Angel's Trumpet Ale House is the perfect addition to the growing Phoenix beer scene. In fact, I've been waiting (with beer-baited breath) for some time now for this place to open, even following the building process on their Facebook page, because it is a great downtown destination for a quality beer after work. With FilmBar right across the street, this block is possibly morphing into one of the coolest parts of town.
Let's talk about the beer. I like the rotating 31 flavors (or is it 32?). Either way, it's more fun than being a kid at Baskin-Robbins, eyeballing the beer selection as one barrel is emptied and another unusual selection takes its place. Sometimes I think it would be better if they had a standard line-up of six beers or so, as it takes some effort to pick a beer that suits your mood. There's a lot of information to absorb from the giant list including brewery, region, beer name, beer style, etc. and many of the beer styles are fairly exotic. However, it is a great beer adventure...
The food at Angel's Trumpet is some good stuff too. I had to try The Nutter after reading a review of this place in a local paper. Get this: peanut butter, bananas, raspberry-chipotle jam PLUS housemade marshmellow fluff and peppered bacon! This was a fabulous grilled sandwich experience you're not likely to encounter elsewhere. The pizzas and Asian-style wings were also pretty damn tasty, so I think they've got all the right elements any respectable alehouse should have.
My only gripe (yet not enough to give them less than five stars) was that it was not made clear that a 20% gratuity would be added to my bill automatically. We started as a group of four that grew to about eight, and the staff was incredibly accommodating. I ended up tipping 20% (on top of the already-included 20%) for my meal, which made things a little pricier than I had anticipated. I want this place to succeed, so I don't feel too bad about over-tipping, I just think they need to mention the automatic gratuity for parties over a certain size.