#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