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September 4th, 2009
If this issue of Phoenix Picks were a Broadway show, it’d be a collection of the Great White Way’s greatest hits, replete with campy men in tight pants and sequins, the jazziest of all jazz hands, glorious high kicks and more glitter than you can shake a drag queen at, all while belting out the torch songs from Cats and Les Miz. Yeah, that’s right, we are once again pleased as punch to bring you our Writer’s Favorites 2009 issue, the issue where we spotlight the gems of the desert that we’ve unearthed throughout the year. These are our favorite places to nosh, curl up in nooks with lovers and friends, indulge in our guiltiest pleasures, and sate our need for quirky hobbies. Enjoy as we give these fabulous places the spirit fingers they so richly deserve. |
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Like We Give a Knit When we were but wee Phoenix Pickers, our dear Grandmère tried to teach us to knit. We sat there, our tiny hands sweating as we struggled to grasp the giant needles and damp yarn. The whole experience came to a head when we stabbed our beloved teddy bear in the face, threw the tangled mess across the room and burst into tears. Grandmère stuck to less difficult pastimes from then on, like coloring. Recently we were trying to figure out a way to soothe our jangled nerves. Drinking seemed too common, we don’t “do” running and we’ve long since lost our crayons, but we decided to give knitting another go. We quickly fell into the lullabye motion and mindless counting. Since then, we’ve been on a knitting bender and are always looking for our next fix. Enter Knit Happens in Scottsdale. Full of drool-worthy, gorgeous yarns, amazing patterns and weekend knitting classes, we’re in craft heaven. It does our soul good to be surrounded by skeins of vibrant colors and textures, and so far we’ve managed to avoid stabbing anything with our needles. Knit Happens |
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La Petite Artiste Before our fashionista-in-training was born, we decided not to find out the sex. Sure, it drove the mother-in-law crazy (which is always fun), but we were bombarded with a sea of pastel onesies with yellow ducks and frogs at the baby shower. When we finally ventured into the world of newborn baby stuff, we realized just how slim the pickins are for hobo-chic soon-to-be-parents. If it wasn't for our best gal pals in NYC, LA and Portland, our little miss would have faced the wrath of a pink frilly sundress. But with a little help from a local boutique called Little Artika, our bambina has now become quite the style maven—and coincidently has mastered walking in her momma's 5-inch Louboutins at only 16 months! If you need baby hipness (or a shower gift), get to Little Artika pronto for accessories and clothes, euro-chic strollers, funky baby gadgets and modern baby furniture that was virtually impossible to find in the Valley until Little Artika. Your tot will be high stylin’ and happy enough to eat his steamed organic carrots. Little Artika |
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Captivating Curry We are girls who live by the motto “eat, drink and be merry.” But we need our eats to be spicy; our drinks to be a fruit-forward Syrah or a dry, Old World Sangiovese; and we need our men to be just as fired up and sexy as the legs on our wine glass and the spice on our food in order to make us merry. Sound picky? Wait until you try and take us on a date. Well … our insatiable, bottomless thirst for good food, red wine and boys was quenched as we sat at the bar of a local Indian-food café and sipped our 91-point Syrah (not Wine Spectator 91 points, but Phoenix Picks 91 points) and enjoyed the healthy fusions of Indian staples like chicken curry, spinach and tofu (a.k.a. Palak Paneer) and their incredible carrot soufflé with carrot shavings, ricotta cheese and rose water. Turns out the boy-man sitting next to us might have been a little spicier than the curry, but we’re not complaining—sometimes that is to be expected (wink). Bombay Spice Grill and Wine |
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Pout It Out We have fond memories of being little darlings—like the one of us skipping through the aisles of Target in pink jellies, squeezing our daddy’s finger with excitement at the very sight of the Barbie aisle… and some not so fond memories, like the one of us having a temper tantrum on the floor of said aisle when Daddy said one new Barbie was plenty. Ahh, the good ol’ days. When we walked into the chic new children’s boutique, Pout! Klothing for Kidz, we let out a little gasp of joy. Adorable clothing for little ones lines the walls and fills the tabletops, along with fashionable accessories for moms and dads (like the faux fur Spoiled Little Mama diaper bag that a certain pop-princess’ teen sister schleps around La La Land). Our favorite score was the Lunch Box Bottle Pet stuffed-animal baby bottle holder, which we had every intention of giving it to our bestie with the newborn. However, we’re not ready to part with it, especially since it looks so great wrapped around a bottle of Mich Ultra. Pout! Klothing for Kidz |
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Perfect to the T “Ho-hum, another boutique,” we thought as we eyed the shop from the inside of our car. We confess: lately we’ve become a little jaded, especially when it comes to finding a unique store that will have us salivating with lust and want. We were beginning to call it a lost cause until we got out of the car and made it inside. Located in (drum roll, please) a Scottsdale strip mall, T’s Accessories proved to be filled with all kinds of wonderful. Ed Hardy shirts on super discount and lots of great baubles like peace-symbol rings and necklaces, Zodiac-sign necklaces, gold and silver cuff bracelets, and leather studded bracelets. Suddenly, we were reconnected with our old days as a bartender at a rock n’ roll bar on Sunset Boulevard. In a good way. We longingly eyed a Betsey Johnson clutch purse and a few jewels to complement our wardrobe. With dresses, sweaters, jeans, and so much more, this is the place to go if you’re in need of something hip, sparkly and totally now. T's Accessories |
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Prose by Any Other Name For most ladies, an athletic physique, rugged good looks, and an ambitious nature are ingredients for a delicious cocktail of a man. We are certainly not immune to such savory qualities, but we must admit that above all else, we have always found a guy with an expansive vocabulary particularly hard to resist. We know from experience that there are few better places to meet these multi-syllabically inclined types than at a bookstore. If you’re in the market for your own word-nerd, or just in the mood for some personal enlightenment, we suggest skipping the meat-market bars and heading to CenPho’s newest literary gem, Bards Books. This welcome addition to the scene has given Phoenix’s intelligentsia a new place to flock. Along with an extensive selection of used books, Bards’ monthly calendar of events offers multiple book clubs, French-conversation meetings, creative writing and poetry workshops, and free guitar lessons every Sunday. Even if you don’t bump into your Romeo, Bards provides plenty of things to keep your heart and mind engaged! Bards Books |
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Loungeabouts Most people use the New Year as a reason to start working on their hot body. For us, 2009 has thus far been the year of the “Home Body.” Chalk it up to post-holiday burnout, but the thought of lounging around in our chonies and eating cookie dough while watching DVR’ed episodes of “True Blood” is way more appealing than just about anything right now. We imagine our inner social butterfly will emerge from its cocoon sooner or later, but for now we’re perfectly happy to kick it groundhog-style and stay burrowed in our hidey-hole. The one exception that will always rouse us from our vampire-infused hibernation, however, is a trip to our new favorite neighborhood watering hole, SideBar. Just a short bike ride away from our lair of lethargy, this retro-modern lounge boasts exposed brick walls and views of the downtown cityscape visible from their second-story location. And even though SideBar is a certified swank-tuary, it’s still laid-back enough to make your favorite band tee acceptable attire. How perfect for our lounging lifestyle! SideBar |
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Spirit Fingers unite! Share your favorite hot spot or that secret place to score bargain with Phoenix Picks! Send us the skinny at picks@phoenixpicks.com! |
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