Eight, Arizona PBS Check, Please! Arizona Festival offers local restaurant tasting – March 30

PHOENIX (Jan. 14, 2014) – Eight’s Check, Please! Arizona Festival delivers once again, touting a restaurant lineup featuring culinary hotspots such as Tarbell’s, Durant’s, Citizen Public House, Cowboy Ciao and Centurion, among others. More than 30 restaurants transform CityScape for a second year into a culinary showcase of Arizona’s favorite independent restaurants, plus wineries and craft breweries, closing down Central Avenue in the heart of downtown Phoenix.   The event is set for Sun., March 30, 2014, 11am-3pm; and a special ticket rate of $59 is available now through March 1.  Tickets at the gate are $79.

Restaurant Lineup to Date. Among the more than 30 restaurants anticipated in this second year are:

• Cowboy Ciao
• Durant's
• Citizen Public House
• Flancer’s
• Havana Café
• Red, White & Brew
• Tarbell’s
• Frasher’s Steakhouse and LoungeSalt Cellar Restaurant
• Centurion
• Salerno's Restaurant & Pizzeria
• Phoenix City Grille
• Vogue Bistro
• Mrs. White's Golden Rule Cafe
• America’s Taco Shop
• Hob Nobs Coffee House
• Thee Pitts Again
  

Based on the most popular locally produced TV show on Eight, Arizona PBS, Eight and R Entertainment Company deliver an exploration of Arizona’s independent restaurant scene, dishing out cuisine from five-star dining  establishments to tucked away cafes.

Similar to the event’s first year, the second annual Check, Please! Arizona Festival promises a lineup of discussions, cooking demonstrations and celebrity chef participants to inform and entertain.  For example, last year’s inaugural event featured a rare panel discussion of Arizona’s James Beard Award winners, among other sessions. 
A singular opportunity for fans at the CityScape event is the chance for guests to audition for the fifth season of the TV show Check, Please! Arizona which airs on Eight, Arizona PBS.

Tickets.  Purchase the special all-inclusive $59 ticket through March 1, at www.azpbs.org/checkplease.  Click on ‘Join us for the Check, Please! Arizona Festival at CityScape.’ After March 1, tickets are $69 through March 29.  Tickets are $79 at the gate.  Tickets are all inclusive of fabulous food, fine wine and craft beer sampling, as well as access to the insider’s seminars and several cooking demonstrations on two stages.

Check, Please! Arizona on Eight.  Season four of this two-time Emmy Award-winning series premiered Thurs., Jan. 2, 7pm.  Check, Please! Arizona is continuously the highest-rated local series on Eight, hosted by James Beard Award-winning Chef Robert McGrath.  By the end of season four, more than 150 restaurants will have been featured on the show.   Fans can nominate their favorite eatery; view previous shows online; see an interactive map and even obtain recipes at azpbs.org/checkplease.

For more information on sponsorship and participation opportunities with Eight’s Check, Please! Arizona Festival, please contact Chelsea Fox at R Entertainment Company, 480.657.7333 ext.15 or email [email protected].

About R Entertainment Company.  Led by entertainment industry veterans, R Entertainment Company is a global concert and event booking, promotion and production company, which markets and produces more than 200 dates a year. Perhaps at the top of its noteworthy culinary events portfolio is Eight’s Check, Please! Arizona Festival.  R Entertainment Company Events & Destinations division also produces private corporate gatherings such as the American Express Chairman’s event, and the Harvey Mackay 80th Birthday Event.  www.R-Entertainment.com

Media Contact:  Colleen O’Donnell Pierce
[email protected]
(602) 496-0579
(602) 478-3867 (cell)
Visit azpbs.org/pressroom

About Arizona PBS

Arizona PBS is a trusted community resource.  For over 52 years, the PBS station has focused on educating children, reporting in-depth on public affairs, fostering lifelong learning and celebrating arts and culture. Arizona PBS achieves its mission through the power of non-commercial television, the Internet, educational outreach and community-based initiatives. Its signal reaches 80 percent of the homes in Arizona. With more than 1 million viewers weekly, Arizona PBS consistently ranks among the most-viewed public television stations per capita in the country. For more information, visit azpbs.org or follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Instagram, Pinterest or Tumblr.

Arizona PBS is a member-supported community service of Arizona State University and the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication.