I’m always excited to find a new local boutique to shop at, and near my office at that! Last weekend, while running some errands I noticed that a new boutique had opened up next door to Butter Toast Boutique in downtown Phoenix, so I stopped in to check it out.

Nostra Style House carries a mix of contemporary new designer clothing, locally designed jewelry and carefully curated vintage from Annie Boomer Vintage. Stop in and check them out!

Isn't this vintage evening gown fabulous?

Nostra Style House is located at 906 North 6th Street, Phoenix

After my last trip to The Breadfruit , I knew I needed to head back asap to try their Rum Bar. This past week I finally made it. With a collection of over 108 rums from around the world, you are sure to find your rum at Rum Bar.

I’ve always loved the vibe at The Breadfruit, friendly and welcoming. I've always felt at home and relaxed. That’s how I felt at Rum Bar, almost like I was over at a friend’s house, hanging out and having a good time. I started out with a Dark and Stormy at the bartender’s recommendation. Spicy and bold, not to mention a generous pour, was just what the doctor ordered.

Dark and Stormy

The full Breadfruit menu is available at Rum Bar, but I was looking for something light so I ordered the featured appetizer of the day, Mediterranean mussels smoked over pimento wood and drizzled with a sweet, spicy mango and Appleton V/X rum reduction, yum. I also decided to order the Rum Glazed Shrimp and Roti Flatbread. The shrimp was very spicy, but delicious. I went with a second traditional rum cocktail, a mojito, to cool down the burn.

Mmm, mussels...

Rum Bar will be hosting a series of rum tasting events soon. We don’t have the dates yet, but you can follow Visit Phoenix on Facebook and Twitter and we’ll be sure to share the dates when we know.

Rum Bar is located at 108 E. Pierce Street in Phoenix. See more photos from our visit to Rum Bar on Flickr.

Tired of the same old turkey sandwich? Crave Sandwich Café, located in the ASU Mercado has the cure. From Turkey Cranberry to the Turkey New Mex made with green chiles, provolone, lettuce and chipotle mayo, the sandwiches from Crave will rescue your boring lunch.

Crave is small inside, so grab your lunch and enjoy it at one of the outdoor tables in the ASU Mercado courtyard.

A co-worker and I walked over to Crave last week for lunch. The shop is small, but has plenty of options on the menu – I even noticed that they have quite the vegetarian sandwich selection. Your sandwich comes with Lays potato chips, which you can sub out for Sun Chips for $1. You can also purchase fountain or bottled drinks, and a variety of snacks, fruit and baked goods.

The Ham & Brie. Hungry yet?

I went with the Turkey Brie which includes turkey breast, brie, lettuce, tomato and honey mustard on a soft baguette. My co-worker got the Ham & Brie. We walked back to our office to eat, but when the weather is nice there are tables in the Mercado courtyard that you can sit and enjoy your lunch.

Save time and order ahead.

Since the shop is so small, I would recommend using Crave’s online ordering system if you are in a hurry.

Crave Sandwich Café is located at 541 East Van Buren Street in the ASU Mercado. You can find more photos from our visit to Crave Sandwich Café Flickr.

BBQ

Celebrate the holiday weekend with some delicious BBQ. Pick up pre-marinated meats for fajitas from La Tolteca , premium steaks from Hobe Meats, or locally made sausages and brats from Schreiner’s Fine Sausages .

Free things to do

This Friday (September 2nd) is First Friday so admission is free at the Phoenix Art Museum (6-10pm) , the Arizona Science Center for Adults Night Out ( 5:30-9pm, no kids, just adults acting like kids) and the Children’s Museum ( 6-10pm, lines can get long so get there early).

On Saturday and Sunday, Bank of America customers can get free admission to the Phoenix Art Museum and Musical Instrument Museum through the Museums on Us program.

More free things to do in Greater Phoenix.

Stay and play with special Labor Day packages

Take advantage of the many Labor Day packages that area resorts and attractions are offering this weekend.

Events

There are always plenty of events going on in Phoenix,  especially over a holiday weekend.

If you are a foodie, don’t miss Phoenix Cooks this Saturday at the JW Marriott Desert Ridge Resort & Spa. This indoor event has opportunities to learn, cook, taste, sip, and experience the pleasures of the culinary lifestyle.

Spend the holiday weekend floating down the Lower Salt River rapids for the end-of-the-summer bash with four local radio stations playing your favorite tunes.

This is the last Saturday to catch a fireworks show at the Fairmont Scottsdale Princess. Get there early to get a good seat by the pool, or make reservations at one of their fabulous restaurants for a pre-fireworks meal. Fireworks start at 9:15pm.

Pretend you are in paradise this Sunday at Zog’s Tiki Lounge Party at the Rhythm Room. This fun event features entertainment, tunes from surf rock bands, tiki carving and tiki art. Of course there will be tiki drinks and food from the Hey Joe Filipino food truck.

Have a great weekend!

The three taco combo at Ranch Market. I liked the pollo (chicken) the best.

One of the top ten places that we take our out-of-town guests to is Ranch Market. It’s always fun to see their faces when we pull into the parking lot, “You’re taking us to…a grocery store?” Well, yes, sort of. Ranch Market isn’t your typical grocery store - it’s a fiesta; it’s an assault on the senses; it’s a Phoenix must.

When you walk into Ranch Market, the first area you encounter is the bakery. You’re greeted by colorful birthday cakes, conchas (Mexican sweet bread), pastries, cookies, breads, and tres leches cake - so many sinfully delicious temptations. Even if I hold my breath and swear to skip straight through to the salsas and aquas frescas, I always end up back in the bakery, picking up some pink conchas to enjoy with my morning coffee. I am defenseless against Ranch Market’s pastry goodness.

Conchas (Mexican sweet bread) cannot be resisted at Ranch Market.

Once you’ve moved past the bakery, the store opens up in all of its colorful glory. Straight in front of you are the aquas frescas (fresh fruit drinks) and just past there is La Cocina (the kitchen, or basically a mini food court of sorts). To your right, you’ll see a salsa bar with various salsas and ceviche sold by the pound. Then, next to that is the ice cream case filled with colorful and handmade ice cream with flavors like mango, coconut and blue bubblegum.

So colorful, so delicious.

Let me give you some advice here. First, Ranch Market is an experience so you need to prepare and fuel up appropriately. So make your first stop the aquas frescas hut then move on to La Cocina for an inexpensive and authentic Mexican meal. Next, brush up on that high school Spanish. While you can get by with English only, it’ll help to know some of the basics like numbers, fruits and certain foods.

Cool and refreshing aquas frescas are a must. Have fun and mix flavors!

Once you’ve fueled up, you’re ready for the full Ranch Market experience. Make sure to browse the produce section with huge piles of jalapenos, onions, limes, etc. Check out the regional and specialty items like nopales (prickly pear cactus). Ranch Market also makes its own tortillas in different sizes and grains (wheat, flour, corn). You might blink and miss the Cremeria, but this is the most important section of the store when we visit. The sour cream at Ranch Market will change your life. It’s the best we’ve ever had. Try it and thank us later.

Fresh sour cream - just do it.

For the rest of the Ranch Market experience you can stick to the outer areas of the store. The seafood selection is amazing and doesn’t smell fishy, telling us that it’s fresh. If you’re craving some fish, they’ll filet it and cook it right there if you wish. The Carneceria (butcher) is impressive with tons of meat and different cuts. You can even pick up some pre-marinated steak or chicken for fajitas. As you round out the store, they usually have roasted Anaheim or Hatch Chiles near the registers depending on the season.

Ranch Market is a fun place to visit for lunch, for the refreshing aquas frescas, and to stock up on Mexican meal essentials. We hope you’ll enjoy the Ranch Market fiesta as much as we do.

Ranch Market has various locations around the Valley. For this post, we visited the Ranch Market located at 1602 East Roosevelt Street in Phoenix. You can find more photos of our visit to Ranch Market on Flickr.

Getting out of the house and having fun doesn’t have to cost a fortune. We’ve found some great things to do in Greater Phoenix that are FREE.

The Phoenix Art Museum has several opportunities to take in exhibits for free. If you are a Bank of America customer, you can get free admission through the Museums on Us © program the entire first weekend of every month. Every Wednesday (3-9pm) and First Friday (6-10pm) there is free admission for all.

Another great First Friday deal is the Target sponsored free admission at the Children’s Museum of Phoenix (6-10pm). We’ve heard that it gets crowded fast, so get there early.

One of our favorite free deals in Phoenix is Adults Night Out every First Friday at the Arizona Science Center (5:30 – 9pm). No kids, just adults acting like kids. This weekend (August 13-14) everyone gets free admission for Fry’s Free Weekend (10am – 5pm).

Tony Bennett called the Musical Instrument Museum his favorite museum in the world. See if you agree for free the first weekend of the month with Bank of America’s Museums on Us © program.

One of our favorite places to visit and to take guests is the Desert Botanical Garden. Every second Tuesday of the month admission is free (1-8pm). On October 25th admission is free (9:30am – 5pm) as a part of the valley-wide CALA Festival.

As the name suggests, FilmBar shows movies and serves libations. You can catch an independent film for free on your birthday. Bring a friend to buy you drink.

Arizona wines have been getting quite a bit of attention as of late; try some for free every Wednesday and Saturday at the Downtown Phoenix Public Market’s Urban Grocery. Check their calendar for the featured winery and hours.

This Friday (August 12) celebrate the opening of Yogurtini at CityScape with free fro-yo (11am – 2pm).

Did we miss anything? Tell us in the comments below.

First Friday is here again! The heat won't stop us from enjoying all of the fun that First Friday has to offer. Here's a quick roundup of what's going on this Friday night.

“Luck Nothing” by Jeff Falk and Annie Lopez Opening Reception at Willow North Gallery 2811 N. 7th Avenue, 6-10pm, Free

Local artist Jeff Falk’s collage works are featured, as well as the photography of Annie Lopez.

Arizona Diamondbacks vs. Los Angeles Dodgers Chase Field 401 E. Jefferson Street, 6:40pm, $12 and up

This season has been an exciting one for our home team. Make sure to stay after the game for a fireworks display.

Buy tickets for the Arizona Diamondbacks vs. Los Angeles Dodgers game.

“In Your Head and Under Your Bed” Opening Reception at Modified Arts 407 E. Roosevelt Street, 6-9pm, Free

Ten artists are featured in this exhibit at Modified Arts inspired by the subconscious and dreams. Pieces range from paintings to sculptures to fabric designs.

Kendal Hathaway Artist Reception at Sutra Midtown Yoga 2317 N. 7th Street, 7-9pm, Free

Yoga studio turned art exhibit, Sutra Midtown always puts on a great show for First Friday. During the opening reception, Sutra will be collecting art supplies (Items Needed: acrylic paint sets, watercolor sets, oil pastel sets, packages of paintbrushes, canvases, watercolor paper, charcoal sets, packages of clay, glue/hot glue, beads, feathers, etc. ) for the Bergamot Institute and will be serving seasonal sangria.

First Friday at the Phoenix Art Museum 1625 N. Central Avenue, 6-10pm, Free

Enjoy free Museum admission every First Friday! Experience great art from around the world, delight in a drink from ARTenders and enjoy a variety of entertainment on the First Friday of every month.

For August, giddy up to a mix of bluegrass, Old-Time, cowboy/country, folk and originals performed by the Back Porch Bandits. Banjo player Josh Tharp, mandolin monster Billy Parker, bass boy Joel Dowling and guitarist/ringleader Ken Clemmer will have you dancing in no time. So dust off those boots and come boogie with the bandits!

Adults Night Out at Arizona Science Center 600 East Washington Street, 5:30 - 9pm, Free

Explore the Center's exhibit galleries on the First Friday of each month from 5:30 to 9pm. Free for everyone. Please leave children at home. Additional evening options include: A lecture presentation at 7 p.m. (free); and an IMAX film or planetarium presentation at 8:15 p.m. (Regular admission fees apply for film and planetarium presentations.) Additional fees apply for entrance to featured exhibitions.

Betsy Ganz at Practical Art, 5070 North Central Avenue, 7-9pm,  Free

Snacks and drinks will be served. Make sure to browse around the store to find that perfect gift for that upcoming birthday, anniversary, etc.

First Friday Mobile Food Court, 408 E. Roosevelt Road, 7pm

Try the delicious mobile cuisine of Riteway Catering Company, Sunshine and Spice, Short Leash Hot Dogs, Sweet Republic, Jamburritos Cajun Grille – Express, and Frufrupops.

Usually packed during First Friday, Carly's has a completely different atmosphere during lunch.

You can expect a completely different atmosphere at Carly’s during lunch than during First Friday. In fact, during the day Carly’s would be the perfect place for a lunch meeting. I arrived a few minutes before my friend so I had some extra time to peruse the menu. Carly’s has quite the selection of sandwiches, wraps, and salads to choose from. The menu has a Mediterranean feel with items like hummus, and tapenade included on many of the sandwiches.

The bar at Carly's with a mural painted by local artist Steven Yazzie.

After much deliberation, I decided on a lavosh wrap with turkey, red pepper hummus, spinach and sun-dried tomatoes. My friend ordered the Southwest Chicken sandwich, grilled chicken breast with cilantro pesto, chipotle mayo and pepper jack cheese on cibatta. With a sandwich you get a choice of chips or an orzo salad. My wrap was delicious. Light, and made with fresh quality ingredients I didn’t feel overstuffed at the end of my meal.

My lavosh turkey wrap was fresh, delicious and just the right amount of food.

On my way out I noticed a sign on the sidewalk that listed Carly’s happy hour specials. With half off appetizers like; pita pizza, artichoke dip and an antipasto plate, I’ll be visiting Carly’s again soon.

I'll be back for happy hour soon!

Carly's Bistro is located at 128 East Roosevelt Street in downtown Phoenix. You can find more photos of our visit to Carly's Bistro on Flickr.

The 2011 Downtown Dining Guide from the Downtown Phoenix Partnership.

First up, we were given a choice of an iced vanilla latte or cinnamon spice ice tea from One Coffee Company. Since it was later in the day, I went with the cinnamon spice ice tea. What a surprise! If you are a cinnamon fan, you must try this tea. It almost tastes like someone dropped a few red hot candies into a cold refreshing glass of iced tea. It was a refreshing and interesting mix. The owner spoke to us for a few minutes about his passion for coffee and downtown Phoenix. He said he wanted to create a space where not only those who work downtown stop in to for their daily coffee, but where those that live downtown can come and hang out.

Cinnamon Spice Tea from One Coffee Company

Next, Brick Pizzeria & Wine Bar served their house-made hummus with vegetables, feta and olives; and an also homemade virgin margarita. Yum! What a perfect combination for a hot day. The ingredients were so fresh and the owner stressed that they make everything from scratch. I really enjoyed both of these items, and since my office is in the same complex as Brick, I will be stopping in for lunch and happy hour!

Hummus with vegetables, feta and olives from Brick Pizzeria

I have to admit, when I walked into the room I was star struck to see James Beard Award winner, Chef Nobuo Fukuda. I have been to his one-year-old restaurant, Nobuo at Teeter House, and was blown away then, so I was very excited to see what he had in store for us to taste. He didn’t disappoint. Chef Fukuda prepared a tasting trio to be eaten in order. First, a melon salad with goat cheese and mint to cleanse the palate; then, yellowtail sashimi with avocado; and to finish, tomatoes with honey and pepper. Wow. Fresh, flavorful, unique. Chef Fukuda impresses again.

Tasting trio from Nobuo at Teeter House

Province, located inside The Westin Phoenix Downtown, also served a tasting trio with a chicken Cuban bocadillo; a goat cheese tortellini with vegetables in broth; a squash muffin with molasses frosting; and a cucumber, basil, ginger, and Serrano chile aqua fresca served with chopped strawberries. The aqua fresca was refreshing and sweet with a slow burn from the Serrano chile in the finish. It definitely inspired me to try some interesting aqua fresca combinations at home.

Cucumber basil aqua fresca from Province

For some reason, I always forget that downtown Phoenix has a rotating restaurant, The Compass Arizona Grill at the Hyatt. I was glad that they participated in this event to remind me! I really enjoyed their Ancho Chorizo Shrimp and raspberry lemonade infused with rosemary. The chef also announced that the restaurant has a reverse happy hour everyday of the week, from 9-11pm with $5 desserts, $5 house wine, $5 well drinks, and a $7 cocktail special.

Raspberry lemonade infused with rosemary from The Compass Arizona Grill

So maybe you are like me, or maybe not, but every once in awhile I get a mad craving for cobbler. It’s not like cobbler is an easy thing to find either, and no pie is a good enough substitute when this craving hits. So imagine my delight to learn that there is a restaurant called Karim’s Cobbler Shop & Deli right in downtown Phoenix! Karim’s not only specializes in cobbler, but southern-style soul food like fried catfish, fried chicken and more. So cobbler cravers unite, we have found our mecca.

Peach and cherry cobbler from Karim's Cobbler Shop & Deli

Ok, so now you’ve made it all the way through this blog post and are probably starving so I’ll make this quick. At the end of the lunch we were given the inside scoop on what’s next for CityScape. Jimmy Carlin of Maven Hospitality Group is working on two new concepts, a fast casual Italian restaurant called The Strand (get it, like a strand of spaghetti?) and an Asian chop house and sushi lounge called Silk. The Strand is scheduled for an October 1st opening and Silk is to follow in December. Good stuff!

A heat wave is sweeping across the nation, but here in Phoenix it’s the status quo. Phoenicians know how to stay cool in the summer heat, so here are a few of things that we recommend to do this weekend.

Movies! Theaters keep the a/c cranked so they are the perfect place to hang out and chill for a few hours. There are quite a few unique ways to see movies in Phoenix too, from the luxury movie going experience at iPic, indie films and brews at Film Bar and dive-in movies at the Arizona Biltmore.

Here in Phoenix we think culture is pretty cool, literally. Museums are the perfect place to spend a day in air-conditioned cultural bliss. From Native American Art at the world-renowned Heard Museum, hands-on interactive exhibits designed to engage the minds of kids of all ages at the Children’s Museum of Phoenix, to the global representation of music at the Musical Instrument Museum, Phoenix has some cool culture for any family member of any age. Here’s a tip: Admission at the Heard Museum is FREE this Sunday, July 24!

I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream when the temperatures start to rise. Local ice cream shop, Sweet Republic, has been garnering quite a bit of attention these days with national awards and recognition. Their Toffee Banoffe Sundae will be featured on the Food Network’s “Best Thing I Ever Ate” this weekend, so head over and try this now famous dessert!

This Friday shoot some hoops indoors at the US Airways Center during the Phoenix Suns Operation Orange Shoot Around. This free event is open to all ages and will offer fans a unique opportunity to shoot baskets on the main court. In addition, participants of all ages will have a chance to compete in a variety of basketball skills competitions, including 3-point and free throw contests along with a skills competition. Prizes will be awarded within each age group.
Members of the Suns Dancers, APS Solar Squad and Verve Sol Patrol will be on hand to interact with fans. For younger participants, the Suns will have two adjustable hoops and an inflatable slide in the lower bowl of the arena and the APS Gorilla’s Greenhouse will be open for free-play throughout the event.

You don’t have to stay indoors to stay cool this weekend, just wait until the sun goes down for the Desert Botanical Garden Flashlight Tours. Flashlight Tours are a sensory adventure where you will see, hear and feel the desert night with its nighthawks, snakes, insects and night-blooming flowers. Flashlight Tours are great for families and children of all ages and make a perfect summer date night.