We got as close as possible to the City of Brotherly Love without leaving Tucson this week, in our live broadcast from Frankie’s South Philly Cheesesteaks! Celebrity co-host and local food writer Edie Jarolim got things started by reviewing her recent culinary tour of New York City, and Rhonda Kendrick of New Belgium Brewery joined us with all the information on her upcoming beer, food and film festival at the Fox Theater. Our featured guest was Frankie Santos himself, who gave us a report from the Tucson Originals. Frankie also took us down memory lane with stories of growing up in South Philly. Then, the food arrived. We were given authentic instruction on how to eat a cheesesteak, and enjoyed the South Philly flavors of the steak (Wit-Whiz) and the roast pork sandwich. Love ya, Frank!

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 48:13 — 13.8MB)

With a round-trip airline ticket to Lima costing $2,239, why not save a few bucks and head up to the corner of Sunrise and Kolb for the flavors of Peru! That’s what we did in this week’s live broadcast from the patio of Inca’s Peruvian Cuisine. We were joined by celebrity co-host Rita Connelly, Tucson Weekly food writer and Facebook’s The Well Fed Foodie, who ran down her list of things making food news. We also checked in with Lisa Wilkinson of the Tucson Museum of Art for all of the information on this year’s CRUSH Wine, Food and Art Festival. Our featured guest was Fatima Campos of Inca’s. Fatima revealed the ingredients and process of making the perfect Pisco Sour, and treated us to a symphony of flavors from her menu, with the Ceviche Mixto at the very top of the list! We love Pisco, we love Inca’s, and we love Fatima!

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 50:34 — 14.5MB)

BEER! Now that we have your attention, imagine how much fun we had during this live broadcast from Barrio Brewing Co.! Joining us as celebrity co-host was Scot Litteer of Litteer Films, who talked us through the suds that he’s been enjoying lately. We were also joined by Frank Rodriguez of the Lodge on the Desert, who encouraged us all to vote for Chef Ryan Clark in an upcoming Food and Wine magazine competition. Our featured guest was Barrio’s own Dennis Arnold, who had much to say about why he thinks beer makes the world go round! Along with our IPAs and NCAAles, we were treated to some serious fish and carne tacos, as well as the Lizzy Salad, which has just earned the #1 position on our list of favorite salads!

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 49:36 — 14.2MB)

Broadcasting live from the KNST studio this week, we got started right away with Cathy Burch of the Arizona Daily Star, who reported on the current Burger Battle taking place in the newspaper. We then welcomed Deborah Carr of Interfaith Community Services, who shared everything we needed to know about her upcoming ‘Empty Bowls’ fundraising event (speaking of sharing, Deborah brought along Chefs Omar Huerta and Abbie Rosen of Wildflower American Cuisine, and they shared some of the goodies they were planning to showcase at the event). Our featured guest was Chef Travis Peters of The Parish, who came to the studio donning his trademark argyle socks! Travis rocked the studio with his killer culinary style, and our tasting included his famous bacon popcorn, sweet tea-infused double pork chop with an adobo BBQ sauce and truffle sweet potato puree, and ending with a brick of chocolate bread pudding. Southern fusion cuisine has a home in Tucson…meet you at The Parish!

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 51:28 — 14.7MB)

Near 80-degree temps, a stunning backdrop, amazing food and a virtually limitless selection of premium tequilas? Yes, please! Our show came to you live this week from the Flying V Bar & Grill at Loews Ventana Canyon Resort, and we had foodies drooling from coast to coast! Bella Joffroy, Tucson community manager for Yelp, kicked things off with a rundown of exciting things that Yelp has planned for the spring. We were then joined by Rick Riddle of Bear Track Bistro and Winery for a conversation about what’s making news up at his new place. Shortly after that, the tequila arrived, and we were treated to a flight tasting of some gorgeous blancos, reposados, and anejos. Our featured guest was Flying V Chef Josh Willett, who continued to captivate us with his passion for the culinary arts. When the Belgian endive salad arrived, alongside the sea bass with scallops, mussels, fennel, garlic, tomato and potato, both Matt and Bella were rendered darn near speechless. It’s no surprise why the Flying V consistently ranks among our favorite restaurants!

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 49:53 — 14.3MB)

For our monthly Tucson Originals show, we decided to take the action to Pastiche Modern Eatery, and are we ever glad we did! Celebrity co-host Adam Lehrman, the Tucson Foodie himself, gave us his perspective on what’s making food news these days, and Myles Stone from Borderlands Brewing Company called in with some breaking news about his new nut brown ale with local roasted pecans! Pat Connors from Pastiche introduced us to two versions of his Irish moonshine called Poteen, the 120 proof and the 160 proof! So good. Pastiche chef Tim Moore stopped by as well, to feed us from his bounty of goodness. The extraordinary culinary experience included fried avocados with a chipotle aioli, green harissa crusted ahi, a gorgeous beet and house-made mozzarella salad, his award-winning chili, and baked mac-n-cheese with spinach, bacon and smoked gouda. I bet you love Pastiche as much as wo do!

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 50:30 — 14.4MB)

With sunny skies and mid-70s temps, there was no better venue for our live broadcast than the patio of El Charro Cafe in downtown Tucson! This week’s celebrity co-host, fellow foodie and PR maven John Farlow, got us current with his latest F & B journey, and Mike Lanz from The Fix shared all the gooey details of the “Mac Madness” competition he just announced for the most creative mac-n-cheese recipe! Our featured guest was Chris Spake of the Patron Spirits Company, who inspired an entirely new perspective on tequila. He began by introducing the new Patron XO Cafe Dark Cocoa…a rich, dark chocolate elixir that satisfied every palette on the patio. Chris also walked us through a flight of Patron’s best, from the Platinum all the way through the Anejo, telling a wonderful story about the company’s history, process and unyielding commitment to quality. Ray Flores of El Charro stopped by as well, to convey his personal praise for this premium tequila, and recommended some items from his menu that were ideal companions for the agave. We credit Patron for initially helping us to understand the true intentions of tequila, and we celebrate the company’s success. Salud!

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 50:29 — 14.4MB)

Love was in the air once again on our final broadcast before Valentine’s Day, and we thought Jax Kitchen would be a delicious backdrop. Celebrity co-host Karyn Zoldan of the Circle of Food blog got things started by sharing what’s been keeping her busy on the food and beverage scene. Matt and Karyn then welcomed Paul Schwennesen of Double Check Ranch for some real-life rancher talk about an upcoming pasture dinner. Jax Kitchen’s own Ricky Anderson hit the mics next, with some amazing cocktail stories (his version of the Dark & Stormy was mouth-watering, as was the strawberry-infused vodka cocktail with a chocolate and basil simple syrup!). Our featured guests were owner Brian Metzger and Chef Ginny Wooters (for whom Matt publicly proclaimed his love, by the way). Everything at Jax Kitchen is all about love, including the chicken-fried artichokes and the Jax “Chili” Dog, which has officially taken over the #1 spot on Matt’s Top Dog List!

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 50:29 — 14.4MB)

With Valentine’s Day on our minds, we decided to broadcast from the place that continues to earn the top vote for Tucson’s most romantic restaurant…Hacienda del Sol. Joining us as celebrity co-host was Dr. Todd Case of Profiles Cosmetic Surgery Center, and a gifted culinarian in his own right. Dr. Case got us current with how he’s been keeping busy in the kitchen, and the Hacienda’s own Matthew Landon and John Kulikowski offered their unique perspectives on wine, cocktails, chocolate and Valentine’s Day! Our featured guest was Executive Chef Bruce Yim, who discussed his own culinary journey and what influences he brings to the Hacienda. Of course, we had to sample some of chef’s goodness, which included the green eggs and ham appetizer and the pacific snapper with brussels and risotto. We even had time to close out with a little dessert, prepared by pastry chef Marcos Castro. On target, as always, Hacienda del Sol!

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 52:09 — 14.9MB)

Imagine. Ice-cold sazeracs, craft beers, gorgeous cuts of beef, and premium cigars. Is this heaven? Darn near. It’s the PY Steakhouse at Casino Del Sol for another delicious broadcast! Celebrity co-host Scot Litteer of Litteer Films joined us for this standout show, and brought us up to speed on his latest adventures. We then engaged our new best friends, Kyle Hoover and Chris Kelly of Ezra Zion Cigar Company, on their new REAGAN cigar, which is as close to puro perfection as you can get (EDITORIAL NOTE: get a hold of some of these sticks immediately!). Matt and Scot then welcomed mixologist Aaron DeFeo to the conversation about all the beverage action at Casino Del Sol. Our featured guest was PY Chef Erik Savin, who teased us with some ideas he has for his new menu expected to roll out shortly. In the meantime, we sampled some extraordinary scallops over an English pea risotto, and a gorgeous t-bone that redefines what steak is supposed to be. Ah, the PY.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 52:54 — 15.1MB)