Coming soon from our favorite local olive oil company, actually our favorite olive oil ever, the Queen Creek Olive Mill, Oils & Olives to Kierland Commons. The tasty boutique will carry its branded oils, olives, tapenades, balsamic vinegars and their own line of olive oil bath & body products at its newest location in North Scottsdale. Also available, a selection of wines. No opening date set yet. But keep up with the details of the opening on the Queen Creek Olive Mill Facebook page by clicking here.

Do you crave that luscious, salty taste of bacon but loathe the concept of consuming meat? No worries: the Queen Creek Olive Mill is back with the ultimate condiment, Bacon Extra Virgin Olive Oil. Crafted again by popular demand, Bacon Olive Oil is perfect anywhere you want a subtle or not-so-subtle bacon flavor without actual meat: a B.L.T. without the B, over breakfast potatoes –  we’re even trying it over pasta! If you’re still not convinced, head on down to the Olive Mill’s Mediterranean-inspired eatery del Piero to sample some of new Chef Matt Carvalho’s special breakfast and lunch menu items created with the bacon olive oil. Or, follow the recipe for a very tasty Spinach and Arugula Salad with Bacon Olive Oil after the jump.

The Olive Mill’s annual Olio Nuovo (Festival of the New Oil) is also taking place now through February 19th. During Olio Nuovo, visitors and food lovers alike can enjoy live entertainment on the weekends, wine tastings, extra virgin olive oil and other gourmet olive product samplings; tastings by local product vendors, tours of The Olive Mill, the Olive Oil 101 class, and more.

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Here are the top stories of ALL TIME (aka last week) just in case you missed it.

We’re on mission to eat our way through the Valley. This week, our challenge is simple: How far can we stretch a budget of $20 without sacrificing flavor, portion sizes or the quality of our dining experience? We’ll visit local restaurants that are appealing to all ages and report our findings stat. And, in the interest of saving a buck, we’ll skip the cocktails this time.

Craving pizza this week and slightly overwhelmed by the choices of gourmet pizza joints in town, La Bocca Urban Pizzeria + Wine Bar makes the cut for my latest $20 dining challenge. Located on Mill Avenue, La Bocca is reportedly part of the new businesses that are breathing new life into Tempe. I frequented Mill Avenue back my college days, but hadn’t been back in years after a depressing afternoon years back when there seemed to be more vacancies than ever. Revisiting my old stopping grounds this week gave me newfound hope for the area, especially after visiting La Bocca.

At first glance, La Bocca doesn’t offer anything new or groundbreaking to the Valley’s dining scene. But, considering this is the only gourmet pizza/wine bar off the top of my head near the university, La Bocca targets what many college students and young professionals want: a sophisticated, fun environment that doesn’t break the bank. And the crowded dining room on a Tuesday night proved this concept was a no-brainer.

La Bocca’s straightforward menu offers selections of bruchetta, appetizers, salads, pastas, pizzas and calzones. I kick off the evening by ordering warm Queen Creek olives and artesian toast ($5). This is the only appetizer that fits within my budget — the other selections are bigger cheese and antipasto plates — and that’s fine with me. I love supporting local businesses, and Queen Creek Olive Mill’s olives are the best. The plate is simple: a small bowl full of juicy, pitted green and kalamata olives sprinkled with fresh herbs and toast slices for scooping. It’s little pricey for the serving size, but delicious none the less.

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We’re on mission to eat our way through the Valley. This week, our challenge is simple: How far can we stretch a budget of $20 without sacrificing flavor, portion sizes or the quality of our dining experience? We’ll visit local restaurants that are appealing to all ages and report our findings stat. And, in the interest of saving a buck, we’ll skip the cocktails this time.

Craving pizza this week and slightly overwhelmed by the choices of gourmet pizza joints in town, La Bocca Urban Pizzeria + Wine Bar makes the cut for my latest $20 dining challenge. Located on Mill Avenue, La Bocca is reportedly part of the new businesses that are breathing new life into Tempe. I frequented Mill Avenue back my college days, but hadn’t been back in years after a depressing afternoon years back when there seemed to be more vacancies than ever. Revisiting my old stopping grounds this week gave me newfound hope for the area, especially after visiting La Bocca.

At first glance, La Bocca doesn’t offer anything new or groundbreaking to the Valley’s dining scene. But, considering this is the only gourmet pizza/wine bar off the top of my head near the university, La Bocca targets what many college students and young professionals want: a sophisticated, fun environment that doesn’t break the bank. And the crowded dining room on a Tuesday night proved this concept was a no-brainer.

La Bocca’s straightforward menu offers selections of bruchetta, appetizers, salads, pastas, pizzas and calzones. I kick off the evening by ordering warm Queen Creek olives and artesian toast ($5). This is the only appetizer that fits within my budget — the other selections are bigger cheese and antipasto plates — and that’s fine with me. I love supporting local businesses, and Queen Creek Olive Mill’s olives are the best. The plate is simple: a small bowl full of juicy, pitted green and kalamata olives sprinkled with fresh herbs and toast slices for scooping. It’s little pricey for the serving size, but delicious none the less.

»READ MORE

Gift baskets are a great easy way to give this season. No need to run around town picking up local trinkets and tastes one by one. Zonie Baskets has already done the running so you don’t have to. Our favorite, The Bighorn Basket for $65.00 is packed with a load of local goodies including Assorted Sprites from Fairytale Brownies, Dates and Pistachios from Sphinx Date Ranch, Pasta from DeCio Pasta, Rosemary and Asiago crackers form Urban Oven, and Extra Virgin Olive Oil and Olive Tapenade from Queen Creek Olive Mill. Baskets start as low as $25.

Explore the world of adult drinks at Cartwright’s Sonoran Ranch House in Cave Creek with it’s new weekly Summer Libations Club. Beverage director and sommelier Anthony Mueller will lead topic-specific classes every Thursday from 6-7pm until the end of September. In August attendees will be educated on beers of the world and then examine liquor and mixology in September. An original cocktail from the mixology class will be featured as the October drink. The cost is $15 per class and guests can earn a $25 gift card for every five classes attended.

If you don’t get up to Cave Creek often, make it a day and visit the Queen Creek Olive Mill. As Arizona’s one and only olive oil producer, the Olive Mill is home to 16 varieties raised in naturally pesticide-free groves. Take a stroll through the olive grove and take a tour of the mill before visiting their gourmet marketplace to shop for locally made foods and gifts.

How about this weather? It is January or mid-May? Either way, it’s beautiful out. So beautiful, in fact, that we’re thinking about breaking our no-walking-unless-absolutely-necessary rule. So grab your overalls and toss some hay in the back of the pickup truck because we’re heading to the heart of the Valley’s farm country.

Located in the far Southeast Valley suburb of Queen Creek, Schnepf Farms (pictured) is a sprawling slice of country charm, as well as one of AZ’s oldest family-operated farms.

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They say if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em. So we partnered with the crazy-popular ratings and reviews site, Yelp, to make sure you’re always kept (even more) in-the-know on the latest and greatest across the Valley. Here’s the a special Spring Training Top 10 list, handcrafted by those five-star folks at Yelp Phoenix.

We hope you’re hungry because the Scottsdale Culinary Festival launches this week, welcoming six days of eating, drinking and being pretty. This fantastically foodie-filled merriment features some of the best eateries around town and we’ve got the 411 on the top ten must-eats, according to our very own yelpers of course. So as we start the week of binge eating off at the W and end it with the Great American Picnic this weekend, let this Yelp Top Ten wet your palate and prepare you for a week of feasts! Full list after the jump! »READ MORE

If you missed out on the Queen Creek Olive Mill‘s Harvest Festival back in October, you’re in luck. That’s because you can now taste the fruits of other people’s labor.  Yes, The Festival of New Oil, or Olio Nuovo as it is known to all the fancy folk, kicked off on Saturday and continues through February 13 out in the far East Valley. Here, last fall’s harvest has been cold-pressed and bottled to create several new, limited edition flavors, including Arcangelo, Franciscan and Bianco. Similar to the Harvest Festival, Olio Nuovo will provide guests with live entertainment and wine tastings along with other olive featured food and tours of this unique Arizona treasure . Food, music, wine and food? We’re so in.  Now, where’s the bread?

They say if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em. Yes, we’ve partnered with the crazy-popular ratings and reviews site, Yelp, to make sure you are always kept (even more) in-the-know on the latest and greatest across the Valley. Here’s the first edition of Yelp’s Top 10 list, handcrafted by those five-star folks at Yelp Phoenix, to appear every other week.

This weekend, many of you have an extra day to play as we pay tribute to Martin Luther King Jr., a man who taught us the power of having a dream. Some will throw on the ski boots and head out of town, while others will kick back and breathe a sigh of relief now that the city is Ducks- and Tigers-free. But for some, it’s time to throw cares and responsibility out the window and use the extra day to dream of exploring all things fun in the Valley of the Sun. From melting into the clouds of resort bedding, to channeling your inner John Wayne on horseback, this Yelp Top 10 is here to make your Phoenix bucket list a reality.

Things we’re dreaming of after the jump.   »READ MORE

Scoop (Factory) up some AZ-grown goodness at this Harvest Festival hosted at the state’s only extra virgin olive oil mill:

While we like to think of ourselves as procrastinators super-timely here at Scoop Factory, we thought you might like a little advance notice about a way-cool event happening in a way-out-of-the-way hotspot. Yes, it’s Harvest Festival time at the Queen Creek Olive Mill. Hosted October 15 – November 13, it’s the perfect excuse to steer your SUV to this charming boutique olive farm and Arizona’s only producer of extra virgin olive oil.

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