Page 28 July 2014 By Amanda Savage Downtown Phoenix has, without a doubt, been slowly developing a better entertainment and dining scene. The development of CityScape and smaller, local eateries are making the side streets that border downtown’s skyscrapers home. There still, however, aren’t many places to order and enjoy unique craft cocktails. While there are a few cocktail lounges, most people expect more from a downtown area, which is why the new Bitter and Twisted Cocktail Parlor is welcome in this growing nightlife hub. The name Bitter and Twisted has various meanings. One being that bitter and twisted represents a cocktail itself, but the location also has an ironic history, which gives further meaning. The cocktail lounge is located in the Luhrs Building, just below what used to be the prohibition offices. Local folklore claims that during the Prohibition, people attempted to access the building’s plumbing from where the cocktail lounge sits today, to siphon liquor that was poured down the drains. The concept comes from local cocktail scene maverick Ross Simon, who’s the co- founder of Arizona Cocktail Week and has had his hands in developing cocktails for many local restaurants, bars and lounges. The parlor is small, cozy and urban. It plays into the vintage style of what a city parlor would look like in the 1920s. The food is one of a kind; it offers gastropub cuisine with an Asian and Mexican flare. The menu is divided into six sections: snacks, seasonal, substance, small plates, sides and sweets. Some of the menu’s most interesting options include the Tsukemen Ramen, which is made with their own tonkostu sauce, a beaten egg, local grilled bacon, marinated mushrooms, pickled bamboo, tempura nori, chili and black garlic oil. The Baked Hangover is also delicious, and includes chelada-soaked noble bread, Bloody Mary pickles, ham, pepper jack, a sunny egg and local thick cut bacon. I’ve found that most restaurants and bars that are concerned with serving quality cocktails tend to develop drink menus that offer the same bases. In Arizona you find a lot of vodka and tequila. Bitter and Twisted offers literally pages of options in their cocktail menu. Anything you can think of, they can make. From gin to brandy, champagne and rum, to sweet, bitter and dry, there’s something for everyone. The bar also offers booze to go, and has a happy hour with discounts on alcohol and food. Downtown cocktail parlor offers history with a twist Sout So 300 W www.s 6 Bitter and Twisted 1 W. Jefferson St. www.bitterandtwistedaz.com 602-340-1924 Beginning July 7th, we will be closed on Mondays in July & August. Come join us for Food & Fun Tuesday through Sunday! 4144 E. Indian School Rd. 602-956-0178

Page 29 July 2014 By Amanda Goossen What is a beefeater? Another word for the Yeomen Warders of Her Majesty’s Palace, beefeaters are the ceremonial guardians of the Tower of London. In Phoenix, however, from 1961 to 2006 Beef Eaters was a landmark restaurant in the heart of the valley. Known as an elegant space with delicious, hearty food, the restaurant was incredibly large with two connected rooms, a cocktail lounge, four private event rooms and a wine cellar table. Everything about the restaurant was extraordinary. Jay Newton, owner of Beef Eaters, was a man of details. He brought back items from London over the years to decorate the restaurant with and even used real silver at the table settings, which ended when forks and knives began disappearing. Working long hours so often that he even had a cottage to sleep in on the property, Newton was known as much for his philanthropy as he was for his extreme dedication to his restaurant. Newton could be found on occasion, cooking early in the morning at Beef Eaters for the homeless men he had seen outside. When Beef Eaters closed in 2006 it was an end of an era. And with a 17,881 square foot restaurant on the market rich with history, and a community concerned about the historical integrity of the building, the future of the space seemed impossible to imagine. In June 2014 however, within the landmark building, The Newton was born. In honor of Jay Newton, The Newton is a redeveloped original structure, housing Southern Rail, Changing Hands Bookstore, and Southwest Gardener (coming soon). In other words, Beef Eaters has been redesigned using many of the original pieces, to become something completely new, a complex for stores and restaurants. Changing Hands Bookstore is stationed on the right side of the building. In the front of the space, within the new construction is Southern Rail, a concept by Beckett’s Table. Beckett’s Table has been an Arcadia favorite since opening in the fall of 2010. Owned by longtime friends Justin and Michelle Beckett and Scott and Katie Stephens, Beckett’s Table is chef driven food, an extraordinary wine list and top-notch service in the middle of the neighborhood. Southern Rail breathes new life into Phoenix landmark Southern Rail 300 W. Camelback Rd. www.southernrailaz.com 602-200-0085 Southern Rail, their newest endeavor, is smart and creative. The food is both delicious and comforting. Southern Rail is 100 percent new construction, simply added on to the existing structure. The dark ambiance of the original restaurant is now gone by using large windows and skylights throughout. Reclaimed wood can be found in a variety of locations within the restaurant. The red wood in the new wine cellar is authentic as well as the chandeliers, the wood in the deck and the original booths, which are now positioned for a comfortable dining experience, with new leather and cushions. “In 2006 after Beef Eaters closed there was a large sale from the restaurant,” said Justin Beckett. “A friend of mine had the small shields purchased from that sale. His dad was actually going to buy the huge shield everyone would recognize but couldn’t carry it. What I would give for that now.” Those two smaller shields now hang above the bar at Southern Rail. It’s another nod to the history of the space. Outside the entryway, between the front doors of Changing Hands and Southern Rail, the Beef Eaters sign is now an imprint in the concrete. Located alongside the light-rail, the restaurant is appropriately named. The subtle railway-inspired touches, such as light fixtures similar to those inside European train stations, the design work on the community table that looks like an old-fashioned train ticket and the door to the wine cellar, which looks like the back of a caboose, tie the motif together without becoming too much. The southern vibe is apparent but never overdone. The restaurant is rooted in the American South, with depth, soul and richness. The flavors are Southern inspired but not cliché. As Chef Justin Beckett put it, “If you got on a train in the South and traveled west, our menu would cover the places you’d stop along the way. The Carolinas, New Orleans, Tennessee, Mississippi.” But it’s definitely a lighter side of the South. Local vegetables are on display as well as beans and grains. The New Orleans style “peel & eat” shrimp are barbequed to perfection and served in a slightly spicy, incredibly delicious sauce and paired with a small loaf of bread. The chicken and “biscuit dumplings,” the smoked chicken and andouille gumbo, and the cider brined pork loin are also popular choices. Fried chicken is only on the menu as a Wednesday night special. It’s so good, however, that each week it’s practically flying out of the kitchen. “We’ve had to prep twice as much as expected because we sell out so fast,” said Beckett. Nightly specials are offered, from slow and low pulled pork on Tuesdays to fried chicken on Wednesdays and meatloaf on Thursdays. An All-American beverage program is an exciting part of the menu with the beers, wines and most spirits coming from the U.S. “This entire project was just a can’t-pass opportunity,” said Beckett. “The combination of builders, businesses and people involved as well as the growing culinary scene in the area … it’s exciting.” Southern Rail is open seven days a week, 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. Lunch and weekend brunch will begin in mid-July. For more information go to: southernrailaz.com. For more information about The Newton, go to: thenewtonphx.com.