Quick Bites

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Sonoran Harvest: Taste the Desert. The Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum invites you to get a taste of the Sonoran Desert. And it's a lot less dry and prickly than it sounds! For their second annual food and drink festival, the Desert Museum is partnering with Tucson Foodie and the UA Center for Regional Food Studies for a celebration of local food culture. The core of the event: local chefs battle to be crowned the "Sonoran Harvest Champion" and you get to vote for your favorite. Competitors include chefs from Geronimo's Revenge, Ciao Down, Welcome Diner and Batch Cafe. As an embrace of the desert, chefs are required to use prickly pear and/or mesquite in their competition food. This food fanatic's fiesta also includes tasting stations from Mestizo Sonoran Bistro, Mad Batter Bakery, Geronimo's Revenge, Fat Noodle, August Rhodes Market, Prep & Pastry and more. And local brewers are invited as well, including Harbottle Brewing, Town Under Black Distillery, Borderlands Brewing Company and Button Brew House. The night even features a specialty guided tasting with tequila expert, Jesús García. Tequila tasting tickets sold separately. 6 to 9:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 16. 2021 N. Kinney Road. Food-only tickets: $35. Food and alcohol tickets: $50. For more information, go to desertmuseum.org.

17th Annual Mesquite Milling Fiesta. Who spilt the beans all over Tucson? Oh, it turns out that's just what mesquite trees do naturally. Come get locally harvested mesquite pods ground into delicious desert flour at the Las Milpitas de Cottonwood Community Farm. The Mesquite Milling Fiesta is a celebration of our local desert beans, and includes food demos by Desert Harvesters, EXO Roast and Desert Forager. Desert Harvesters, for instance, is offering samples of "mesquite pod broth hot chai tea." Who knew the desert could be so abundant? 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 16. 2405 S. Cottonwood Ln. Admission is free, milling charges will apply.

Fifth Annual Stone Avenue Block Party. Ah, Stone Avenue, one of the core pillars of downtown. The Jewish History Museum is celebrating the fifth annual Stone Avenue Block Party with food, drinks and plenty of local music. The festivities include a beer garden with brews from Barrio Brewery and Sentinel Peak Brewery, as well as a food truck roundup. There will also be the Jovert Steel Drum Band (Tucson High Magnet School) and Mariachi Los Diablitos (Sunnyside High School). 7 to 11 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 16. 564 S. Stone Ave.

On Tap

1912/Craft Collaborative Release Party. Beer collaborations generally mean two beer groups come together, and that's true in this situation. But this collaboration is special, because it also includes the coming together of two of nature's greatest bounties: the apricot and plum. 1912 Brewing and Craft, A Modern Drinkery present the "Rock Out With Your Pluot" milkshake sour. Featuring the fruity sourness of the pluot (a plum/apricot hybrid) this new beer contains lactose and brewer's sugar for creaminess, and clocks in at 6 percent ABV. Get a taste of this fusion of local businesses and fruits. 6 to 8 p.m. Friday, Nov. 15. 4603 E. Speedway Blvd.

Yeti Awareness Night at Tucson Hop Shop. A mysterious creature is making its way into Tucson Hop Shop; Great Divide Brewing Co. is bringing along five of their "Yeti" beer variants, and you get to try all the flavors yourself. With options like the Vanilla Oak Aged Yeti, Mexican Hot Chocolate Yeti, Barrel Aged Yeti, S'mores Yeti and 25th Anniversary Yeti, you're sure to become a true believer. These variants come from the far reaches of humanity's imagination, dare you investigate? 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 14. 3230 N. Dodge Blvd.

Puppies, Yoga & Beer. Those are probably the three favorite things of quite a few people. And I'm sure most enjoy at least one of them. That's a good enough reason as any to head down to Harbottle Brewing Company while they support the local dog and cat rescue charity Lil Bit of Love. The entrance fee will get you an hour of yoga while playing with puppies, and a pint from Harbottle Brewing. Culinary Graduate food truck will also be standing by to fuel you up post-workout. 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 17. 3820 S. Palo Verde #102. $15.

AC Hotel Announces Fall Cocktails. AC Hotel is embracing the 5 Cs of Arizona on their new fall cocktail menu. Their new drinks are the "Copper" with Tennessee whiskey and apple brandy; the "Citrus" with vodka, amaretto and lemon; the "Cattle" with black tea, red wine and cognac; the "Cotton" with white rum, clove liqueur and cola syrup; and the "Climate" with Reposado tequila, orange liqueur and mesquite bean. They even have two bonus cocktails, the "Culture" with Del Bac and Copper City Bourbon; and the "College" with Bud Light and a shot of tequila. The fall cocktail menu will last until the holiday season. All cocktails $12, except the $7 "College." 151 E. Broadway Blvd. ■

Presidio District Gastronomy Tour. The nonprofit Presidio San Agustín del Tucson is hosting food tours so you can learn about Tucson's history, and get a taste of the place at the same time. Participants get to experience Tucson's "complex food heritage and the fusion of Old and New World ingredients while hearing great stories of Tucson's history in some of it's more historic locations." Featured restaurants include El Charro Cafe and La Cocina Restaurant & Cantina. 12:30 to 4 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 20. 196 N. Court Street. $70 for members, $85 for non-members. For more information, and to buy tickets, visit tucsonpresidio.com.