow out! Butter Toast will have $1-$3 pick-and-save bins and 30%-50% off select clothing items and accessories. Visit Friday from 11 a.m. -11 p.m.; Saturday 10 a.m. – 8 p.m.; Sunday 12-5 p.m.
Pretty, pretty daffodils
Daffodils are on sale at Trader Joe’s for $1.49 a bunch. I got THREE yesterday — and they’re already pretty.
Home-style Banh mi
I’m lucky enough to have friends and marriage partners that are really great cooks, bakers and sometime both.
Over the weekend, one such friend helped deplete my daikon radish reserve with Vietnamese sandwiches, also known as Banh Mi.
It really wasn’t that difficult once the ingredients were gathered — and they were DELICIOUS.
1) Start with a good baguette. These came from Lee’s Sandwiches. 1 baguette for $1 makes about 3 sandwiches.
2) Slice the baguette in half and slather on some butter or mayo.
3) Add in no particular order:
- Cilantro
- Jalapeno
- Onion
- Pickled daikon and carrot
4) Add the meat. She picked up the BBQ pork at Phoenix Palace in Chandler, which she also claims to have delicious dim sum. (We had enough left over to freeze for future noodle soups).
Tip: For vegetarians, we substituted baked tofu, which they said was pretty good.
The Love Me Not style
According to New Times, local band The Love Me Nots are auctioning some of their go-go boots, swingin’ shifts and even equipment on eBay.
Get a retro-relic with bonafide rock ‘n roll cred starting at $.99.
My fave, this color block dress and matching go-go boots.
Concerting with Glee
So who’d have thought there’d be a 4-city tour that Phoenix would actually be a part of?
The cast of Glee is heading out on a concert tour this May to 4 different cities: New York, Los Angeles,
Chicago, and…Phoenix?
YES…Phoenix!!!
I don’t understand how we made the list, but I’m not complaining.
The show is May 18th and tickets go on sale March 12 at 10 a.m. via Ticketmaster.
