Last night I met my friends Ken and Wendy at the Roaring Fork in Scottsdale for happy hour. Ken has been talking about this place for months now, and we finally made plans to meet for dinner. He said their happy hour prices are good all summer long, and that they had some fancy cocktails and some delicious appetizers. Sounds good to me. I had never been to the Roaring Fork before, so I was excited to try it.
The Roaring Fork is located just north of Old Town Scottsdale, and unless you knew it was there you would never know it was there. I had to use my GPS to find it. I arrived early so I could decompress after a long day of work, and used that time to relax and get my bearings. I grabbed a table in the bar and ordered a Manhattan.
Big Pours
After I ordered my drink, I watched the bartender making cocktails left and right. He was mixing up martinis and margaritas when I saw him grab a rocks glass. I asked for the Manhattan on the rocks, so the glass was fitting. It was hot outside and an ice cold cocktail was just what the doctor ordered. I watched as he started to pour the Jim Beam. Not the best whiskey, but for $5 I wasn’t about to complain. I counted 1. 2. 3. By the time the glass was nearly full, he stopped, topped it with a splash of sweet vermouth, and tossed in a cherry. Now THAT is a strong pour.
Later that night I would order a gin martini, and the pour on that was… well, pretty much all gin! Ken had ordered one with a sweet onion, and I was curious what that experience would be like. I might never order olives again. The onion was sweet, almost sour and was a nice treat to chew on after my drink was gone.
After we chatted for a little bit, we ordered some appetizers.
Are you hungry? Let’s Eat.
I was looking at the tips on Foursquare, and people talked about the “Big Ass” burger, the pork wings, and the fish tacos. The menu looked great; Ken ordered the burger, Wendy ordered the fish tacos, and I was undecided. I told the server to order either the pork wings or the burger and to surprise me. She picked the pork wings.
When the food arrived, I was excited to see what everyone had ordered. The burger was HUGE. I mean, massive. It was thick, appeared to be quite juicy, and was served with a heaping side of French fries. The fish tacos looked good, too. They use fresh grilled fish. Then the wings came. The pork wings are not your typical wings… but basically slabs of pork served with a sweet dipping sauce. The meat was tender, the sauce was delicious, and I was pleased she picked the wings.
Join the club!
After dinner, Ken refused to let me pay. That won’t happen again! When the waitress brought the bill, Wendy tossed down a rewards card. I asked her about it, and she handed me a pamplet that explained the program. It’s free to sign up, and you get a ton of benefits including:
- $5 Roaring Fork Rewards credits in your account for every $50 spend
- Exclusive members-only offers
- Special birthday bonuses
- First look at Roaring Fork deals and promotions
- Start redeeming rewards as soon as you spend $50
Thanks to their impressive happy hour prices, the meal wasn’t expensive, but I could see how these reward points would add up. I am all about saving money. Based on my experience last night, I can see myself spending a lot of money at the Roaring Fork. You can also register online for the rewards card.
Dinner was fun. I had a great time chatting with them, and I even got to meet their daughter. As we were finishing dinner, their daughter showed up. We talked about dance music and living in Scottsdale. I had heard Ken talk about her before, but it was finally nice putting a face to a name.
I had a great time last night, and I can’t wait to get back to the Roaring Fork. Oh, and they have a famous margarita. It’s called “Our Famous Margarita” and is served frozen or on the rock. They also have one where they add a huckleberry swirl on top. Wendy ordered one of those, and it looks yummy! The Roaring Fork claims to have the best happy hour in Scottsdale. After my first visit, I would have to agree!
