Scottsdale Beer Company
Craft beer was once a rarity to find. They were limited to specific regions of the world and country. But now with modernization and advanced technology, you can visit a specific craft brewery or even go so far as brew it yourself. But while the excitement of having a tall frothy class of a unique craft beer excites the majority of people, I want to see what is coming out of the kitchen. On the advice of an avid reader, I looked into the Scottsdale Beer Company. She especially recommended it due to my love of soft, warm, and delicious pretzels.
A relaxed atmosphere is apparent, and the seating goes quickly even on a Friday evening. A large bar dominates the large open dining room and it did seem that you could order from the menu there as well. They do offer Happy Hour specials and the savings did seem to be a significant price reduction from the normal menu prices. The menu consists mostly of pub style meals and sandwiches, but the quality is higher than your standard pub.
We started with afore mentioned Local Warm Pub Pretzel (2 for $9.50, 2 for $5 on the happy hour menu). The pretzels were slightly crisp on the outside, super soft on the inside and most importantly delicious. They are served with a house beer cheese sauce, but you can request mustard or ranch dressing also. The pretzel size is significant, I mean SIGNIFICANT! One pretzel can easily feed two people. They had a delightful dusting of salt on the crust. The cheese was nice, but I enjoyed dipping the pretzel into the ranch dressing more. If you are a fan of large, hot pretzels make sure to plan to order them here.
Our first entrée we selected was the Beer Battered Cod Sandwich ($12.75). The sandwich comes with a choice of a side item and we upgraded the side item to Sweet Potato Fries ($2). This sandwich was huge. This was a nicely deep fried piece of Cod that wasn’t overwhelmed by the breading. The flavors of the fish were still evident in each bite. It sat on a moist Challah roll and an schmear of tarter sauce for added enhancement. The sandwich also has crisp lettuce, a few slices of tomatoes and house-made pickles to round out the sandwich. It is tough to enjoy good fish this far from an Ocean, but it was a very nice sandwich. The Sweet Potato fries were a great upgrade and they had a perfect crispness to each bite.
The next item we ordered was The Burger ($12.75). This is an 8-ounce Beef patty that is served on a Challah roll bun as well. It is topped with a little aioli sauce, Bibb lettuce, a slow roasted tomato, and bacon. But the addition of the cheese curds added another nice dimension to the burger. We also opted to add a Fried Egg ($1.50), which I love on a nice juicy burger. For the side item we selected their House-made Ranch chips. These are fresh made Potato chips that are tossed with a ranch dressing dry mix to add extra flavor. The burger was amazing and the bowl of chips that is included could feed a table of four with ease. The fried egg was done as a perfect sunny-side up. If you choose this option, I recommend cutting the burger in half to prevent the egg from completely coating your hands while eating.
The staff can be run a little thin on busy weekend evenings, so be prepared to order a glass of water with your beverage choice. It may take awhile for a refill even with the best service. You can see the Brew Masters tanks on display along one dining room wall. Beverages aside, the work of the Head Chef Justin Olsen warrants a visit to this establishment. The flavors that he is creating along with some of the unique other dishes available, makes it a worth while place to add to your dining rotation. So take advantage of this Micro-brew spot, with a Macro-food experience.
Location and Website – 8608 E Shea Blvd, Scottsdale, AZ 85260, http://www.scottsdalebeercompany.com