You can’t go wrong with a rebel – William Wallace, Poncho Villa, James Dean… bad boys who got our attention. We found a rebel today – one with a cause – barbecuing meat.
Most travelers cruise right past Blythe with their sights on that “welcome to Arizona” sign along interstate 10. We happened to be hungry as we approached the border, so we pulled off and into the parking lot of a very non-assuming joint called Rebel Barbecue. It had great reviews and once Donna and I walked inside we got it. Friendly service, lots of locals, and the place smelled like heaven. 
We tried the barbecued Pastrami sandwich (yes, barbecued). We downed that mother in minutes then dug into the French fries topped with smoked brisket and chicken. I could practically hear my heart monitor flat-lining as I squirted sweet and tangy barbecue sauce all over the dish before power-devouring it.
We pulled into our day’s destination of Phoenix and realized we’d have to move our clocks forward. I got that let down feeling – like in Spring when you belly up to the bar on Saturday night and realize Sunday morning will be coming one hour earlier. We were delighted to discover The Fairfield Inn was located downtown (north of the freeway) in the shadow of a few high rises, yet along a nice – almost residential – feeling street. We got to our room to find the door slightly ajar due to an extended deadbolt. The room was clean and looked fine and inviting, but we just could not close that door. We called down and within minutes the manager had a new room for us just down the hall. Best of all – right next to the wi-fi hub!
In spite of our big lunch, we figured we should eat. Donna got on Yelp and found a positively reviewed place called Oven+ Vine, a charming little boutique restaurant on Vernon Street just steps from our hotel. This hip little place is nestled into a charming mini-compound that was the former Vaughn Family home (explaining the relevance of the Vaughn family in Phoenix history is beyond the scope of this article but I can assure you they were old money people that had enough coin to build a nice brick and wood-paned home that was large enough to eventually become studios, offices, and great little restaurants that serve a great craft beers on tap and local wines. Hey – lets get out of these parenthesis and move on…) Donna and opted to sit at the small bar just off the entrance and felt fortunate to get the attention of Claire, our friendly, enthusiastic, and well informed bar tender and server. She explained how the bar was made from wood planks found in the attic and matched the flooring in the main dining area. Our stools were located right off the open kitchen which boasted a brick oven where breads are baked fresh all day. It was a perfect place to knock down local beverages. There were ample good brews on tap and Claire thankfully offered samples. I finally selected a delightful Mexican Chocolate Brown Ale called Odelay from Tempe’s Four Peaks Brewery. Donna enjoyed Provisioner – a red blend from Campe Verde. Both paired well with the food we ordered – flat bread topped with a tasty and slightly spicy sausage from Phoenix’s own Schreiner’s fine meats. We ended the meal with Claire’s chocolate torte – a dense little cake of uncanny goodness served with raspberry sauce – a combination that always takes me back to my grandmother’s house on Christmas Eve. 
Can’t wait to see what tomorrow brings…
More about Oven+Vinehttp://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/restaurants/oven-vine-in-phoenix-it-will-be-a-cozy-neighborhood-place-think-brick-oven-food-beer-and-wine-6537777