Phoenix Premium Outlets
The Phoenix Premium Outlets opened their doors to shoppers yesterday with special promotions, live music and more that will continue through the weekend (April 4 - 7, 2013). There are over 90 stores to choose from, most are already open with a few slated to open over the next few months.
Opening Weekend Schedule of Special Events
Friday, April 15
11 a.m. - 1 p.m. Otis and the Beat: Classic Rock Cover Band
Noon - 2 p.m. Barrel Boy from KNIX (102.5 FM)
3 p.m. - 6 p.m. Dina Preston Band: Live Acoustic Entertainment
Saturday, April 6
11 a.m. - 1 p.m. Mike and T: Music of the 60's - 80's
Noon - 2 p.m. AJ from Mix (96.9 FM)
4 p.m. - 6 p.m. Red House Family Jazz: Live Blues Entertainment
Sunday, April 7
11 a.m. - 1 p.m. Scott Hallock: Classic Acoustic Rock Cover Band
3 p.m. - 5 p.m. Canyon Walls: Live Acoustic Entertainment
A line outside Coach on opening day.
The new Premium Outlets are located on tribal land, adjacent to the Sheraton at Wild Horse Pass Resort and Casino. I visited the outlets during their grand opening yesterday to bring you a sneak peek of this new Phoenix shopping destination.
Spring display at Tommy Hilfiger
Shoes!
Nike Outlet Store
The outlets are designed to represent a racetrack, where you can make a loop to shop. There's also a food court with a few choices available now with more opening over the next few months. I noticed that there was plenty of shade with large fans and misters blowing to keep shoppers cool. Of course, you'll spend most of your time inside the air conditioned comfort of your favorite stores.
Ready. Set. Shop!
The Phoenix Premium Outlets are located at 4976 Premium Outlets Way in Chandler.
Date Night at Trattoria del Piero
The patio at Trattoria del Piero at UNION.
After a long week my husband and I decided that we needed a date night. We headed over to Trattoria del Piero at the Biltmore Fashion Park to enjoy some refreshing drinks and appetizers on the patio. Later that evening on the main lawn of the Biltmore Fashion Park one of my husband’s favorite movies, Caddyshack, was being shown as part of the Movies in the Park series. A perfect date night.
Trattoria del Piero is the second location of the Queen Creek Olive Mill’s Tuscan themed restaurants and is a part of the new UNION shops at the Biltmore Fashion Park. The menu consists of appetizers, bruschetta, soups, salads, sandwiches and desserts made from local and organic ingredients. You can sit inside or outside on the patio. Or, if you prefer, you can belly up to the bar. Since it was such a lovely spring evening, my husband and I opted to sit on the patio. (Tip: If you want to sit on the patio to eat, let someone inside know first so they’ll come out to take your order. The patio is shared with other businesses in UNION so they may not know you are waiting for service.)
You can find Lisa G.'s famous meatballs at Trattoria del Piero
A little known fact is that Trattoria del Piero serves the famous meatballs made by Lisa G. All of those that mourned Lisa G.’s closing can now enjoy her famous meatballs anytime at Trattoria del Piero. Upon the confirmation of this rumor, my husband promptly ordered a bowl. I decided on the bruschetta board and a hot pink Prickly Pear lemonade.
Prickly Pear lemonade
Now, I’m going to be honest with you, while perusing the menu I noticed the cupcake sampler right away. I wanted to order it as an appetizer but held off until the end of our meal. The wait was well worth it. The cupcakes are made with olive oil from the Queen Creek Olive Mill and are delicious. My personal favorite was the Mexican chocolate cupcake. I had to stop myself from going inside and buying a full sized Mexican chocolate cupcake to go.
The cupcake sampler
Trattoria del Piero is open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner (I’m ready to go back soon for their famous Vanilla Bean Olive Oil waffles). Take note that the dinner portions are more like appetizer portions. Trattoria del Piero also serves wine and beer.
If you want to make a date night out of it like my husband and I did, check out the Movies in the Park spring schedule.
Trattoria del Piero is located at the Biltmore Fashion Park at 2502 E. Camelback Road, Phoenix.
The Yard
After months of anticipation, The Yard has finally opened in Central Phoenix. The Yard by Fox Restaurant Concepts is a 53,000–square-foot multi-use space with dining, games and will eventually house much more.
Sit and relax or challenge your friends to a game of cornhole at The Yard.
Right now you can visit The Yard to enjoy a meal or cocktails at Culinary Dropout. While you wait, or after your meal, you can challenge your friends and family to game of ping pong, foosball or cornhole. A second restaurant, Little Cleo’s Seafood Legend is set to open in mid-March.
Bratwurst appetizer at Culinary Dropout
The Yard is located at 5632 North Seventh Street in Phoenix.
Union at Biltmore Fashion Park
Finding local treasures can often be like a scavenger hunt. Local favorites are often tucked away in little corners and alleys only known by uber-hip residents who whisper their secrets to those deemed worthy. But now with the opening of Union at Biltmore Fashion Park you don't have to search or wait for a tip from those holding the secrets of Phoenix’s local treasures .
Union is a new concept that houses an eclectic mix of 18 small, distinct boutiques – many of which already have a loyal following of those in-the-know Phoenicians. There’s also a casual eatery, Trattoria del Piero brought to Central Phoenix by the Queen Creek Olive Mill that operates the same concept at in Queen Creek.
Right now at Union you’ll find:
Bonafide Goods brought to Union by the folks behind The Clotherie. Bonafide Goods offers a modern interpretation of classic American men’s clothing, hats and accessories, and will also house Phoenix’s first micro-haberdashery.
Citrine Natural Beauty Bar offers discerning beauty and makeup buffs all-natural, organic skincare, beauty products and custom fragrances for those who love to pamper their skin naturally without harsh chemicals or parabens.
Customatic.com brings together years of experience designing and building great architecture, furniture and interior items to create custom pieces for the modern home.
Oils and Olives by Queen Creek Olive Mill is the Central Phoenix outlet of its popular branded products. Customers can explore the vast selection of signature extra virgin olive oils, balsamic vinegars, stuffed olives, and tapenades along with bath and body products made with extra virgin olive oil, daily fresh baked breads and a unique selection of other local treasures.
For the People is a modern gift and home accessories store with a focus on functional design. Featuring brands such as Alessi, the store gives customers access to great lifestyle design products and gives talented local designers an exciting venue to show and sell their work.
Frances, owned by local entrepreneur Georganne Bryant, is the second location of the popular boutique that carries women’s clothing, shoes, accessories, books, paper goods, novelty items and art.
Frances & Charlie Newsstand has hand-selected gifts including jewelry, candles, paper goods and books, as well as a variety of magazines, newspapers and specialty publications featuring fashion, design, art, living and global news.
Lilly is a vintage-inspired women's boutique offering the latest fashion apparel, celebrity jewelry lines, chic and unique housewares, distinctive gifts, handbags, accessories and much more.
British Bicycle Company carries a wide assortment beautiful, unique high-quality bicycles and accessories from England.
Me Myself & Eye, a sunglass boutique pushes the boundaries of expectation, self expression and individuality by offering the highest quality of fashion-forward sunglasses, readers and accessories. Operated by the owners of Sassy Glasses Optical Boutique, Me Myself & Eye offers the same superior customer service as its parent store with a focus on unique sunglasses and readers.
Paris Envy relocated their 7th Avenue shop to Union at the Biltmore. They offer a collection of handcrafted vintage-inspired home furnishings and home decor along with jewelry, candles, gifts and exclusive lines for baby and child. French industrial chic may best describe pieces such as zinc-topped dining tables and hand-strung crystal chandeliers.
R & R Surplus carries women's active wear that can be worn on the street or in the studio. These relaxed yet fashionable clothes are from the creators of Fitigues.
Royal Coffee opened their second location at Union at the Biltmore, brewing their popular roasts alongside a selection of fresh pastries.
Smeeks relocated to Union and brought along their assortment of sweet treats and toys, offering the best old-time favorites – from handcrafted lollipops, toffee, caramels and marshmallows to yo-yos and shrinky-dinks.
Trattoria del Piero brings the dedication and passion for good food found at del Piero at the Mill in Queen Creek. Featuring all new simple and delicious sandwiches and salads, the menu will include the famous Kalamata sandwich as well as signature cocktails. Using family recipes, handcrafted extra virgin olive oils and the best local and seasonal ingredients, del Piero has garnered both local and national acclaim and was featured on the Food Network’s “Best Thing I Ever Ate” in 2010. The menu exemplifies a dedication to delicious, healthy and uncomplicated food. Trattoria del Piero serves breakfast, lunch and has a full service restaurant for the evenings complimented by a full bar.
White House Flowers is an appealing, one-of-a-kind florist offering home accessories, gifts and repurposed and renewed treasures with a casual urban look, as well as traditional European-style furnishings.
Whoopie Baking Company brings their signature whoopie pies in assorted flavors such as Spicy Pumpkin, Mimosa, Sweet & Salty and Peanut Butter Cup to Union, as well as sell the specialty ingredients related to the sweet treats including salted caramel and marshmallow fluff. Dog lovers can pick up a special treat – woofie pies for their beloved canine companions.
The Willows Home and Garden offers simple yet sophisticated home décor items along with apparel and in-home design services. They carry antique objects and a beautiful selection of exclusive lines including: Bella Notte Linens, Italian Vietri table top dishes, Michael Stars t-shirts, CP Shade apparel and a variety of unusual jewelry.
Union is located at the Arizona Biltmore Fashion Park at 2502 E. Camelback Road in Phoenix.
Brat Haus
The outdoor seating area at Brat Haus
With Oktoberfest right around the corner, it seemed appropriate to try the new Brat Haus in Old Town Scottsdale before the brat and beer hungry crowds took over. The menu at Brat Haus is all about local, artisan, and carefully crafted food and drinks. Expect to find traditional items like bratwurst, fries and pretzels - but if you are out to try something exotic, you’ll find that at Brat Haus too (read rattlesnake and rabbit sausage).
Fundido
On this visit to Brat Haus we started with the Fundido – two pretzels served with warm three-cheese-beer dipping sauce and whole grain mustard. For dinner we decided on a traditional beer bratwurst which came with two house made pickle slices (which were the highlight for me), a side of Belgian fries with Siracha dipping sauce and a beet salad. We were too stuffed to try dessert, but saw several come out of the kitchen and they looked (and smelled) amazing.
We sat inside the small dining area in the “brat haus,” but there is ample outdoor seating which will be fantastic for Oktoberfest celebrations and a small bar seating area in the “bru haus” as well.
Brat Haus is located in Old Town Scottsdale at 3622 N. Scottsdale Road.
SoChu House
The first time I walked into Sens in downtown Phoenix, I thought, “Am I cool enough to be here?” Downtown Phoenix lost a little hipness the day Johnny Chu closed Sens, but have no fear, Jonny Chu opened SoChu House just a few miles north of downtown at Thomas and Central Avenue. Now, the hipness of SoChu House is masked by its strip mall location, but as soon as you walk in you’ll think, “I am so cool for finding this place!”
Carrying over the look and feel of Sens, Johnny Chu also carried over the majority of the menu items. On a recent visit for lunch I ordered my favorite Johnny Chu dish, the Pad Thai with tofu. A great lunch destination, SoChu House offers salads, soups, noodle dishes and main dishes. There is even a lunch portion that includes a choice of main dish, salad and dessert.
The bar area of SoChu House has a lounge feel with several places to sit in small groups. I’m looking forward to going back for happy hour and enjoying some cocktails and tapas with some friends. Of course, they’ll think I’m so cool for showing them this new hip spot in Phoenix.
SoChu House is located at 2801 N. Central Avenue in Phoenix.
