Weekend Guide

Brews, burgers and fire-breathers? Just another wild weekend in the Valley of the Sun

Say it with us, TGI Weekend Guide! As usual, there’s going to be a frantic amount of fêting going on over the next 48 hours, so let’s get right to it. Have you been wondering why there are all these pasty folks walking around wearing colorful college clothing? (No? Well, play along anyway.) That’s because the eyes of the nation are focused on the Valley as we host the College Football national championship game on Monday evening. Which is why thousands of green-clad Oregon Ducks fans and navy blue- and orange-dressed Auburn Tigers fans, have all descended upon our fair city.

But forget all that, because we’re much more interested in a tasty throw-down being held inside the Biltmore Fashion Park. Yes, ZinBurger, the chi-chi burger joint from famed local restaurateur, Sam Fox, is offering two new specialty burgers just in time for the BCS Championship Game. Duck fans will quack for the Oregon Burger brimming with Tillamook cheddar and Oregon Hedgehog mushrooms. Meanwhile, Tigers fans will say “It’s Grrreat” while tearing into the Auburn Burger topped with smoked bacon, Bayside blue cheese and BBQ sauce. $10 through Monday.

Speaking of dining delights, RA Sushi in Ahwatukee just wrapped up a stylish revamp (pictured), and is celebrating with a red carpet event this Saturday from 8 pm to midnight. Enjoy food and drinks specials, as well as live entertainment, including a firebreather and a Japanese drum line. Cheap booze and pyromania? We are so there!

Last but not least, if you didn’t get your fill of football and food, head on over to the massive outdoor party that is the Bud Light Fiesta. Hosted on a grass-lined event space at the Scottsdale Waterfront, there will be gourmet ‘tailgate food’ provided by top local restaurants, as well as eight, yes eight, bars. And we wondered why the Valley was recently named one of the Drunkest Cities in America.