#1062 - Acua, Scottsdale, AZ - 3/27/2010

7144 E Stetson Dr., Ste 250, Scottsdale, AZ 85251 - (480) 949-9000
acuaaz.com - newtimes - yelp

#1061 - Estate House, Scottsdale, AZ - 3/27/2010

A cool, tri-level space with a breezy patio on the upper floor.

7134 E Stetson Dr., Ste 200, Scottsdale, AZ 85251 - (480) 970-4099
estatehouseaz.com - chowhound - yelp

#1060 - Devil's Martini, Scottsdale, AZ - 3/27/2010

4175 N Goldwater Blvd., Scottsdale, AZ 85251 - (480) 947-4873
devilsmartini.com - yelp

#1059 - Mabel's on Main, Scottsdale, AZ - 3/27/2010

Mabel's on Main (formerly Mabel Murphy's) is a nice speakeasy themed lounge with very good cocktails and gourmet small plates (by chef and owner Aaron May). Nicki (sp?) the bartender (pictured) really knows her stuff, and was a great help with the cocktail suggestions.

But the star of the place is the hidden room (partially shown in pic).  Pull on a certain book and a section of the bookcase swings out to reveal a plush room complete with a one-way mirror to watch people in the bar.

7018 E Main St., Scottsdale, AZ 85251 - (480) 946-0363
mabelsonmain.com - newtimes - newtimes - yelp - chowhound

#1058 - The Rusty Spur, Scottsdale, AZ - 3/27/2010

The Rusty Spur is a fairly genuine honky tonk in the middle of Old Town Scottsdale.   It's in a structure built in 1921 and became a saloon back in1958 (claiming to be the oldest Saloon in Scottsdale).  It serves as "the destination of choice for the Hashknife Pony Express riders after completing the 200 mile relay ride over the grueling, mountainous trail from Holbrook to Scottsdale."

The house band -- the Psychobilly Rodeo Band -- told the audience "It's kinda crowded tonight, so if you're not gonna tip, we'd appreciate it if you got your cheap asses outta here."

7245 E Main St., Scottsdale, AZ 85251 - (480) 425-7787
rustyspursaloon.com - yelp - newtimes

#1057 - Old Town Tavern, Scottsdale, AZ - 3/27/2010

7320 E Scottsdale Mall, Scottsdale, AZ 85251 - (480) 945-2882
oldtowntavernaz.com - facebook - myspace - yelp

#1056 - Red Bar (Mondrian), Scottsdale, AZ - 3/27/2010

A fairly swanky bar, with multiple levels and outdoor features, in a quite swanky motel, but not a lot of personality as far as I can tell.

Mondrian Hotel Scottsdale, 7353 E Indian School Rd., Scottsdale, AZ 85251 - (480) 444-0549
metromix - azcentral - yelp

#1055 - Buffalo Chip Saloon, Cave Creek, AZ - 3/26/2010

Wow.  The Buffalo Chip Saloon and Steakhouse is another huge, western-themed place with a big patio with picnic tables and fire pits.  I have to give it the edge over Harold's, Greasewood Flat, and the Horny Toad -- how many bars do you know that feature real bull riding?

On Friday's the Buffalo Chip also features an all-you-can-eat fish fry (walleye,  lake perch, cod and catfish) and a huge barbacue option with brisket, sausages and such in big vats. 

Of course it attracts the standard Cave Creek crowd of cowboys, bikers, retiree, and tourists, but I also liked the people and conversations here best. In the picture with me is Jerry and his wife from Illinois, and Jimmy, who served in WWII before the services were integrated, retired from the auto industry and moved out here, and at 80 still rides his horse virtually every day.

Paul the bartender was very cool, and around the corner was an older woman with a huge wedding ring, beat-up cowboy hat, and heavy mascara saying into her phone, "Zoe, it's grandma.  I'm at a bar."

Good food, decent drinks, good crowd, live music and dancing 7 nights a week -- I plan to make this a staple of my Arizona trips.

6811 E Cave Creek Rd., Cave Creek, AZ 85331 - (480) 488-9118
buffalochipsaloon.com - newtimes - yelp - azcentral

#1054 - Harold's Corral, Cave Creek, AZ - 3/26/2010

Harold's Corral is another big, western themed place in Cave Creek, and dates itself back to 1935, when Johnny Walker opened the Corral Bar to serve workers building the Bartlett Dam. In 1950 it was purchased by local character Harold Gavagan, which led to keeping lions and tigers in back and visits by various celebrities. Currently it is owned by some displaced Steelers fans, and serves as a gathering point for Steeler rooters who moved away from the midwest cold, just as the Buffalo Chip caters to Packers fans.

Did I say big? Harold's seats 800 (600 inside and 200 on the outside patio). It has great happy hour prices -- my gin and tonic was $2. Nowadays it is full of the standard Cave Creek cross section of cowboys, bikers, retirees, and tourists.

6895 E Cave Creek Rd., Cave Creek, AZ 85331 - (480) 488-1906
haroldscorral.com - azcentral - yelp

#1053 - The Horny Toad, Cave Creek, AZ - 3/26/2010

Note to self: Next Spring Training trip, reserve a room for a night or two in Cave Creek. It's a really fun little town.

6738 E Cave Creek Rd., Cave Creek, AZ 85331 - (480) 488-9542
thehornytoad.com - yelp - newtimes - metromix - azcentral

#1052 - Hoot & Howl, Goodyear, AZ - 3/25/2010

55 N Litchfield Rd., Goodyear, AZ 85338 - (623) 932-3580
yelp

#1051 - Dirty Dogg Saloon, Scottsdale, AZ - 3/24/2010

The Dirty Dogg is a biker bar where scantily clad servers literally swing from the ceilings to the tunes of butt rock music (AC/DC, Kid Rock, etc.), in routines well practiced to take advantage of the very limited space.  But despite the very watchable athleticism of the staff (swinging hulahoops upside down, timing swings to lock lips with other girls, etc.), the action really gets going when numerous female customers get in on the act (and the staff are quick with scissors to convince them to add to the prodigious collection of panties hanging from the ceiling).

You're not allowed to take pictures (and several bouncers are watching like hawks and quick to pounce if  your phone takes aim), but there are ample (NSFW) examples on the flickr page and youtube, if you're curious.

10409 N Scottsdale Rd., Paradise Valley, AZ 85253 - (480) 368-8095
dirtydoggsaloon.com - flickr - newtimes - yelp

#1050 - Greasewood Flat, Scottsdale, AZ - 3/24/2010

Greasewood Flat is something else.  It's technically in Scottsdale, but not before you drive away from the clusters of night clubs and golf courses, out through the desert to a 120-year-old bunkhouse that used to be the main stagecoach stop between Fort McDowell and Phoenix.

The center is a large open area with rows of picnic tables and lots of fire pits blazing away.  The bar is the basics and the food is burgers and chili (don't go hungry -- you'll get that way during the comically long wait for food).  But the reason to go is for the (largely authentic) old west setting.

Greasewood also has live music (country of course) and dancing, and is popular with both the biker crowd and families.  There's lots of stuff to look at, a great desert sunset view, and the communal arrangement of picnic tables is conducive to striking up conversations.

27500 N Alma School Pkwy., Scottsdale, AZ 85250 - (480) 585-9430
greasewoodflat.net - culinaryfool - azcentral - yelp - newtimes

#1049 - Culinary Dropout, Scottsdale, AZ - 3/24/2010

Another nice place in the Sam Fox chain, like Olive & Ivy, and my second favorite cocktails in the Phoenix area after Jade Bar.  Had a nice Smashed Irishman (Jameson, lemon juice, honey, reduced Guiness, and mint) and a good cocktail and bar chat with bartender Sean.

7135 E Camelback Rd., Ste 125, Scottsdale, AZ 85251 - (480) 970-1700
foxrc.com - azcentral - yelp

#1048 - Olive & Ivy, Scottsdale, AZ - 3/24/2010

Don't be put off by Olive & Ivy's location at the edge of a mall -- it's got a large, sunny, and highly comfortable patio on the banks of a canal.  The emphasis is on wine, but there are some decent cocktails.  And while this blog is about the bars not the restaurants, I can't go without mentioning that the food was excellent from start to finish.  (In my case this was their standard focaccia bread and pesto, a bruschetta with crescenza cheese and fig preserves, and a chicken curry salad.) Service was efficient and quite friendly.

O&I is one of several Fox restaurants in the area, and from my sample of them, these tend to be very good.

7135 E. Camelback Rd., Ste. 195, Scottsdale, AZ 85251 - (480) 751-2200
foxrc.com - chowhound - yelp - metromix - azcentral

#1047 - Jade Bar, Scottsdale, AZ - 3/24/2010

After talking to a number of bartenders in the area -- and doing some fairly extensive personal research -- I feel pretty comfortable saying that if you want the best cocktails in the Phoenix area, you should head to the Jade Bar at the Sanctuary Resort.  This is off the beaten path a bit, and after a few miles down streets with no street lights, it felt a bit like driving to a ski lodge up in the mountains.  It's worth the drive though.  I had two excellent cocktails ("The Last Word" and a "Pendemums Club"), and one enjoyable and informative conversation with Jillian the bartender.  Wish I could have made some of their mixology classes.

5700 E McDonald Dr., Paradise Valley, AZ 85253 - (480) 948-2100
sanctuaryoncamelback.com - scottsdale cvb - yelp

#1046 - Stone Rose Lounge, Scottsdale, AZ - 3/23/2010

The Scottsdale area has a lot of posh resorts and hotels, and just because you don't want to pay $600 a night to stay there doesn't mean you shouldn't enjoy their bars, with their expansive desert views and opulent fire and water features. 

One of the better ones to visit is the Gerber Group's Stone Rose Lounge in the Scottsdale Fairmont, a "modernist take on a classic 1950s beach club." 

The Stone Rose has a woody indoor bar that opens to a large patio area with fire pits and fountains.  A central fountain contains a large flame in a globe, while blue lit water and river rock surround an elevated bar across the way.  The cocktails are significantly better than average -- and significantly more expensive.  But it's worth it to go once in a while and take in the surroundings, especially around sunset.
7575 East Princess Dr., Scottsdale, AZ 85255 - (480) 585-4848
fairmont.com - facebook - gerber group - azcentral - yelp

#1045 - Mac's Broiler and Tap, Tempe, AZ - 3/23/2010

6430 S McClintock Dr., Tempe, AZ 85283 - (480) 755-3050
yelp

#1044 - The Lodge, Scottsdale, AZ - 3/23/2010

This, as the name implies, is very lodge-like indeed.  That includes not only the decor, but the fairly standard drinks, with a few interesting beer choices, the better than average food (I had a fine sloppy joe and salad), and a warm feeling like you just came in through four feet of snow rather than 80 degree sunshine.

And their web site is a little trippy.

4422 N 75th St., Scottsdale, AZ 85251
scottsdalelodge.com - myspace - newtimes - yelp - metromix

#1043 - Pattie's First Ave. Lounge, Scottsdale, AZ - 3/22/2010

Patties is a standard issue dive bar with a random crowd oddly inserted into the middle of the faux cowboy art environs of Old Town, Scottsdale.  It's a fairly large place, with a semi-open patio with ping pong, etc., and it attracts more old drunks and losers than most bars in Scottsdale, which usually makes for a better bar

7220 E 1st Ave., Scottsdale, AZ 85251 - (480) 990-0103
yelp