Posts Tagged ‘bloody Mary’

Lately I have been spending a lot of time in the Phoenix/Scottsdale area of Arizona and, as such, sampling Bloody Marys along the way.

One of those stops was at BJ’s Brewhouse in Peoria, which is a chain not unique to the area.

BJ’s is one of those places that has a huge, extensive menu, not specializing in one thing.

On this visit, we sat at the bar and ordered the jambalaya and  Bloody Mary:

BJs

 

 

Here are the stats:

Mix: We asked for it spicy

Chaser:  None offered.

Fixin’s: Lime, Bean, Celery

Price:$7.95

Although it was not super unique, this Bloody Mary had a nice flavor to it and went down easily.

We recently visited RnR in Scottsdale, AZ to check out their Bloody Mary.

RnR is a cool bar on the edge of Old Town Scottsdale with a large 2-story patio and a cool atmosphere.

However, be forewarned that it is often extremely crowded and noisy (both from the patrons and the blaring music). Not a great spot for conversation!

On the day we arrived, we squeezed in at the bar and ordered a Bloody Mary. We were told they were serving that month’s signature Bloody Mary. Here’s what that consisted of:

Mix: Clamato

Chaser: None offered.

Fixin’s: Lemon and 8 shrimp

Price: $13.89

It was a busy day and we received a mason jar with our drink but were told that they were cooking the shrimp… when it finally arrived, here’s how it was presented:

RNR (2)

Of course, we had to pretty it up for a photo:

RNR (1)

This Bloody Mary was the priciest of all the ones we’ve sampled in Arizona. We understand that there were eight shrimp included, but they were pretty small. Not sure the ends justified the means on this one.

RnR also offers a “bottomless” Bloody Mary on Saturdays and Sundays from 10am-3pm for $18 with an entree or $28 without. At that rate, you’d have to drink at least two of these to make it “worth it” and we’re not sure if it is, unfortunately.

As I noted in my previous post, I’ve been traveling to Arizona recently and sampling Bloodies in the Southwest.

Last time I was here, I sought out the Verde Mary at The Windsor in Phoenix. The Verde Mary was very different, but tasted amazing.

 

 

My research indicated that the restaurant hosts a fully loaded Bloody Mary bar available Saturday and Sunday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., so I made it a mission to return, which I finally did a couple of weekends ago.

Windsor (1)

Tucked into its namesake historic Phoenix neighborhood, Windsor is a neighborhood bar and restaurant with a backyard-style patio,high-quality wine and beer on tap, a robust selection of prohibition cocktails and a menu that features casual bar food with an upscale twist.

Windsor (4)

The Bloody Mary Bar was very pretty-looking, but rather small compared to Midwest standards.

Windsor (5)

Garnishes include cocktail onions, pickles, olives, citrus, hot sauces and more.

Windsor (2)

For $5, this is a great deal, especially if you’re brunching at the Windsor, with its awesome menu. However, we did not see the Verde Mary on the menu this time and forgot to ask about–we’re hoping it still exists. Of the two, we highly recommend ordering that one if you can!
Cheers!

Last year, we had the pleasure of visiting  Snooze in Denver.

From their website: “Founded by brothers Jon and Adam Schlegel, Snooze was born on April 2, 2006 in Denver, Colorado seeking to evolve the A.M. dining experience through culinary innovation, an eclectic and energetic atmosphere and comfortable and friendly service.”

While Snooze was news to me, I absolutely loved it. When I found out that they have locations in Arizona (along with Colorado and California), I had to revisit it on my recent travels there.

 

On this trip, I visited not one, but TWO Snooze locations.

First up the Phoenix Location: The Bangkok.

Snooze (2)Snooze (1)

MIX:  MEII Vodka, Sriracha, Lime, Cilantro, Basil, Fish Sauce and House Mix

CHASER: none

FIXIN’S: Pickle, lemon, cherry tomato

PRICE: $7.25

Next, at the Scottsdale Location: The Boss Hog

Snooze Boss Hog

MIX:  Bacon-infused Cyrus Noble Bourbon & House Mix

CHASER: none

FIXIN’S: Pickle, cherry tomato, lemon

PRICE: $8

As with my first experience in Denver, both of these bloodies were AMAZING. They were so flavorful and unique. (Note: The Snooze in Denver does have an extra Bloody on their menu-the picked green tomato bloody!)

On top of the fantastic beverage service, the food here was out of this world. 

This place is simply a must if you are ever in the vicinity… in this case, if you don’t Snooze, you lose! I will be back!

During a long layover in Minneapolis, we stopped for breakfast at Ike’s.

What lured us in to the restaurant was this:

Weekender Bloody Mary Ike's

Weekender Bloody Mary

MIX:  Sacramento Tomato Juice and Smirnoff Vodka

CHASER:Yes

FIXIN’S: Celery, jalabeano, lime, pepperoncini, olives, onion, pickle, cheese, shrimp and beef stick.

 

Yes, it was clear we were still in the Midwest by the looks of the beverage:

Ike's Weekender Bloody Mary

Unfortunately, this Bloody Mary was better in photos and in theory. It seemed like they took a few shortcuts in ingredients and the quality suffered. For example, there was a huge piece of cheese, but it kind of melted in the drink and didn’t taste very good (cheddar may have been a better option) and the shrimp was wimpy and tasted like it had probably been frozen. Not sure we received the “jalabeano” either.

We left feeling unsatisfied by the Bloody Mary, which is pretty unheard of considering the volume of fixin’s this one offered compared to others. We might give the actual Ike’s a shot if we’re ever near their full establishment in the city, but we’ve had plenty of great bloodies in airports, so that really shouldn’t be a factor. Maybe it was just an off morning!

Our second Bloody Mary stop in Portland took us to Veritable Quandry.

Veritable Quandry Bloody MAry

 

MIX:  Unknown

CHASER: None offered

FIXIN’S: Lemon, two olives

PRICE: $7

While also relatively plain, this Bloody Mary was nice and thick and flavorful.

Mother’s was quite crowded for brunch and it was easy to see why. Their menu was robust with lots of tasty options.

Like many of the other places we visited in Portland, the food at VQ was delicious. And it’s no surprise because VQ is known for its regional market-driven menu by that uses local farmers. Another great spot to hit up when you’re in the downtown area!

We’ve heard that there are plenty of good Bloody Marys to be had in the Pacific Northwest, but until recently, we hadn’t had the opportunity to sample them.

That changed when we visited Portland, Oregon for the first time last week.

Mother's Bloody Mary Portland

 

We visited Mother’s Bistro & Bar for Sunday brunch, where we enjoyed one of their “Famous Bloody Marys.”

Mother’s is a popular brunch spot and we found ourselves waiting for a bit to be seated. Luckily, we were flexible and only had to wait about 20 minutes to get a spot at the bar.

MIX:  Housemade “secret bloody concoction” with house-infused pepper & jalapeno vodka

CHASER: None offered

FIXIN’S: Lemon, celery, olive and pepper

PRICE: $8

While relatively plain, this Bloody Mary had a nice flavor to it and we particularly enjoyed the jalapeno kick, as well as the touch of the salted rim.

Mother’s was quite crowded for brunch and it was easy to see why. Their menu was robust with lots of tasty options.

If you’re looking for a good breakfast/brunch spot in the downtown area, you should give Mother’s a shot.

 

We recently paid a visit to Lucky Joe’s Alchemy and Eatery a relatively new “speakeasy” type establishment in the Wauwatosa Village.

When the restaurant first opened over the summer, it was intended to be the speakeasy sister of Lucky Joe’s Tiki Bar in downtown Milwaukee; however, soon after the Wauwatosa bar opened, the Tiki Bar closed.

We were big fans of the Tiki Bar and love to try new places, so we visited the Tosa location about 1-2 weeks after it opened, looking forward to the speakeasy vibe on a weekend evening.

Unfortunately, we had a disappointing experience and chalked it up to their newness, so we decided to give them another try, this time, for brunch.

Lucky Joe’s AE currently serves a “eat what you’re given” brunch, which consists of two ham sandwiches, cheesey mashed potatoes and scrambled eggs, plus your choice of a Bloody Mary or mimosa for $14.

Lucky Joe's Brunch

This seemed like a good idea, so we headed there on a brutally cold Sunday morning. Perhaps the weather kept the crowds away, but we ended up being the only people in the place the entire time we were there.

The brunch was very good and filling, but as-is, for us, it is not worth returning. If you only love exactly what they provide, this is the place for you… But we like options, and frankly, we were also disappointed with the bloody.

Lucky Joe's Bloody Mary

MIX: Jimmy Luv’s

CHASER: Miller Lite

FIXIN’S: Beefstick and pickle

PRICE: $14 (includes Brunch)

A place like this prides itself on its craft cocktails, so we were really hoping the Bloody Mary would be something special. Jimmy Luv’s and modest fixin’s left us wanting more. You get a ton of food (we had to take half ours home) for a great price, but I would have paid more for a great Bloody Mary. They should think about creating a house mix and infusing their own vodka, or at the very least adding so flair in the fixin’s.

We want so badly to like this place and to see businesses succeed in this community, but our first two trips have left something to be desired. We will give it one more shot on a weeknight happy hour-perhaps that’s when they’ll shine.

In the meantime, if you’re looking for a brunch option, you certainly can’t go wrong with this one. Our waitress also hinted that they might be expanding their menu as well, which would be very welcome.

 

 

We recently visited Brickhouse Grille and Tavern in Newnan, GA.

This place is a little hole in the wall in a strip mall and we stopped in to meet a friend and grab drinks. It just so happened that Bloody Marys were on special for $4 each. So yeah, we had to try them.

Brickhouse Bloody Mary

MIX:  Unsure

CHASER: None offered

FIXIN’S: Three olives

PRICE: $4

Not much special about this bloody mary, but it had a decent flavor and the price was right.

 

 

 

We headed to the Elbow Room Bar in Buckhead after reading about their Hail Mary on Thrillist.

While the bar itself left some to be desired (how do they still allow smoking in public places here?), the Hail Mary was indeed worth the trip.

Hail Mary Elbow Room Hail mary Bloody Mary Elbow room

MIX: House

CHASER: None offered

FIXIN’S: See above. We enjoyed the meatball and stromboli!

PRICE: $14

If you’re a Bloody Mary enthusiast (and if you’re reading this site, chances are you might be), then Elbow Room is a must in Atlanta (after the Nook)!