Stuff 2 Do ... In the Southwest

by Ken Van Vechten

Cutting Edge Cuisine
A creative spin on traditional southwestern and Mexican cuisine hits tables over at Blue Sage at the JW Marriott Desert Ridge Resort & Spa on the edge of Scottsdale just north of the Loop. Choose from breakfast, lunch, Sunday brunch, or at dinner let your tongue run across ancho-guava salmon, tamarind BBQ pork or the ranch house meatloaf with sage pan gravy.
www.jwdesertridgeresort.com

Sun and Suds
Brew pubs are seemingly a dime-a-dozen in golf-happy locales, and in the case of the Pacific Northwest, for instance, the density is warranted. Greater Phoenix crowds in with Oggi’s — a San Diego transplant we reviewed last year — and home-grown Four Peaks Brewing Company. The original is in Tempe, near ASU, so there’s always a lot more going on than great pub food and stellar brews. The North Scottsdale location is well situated for those taking in all that the Westin Kierland has to offer. Most every style of beer popular to craft brewers is available and the birdie-birdie finish goes to award-winners Hop Knot IPA and the bitter-styled 8th Street Ale. www.fourpeaks.com

Flower Power
Near the Phoenix Zoo and Papago Golf Course, the Desert Botanical Garden is one of the world’s best showcases of aridland flora. Effectively a living museum, the garden covers 50 acres and is dedicated to all that blooms, pokes and grows in the Sonoran Desert. www.dbg.org

Now That’s Dry Wine
If you’re headin’ south toward Tucson, about an hour east of town is a cluster of some of Arizona’s nearly two dozen wineries, and up in the high plains around Sonoita and Elgin, Callaghan Vineyards could be the best. www.arizonawines.com