Matt Russell was in Las Vegas this week on official On the Menu Live business, and asked former NFL superstar and fellow foodie, John Fina, to sit in as this week’s guest host. John got things started with Mark Fontana of the New York Pizza Department, for a discussion of the authenticity of Empire State pies. Then Casino Del Sol mixologist Aaron DeFeo chimed in with some great cocktail talk, and Matthew Landon from the Hacienda del Sol joined in the conversation to announce an amazing wine sale that the resort has planned on November 17. The balance of the show was dedicated to the upcoming Southwest Spirit Summit, and the Modern Mixologist himself, Tony Abou-Ganim, was on hand with all the delicious details!

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 51:52 — 14.8MB)

Did you know that the word Pub is actually short for Public House? We were thinking of doing some serious pubbing this weekend, and our journey took us to Union Public House – the venue for this exciting broadcast. This week’s celebrity co-host was Rita Connelly, food writer for the Tucson Weekly and founder of the Well-Fed Foodie. Rita reported on things making food news this week, and shared some of her recent culinary and cocktail adventures. We then sat down with Laura Adams of the Tucson Coffee Crawl who helped us to map out our own crawls around Tucson’s leading cups of joe. Union’s owner Grant Krueger joined us for a discussion about the bar scene at his place, which includes the iconic Copper Cup and Punch Bowl drinks. Our featured guest was Union’s Chef Jack Tate, who has now jumped to the top of our list of favorite local chefs. We love everything this guy is about, and his artistry is celebratory. On your next visit to Union, ask for the duck confit risotto with spicy coppa, fresh sage, orange twist and pecorino romano cheese. Or maybe you’d like the braised short rib on a blanket of liquid corn bread! #FoodBliss

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 52:47 — 15.1MB)

Greetings from Flagstaff, Arizona! This broadcast came to you live from the City in the Pines, the perfect backdrop for a cool Autumn weekend. We first dialed up Kevin Brady, of the PY Steakhouse at the Casino Del Sol Resort, who discussed the Bottle Shock film screening and wine tasting event he was getting ready to host. We also reported on the hot new Asian restaurant that just opened in Tucson, Umi Star! Our featured guest was Chef Ryan Clark of the Lodge on the Desert, who had just been crowned the winner of the annual World Margarita Championship the night before. You won’t believe what ingredients he used for this award-winning cocktail! First, the Iron Chef of Tucson…now, award-winning mixologist! What could possibly be next for Ryan Clark???

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 52:00 — 14.9MB)

Happy hour at The Abbey was the backdrop for this delicious broadcast on a beautiful Saturday afternoon. Our celebrity co-host for the hour was Jason Miko, PR extraordinaire and Honorary Consul for the Republic of Macedonia. Jason discussed the cultural and culinary values of the Macedonian people, with an emphasis on the fresh flavors common on Balkan menus. He also treated us to some tastes of regional spirits (aka firewater!). We then sat down with Brian Metzger, owner of The Abbey, who discussed an upcoming dinner he was hosting to raise money for his twin brother, Jay, who is battling Guillain-Barre Syndrome. Brian also got us current with all The Abbey’s happs including a new fall menu. We particularly enjoyed the Monk Burger and Nana’s Pot Roast! Fight on, brother Jay, we’re praying for you and your family!

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 51:02 — 14.6MB)

Sitting in for Matt Russell this week was fellow foodie and commercial real estate extraordinaire, Mark Irvin. Mark hosted a fun show that showcased all you need to know about the annual food, cocktail and entertainment extravaganza known as THE PARTY! This event, which raises money for the Boys and Girls Clubs of Tucson, brings together more than 3,500 people, and is among our favorite nights out of the year. Mark’s special guests were event co-chair Laura Feemster, and Amber Haddad of Fox Restaurant Concepts.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 49:00 — 14.0MB)

This show came to you live, poolside, from the Casino Del Sol Resort, against the backdrop of the 2012 Tucson Culinary Festival! Matt squeezed a lot into this delicious broadcast, interviewing several stars on the local food and cocktail scene. Guests included Chef Albert Hall of Acacia Real Food & Cocktails, Chef Ryan Clark of Lodge on the Desert, winemaker Kent Callaghan from Callaghan Vineyards, Jerry Heintze of TucsonNightOut.com, and artist Chris Gall, co-author and illustrator of the PDT Cocktail Book: The Complete Bartender’s Guide from the Celebrated Speakeasy.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 50:24 — 14.4MB)

What in the world is a Fattoria? Trust us, you won’t have any more questions after you visit North Fattoria Italiana, the location of this week’s show! This week’s celebrity co-host was Jim Strong, fellow foodie and real estate agent with Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage. Jim spoke with as much enthusiam about the current real estate market as he did about his own unique approach to the culinary arts. Matt and Jim were joined by Shawn Campbell of the Tucson Symphony Orchestra, who had all the delicious details on the upcoming Moveable Musical Feast. Regan Jasper of Fox Restaurant Concepts then proudly unveiled the new ‘farmhouse’ concept at North, and spoke with great passion about how freshness makes a difference. Our featured guest was Chef Carlos Calderon of North, who took us on a culinary journey through an authentic Italian farm, where seriously good food and craft cocktails reign. We feasted on housemade gnocchi with short rib, artisan pizzas (we recommmend ‘the pig’), egg and nueske’s bacon sandwich on a beautiful brioche bun, Gigli pesto pasta, and something truly magnificent called the Nono (to which we say, YesYes!). Hungry yet?

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 51:24 — 14.7MB)

We arrived at the epicenter of hyper-fresh and tasty for this week’s show…HUB Restaurant & Creamery! Rockin’ this downtown broadcast with us was celebrity co-host Myles Stone of Borderlands Brewing Co., who had just won ‘best specialty beer’ at the Tucson Beer Cup. Matt and Myles caught up with Chef Doug Levy from Feast who had all the details on a dinner he’s hosting to raise money for Sam Hughes Elementary School. Our featured guests were Andrew Record and Kade Mislinski, who got us current with all that’s happening at HUB and Playground (and teased us with what we can expect from their new, soon-to-be-open concept: Lulu’s Shake Shop!) We were treated to some hyper-fresh and tasty items from the Playground menu, including a delicious arugula, melon and prosciutto salad and a mushroom bruschetta with balsamic reduction. And how did we wash it all down? With our new favorite cocktails, the Buckley and the Bookworm!

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 50:53 — 14.6MB)

This week’s show was designed for all of our local suds sophisticates, which came to you live from one of our favorite destinations for craft beer and fine food…Noble Hops! Our celebrity co-host for the hour was Adam Lehrman, otherwise known as the Tucson Foodie. He walked us through the kinds of things he believes are important when reviewing a restaurant, and gave us an overall sense of the Tucson Foodie multi-media world. Matt and Adam welcomed Matt McCullough of Finley Distributing to the scene, who hosted a sampling of some of Noble Hops’ 175 craft beers (no, we didn’t sample them all!), and Jennifer Coyle of the Tucson Ladies Council stopped by to discuss the upcoming Fashion Show. Our featured guest was Aric Mussman of Noble Hops who set the record straight on exactly what in the world a gastropub is! And once we tasted the porter-soaked grilled cheese sandwich, miso salmon, house-made hummus and Bavarian pretzels, we were hooked!

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 51:16 — 14.7MB)

Sitting in for Matt Russell this week were Fuego Daddy Alan Zeman and Chef Albert Hall of Acacia Real Food & Cocktails. Albert shared some exciting things happening at Acacia, including a four-course beer dinner coming up on September 19 in partnership with Dragoon Brewing Company. Alan and Albert then welcomed Lindsay Aguilar, of the Tucson Unified School District, for a delicious discussion of some new healthy food options available at local schools (she had us at Kale Chips!). Our featured guest was Steve McBrayer of the new joint everyone’s talking about, Hot Rods! Is it a restaurant? A bar? An auto shop? This was a fun interview, and our mouths are still watering.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 51:17 — 14.7MB)