Dark Hall Coffee

Posted on June 23, 2018 by ttimmons

Don’t let the fact that this place is located in the corner of a strip mall steer you away. It has a unique atmosphere with beautiful artwork and a dark floral wallpaper that you don’t want to miss. Dark Hall Coffee (same owners as The Coronado PHX) specializes in plant-based drinks and pastries. Lattes, cortados and cappuccinos are all dairy-free. They use a milk blend made from cashews and other nuts. They have quite a variety of vegan pasties as well. Lavender & pistachio cakes, macarons, salted chocolate chip cookies, cinnamon rolls and shortbread drizzled with chocolate are just some examples of the yumminess that they make up daily. My favorite are the galettes. I’ve seen fig apple, peach and blueberry. I love the fruity gelatinous center of the pastry and it pairs well with my coffee. This isn’t the largest place so maybe plan on getting your order to go. Dark Hall is definitely worth a stop in if you are in the area.

Galette and Cortado

Elite Event: Cocktail Party at Mowry & Cotton

Posted on March 8, 2018 by ttimmons

I have so many memories here at the Phoenician going back to high school days. They have been going through some renovations and Mowry & Cotton is their fancy new casual restaurant geared to draw in both visitors and locals. This was one of those fun dress-up Yelp events that incorporated the beautiful views of the Phoenician resort. Mowry & Cotton has a large open patio with amazing décor (the growler wall was a nice touch). We were given the story behind this place from the GM. He mentioned that it is named after George Mowry and James Cotton – two businessmen who opened one of Phoenix’s earliest drinking establishments. We were treated with their signature drink (called the Washington & 1st) from their awesome bartender who worked his butt off for us. It was a blend of commerce gin, St Germain elderflower, blackberry, lime & bitters. I got so caught up with my drinks and the conversation at my table that I forgot to check out the food samples they prepared for us. The seafood was gone when I got there, but I did get to try some of their flatbread pizza. The Wild Mushroom and the Chicken Pesto were both pretty flavorful. But I didn’t miss out on desserts. They had these awesome Lemon Meringue, S’Mores and a Peanut Butter Bar samples that capped off the night. I enjoyed mixing it up with some long time Elites and enjoyed meeting some of the new ones. The best part was the awesome gifts Mowry & Cotton gave us – a choice of a cutting board, a branding iron or an apron. All three were pretty killer. Thanks to our Yelp staff for always being amazing and treating us Elites to a fun night. Read my full post about Mowry & Cotton here.

The Phoenician

Mowry & Cotton

Flatbread

Wild Mushroom Flatbread

Gifts for Yelpers

Washington & 1st

Warm S’Mores Pie

Peanut Butter Bar

Lemon Meringue

The Phoenician

Distillery Bottles

Mowry & Cotton

Chilling at The Phoenician

It’s Not Tequila, It’s Pisco!

Posted on February 3, 2018 by ttimmons

photo from internet

While attending a Pre Super Bowl party at Helio Basin, we were served up drinks from Pure Perú. Pure Perú is a family owned business that imports pisco (a Peruvian colored brandy) from Peru to the U.S. These drinks were amazing! I got to say that Pisco is really crisp and smooth. I tried their Peruvian Mule (recipe below) and loved it! I’m always about culture and it was great getting a little taste of Peruvian culture. I love that they are local and that you can buy their bottles at local liquid stores and places like Total Wine & More. I recommend you give them a try.

It’s not tequila, it’s Pisco

Peruvian Brandy

20 oz of Pure Peru Pisco

5 oz Golsing Ginger Beer

1/4 oz lime juice

One copper mug (essential)

The Human Bean

Posted on November 24, 2017 by ttimmons

I love this location because it’s always close by when I’m either running an errand in Tempe or at something related to ASU. They are about a mile south of the 202. My Dad once lived in Ashland, OR years ago and I vaguely remember going through the original Human Bean drive-thru there. That’s where this company got their start. They are known for their hand-crafted espresso drinks and fruit-infused smoothies. And of course every drink is topped with a white chocolate espresso bean. They have a program called the Farm Friendly Direct that allows them to work directly with the farming communities that harvest their beans so that they can build long-term relationships with them. This location has a double drive-thru or you can walk up to the window. You order directly from the barista and not through some intercom which I love. The baristas are usually high energy and very friendly. I haven’t tried one of their teas yet, but I really enjoyed their popular Granita drink. During the holidays they do holiday style cup that is pretty festive.

Tron

Posted on March 24, 2016 by ttimmons

One of my favorite movies growing up was Tron. It came out in 1982 and starred Jeff Bridges. It has developed into a cult film over the past couple decades. When I was a kid we used to play Tron games by using frisbees as our identity discs. I loved the arcade game too with its cool light-up blue joystick. Back in the day, Disneyland had a ride called the Peoplemover that took you through the park and through the World of Tron. My favorite scenes in the movie were always the lightcycles ones. In 2010, Disney released a sequel to Tron called Tron: Legacy. This movie brought back all the fond memories I had as child. Below are the trailers to the movie.

Tron Legacy Trailer #1

Tron Legacy Trailer #2

Disneyland’s Peoplemover ride through the World of Tron

I wrote in an earlier post about Cobra Arcade Bar. I always thought it would be cool to own an arcade like Flynn did in the Tron movie. Cobra Arcade Bar has brought all that nostalgia back to me by bringing back these classic arcade games. Tonight Cobra partnered with FilmBar for a Tron theme night. They showed the original 1982 movie over at FilmBar and then had a themed party afterwards next door at Cobra. I was totally stoked about this night when I heard about it. They had exclusive drinks just for the night and the staff dressed in Tron gear. I ordered a blue drink called Quorra’s Revenge that was really good. A Daft Punk tribute band called One More Time were the DJs for the night. They even had the classic Tron arcade game on hand to play. I of course had to wear my Flynn Lives t-shirt to get into the spirit of things. I had a blast and hope they do more theme nights like this.

Classic Tron Game

Cobra Arcade Bar

Quorra’s Revenge

Hanging with a Tron girl

One More Time

One More Time

Jeff Bridges in the original Tron movie

Shanghai Disney Resort recently opened a Tron ride. Bummer they don’t have it here at the U.S. resorts. But it looks fun!

Cobra Arcade Bar

Posted on January 9, 2016 by ttimmons

I used to hang out at the old Video Round-Up arcade in Scottsdale back in the day. I even thought it would be cool to own an arcade like Flynn did in the classic Tron movie. Now Cobra Arcade Bar had brought my childhood back to me. This place is a lot of fun and has a cool vibe to it. I discovered while walking to the Super Bowl experience in downtown Phoenix. At first I was a little irked during their opening week when I brought my kid and they wouldn’t let him in (21 and older only). I just wanted him to see and capture the same joy I had as a youngster. But now I’m kinda happy they are keeping this to the older crowd who appreciates the old vintage arcade games. They have a great selection of old school games (about 40 of them) and a cool looking bar for drinks. Ariel Bracamonte and Genuine Concepts are the co-owners of this new rad place. Cobra usually rotates arcade games in and out throughout the week for variety. They even have a row of pinball machines. They have all the classics – Donkey Kong, Pac-Man, Mortal Combat, Street Fighter, 1943, Punch Out and my personal favorite Galaga. The tubular ceiling lights are designed to resemble the iconic arcade game Super Mario Brothers. I love that the games are a quarter (or token) like the old days. I grew tired of the newer arcades that make you buy the dumb expensive game cards. Cobra opens pretty late (2am) and can get pretty crowded on some nights. Especially during theme nights or tournaments. But if you are up for a fun retro night out, come to Cobra Arcade Bar!