The Attic Ale House -- Arcadia, Phoenix, AZ

The Attic Ale House - Arcadia, Phoenix, AZ
May the 4th be with you! May 21st, 2023 Kenny and Sarah Love visited The Attic which is an Ale House that we love to frequent as much as possible. It's situated on the top floor of a small shopping center with random shops we have never thought to explore.

One of the things that draws us to this place is the exquisite view. Sitting on the outside balcony you can see the breathtaking Camelback Mountain. (A part of the Phoenix Mountains Preserve). The interior of the place is long and skinny with plenty of TVs to entertain the sports enthusiast. Every once in a blue moon Kenny and Sarah Love go there to watch football, namely the Eagles but especially her Bills!

There is a pretty solid drink selection, too - from craft beers to mixed drinks to wine to mead.  Kenny's most memorable drink was called The Caveman Bloody Mary. It costs as much as a meal but it's a meal in and of itself and literally has everything you can imagine adorning it.

Sarah Love thinks the mimosa flight (consisting of three glasses of sparkling champagne with different juices) is outstanding. You can choose from a wide selection of mixers including peach, passionfruit, mango, guava, orange, grapefruit, pineapple or cranberry. They're also on special every Sunday during brunch (10:00 AM - 2:00 PM)!

Lastly, The Attic is small and quaint which adds to it's welcoming appeal. It's definitely a spot we suggest you visit!
5/21/2023

Our pretzel came out a beautiful golden brown in color. There was a scant amount of salt decorating the treat. A nice crunch came with the outside while the inside was surprisingly soft. The consistency was comprised of a yeasty and thick dough. The beer cheese was a little spicy and sadly somewhat cheap tasting. However a tasty horse radish mustard also came with the pretzel which was a much better complement.
2.9/5.0

Sincerely,

Kenny Muzzey & Sarah Love

The Salted Knot -- Mesa, AZ

The Salted Knot - Mesa, AZ

We have a very special person joining us today on our adventures.  A long time friend of Kenny's is in town for this post. Dan, who helped us write a previous post, shall join us once again as a guest reviewer!

March 8th, 2025 was a busy day for us. We started off visiting Grandma's Farm for some fresh citrus. Talking with the owner is always enjoyable as she has delightful stories and insights to share. Her fresh citrus is tickling our taste buds as we speak. Delicious!

From there we went to an immersive, interactive art exhibit called Bubble Planet. The attraction is suitable for all ages and located inside Arizona Mills mall. Ten bubbled themed environments awaited exploration. One of our favorites was Bubble Ocean. A pink sea of beach ball sized balloons surrounded us, sailing high above our heads while Dan juggled to his heart's content. Some other rooms to note were the Giant Bubble, Bubble Bath Pit and Infinity Room. The exhibition is open until the end of April so if you need something fun to do for an hour or two we do suggest it!

Following this wonderful experience we set off to Mesa to visit the actual brick and mortar location for the Salted Knot. I
t was obvious that we needed to visit and conduct a follow up review after we tasted their pretzel at Phoestivus with it's 4.0 rating.

Located on Main Street by the cross street Center, the physical location is perfect. There are a few tables immediately outside the front door of the bakery with a small adjacent patio. As the Friday before it had rained, it was a cooler, crisp spring afternoon, so we choose a table in the warmth of the sun.


Once we entered the eatery we immediately took note of the ambience, the decorum was decked out with tributes to classic rock music artists. The whole place had a chill bohemian vibe, down to the extremely cleanly and well kept bathroom. The atmosphere was warm and welcoming, including the staff. We proceeded to the counter, which was directly next to a beautifully decorated display of pretzel based foodstuffs. Sarah Love, Dan, and Kenny discussed what tasty treats they wanted to try and which dipping sauces would best complement them.



After ordering, we took our number 17 sign, and returned to the patio eagerly awaiting the delectable dishes. In the interim, we basked in the sunshine and held lively conversation until our lunch arrived.

3/8/2025

On to the review...
Our order included three specialty pretzels: a cheese pizza pretzel, a pepperoni pizza pretzel, and a garlic parmesan pretzel. In addition, we picked up a pretzel dog and pretzel brat. The accoutrements chosen were marinara sauce, maple mustard, stoneground mustard, and beer cheese. The pretzels were all uniformly baked light beige and appeared similar in size and shape. Our first bites revealed a perfectly balanced texture, soft and moist.

Gooey, melted cheese covered the pizza pretzels; one which was covered in little, round pepperonis. To perfect the meal be sure to use equal proportions of cheese, pretzel and marinara sauce. The garlic parmesan tasted similar to a breadstick.  Not bad, just not what we expected with a pretzel. The brat and hot dog were equally tasty. The rope of pretzel twisted around the dogs give the consumer the ultimate experience of pretzel satisfaction.

Sarah Love, Dan and Kenny definitely DO recommend visiting this place.  The Salted Knot not only provides a welcoming environment but an excellent snack or meal that satisfies anybody's preferences.

Specialty Pretzels*: 5.0/5.0

*Disclaimer: Due to the nature of this pretzel we do not want to confuse our rating with that of a traditional restaurant pretzel.

Sincerely,

Kenny Muzzey & Sarah Love