Rehab Burger Therapy Opens 2nd Location

Rehab Burger Therapy, winner of three "Best Burger in Arizona" awards last year, has branched out from it's Old Town Scottsdale roots.  Just a few short days ago, the trio of friends who opened the first restaurant in 2012, opened a second location at 21 E. 6th St. #146 Tempe, AZ 85281.  With everything from chips & salsa, wings, salads, and pasta to burgers, sandwiches, and alcoholic beverages, this menu really has something for everyone.  Here is just a taste:

• Nelson's Verde Con Pollo - A flavorful blend of green chili's, cheeses, and tender grilled chicken served with fresh corn chips for dipping
• Alfredo San Carlo - Fettuccini alfredo with a southwestern twist topped with tomatoes, cotija cheese, and cilantro.
• The Porkster Burger - A relapse burger grilled to order, then covered in rehab's own bbq pulled pork and cheddar cheese.
• Hangover Burger - Fried egg, bacon, colby jack cheese, and hatch green chili
• Venice Beach Club - Sliced turkey breast, bacon, havarti, iceberg lettuce, tomato, and sprouts served on toasted beach bread with your choice sauce

Happy Hour is everyday from 11am to 6pm except Thursdays, when Happy Hour lasts all day.  Checkout the hours, other menu items, and more at their website.  

Even Stevens Opens 3rd Arizona Location

Just over a week ago, Even Stevens opened up their third Arizona sandwich shop.  This newest location is in Tempe near the ASU campus at 1015 S. Rural Rd. right by the soon to be opening restaurant, The Halal Guys, which was reported on here. 

Even Stevens is a restaurant which makes it a priority to give back to the community and every sandwich you buy helps with that mission.  For the Tempe location, the local non-profit partners are Tempe Community Action Partnership, Tumbleweed Center for Youth, UMOM, and Operation Care Food Bank.  As of this writing, they have donated over 1 million sandwiches to various groups since they first opened in Utah in 2014.  Here is how it works directly from their website:

1. You buy a sandwich.
2. At the end of every month, we tally sandwich sales. Funds for sandwich making ingredients - bread, meat, cheese and produce -are then placed into a Sysco food account.
3. Our non-profit partners access the account and order sandwich-making ingredients as they need. A few days later, a truck delivers the order to their doorstep. Free of charge.
4. Non-profit staff and volunteers build sandwiches.
5. Individuals in need are fed and our non-profit partners can put their money where their passion is.

In order for this to work, you need to know what's on the menu, which includes everything from sandwiches, salads, sides, and breakfast items.  Some notables: 

• Mihami Vice - Roast pork, ham, whole mustard, swiss, pickle spears, baguette.
• Sprang Chicken - Chicken, provolone, bacon, avocado, tomatoes, cucumbers, greens, honey mustard, multi-grain bread.
• JP Grilled Cheese - Melty white cheddar, poppin' cream cheese, garlic, roasted jalapeños, French bread.
• Jackfruit Torta - Jackfruit carnitas, pepitas, guacamole, salsa morita, radish, cilantro, lettuce, pickled onions, sweet bun.
• The Goathugger Salad - Roasted beets, spinach, arugula, candied pecans, goat cheese vinegar, rye toast.
• The Breakfast Sandwich - Two eggs scrambled or medium, choice of bacon, ham, sausage, avocado, or pork belly (add $1).  Tangy maple mustard, cheddar cheese, Hawaiian bun.
• The Undergrad Breakfast Burrito - Flour tortilla, two eggs, bacon or sausage, white cheddar, tater tots, house sauce, sriracha. 
• Party Tots - A hot heap of tots piled with cheese, bacon, and avocado slices.

Along with the above and craft beer, Even Stevens uses local companies and products in their restaurants.  At all three Arizona restaurants, these include Peixoto Coffee, Noble Bread, Cotton Country Jellies, and Santan Brewing.  

Is the Tempe location a little out of your way?  Want to know which non-profits the other two Arizona spots are working with?  Check out the Phoenix location (21 W. Van Buren St. Phoenix, AZ 85003) or the Gilbert location (384 N. Gilbert Road, Gilbert, AZ 85234).

Should you go here? Is it worth it?  Let this fellow who knows a little something about "Even Stevens" (though he is in no way affiliated with the restaurant) answer your question:

Bought Milk? Refunds Available As Part of Class Action Suit

Time Magazine is reporting on a class action settlement against dairy producers from 2003 to the present and Arizona is one of the states where individuals are eligible to receive $10 to $20 dollars (Time Magazine is reporting $70 - the amounts may depend on how many people submit a claim) and entities can receive up to $560 by filing a claim at http://www.boughtmilk.com/.

Adding another wrinkle to the mix is the press release by The National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF), which states while Cooperatives Working Together (CWT) admits to no wrongdoing, "CWT will pay $52 million to the plaintiff class in a combination of cash and in-store loyalty cards to be used for the purchase of fresh milk products."  So maybe cash? Maybe gift cards?  The Bought Milk site gives cash denominations so we will go with that for now.

All you need to have done over the last 14 years to receive your portion of the $52 million dollar settlement is to have made a purchase of, "milk or fresh milk products, including cream, half & half, yogurt, cottage cheese, cream cheese, or sour cream."  

Additionally, if you are part of an entity such as a school or after-school program, and you purchased the above mentioned dairy products and did not charge students or participants for them, you are eligible to receive between $280 to $560. 

Sadly, the reason why this suit was brought is disturbing: 

"This lawsuit alleges that Cooperatives Working Together (CWT) and its members attempted to limit the production of raw farm milk by prematurely slaughtering more than 500,000 cows, in order to illegally increase the price of milk and other fresh milk products."

Not to fear though, NMPF wants you all to know:

“The CWT Program is poised for a quick rebound and a strong future. We will continue to focus on CWT’s present mission of providing member cooperatives with export assistance, creating new export market opportunities and continuing to look for innovative ways to increase sales of milk and dairy products for participating cooperatives.”

It sounds to me like looking for "innovative ways to increase sales of milk and dairy products" is what got them in trouble in the first place.  For my money, just focus on providing a good product with some kind of ethical standards.

Pei Wei Introduces Thai Inspired Bowls & More

Just a few days ago, Scottsdale-based Pei Wei rolled out two new menu items to all of their 200 restaurants nationwide.  The Supergreen Thai Coconut Curry and Thai Basil bowls are described by Pei Wei as follows:

"Supergreen Thai Coconut Curry has a spicy and sweet flavor profile, featuring chicken, carrots, green beans, Swiss chard, onions, Thai basil, fresh cilantro, scallions and lime. The aromatic Thai Basil bowl combines a sweet-savory sauce with chicken, garlic, ginger, red bell peppers, onions and green beans. Both wok-seared dishes can be ordered with a choice of rice, noodles or quinoa."

Additionally, a look at the menu shows 2 new noodle bowls: Blazing Bangkok Peanut Noodle and Chicken Chow Mein.  The Blazing Bangkok Peanut Noodle includes chicken and noodles which are wok-seared in Thai chile peanut sauce, "with ginger, red bell peppers, onion, swiss chard, and Thai basil garnished with roasted peanuts and fresh lime."  Meanwhile, the Chicken Chow Mein also includes wok-seared chicken and noodles, "tossed in savory soy sauce with green beans, swiss chard, red bell peppers, carrots, onion, garlic, and scallions."

Click here to find your nearest Pei Wei location.