By Susie Timm, Head Cheese
There are a few things in life I love as much as meat. My family, my faith, my friends and of course, football.
I’ve been a loyal Cardinals fan for 19 years even through some of the most painful seasons I’ve ever seen.
This week’s game against San Francisco was no exception in the pain department.
Luckily, I was well fed and watered. R Bar at the Camelback Inn invited me and a couple of my homies down to check out their “Taste of the NFL” spread.
Here’s the skinny on this program:
Recently Taste of the NFL officially kicked off across the Valley to provide relief for the hungry in Arizona. One of our spotlight participating venues, R’Bar at the JW Marriott Camelback Inn, has gone above and beyond what the the Taste of the NFL requests from it’s participants, carrying and selling select E&J Gallo Winery brands in order to raise money to feed the hungry, created an entire menu benefiting the program that is featured each week during Monday night football. A portion of the proceeds raised at each venue will directly benefit our local chapter of St. Mary’s Food Bank Alliance.
Over the past 20 years Taste of the NFL has donated over $10 million to feeding the hungry around the U.S. Last years, the Phoenix program, run by the Gallo Winery, provided 117,720 meals to those in need around the state.
Pretty cool eh? It’s a well known fact that I love the JW Marriott Camelback Inn and more specifically the cocktail program started by Trudy Thomas, Director of Beverage. I can’t say enough about the quality of the drinks she has created.
The cocktails for the Taste of the NFL program were not different. Thomas created a couple of signature cocktails for the event including the “Gridiron Side Car” that featured apple brandy and had a cinnamon sugar rim. The Desert Heat Martini was made with New Amsterdam Gin, Strawberries and Jalapeno. It was sweet heat that was very pleasing.
As for food, we sampled buffalo chicken sliders, nachos and home made chili cheese fries. We loved the crisp coleslaw atop the spicy buffalo chicken and ordered another round of sliders! The cheese sauce on the nachos and cheese fries was delicate and not greasy as sometimes it can be at other bars.
Prices on drinks are $5-$6 (a bucket of Coors Light is $16 for 4 bottles). Wine is $6 a glass and the selections are awesome! The food costs between $6-$7.
Overall, though the Cards really stunk, we had a blast. It’s a fun place to catch a game and when the weather is a bit warmer, the outside patio at the R Bar is one of the very best in the Valley.
You can check out the Taste of the NFL menu at the R Bar at the Camelback Inn any Monday between now and the end of the regular football season!
