Trumpeting Downtown Phoenix's Newest Craft Beer Joint

Angels Trumpet - 810 N. 2nd St.

There’s been some buzz lately about a new craft beer joint opening in East/Downtown Phoenix.  Second Street and E. Garfield to be exact.  Angels Trumpet Ale House has done a phenomenal job at building buzz and ushering in their stuff on the wings of social media. 

Now open just over a week, the place hasn’t received much love from the Phoenix New Times.  However, I’d like to share my own experience, and suffice to say, it was far better than whatever "Chow Bella" at the New Times experienced.

I’ll admit the place is a little hard to find.  I had some idea of what to look for based on pictures posted online, but I ended up at the corner of 2nd & Garfield looking around while some shady characters at a clinic on the corner stood around talking dirty...We’re not the numbered avenues…it’s not supposed to be ghetto here!  I finally spotted what I thought was Angels Trumpet just down the street…a sign would’ve been helpful.  I confirmed the address on my smart phone and then opened the solid-paneled front door. 

It was just after 5 when I showed up and there were plenty of tables available.  That wouldn’t be the case when I departed an hour later.  The hostess showed me to my seat, and my server Ricardo provided awesome service my entire time. 

The ambiance is clean and fresh with soft lime green and turquoise hues contrasting off blonde hardwood tables and floor.  There was no loud music, and I could actually have carried on conversation.  With noisy restaurants the norm, any place where you can converse is a major score in my book.  A lengthy bar flanks the back wall and a huge patio promises fantastic outdoor dining once it’s not 100-and-hell degrees out.

The best flight you'll ever take...

So about the best stuff:  the beer.  A chalkboard spans the length of the bar and has the day’s on-tap selections, complete with short descriptions.  On the table are more extensive beer “tasting notes”.  Over 30 craft brews were on tap the night I visited.  Ricardo—and now I as well—highly recommended trying a flight.  It’s $9, and you’re given a sheet with six circles to fill out.  Choose any six brews from the board and you’ll get a cupcake tin (totally rustic and cute!) with 3-oz pours of each.

The night I visited I sampled a number of local brews including a few from our own Four Peaks Brewery in Tempe along with craft beers from California, Colorado, and one from my old home state, New York.  Can’t complain about any of them.  At one point another server approached me and we had an interesting chat about my beer choices.

Veggieloaf Sammy & slaw

For food Angels Trumpet takes a gourmet spin on bar classics with sandwiches (Sammy’s), pizzas, salads, and a few entrees.  Prices are reasonable as most meals are $10 or under.  There’s also a board of “Seasonal Specials” by the front door.  

Vegetarian I am not…vegetarian food, on the other hand, can be absolutely delicious when done right…and that’s the challenge.  My Veggieloaf Sammy arrived open-faced on thick Texas Toast and was smothered in a tangy tomato sauce and more melted cheddar than I care to think about.  It had a meatly texture and smokey, earthy flavor with ground fresh vegetables throughout.  Fries, chips, or coleslaw are side choices.  I went for the ‘slaw which consisted of fresh, raw shredded cabbage and carrots in a tangy oil dressing with dried cranberries and feta crumbles.  The cranberries were just the right ingredient to cut the inherent bitterness of raw cabbage.  This was definitely not your average mayo-plus-sugar-with-a-little-cabbage ‘slaw.  A round, tin “pizza” pan served as a plate.  Along with the previously noted cupcake tin, it appears Angels Trumpet likes to use ovenware as dishes, which adds to the cool vibe, in my opinion.  (There are normal beer steins; no tin cups!)

I didn’t get dessert, but the homemade fresh fruit pop tarts for $4 were tempting.  Guess I’ll need to go back.  And ya know what?  If you’re into craft beer and decent food, you should try Angels Trumpet Ale House too.               

"The Steve Jobs Way" - My Take

The last Apple product I owned...it failed two days
out of warranty.

Several members of senior management at my workplace have mentioned The Steve Jobs Way, and so I thought it might be a worthy endeavor if I were to also pick up a copy. No—not to suck up (although having the same taste in books never hurts!), but rather to see what changes we might look forward to (or perhaps dread) around my office…

The Steve Jobs Way is written to a primary audience of business leaders. In relation to product/service-driven companies, it covers the gamut of topics from brainstorming the next big seller, to motivating a team who will rally behind it, to logistics, to branding and marketing the product. All of this, of course, is interwoven with author and former Apple Senior Vice President Jay Elliot’s personal accounts from his tenure reporting to Steve Jobs.

My current position affords no oversight when it comes to product development, so it was difficult for me to directly relate to the philosophies of doing business presented herein. All I could do was think, “Wow, that’s a great concept,” or, “That would work great at my office if they’d implement it” (i.e. reducing layers of approvals and subsequent varying opinions). Good stuff to file as it may well come in handy in a future life…

What captivated me most were Apple Computer history lessons that all the corporate philosophical talk is built around. My first experience with a desktop computer was on the Apple IIe, followed a few years later by the Macintosh (these at my elementary school—at home I was raised on PCs). The history behind these early Apple machines fascinates me, even if like I said before, I’m a PC guy all the way.

More recently we’ve seen Apple devices such as iPod, iPhone, and iPad revolutionize the computing world as we know it. Herein, however, lies one of The Steve Jobs Way’s biggest downfalls: As history is discussed, there is no timeline or organization. Dates, while appearing occasionally, are often left out. One minute the author talks about the Apple Lisa, just a few pages later he’s talking about the iMac, then turn a few more pages and it’s on to the iPod. All groundbreaking Apple products—but each from different decades. It would have been helpful if dates were more clearly identified.

Contrary to the dates dilemma, topics discussed such as “Door Opener Branding” and “The Ultimate User: The Customer as Me, Me as the Customer” are neatly organized under headings and subheadings, while an extensive table of contents points readers to the specifics.

The Steve Jobs Way provides a number of business and leadership principles that are especially relevant to leaders in today’s corporate world. It offers insights from a company who has defined thinking outside the box and which many other corporate behemoths have sought to emulate, if not in product than at least in values.

For those who subscribe to the Cult of Apple, this book provides an entertaining look into the life, viewpoints, and history behind the creator of i-Everything. A corporate philosophy textbook with some interesting history serving as a backdrop makes these less-than-200-pages an interesting and worthwhile read.

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close

Part mystery, part psychotic—not-quite—thriller that leaves far more questions than it does answers is a suitable description of Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close. This film opened on Christmas Day of last year (OK, so not quite a month ago), but due to its limited release, took nearly a month to make it to the Phoenix area.

Starring Hollywood long-timers Tom Hanks and Sandra Bullock, Extremely Loud tells the story of Oskar Schell, a child too brilliant for his own good. He’s fascinated by scientific discovery but also plagued by intense, well-thought-out, if irrational fears. Playing off both, Oskar’s father (Tom Hanks) creates treasure hunts to stimulate his young thinker’s mind. These serve dual purpose in that they’re planned to force Oskar to overcome his fears. Growing up in New York City, Oskar has more than a few things to ponder and fear, but his inquisitiveness and phobias take on new meaning after September 11, 2001. His father is among those who perish in the World Trade Center.

Trying to solve one final mystery that he believes his father left for him, Oskar sets out to conquer the five burrows, believing his father has one last important story to share. Along the way, Oskar is forced to face his fears, while constantly tormented by his own inner voices and frustrations. And this is where we see the darker side of Oskar begin to show. He demonstrates cringe-eliciting rudeness and disrespect toward authorities, elderly people, and even his own still-grieving mother (Sandra Bullock).  He resorts to self mutilation to deal with his anxieties. Unlike say, Donnie Darko, there’s nothing remotely amusing about this childhood psycho.

That said, I did enjoy the attention to visual details in this film such as seeing the original iMac in all its multi-flavored glory (in one scene said indigo iMac is running an old version of Adobe CS—cool). However, and one can almost forgive director Stephen Daldry for this since it was shot in present-day NYC, some of the cars are quite a bit newer than 2001 models. They also have Empire Plates. While introduced in 2001, at that time the Liberty Plate would have still been phasing out. Picky details, I know.

Extremely Loud is also extremely long. It has no definitive ending, and it creates more questions than it does answers, leaving moviegoers uneasy, without a sense of resolution. I guess the bottom line is you’re left to draw some of your own conclusions. I suppose it provides fodder for discussion in the theater lobby.

I had also gone in hoping to see a vivid and dramatic re-creation of September 11. However, truth be told, Oskar’s father could have died any number of other ways, and the basic plot would not be affected. To date the only good September 11 movie I’ve seen was United 93.

So my take: Don’t waste your time and money on this one.

The Iron Lady

Wars, people unable to pay their mortgages, protest movements in the streets, high unemployment—sounds like your typical morning news headlines. However, proving that what’s old is new again, British filmmaker Phyllida Lloyd demonstrates that such problems ravaged Great Britain just a few decades ago.

Americans today clamor for a leader who will turn this country’s economy around, putting people back to work and ensuring a stable middle class. Britons in the late 1970s elected who they believed would be the conservative savior of their Isle—Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher.

The Iron Lady, currently in theaters, is a dramatic portrayal of the life and major political milestones that defined the legacy of Margaret Thatcher. The film opens near present-day* with an aged, hunched over, and unrecognized-by-most Thatcher—played by Meryl Streep—at a convenience store buying milk. She’s clearly bewildered as she observes the price of milk, people talking on cell phones, and the general rudeness of the public.

This sets the course for the rest of the film, which is defined by Thatcher’s ensuing dementia and subsequent flashbacks and hallucinations to her early life and political career. This choice of narration creates some confusion, as it jumps forward and backward in her lifetime throughout the film. It’s important to pay careful attention so as not to lose the plot.

Streep had her own makeup artist who is credited at the end of the film. He is responsible for making her appear a ghost-white figure with contrasting bright-red lipstick (and wrinkles galore when the plot switches back to the present) who clearly is on her eight of nine. I won’t even touch the hair, which probably could spontaneously combust there’s so much hairspray holding up that doo. All this is set against a typical London scene of dreary skies and even more dreary old buildings. Needless to say, this film has a stuffy, somber feel to it.

From a political standpoint, it’s tossed to debate whether this is left-wing propaganda.  I couldn’t help but feel that Thatcher’s cries for smaller government, fiscally conservative budgets, and war hawkishness were portrayed in a negative light. Numerous scenes (using actual footage) show Brits rioting in the streets, pounding on the windows of her limousine, and in one scene—detonating a bomb at the hotel she’s staying in. At the same time, this film is certainly crafted to show the empowerment, advancement, and contributions of women in politics and society as a whole.

The Cold War has long been fascinating to me (USSR’s collapse was the subject of a term paper), so seeing this film was only natural. Anyone who lived through the Thatcher era (especially if—unlike me—you’re old enough to vividly remember it), and was into the political turmoil of the era, will definitely appreciate seeing this modern-day recounting of the Iron Lady of Britain.

If you’re not a history buff, it pays to go into the theater with some background on Thatcher and her major political milestones. Her Wiki is a great resource to gain context into the surrounding events, people, places, etc. seen in the film. Keep focused during plot switches, and you’ll find this is an entertaining historical drama that really makes you think about the 1980s and how this decade may very well have come to define today.




* I would put this film as being in 2008. In one scene Thatcher is watching the news where bombing of the Islamabad Marriott is the top headline. This occurred September 20, 2008.

Searing Words for American Retail Powerhouse

A pioneer of the American department store model, Sears is closing locations in an effort to stop cash losses. Ok, this is nothing new…it’s been in the news since at least Christmas Day.

The other day a Facebook link to YouTube caught my eye. The video is by sales-training expert Grant Cardone, and in it Cardone explains why he believes Sears is failing.



If you don’t care to watch all nearly eight minutes of the video, here’s a quick summary: Cardone visits an LA-area Sears store with camera crew in tow. He loudly comments on how nobody greets him, often making comments like, “Can I get a little help here?” and just being a typical, needy retail customer who doesn’t understand that retailers have skeleton crews. A store like Sears is mostly self service.

Cardone receives less than willing, knowledgeable help as salespeople are immediately put off by the cameras. Finally, he is escorted out of the store, where, now standing in the parking lot, he proclaims he has unearthed exactly what is wrong with Sears.

As someone who worked for a retailer competitive to Sears, I don’t believe Cardone shares the whole story. What you see is the customer’s side, but I’d like to share a little from the employee side:

• Retail employees are tasked with merchandising, floor resets, fitting room recovery, etc. This is in addition to providing customer service.
• Some customers want to be greeted; some bite your head off with, “I’m just looking!” at the hint of a greeting.
• Needy customers don’t care that you have a million other things to juggle, they want help and they want it now. If you don’t have what they’re looking for, they believe it exists in a magical little land called “The Back”, which usually is nothing more than empty stockroom shelves.
• While trying to keep the store presentable, you have customers constantly trashing it. Retail is the only place I know of where we invite guests in, look the other way while they make a mess, and then the employees get hollered at when customers rank the store as “messy” on those stupid little end-of-receipt surveys.
• Credit card quotas are a must. It’s not enough to perform your everyday assignments to the best of your abilities. Never mind that credit is what got the U.S. economy in trouble…just meet your quota or expect to be berated, threatened with termination, etc.
• Backup cashiers needed? You best drop everything and run for the registers. And you’d better be able to pick up where you left off and have your tasks completed by the time you go home.
• Speaking of going home, no overtime allowed. This is both a blessing to some, and a curse to others. You better juggle taking all state-mandated breaks each day, too.

Now one disclaimer, the department store I worked for (I’ve posted it in other places on this blog, if you really need to know) has a slightly different business model than Sears. There are no power tools and lawn mowers. Salespeople are non-commission.

My point is that retail is a tough job. It’s like trying to bail water out of a sinking ship. It’s hard to ever feel a sense of accomplishment from. While I am glad for the time and project management, prioritization, leadership, and other invaluable skills I learned working as a retail supervisor, I am so glad my career took a markedly different turn in July of 2011. I am glad to no longer need to deal with annoying customers like Grant Cardone.

I thought this a fitting post as I start this new year and the first full year of my new career.

Facebook Your Next in-Flight Friend

Over the past month, I’ve done a lot of air travel. There’s nothing I hate more than getting on the plane and not knowing who is going to be sitting next to/around me. I’ve had more than my fair share of coughers, sneezers, passengers of size, and one time—in the exit row, where there was no window seat in the row directly in front—an old man kicking his legs and yelling how all the extra legroom felt like a “dance floor”.

KLM Royal Dutch Airlines is demonstrating yet another potential way Facebook and social media are changing the ways of the world. KLM is allowing passengers checking in online to opt for having their Facebook or LinkedIn profile associated with their position on the seat map. This allows other passengers to get to know who their plane-mates will be and attempt to pick a seat next to someone desirable.

The original USA Today article flaunts this as some sort of dating service at 30,000 feet. However, I think it’s a great way just to ensure yourself a comfortable flight. If you had your potential seatmate’s profile in advance, you could friend the person and even chat to ensure this is somebody you’d feel comfortable next to. Perhaps airlines that sell seats in advance (or assign them at time of purchase—something more rare all the time) would let you link up your Facebook profile as soon as the ticket was purchased (as opposed to at check in, usually no earlier than 24 hours prior). And how about an email when someone has grabbed the seat next to you so you can check out their social media profile?

Since this is an opt-in service, and users need to have a Facebook or LinkedIn account, there’s still a good chance of not knowing your seatmate until departure time. Regardless, this is an innovative way to use social media, and one I would gladly take advantage of in the interest of avoiding the creepy passengers that seem to always get assigned the seat next to me.

As a side note, my last several flights of length were on Southwest where seating is open (a.k.a., a free for all). In this case, the airline who has won awards for its social media innovations will miss the plane when it comes to Facebooking your next seatmate.