If Metblogs is a city, hub.metblogs is the playground. We kept hearing from people that one of their favorite parts of Metblogs was meeting and interacting with readers and writers from other parts of the world, as well as getting requests for more ways that readers could be involved besides just posting comments. We thought about this for a while and decided that with a network like this, a giant community area where folks from all over the world could hang out, post photos and videos, talk with each other, form groups, play games, send messages, and do about a million other things was probably a pretty fun idea. The Hub is that.

If you have any tech ideas or suggestions join this group and speak up. See you on hub.metblogs!

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I’ve got to say something about A & J Auto Care in Central Phoenix (32nd St & Thomas). I took my truck there yesterday to have the clutch worked on. Turned out it needed a new transmission too. We’re talking $2000+.

My first thought was that the truck wasn’t worth fixing until I spoke with Alex (the owner). Now I’ve referred quite a few friends to Alex over the last five years but I was shocked that he was willing to fix the truck for the price he gave me just because I had sent new customers there. I’m not going to mention what I paid because I think he might have taken a loss. Even if that’s not true there’s no way he’d made much. And his mechanic gave me a ride home :) .

The truck runs great.

If you stop in there don’t mention this post. I’d sorta feel bad. :)

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I’m back! Because I’ve been out of town so much recently I haven’t had much time to post anything. But I’m back for the summer so I’ll try to pick up the publishing pace.

I went to a Diamondbacks game with a friend of mine last week and checked out the Sonoma Coffee Cafe downtown (corner of Van Buren and 1st Street). Now I am not a coffee drinker or even a fan of coffee cafes but I had a few great reasons to like the place. First - with a decent selection of microbrews on tap it’s just as much a bar as it is a coffee shop . And right before a ballgame it’s a much more chill place than most other bars around the ballpark.

But most importantly, there is secret free parking in a garage right next door. Unfortunately you’ll have to find that on your own (but it isn’t that difficult). We did however, pay for a pedicab down to Chase field. But even that was less expensive than parking near the park.

The beer prices were comparable to anywhere else downtown if you’re not counting domestic bottles served from a trough. And although I’m no connoisseur my friend Jason believed the coffee selection and prices to be about the same as Starbucks.

I spoke with the owner briefly and they have other coffee franchises under construction in Scottsdale and California.

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I had heard about Mi Patio from many people but mostly about their margaritas. I didn’t know much about their food before my first visit.

The restaurant is in central Phoenix on the corner of Osborn and 7th Avenue. (The construction on Osborn made this difficult to get to - it’s on the Southeast corner and it’s easier to get to from 7th than it is Osborn).

A coworker and I stopped in for a late happy hour after getting off of work early. My impression upon entering was favorable as it’s clean and the host greeted us almost immediately even though they were obviously busy. We were seated quickly and next to a table of cops. In my experience the presence of police officers is a pretty good indication of good and inexpensive food. And a lack of criminals.

Because I’m not very imaginative I ordered the number 99 combo which is a chile relleno, a cheese enchilada, a bean tostada, and rice. My coworker ordered a vegetarian burro grande with beans, rice, guacamole, lettuce, tomatoes, cheese, and pico de gallo. And we both ordered margaritas.

The chille relleno and the enchilada were good. The portions are, like most Mexican restaurants I’ve been to, entirely too much for me. The real surprise was the vegetarian burro grande. I’m a meat-eater and wouldn’t have thought you could make a decent burro without it tasting bland. But both my friend and I thought the pico de gallo was outstanding.

After dinner we bellied up to the bar for another margarita. Then we went next door to the Hidden House. Which is also worth checking out for it’s eclectic mix of customers!

PS. I hear construction on Osborn will be finished soon so not a big deal.

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Camp Jam, the rock and roll summer camp for kids 11-17 (and Camp Jam Kidz* for 7-10 year-olds) is coming to Phoenix for two sessions June 18-22 and June 25-29. No musical experience is neccessary for Camp Jam Kidz; the older kids are expected to have been playing for at least six months.

The Camp Jam blog has a profile of the Phoenix instructors.

* You know it’s hardcore because of the ‘z’.

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Is it all bar news around here this days? Guess so. Esquire’s June issue has their selections for Best Bars in America and two Arizona bars made the cut: the bars at the Hotel Congress (all four of them) in Tucson and La Gitana off in Arivaca.

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My Phoenix sources tell me that the story of the Bikini Lounge (1502 Grand Ave, Phoenix) is a simple one: opened in 1947 as a swanky tiki bar, then nothing was touched about the decor over the next 60 years. Well, that last part is not quite true — as Phoenix’s art scene has grown up around the bar, it’s received some attention from those artists, like the pieces by Michael Little that now cover the men’s bathroom (I didn’t peek in the ladies).

I only visit the Bikini Lounge once a year, so I’m no expert, but my visits do give the perspective of a time lapse video. Over the last few years, like with many dive bars, the clientele has gone from seedy to seedy plus hipsters. But there’s still plenty of folks who just come for the pool table and the cheap draft beer to compliment the art students and occasional DJ.

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In their 2006 Best Of, The Phoenix New Times named the Newsroom Lounge their “Best Neighborhood Bar, Downtown Phoenix” and noted “You’d better get down there soon before Mayor Phil Gordon and company decide to raze it in favor of some ugly urban renewal project.” Well, yeah:

Another colorful slice of downtown Phoenix history will slip off the landscape early Sunday when the News Room Bar closes its doors for good.

Owner Pete Palandri has reached an agreement to sell the 26-year-old bar at 505 N. First St. to make way for a $150 million dormitory for students attending Arizona State University’s downtown campus. [AZ Republic]

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How could I not love Fuzzy’s Pizza? I mean, it’s named after me, it’s covered with Chicago memorabilia, and they serve all my favorite Chicago-style foods, all in a strip-mall non-ambiance. I see that they have Vienna Beef hotdogs — which really are quite excellent dogs — but we had a deep dish pizza. The pizza was more in a Lou Malnati’s-thick-crust mode than a Giordano’s-stuffed-pizza type. (Don’t worry if that means nothing to you — they’re just fine distinctions in the long-standing debate over what exactly a Chicago-style pizza is.) Fortunately, that’s the way I lean in the deep-dish debate, and the pizza had a good crust, which is really important to me.

Fuzzy’s Pizza
8960 W Bell Rd
Peoria, AZ 85382

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Marvin’s Garden Cafe (101 E. McDowell, Phoenix) is diner food of the first order. Some of pluses include:

• obvious re-purposing of a different restaurant
• great bacon
• choice of biscuits and gravy as your bread option
• pre-buttered toast
• an epynmonous breakfast special — the Marvin Scramble (shown above)
• located right across the street from my hotel

The few minuses:

• Non-dairy creamer!?
• mushy hashbrowns
• experience may vary depending on whether Marvin is there

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The Phoenix Improv Festival starts tonight and runs through Sunday, May 13. Ensembles are coming to Phoenix from around the country to perform — Bare and Bassprov from Chicago, Coldtowne from Austin/New Orleans, Cupcake from Seattle, Underbelly from LA and many more. And there’s plenty of great local talent, too, like the Phoenix Neutrino Project — an incredible film/theater hybrid — and Sunday is an all-day “Arizona Showcase” with 10 groups performing from 3-8 pm.

All of the shows are at the Viad Center (1850 N Central Ave, Phoenix) and tickets are $15 at the door, $12 in advance (except Sunday, which is $10 for the whole day — $2 off with a Mother’s Day card).

I’m the Mayor of Disclosureville: I’m in Bare and I’ll be sitting in with the Phoenix Neutrino Project.

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Many consider Lolo’s Chicken and Waffles the best soul food restaurant in the Valley. The chicken and waffle plates brings curious visitors from all parts of the Phoenix metropolitan area to try the combination.

With Southern fried chicken and golden brown waffles Lolo’s satisfies that curiousity.

But chicken and waffles aren’t the only dishes at Lolo’s. They also serve catfish, chicken gizzards, grits and more Southern soul favorites.

The amiable family restaurant has been celebrated in publications from the Arizona Republic to the Food & Life dining guide.

Lolo’s is locatiod at 10 West Yuma Street - two blocks south of the intersection of Buckeye and Central.
Even more interesing though, is the approval of famous guests from Phoenix and beyond. The walls are covered with a diverse array of autographs from local basketball favorites Amare Stoudamire and Charles Barkely to an American hero Tuskegee airman.

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It starts at 11am tomorrow at Indian Steele Indian School Park.

More info.

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A haphazard list of notable Phoenicians for your Tuesday - in no particular order. I’ll flesh this list out in the near future.

Part 1:

1) Frank Lloyd Wright spent his winters in Scottsdale from 1937 until his death in 1959. His winter home, Taliesin West, is located near the northeast corner of Scottsdale. Wright was also commissioned to help with the planning and construction of the Arizona Biltmore Resort and Spa. The building’s designers balked at Wright’s unusual design but a compromise was reached. Today the Biltmore boasts that it is a Frank Lloyd Wright-influenced design.

2) Alice Cooper became famous for his stage persona and heavy metal music in the late 60’s. Alice Cooper, or Vincent Furnier, attended Cortez High School in Phoenix before beginning his music career. In 1974 he changed his name to Alice Cooper and became an international superstar. In the late 90’s Cooper opened Alice Cooper’stown near Bank One Ballpark and America West Arena in downtown Phoenix. The bar and restaurant are where Jock meets Rock.

3) Gary Condit was a United States Congressman from 1989 to 2003. Condit received national attention when the body of his intern, Chandra Levy, was found in a Washington D.C. park approximately one year after she had disappeared. At first Condit, also known for his honest-looking grin, lied about his relationship with Levy. He later admitted to a romantic relationship with the intern. The case remains unsolved. Condit is no longer a suspect.

4)Jenna Jameson is one of the best-recognized female adult movie stars working today. She lives in Scottsdale.

Coming soon: Don Bolles, Robert William Fisher, and Wonder Woman.

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From Midnight tonight til Tuesday evening at 5pm, Downtown Phoenix is going to sound an awful lot like the Fast and the Furious or perhaps the Indy 500, as race-organizers test some new sound-muffling technology to protect a 911 call center downtown. Check out the course map for the tests, and note that tests will be during the day tomorrow, so get ready for some loud noises as part of the setup for this fall’s downtown rally.

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