Hot weather spurs hot specials at Sauce
    As the thermometer rises, Fox Restaurant Concepts is offering summer specials at its Sauce eateries. Now through Sept. 30, Sauce will offer summer wine and meal specials.
    Sauce, located at 742 E. Glendale Ave., will feature a summer meal special served all day, every day of the week. For just $20, diners can enjoy one pizza, one salad and two glasses of red or white wine. The majority of the menu is available for the choosing, with the special offer applying to any combination of 11 pizzas valued at $9.50 or less, seven salads and Chianti or Chardonnay wine selections.
    For more information, visit www.foxrc.com or call 602-216-2400.

Wingstop owners lauded as ‘Top Guns’
    Wingstop announced the winners of its first annual Top Gun Awards. Local Wingstop operators, Tracy Henry and Jacqui Brewer, received two of the 32 awards, out of more than 350 stores nationwide.
    Their store is located at 4041 E Thomas Road, Ste. 115 in the Allen Retail Center (602-955-9464). To achieve the award the franchisees had to have a 96 average for the year in their mystery shop scores and a 96 average in their Quality, Service, Cleanliness evaluations done by Wingstop franchise business consultants.
    The Thomas Road store opened in March 2006 and has had five consecutive quarters of double-digit comp sales growth. In 2001, Henry and Brewer sold their two Dallas Wingstops and relocated to Phoenix to introduce the brand to a new market and now have four locations in Phoenix.
    The Top Gun Awards were established by the chain to recognize the best of the best operators in the Wingstop system.

Wine paired with seafood feast
    Marcellino Ristorante, 13th Street and Northern Avenue, closes for the summer on July 26, but before that final curtain is drawn against the blazing summer sun, come experience Italian fare at its “seafoodie” finest.
    On Tuesday, July 22, Chef Marcellino will prepare a special Prosecco e Crudo dinner, featuring dry, sweet and red Prosecco (Italian sparkling wine) paired with fresh-from-the-sea fare. This special treat will be served from 5:30 to 7 p.m. in the Chef’s Wine Room. Cost is $35 per person (tax and tip not included). For more information or to make a reservation, call 602-216-0004.
    After traveling the Italian countryside, Chef Marcellino and wife Sima Verzino will return with delectable new recipes in hand for the grand re-opening on Sept. 4.

Zoë’s offers new catering options
    Early Monday morning meetings can be a drag, but bribing the team or that potential client with breakfast can certainly take the edge off. Zoë’s Kitchen has revamped its breakfast catering menu, and is offering several new, healthy and delicious dishes.
    Zoë’s has added its signature Greek flair to a frittata dish by combining eggs with spinach, scallions, tomatoes and a feta cheese blend. Other new items include the Greek breakfast burrito, turkey and Swiss burrito, and yogurt and berries.
    Zoë’s Kitchen also offers catering rewards for repeat customers. Loyal customers receive from 3.5 to 5 percent back in the form of Zoë’s Incentive Dollars, which are redeemable at locations such as Starbucks, Williams Sonoma and the Arizona Biltmore Resort and Spa. The amount is doubled for those who purchase Zoë’s Kitchen gift certificates with the incentive dollars.
    Zoë’s Kitchen, located at 1641 E Camelback Road and 521 W. McDowell Road, delivers valley-wide for a nominal fee. For more information regarding catering contact Brett McInerney at 602-716-0070.

Wrigley serves up special wine dinner
The Wrigley Mansion will offer a summer wine dinner on July 17 that you don’t want to miss. For this particular wine event, Winemaker Peter Burford, of Burford and Brown Wines, and certified Sommelier Craig Drimil of Divine Wine Imports International will be on hand to discuss food pairings and answer all of your questions regarding food and wine.
    The event includes a five-course menu that includes: Lemon Grass & Mango Salad/2006 Sauvignon Blanc; Panang Curry Scallop with Wilted Spinach & Jasmine Rice/2007 Pinot Grigio; Roasted Pork Loin derved with Braised Cabbage/2005 Shiraz; Fig Foie Gras Crostini/2005 Barbera; and Open Faced Baklava with Butter Pecan Ice Cream &Verdelho Reduction, served with N/V Verdelho.
    Cost is $60 per person, tax and tip not included. Dinner begins at 7 p.m. at The Wrigley Mansion, located just north of Missouri off 24th Street on Biltmore Circle. For reservations, call 602-955-4079.

Sweet Tomatoes wants your story
    Sweet Tomatoes celebrates its 30th Anniversary in July with an essay contest to find and reward its most remarkable patrons. Guests are asked to draft a 200-word essay describing why they or someone they know is remarkable using a memorable story related to Sweet Tomatoes restaurants. Winners will receive complimentary meals at Sweet Tomatoes and the honor of being named one of “30 Remarkable Guests.”     Entries in the “30 Remarkable Guests” contest, which will take place July 1-31, will be judged on originality and creativity, appropriateness to subject matter, composition and sincerity. All adults over the age of 18 are invited to enter a 200-word or less essay, and will be competing for a prize of 30 free meals at Sweet Tomatoes and the chance to have their essay posted on the Sweet Tomatoes Web site. All contestants must be United States residents. Winners will be announced by Sept. 15.
    Entries are limited to one sheet of 8.5 by 11-inch paper and only one entry per person is allowed. To participate, complete the entry forms found at Sweet Tomatoes, located at 52 E. Camelback Road and 10046 N. 26th Drive (Metrocenter), or online at www.sweettomatoes.com and submit completed essays to a restaurant location or mail to Garden Fresh Restaurant Corp., Attention: “2008 Essay Contest Entries”, 15822 Bernardo Center Drive, Suite A, San Diego, Calif., 92127. Entries must be postmarked by July 31, 2008.