Scottsdale Blog - Things to do in Scottsdale, Arizona » Canal

Scottsdale Hosts Night Music on Saturdays

Josh Kenzer — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 15:52:14 +0000

The City of Scottsdale is joining with the Scottsdale Gallery Association to launch “Saturday Sounds” featuring live pop-rock bands every Saturday evening through June. The public concert series is sponsored in part by SouthBridge and its restaurants Metro, Estate House and Canal Restaurant. Catch the groups at the Waterfront’s Stetson Plaza stage from 7 to 11pm every Saturday thru June. Coming up are Watershade, Sarah Vanell, Jay & Ash and Ascent. Full lineup at ScottsdaleGalleries.com.

via New Entertainment News

The Arizona Top Bar Chef Competition

Josh Kenzer — Mon, 18 May 2009 14:40:02 +0000

Date: Sunday, June 7, 2009

Time: 8pm Doors Open, 9pm Competition Begins

Location: CANAL

Cost: $10 per person. Ticket price includes one drink and some light appetizers provided by CANAL

Tickets: Tickets will be available for purchase at the door only

Watch as Arizona’s best bartenders shake it to make it to the National Top Bar Chef Competition at Crave Arizona (in October.) CANAL Restaurant & Lounge will host this thrilling battle of the bartenders where 3 rounds will determine Arizona’s Top Bar Chef.

Mixology Focused.

Not your typical “flair bartender show,” the event focuses on the growing appreciation for mixology (the art and skill of crafting perfect cocktails.) Each round will feature a “secret ingredient” where the bar chefs will be challenged to design and create an inventive cocktail for tasting by 3 judges.

All guests will enjoy the live, hosted competition projected across CANAL’s 30-foot media wall, sip signature drinks and taste light appetizers from the restaurant.

Sponsored by Skyy Vodka

Master Mixologists Serve up Innovative Drink Options

Josh Kenzer — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 22:19:31 +0000

As a man who knows the true meaning of cocktail culture, Peter Kasperski has dreamt up some of Scottsdale’s most delectable drink items. You won’t see soda guns or bar blenders in any of his four downtown restaurants where emphasis is placed on fresh juices and ingredients. Try the absinthe-infused Nightfly at Cowboy Ciao or Digestif’s Pretty Ugli, a mixture of fresh basil, Nardini Acqua di Cedro and lemon. For more information, visit www.cowboyciao.com.

Bill DeGroot of the SouthBridge Restaurant Group is the mastermind behind two of Scottsdale’s most infamous cocktails, the Strawberry Smash at CANAL and Pear Alsace at Estate House. The mixture of strawberries, fresh mint and potato vodka makes CANAL’s drink a real palate pleaser, and one sip of the pear-flavored drink will make you think you’ve actually taken a bite into the fruit. It’s a blend of Grey Goose vodka, pear brandy and lemon juice garnished with a fanned-out Anjou pear. For more information on CANAL, visit www.canalaz.com. For more information on Estate House, visit www.estatehouseaz.com .

Sanctuary on Camelback Mountain Resort and Spa’s newest bar, edge, has a drink menu that’s as extensive as the list at award-winning restaurant, elements. Liquid Relations founder Ryan Magarian taught edge staff the skills behind “liquid cooking,” concocting items like the chamomile breeze, a fusion of gin, honey and lemon steeped with chamomile tea leaves. And we’d be remiss not to mention the innovative spins on classics like the Tom Collins and Sidecar. For more information, visit www.sanctuaryaz.com.

Festive Season Menus, Cocktails Provide Holiday Cheer

Josh Kenzer — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 18:43:57 +0000

Seasonal food and drinks full of cheer are synonymous with the holiday season as everyone rushes between holiday parties and tries their hardest to not indulge in the office treats. Well save those extra calories for a holiday getaway to Scottsdale where you can relax and de-stress during the busy holidays and celebrate with a variety of tantalizing dishes and cocktails.

Lon’s at The Hermosa is offering the perfect alternative to a home-cooked meal during the holidays. Leave the work to the resort’s culinary team and bring your family to enjoy a scrumptious Christmas Eve and Christmas Day dinner featuring lobster bisque, roasted turkey, pecan wood-grilled lamb loin and caramel pecan pie. Ring in the New Year with selections of warm goat cheese and organic spinach salad, open shrimp ravioli, pan roasted pork and tequila lime tart dessert. And don’t forget to save room for a festive cocktail like the home-made Egg Nog Martini, Espresso Pumpkin Pie Martini and Spiced Apple Carmeltini. For more information, visit www.lons.com.

Hanukkah may only be eight nights, but Chef Eddie Matney of Eddie’s House in downtown Scottsdale celebrates Jewish cuisine all season by mixing modern flavors with traditional treats. Through the holidays, Matney will offer daily specials such as barbeque cantaloupe brisket, potato pancakes with poblano applesauce, or coconut-pistachio macaroons. Matney’s Jewish specials delight with modern, Mediterranean flavors woven into traditional dishes. Think matzah ball soup with cinnamon broth. It’s comfort food with a kick. For more information, visit www.eddieshouseaz.com.

And the perfect way to end any meal is of course with a fabulous dessert so Executive Chef Justin Beckett at CANAL at SouthBridge is offering a variety of tantalizing seasonal desserts to do just that. Indulge in the Linzer Lingonberry Tart with banana curd or savor the Chocolate Pumpkin Charlotte with Pepitas brittle. And you’re sure to love the Southern Pecan Cashew Pie with Cider semi freddo, Black Currant Croissant Pudding with Treakle toffee anglaise, and Egg Nog Cheesecake with Gingersnap crumb crust and cranberry coulis. For more information, visit www.canalaz.com

Strike a Halloween Pose at Canal

Josh Kenzer — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 21:25:47 +0000

On Halloween Old Town Scottsdale’s hottest restaurant, CANAL, hosts a Halloween Costume event. The restaurant is a fusion of food, fashion and entertainment, playing host to acclaimed DJs and dazzling on a regular basis with fashion shows on the illuminated runway. In typical “fashion” there is a stylish “costume walk-off” competition on the runway, with a cash prize for the best costume! In addition, the restaurant will be decorated in chic festive décor while Chef Justin Beckett prepares a specialty-themed menu. The 30-inch projection screens also will broadcast the 1970’s Addam’s Family favorite television show.

CANAL is giving away a VIP Package for 10 to Scottsdale Fashion Week

Kelly Tope — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 16:59:05 +0000

CANAL, a food meets fashion restaurant located at Southbridge in Scottsdale, is giving away a VIP Package for 10 to the much-anticipated Scottsdale Fashion Week.

All you have to do to enter is submit a photo (at www.canalaz.com) of you and your friends dressed in your hottest fashion at CANAL. Finalist photos will then be posted on the Web site to be voted on by the public.

You only have until October 1 to submit your photos, so gather your friends together this weekend and head over to CANAL to strut your stuff and snap your winning photograph. Click here for full details of the contest.

Scottsdale Fashion Week is a major fashion event (November 6-8, 2008) that features a full schedule of high fashion runway shows, celebrating fashion, art and design, and serves as a showcase for downtown Scottsdale’s burgeoning development as well. Click here to learn more about internationally-acclaimed designer Zang Toi, who will headline the Saturday evening event.

What a great way to spend your evening and to be entered to win a VIP Package for 10. Best of luck!

Check out top Valley Chefs AND support the arts

Kelly Tope — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 14:03:52 +0000

Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts will present Dine Out with the Chefs: A Celebration of the Culinary Arts on October 5, 2008, from 4 p.m. – 6:30 p.m. Created by author Pamela Swartz, the mouth-watering event celebrates the Valley’s exciting dining scene and is a must for anyone who loves food. Now in its third year, it has become one of the most prestigious epicurean events in Arizona, attracting the top chefs in the Valley.
Dine Out guests will have the opportunity to meet the chefs from 19 of the Valley’s finest restaurants and to sample their culinary creations, from delicious soups, salads and appetizers to some of their signature dishes and most decadent desserts

Dine Out with the Chefs will feature author Pamela Swartz signing her brand new edition of Dine Out Phoenix: Where to Eat from Chic to Unique as well as a wine tasting, premium vodka and tequila tasting, premium beer tasting courtesy of Hensley, live music by Rakata and a cash bar.

The participating chefs and restaurants include:

Executive Chef Jon-Paul Hutchins, L’Academie and L’Ecole (at Scottsdale Culinary Institute)
Executive Chef Eric Howson & Chef Salvador Prado, Alto ristorante e bar (at Hyatt Regency Scottsdale Resort and Spa at Gainey Ranch)
Chef/Owner Carolyn Ellis, Arcadia Farms
Executive Chef Justin Beckett, Canal
Pastry Chef Tracy Dempsey, Confection
Chef Payton Curry, Digestif
Executive Chef Gio Osso, Estate House
Executive Chef Matt Taylor, Foodbar
Executive Chef Michael Rusconi, Lon’s (at the Hermosa Inn)
Executive Chef Bernie Kantak, Mexican Standoff
Chef/Owner Erasmo “Razz” Kamnitzer, Razz’s Restaurant
Executive Chef Nobuo Fukuda, Shell Shock
Head Baker Jeffrey Yankellow, Simply Bread
Chef Juan Solorio, SWB, a southwest bistro (at Hyatt Regency Scottsdale Resort and Spa at Gainey Ranch)
Executive Chef Lee Hillson, T. Cook’s (at the Royal Palms Resort & Spa)
Executive Chef Mel Mecinas, Talavera (at the Four Seasons Resort Scottsdale at Troon North)
Chef de Cuisine Robert Sanchez, Windows on the Green (at The Phoenician)
Executive Chef Matt Carter, Zinc Bistro