The juiciest Valley food events to fill your weekend, Oct. 22-25

Weekends are the time to treat yourself. For many diners, that means booking a reservation at a splurgy spot well in advance. It doesn’t always have to be that formulaic or well planned. Some of the best experiences come on a whim. A simple text from a friend asking, “You free tonight?” can lead to a memorable evening filled with excellent food.

Phoenix’s tight-knit community of chefs and bartenders always seems to have a collaboration, pop-up or one-off dinner cooking. And often, those events come together at the last moment. We’re here to make sure you don’t miss out on any of these fleeting opportunities.

This weekend, there are plenty of culinary events to fill your plate. Head to a collaboration dinner featuring regional Mexican fare at Matilda’s, toast the grand opening of Los Milics Vineyards in Old Town or eat brunch to help save bats. Make your last-minute plans before it’s too late.

This weekend

Sake Dinner
Thursday
3821 N. Scottsdale Road, Scottsdale
Enter the weekend on a luxe note at Uchi’s 10-course omakase and sake-paired dinner. The event will highlight sips from Brooklyn Kura, including a house sake brewed just for the Japanese restaurant. Chef Blake Luecke created a paired menu featuring popular dishes such as Uchi’s hama chili, salad and karaage. The chef will also make some plates for that night only, including a selection of nigiri. Grab one of the last two-tops for this dinner for $350 online.

Alita Dinner
Friday and Sunday
149 W. McDowell Road
Alita, the popular wood-fired pop-up from chef Antonio Padilla, normally serves mesquite-scented wings, seasonal salads and other plates at Sauvage Wine Bar and Shop on Wednesdays. This week, Padilla will also fire up his grill on Friday at Sauvage, too. If you can’t make it Friday night, Alita will also cook a five-course dinner on Sunday at Phoenix brewery Roses by the Stairs. This is a paired affair that requires a ticket; snag yours online ($105 for singles, $199 for couples). 

Oktoberfest Parties
Friday through Sunday
Multiple locations
This is your last weekend for Oktoberfest fun, so pack your days with steins of beer, pretzels and polka at spots around the Valley. Enjoy German fare and brews at Haus Murphy’s or Edelweiss Biergarten. Don your cowboy best at OktoberWest, or stop into Goldwater Brewing Co.’s Old Town outpost on Saturday. Check out our full list of Oktoberfest parties.

Tololoche x Más Amable at Matilda’s
Saturday 
822 N. Sixth Ave.
Two pop-ups will team up under one roof on Saturday night. Tololoche is chef Erick Pineda’s dinner counterpart to his popular brunch service, Requinto. Más Amable is a wood-fired pop-up helmed by a group of chefs, including two who helm the Matilda’s kitchen, Matt Celaya and Michael Petry. Menu teasers include Cochinita Pibil Tlacoyo and dessert made by Phoenix baker Ghita. The dinner starts at 6 p.m. and is walk-in only.

Chula Scottsdale’s 10th Anniversary
Saturday
8015 E. Roosevelt St., Scottsdale
Chula Seafood opened its first Arizona shop and restaurant in south Scottsdale in 2016. The seafood destination will offer menu specials there and at its three other locations in Phoenix and Scottsdale to “shellebrate” this milestone anniversary. South Scottsdale will offer buy one, get one oysters, fish and chips, crab fries and a seared tuna steak sandwich. Other anniversary bites include yakitori skewers in Uptown, poke nachos at the downtown shop, or a soft-shell crab banh mi in north Scottsdale. 

Los Milics Vineyards Grand Opening
Saturday
7045 E. 3rd Ave Suite 101, Scottsdale
Los Milics Vineyards, the acclaimed Arizona winery led by vintner and FnB co-owner Pavle Milic, opened its expanded Old Town tasting room in late September. With a month of service under their belt, the Los Milics crew is ready to party. Their grand opening will feature half-price glasses of wine, live mozzarella pulling with chef Nico Cornelius and hourly giveaways. The party runs from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. and is first come, first served. 

Save Second Base Pub Crawl
Saturday
201 S. Washington St., Chandler
Raise your glass for a good cause in downtown Chandler. The Save Second Base Pub Crawl starts at noon at QuartHaus. Then keep sipping at nearby spots, including The Perch Brewery, Craft 64, The Stillery and other watering holes. Each year, this charity event benefits an individual who has survived or is battling breast cancer. Tickets are $75 and include a drink ticket for each participating spot, plus a T-shirt and a gift bag.

A Bad Jimmy’s + Kid Sister Brunch
Sunday
6101 N. Seventh St.
This popular smashburger bar occasionally serves a.m. eats. For its latest brunch service, Bad Jimmy’s will work with the crew from the Michelin-recommended wine bar and restaurant Kid Sister. They haven’t yet dropped the menu, but we’re expecting bistro style paired with Bad Jimmy’s swagger. This brunch will be hosted at Bad Jimmy’s Uptown Phoenix location. It runs from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. and is first come, first served.

Arizona Bat Rescue Brunch at The Coronado 
Sunday 
2245 N. 12th St.
The Coronado serves vegan pancakes, tofu scrambles and other breakfast bites five days a week. This spooky season, the Phoenix restaurant will celebrate one of Halloween’s most recognizable creatures. A portion of brunch sales will benefit the Arizona Bat Rescue, which cares for and rehabilitates bats. If you stop in for brunch on Sunday, you’ll enjoy specials made in collaboration with Feral Sugar Bakery. Brunch runs from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Halloween Pop-up Bars
Through Nov. 1
Multiple locations
During the Halloween season, several bars around the Valley transform, decking themselves out with macabre decor and crafting potent potions. These spots want to immerse you in the spooky spirit. Get creeped out by the “It”-themed cocktails at Trophy Room, solve the crime at the Psycho Killer Cocktail Club at Sunny’s Lounge, or sip your drink from a blood bag at Porter’s Haunted Saloon. Read our full list of places serving haunted Halloween vibes all spooky season. 

Save your seats for these upcoming Phoenix food events

Esplanade Community Table presents Oomo
Nov. 7
2501 E. Camelback Road 
Join 150 diners at a massive communal dinner featuring three James Beard Award semifinalist chefs. Roberto Centeno, Armando Hernandez and Nadia Holguin will cook a live-fire, four-course meal to raise money for St. Mary’s Food Bank. Centeno owns Espiritu and Main Burger with Hernandez and Holguin, who are also behind Cocina Chiwas and Tacos Chiwas. The chefs’ special menu will be paired with cocktails from Esplanade spots Hearsay and The Mercer. In addition to dinner and a flowing bar, the event will feature live entertainment. Tickets are $500 and can be purchased online. 

Bread Fest
Nov. 15
689 N. Arizona Ave., Gilbert
For carb connoisseurs, confident home bakers or passionate pasta lovers, there’s an East Valley food festival for you. Hayden Flour Mills will host its second edition of Bread Fest at Don Guerra’s Barrio Bagel & Slice. Spend the afternoon learning baking tips just in time for the holidays, shop local vendors and taste items from Barrio Bread, Sonoran Pasta Co. and others. Home and cottage bakers may also enter breads and treats into a contest judged by professionals from around the state. Tickets can be purchased online. The event is free for children under 12, $12 for others and $40 for those entering a baking contest.

Sessions Vol. 2: Latha x Beginner’s Luck
Nov. 17
7240 E. Main St., C100, Scottsdale
Beginner’s Luck will host the second installment of its collaborative dinner, which also brings music and art to the table. Chefs Bernie Kantak and Digby Stridiron will create a meal featuring Afro-Caribbean food and cocktails. Kantak helms the restaurant group behind Beginner’s Luck, and Stridiron cooks at Latha, the Michelin-recommended pan-African restaurant in downtown Phoenix. The menu features plantain gnocchi, a pumpkin and okra callaloo stew with rice grits and shrimp, and tamarind barbacoa roti. The evening will also feature artwork by Lucien Downes and a live DJ.