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Somewhere to Go

Healdsburg Wine Tour

In our monthly Great Escapes travel feature, editor Craig Outhier sips and swirls—and pedals—his way through the bike-friendly Sonoma County hamlet of Healdsburg. How to describe Healdsburg? “It’s as if someone took Old Town Scottsdale and cross-pollinated it with a New England college town,” Outhier writes. “It’s quaint and seasoned, but unmistakably upscale, with interesting flashes of adaptive reuse and modernism.” Highlights include his two-wheeled exploration of the town’s many estate wineries and tasting rooms—and a close encounter with the grilled cheese sandwich to end all grilled cheese sandwiches. healdsburg.com

Something to Eat

Tía Carmen at Desert Ridge

“Desert Ridge has its first destination restaurant,” dining critic Nikki Buchanan declares in her rave review of this modern-Southwestern eatery at the JW Marriott Phoenix Desert Ridge Resort & Spa. Beguiled by celebrity chef Angelo Sosa’s inventive fusion cooking, Buchanan describes in mouthwatering detail the dishes that singlehandedly rehabilitate North Phoenix’s dining scene, including her favorite: ember-roasted purple yams in a tepary bean mole negro, “enveloped in an ivory queso sauce so luscious I want to lick the bowl,” she bravely admits. tiacarmendesertridge.com

Something to Do

The Arizona State Fair

C’mon, Phoenix Home & Garden readers: We know you love deep-fried Twinkies as much as the next flesh-and-blood Arizonan. To that end, the Valley’s harbinger of fall is back this year with its usual menagerie of cute farm animals, heart-pumping rides and unabashedly over-the-top fair grub. From rodeos and monster trucks to trapeze acts and hypnotists, there’s something to captivate everyone in your family or friend group. And don’t you dare skimp on the Cap’n Crunch fried chicken sandwiches and Hot Cheetos pizza. Sept. 23-Oct. 30, Thursdays through Sundays. Check online for ticket prices and specials. azstatefair.com

Someone to Know

Oro Brewing Beersmith
Jesse Kortepeter

One of eight Arizona brewers profiled in our sprawling Arizona Breweries & Fall Drives cover story, Kortepeter learned the ropes working for SanTan Brewing Company and Flagstaff’s Wanderlust Brewing Co. in his early career. In October, he’ll hit six years at Oro, where he authors every recipe, including Trigo Suave, a fruit beer he reluctantly made that ended up winning a silver medal at the 2022 World Beer Cup. 

What was it like when the silver medal news came down?
Initially, it was kind of shocking. Trigo had made the medal round before at GABF and World Beer Cup, so we kept entering, hoping it would break through. I’m not a big fruit-beer guy, but customers kept asking for it. The thing I like about Trigo is it has a lot of tangerine but still finishes like a wheat beer. 

What’s your favorite beer you make?
Right now, I really like the Session IPA, but I’m drinking a Singularity, which is probably my second favorite beer. It was the first recipe I got to write when I got here. It’s really fun, because we just change the hop, and the malt stays the same. It gives you an in-depth look at what certain hops will bring. 

Which local restaurant dish do you like to pair with your beer?
Gus’s World-Famous Fried Chicken has some of the best fried chicken in the world. One of my favorites to pair with it is Give Peat A Chance foreign export stout. It’s a contrast but makes things better. With the slight smokiness and dark, rich flavors, the beer cuts through the greasy aspect of the fried chicken. orobrewing.com