Four Peaks Brewery

After an extended hiatus from blogging I finally feel as though I can get back to posting semi-regularly. One of the most unfortunate things about law school for me was that it greatly diminished my desire to read or write for pleasure. There was so much involving the written word by assignment that when I did come across a bit of free time I found other ways to spend it (such as curling into a fetal position and rocking slowly back and forth, or cursing myself for not having chosen a university in a state with a coastline). It seems only right that my first post after finishing the first year of law school would be about the restaurant I went to in order to celebrate said accomplishment.

When choosing a place for my fellow survivors and I to toast to our success, my major requirement was that it served alcohol. For the entire year I'd been hearing about how great Four Peaks Brewery in Tempe is, and had even been to the hostess' stand one night after a softball game (but left after we found out it would be an hour long wait for a group our size - note: they don't take reservations). In particular I was excited to try their peach flavored beer. Ever since drinking the Raspberry Blonde at Brutopia in Montreal I've been a big fan of fruit flavored beer. When done well it can be incredibly smooth and delicious without the sickly sweetness you might fear from such a creation. Four Peaks does not disappoint in this respect, but I suppose I'm getting ahead of myself.

Because they don't take reservations and we would be a party of 8 on a Saturday night, J and I showed up about 45 minutes before our group's meeting time to secure a table. The weather was quite nice and the inside of the restaurant is notoriously loud, so I requested to be seated outside on their large patio. We waited about 35-40 minutes before being seated. The service was quite exceptional, especially considering how busy it always is. Our server was friendly and efficient, and seemed very adept at accommodating larger parties.

The menu is pretty extensive, and contains a typical selection of bar food in addition to a few more gourmet-sounding options. However, the quality of the food is completely atypical of standard bar fare. Without the additional draw of tasty craft beer Four Peaks would still be able to stand on its food alone. Since I had heard excellent reviews about their burgers, I decided to order the Mushroom Swiss Burger (with a garden burger instead of the beef patty). Members of our group who had been to Four Peaks before insisted that I choose the beer battered fries as my side, though you have the option of pasta or garden salad. And, of course, I ordered a tall glass of the Arizona Peach Ale.

I could probably spend the rest of this post raving about those french fries. There was absolutely no negative quality to them - no soggy, flaccid, over-salted nastiness. The batter is heavenly...so crispy and golden brown, but not at all greasy. I'm not exaggerating when I say these are the best french fries I have ever had. The burger was also excellent, with a tasty bun, well seasoned veggie patty (the traditional kind that actually tastes good, not the hippie version with chunks of random vegetables), and crisp lettuce. Veggie burgers are one of those things that it pisses me off when restaurants mess them up, since it's so easy to get it right by keeping these things in mind:

1. I'm not a vegetarian because I like vegetables. So don't assume that the more vegetables you can throw in a blender the more I will enjoy your frankenstein patty. Some shit just doesn't go together.

2. If you don't actually know how to make a good tasting vegetarian patty in your restaurant, just buy frozen Morningstar, Boca, or Garden Burger patties. It's cheaper and tastier than trying to pretend you know WTF to do with tempeh.

3. You have even less excuse for the bun to be soggy, because there's no fat or juices seeping out of a veggie patty.


Anyway, the food was delicious, the beer was refreshing, and the prices were reasonable (under $20 a person including food, beer, and tip). I will definitely be going back to Four Peaks Brewery, and I highly recommend it to drinkers and mormons alike. Next time I go I want to try their Oatmeal Stout Shake, a grown-up version of the root beer float. If you'd like to check out their menu, it can be found here.