A California food phenomenon visited downtown Phoenix Tuesday to bring food lovers to four restaurants in one night through the ultimate foodie event, Dishcrawl.
Copper Blues, The Arrogant Butcher, Gypsy Bar and food truck Liberty Biscuit participated in this year’s Phoenix Dishcrawl which brought a diverse palette of menu options to the event.
“Most restaurants seem very responsive and they’re really excited that we’re helping them bring awareness to their restaurant and bring in new people,” Phoenix Dishcrawl Ambassador Tyler Sam said.
Sam said Dishcrawl was founded in the Bay Area by Tracy Lee, who had started hosting local events in her community before the idea blossomed into a city-wide community gathering founded on the premise of ‘good food and good company.’
“I figure the best way to get to know somebody is to sit down and have a meal with them,” Sam said.
Nicole White, author of her personal blog The Marvelous Misadventures of a Foodie and Dishcrawl attendee, echoed Sam’s enthusiasm and passion for food.
“There’s a lot of great restaurants here in Phoenix,” White said of her decision to branch out from the Chandler restaurant scene. “There’s a lot of great stuff that people just don’t know about.”
The event held approximately 25 people for a more intimate setting, which Sam felt would create a comfortable and friendly vibe.
Sam said Arizona State University’s downtown campus played a large role for the location this year.
Communication major Melissa Ziegler considers downtown Phoenix the place to go for art-based events. Though Ziegler attends class at ASU’s Tempe campus, she said downtown offers more for entertainment.
“Downtown in general is artsy. I always feel like you go down there when there is any type of festival,” Ziegler said.
Sam feels that downtown Phoenix is reinventing itself and the time is now to give recognition by allowing the public to have a social outlet while supporting local businesses and to show food lovers the best dishes.
“Seems the right time to bring awareness downtown, they have a lot of new businesses that are popping up,” Sam said.
Sam said that Dishcrawl has hosted gatherings in Scottsdale and Arcadia. A Dessert Crawl will be held on April 27th at Mill Avenue, featuring five of Tempe’s sweetest shops.
“We like to have a variety of restaurants, we like to throw something in there that nobody has tried,” Sam said.
Contact the reporter at leslie.philp@asu.edu
