Scottsdale Spice

Horrible. Disorganized. And believe it or not, didn’t serve vodka. The event is not worth the $ 55.00 with the exception of possibly the live entertainment. This actually could be a gold mine event, but would need professionals to pull it off, not chamber of commerce volunteers.

This event was a wonderful example of some of the best in one place. Great live music and amazing samplings of the valleys best spicy food. A good time had by all. A bit pricey for entry but a good environment.

Had a blast at Scottsdale Spice this year — thanks Unilocal for the free tickets! Although I don’t believe they were the winning restaurant of the evening, Angry Crab Shack’s spicy concoctions won the night in my mind. I was downing drinks like crazy to try to get rid of the burn, and I just tried the «mild» version! I made an attempt at trying every restaurant’s entry, but I was stuffed (and slightly tipsy) by the time I stumbled upstairs, so I may have missed a few. Good thing there were taxi discount coupons and a horde of taxis available for the end of the night! The only thing I’d recommend for next year is to increase the number of people assigned to clearing tables and increase the number of tables — there was a huge area for dancing, but no real place to rest your feet afterward. Hopefully I’ll be able to come back again next year!

Really nice event at The Venue is Old Town. There was plenty of food and drinks. I loved the samples from Hula’s, Fogon and El Palacio. I agree with the other Unilocaler regarding having a water station. It would have made the flow of the drinks much smoother. The music was fun and people seem to be enjoying the party. I also loved the olive oil booth, I ended up buying the pack of olive oils and balsamic vinegar. I also got the lotion. So amazing.

Mark your calendars for this one. Yes, it’s best to come hungry. I share this as I goofed in my planning. There needs to be r-​o-​o-​m in your stomach for the wonders of culinary delights offered.
Sadly I did not complete the circuit. Angry Crab Shack. Hula’s Modern Tiki. Rubio’s. El Palacio. Brat Haus. Fogon. Gourmet Tacos. Los Olivos.
Thankfully a variation of spice levels were offered to suit different palates. In my book Angry Crab caused a fire. (This is the review I wrote about Angry Crab’s offering. I still love them.
)
In the middle of all this Mirabel, from the Scottsdale Country Club, was passing out drinks with beef jerky in them.
The Venue was the perfect place to host this event. If you’ve been you’re familiar with the two-​level structure. Plenty of room for schmoozing, eating, dancing and grabbing drinks from the different bars.
I absolutely loooorved the band that played that night, Sapphire Sky.
Note: This is Scottsdale so the wine was the first to go. Be strategic in your drinking!

I was concerned as to who selected The Venue, and what City Official inspected it… There was absolutely no handicap access beyond the lobby. Are there not regulations and laws regarding this? No one in the entire Scottsdale Chamber of Commerce nor The City are familiar with ADA (American Disabilities Act)?
Additionally, if a fire had started with all that food cooking, what a bloody disaster with one staircase and obscure exit signs. Trash from the few available table tops literally piled up a foot, and we saw NO staff assigned to clean up.
As far as the winners go, the «Judges» must have gone through years of taste-​bud corrosion by over-​use of garlic, salt, and grease. It’s the only explanation for selecting El Palacio. My husband and I much preferred Honey Bear’s BBQ.
«Spice» does NOT solely include peppers. There was NO Italian food represented, NO Indian or Middle Eastern selections, and NO Ethiopian/​African food… I mean if we’re only looking for hot, hotter, and hottest, then Ethiopian is the real ticket. The drink volumes were miserly (including tepid water — with NO ICE). The Venue was hot, muggy, overly crowded, and *ridiculously* LOUD.
ALL THIS DURING THE FIRST HOUR. Yeesh! Needless to say, we left. And yes, we had visited and tasted selections from every food vendor involved in the event **IN AN HOUR**.
The upside? We found some fabulous restaurants to explore. However, my husband & I have decided not attend this event ever again.

Wowzah! Great inaugural event. What a selection of restaurants. I feel sorry for the businesses that were not here. The samples were spicy, generous and plentiful. I had not even hit each restaurant once before I was full. With the 7 drink samples available I only hit half before I hit satisfaction.
The only things I noted was the temperature, it got a little warm in the building, and not talking about the spice. The back corner with Honey Bear and the photo booth was very cramped. I can see this being more popular next year and it could mean even more issues with space.

I had a great time. I won the tickets so even better. It was all free to me and my best Bud! Saw a lot of my Favorite Unilocalie friends too. I think my tongue is still peeling from the «Angry Crab’s» hot sauce. That stuff is Cra, Cra!
I liked the Mirabel Country Club’s food the best. Drunken Shrimp with this crazy delish, Cookified, Crispy, Garlicy baked tortilla crisp. Oh my! I could have eaten just them all night. The Venue’s Macaroon option was the most interesting. The other food was all good too!
The Venue is a cool place for sure. For next time, my thoughts are that they could have had more garbage cans out and maybe water stations to make the flow of the event and bar go a bit smoother. It was awkward trying to eat and walk around. A lot of bumping and spilling occurred, although the trays helped.
I thought the band was great!
I wonder who won the golden ticket?

This place was poppin’! Was it crowded? You bet. Was it hot and humid? Oh heck yes. That second floor was like being in the Devil’s armpit! Then again, it –was– storming outside so you can’t fault The Venue completely. But with 20ish, give or take, restaurants partaking and cooking away, it was a great Saturday night with 1.5hrs of straight nasty grubbin’.
I had brought along one of my bestest buddies, Linh L., with me as my +1 with the tickets I won at the Unilocal Birthday Bash at Nash. Thanks a million, Unilocal,for allowing me to attend such a spectacular event! We ran into many familiar faces and it was a Unilocalers Reunion. We all voted that Unilocal had the best booth, right? ;D That Rachel S. and the new ambassador [Vanessa, right?] were pushing through that heat like champs. Glad they were giving away fans! There was some great music by Sapphire Sky as well. They knew how to get the people dancing. I was the crazy one spinning in a circle, front and center, to record a video for my Instagram during Pharrell’s «Happy» cover.
The best bites of the night for me were from Mirabel Country Club and El Palacio. Mirabel had that amazingly delicious «southwestern beer drowned shrimp.» It was a flavor explosion on a crispy tortilla chip! Running into Rachel S. and having her give me the heads up that it was a tasty morsel was a tip worth heeding. Amazing! El Palacio served up some succulent carnitas. No joke, I think I need to visit their restaurant this week. I’m daydreaming of a delicious taco… They had a really charismatic and friendly spokesman for their booth. The lovely lady even remembered me and which level of spice I liked when I crept back into line an hour later with Amy H. for seconds. I almost felt guilty and ashamed but then I saw my mild sauce being cooked into the pork and all embarrassment was forgotten. Get in me, street taco. Let’s be one. *saliva gurgle* Congratulations to El Palacio and chef Anthony Serrano for winning and good luck in Las Vegas! Bring home the big money! Also to note, The Venue has some tasty spicy ginger beer and a delicious yogurt and habanero, mango, and watermelon jelly shot. Such a perfect balance of heat and coolness.
The only complaints I really had was that I wish they had a few more tables set up and some chairs out. My feet were dying after being in high heels all night. And can we get some rails on both sides of the staircases? I thought I was going to trip and die with pounds of spicy food in my belly walking down the narrow staircase with that bulky Comerica swag bag.
Anyways, great job Scottsdale Spice on their inaugural first year! May you have many more years of culinary battles to come and more contestants year after year!

Great food and drinks. Will definitely go again if they do it next year.