Two popular Gilbert food spots have announced new menu options with the Labor Day weekend. 

Newly opened but already popular Salt & Straw ice cream shop, 3150 E. Ray Road, suite 178, Gilbert, has announced the launch its new Apple Series. 

Available for the month of September, the series captures seasonal fruit in five flavors created by co-founder and head ice cream innovator Tyler Malek, as well as the first ever seasonal waffle cone. 

Flavors include:  

• Apple Pie vs. Pumpkin Pie — A swirled ice cream, which features Granny Smith apple pie and a shortbread cookie crust nestled into vanilla custard and swirled with pumpkin pie in brown sugar ice cream. 

• Apple Cider Donuts — Stripes of cinnamon-spiced vanilla caramel run through royal icing inspired ice cream, dotted with hunks of sugar-and-spice and streusel-topped with longtime partner Sidecar Doughnuts.  

• Black Currant Apple Cider — The limited-release pink sparkling cider "Autumn Blush" from Finnriver Farm & Cidery is transformed into pâte de fruits and an apple-and-black-currant-infused sherbet.  

• Green Apple Wasabi Sorbet — Juiced wasabi from Oregon Coast Wasabi, America’s largest wasabi farm, is blended with bright green apple juice.  

• Caramel Apple Sherbet — Crisp apple juice sherbet made with apples from Treetop, a cooperative farm in the heart of Washington’s apple country in Selah, with vanilla- infused caramel ribbons. 

 Additionally, Salt & Straw is debuting its first Pumpkin Spiced Waffle Cone on Sept. 6. In collaboration with Diaspora Co., a spice company that sources single-origin spices from 150 farms, this cone features a blend of cardamom and allspice infused into Salt & Straw’s vanilla-caramel waffle cone batter. It launches just in time to celebrate National Waffle Cone Day on Sept. 22. 

Across the Agritopia parking lot, Joe’s Farm Grill, 3000 E. Ray Road, Gilbert, has brought back its Hot Dog Days, a month of hot dog specials running through Sept. 30. 

Each special begins with an all-beef natural-casing hot dog or premium sausage from Schreiner’s Fine Sausages in Phoenix and is served with guest’s choice of one side dish from Joe’s Farm Grill’s regular menu. 

This year’s Hot Dog Days specials include: 

• Green Chile Pork Elote – All-beef grilled hot dog topped with homemade green chile pork, creamy roasted street corn, tortilla strips, cotija cheese and cilantro. 

• Country Sausage Gravy – Grilled dog piled with French fries and melty Wisconsin brick cheese, then smothered with Joe’s Farm Grill’s scratch-made sausage gravy and topped with one egg, any style. 

• Crispy Buffalo – A split, breaded deep-fried hot dog dipped in Frank’s Original Red Hot Sauce, nestled on a bed of coleslaw and topped with homemade buttermilk ranch, blue cheese crumbles and chopped celery and carrot. 

• Reuben – Hand-sliced corned beef, melted fontina cheese and fresh sauerkraut piled on an all-beef hot dog, topped with Joe’s secret sauce. 

• Big Fat Greek – Schreiner’s smoked Greek-seasoned pork sausage topped with cucumber Tzatziki sauce and drizzled yellow mustard then heaped with Greek fries (garlic sauce, feta, tomatoes, Kalamata olives and fresh herbs). 

• Dynamite – Hot link sausage with habanero cream cheese spread, hot ‘n’ sweet pepper jelly, hand-breaded and deep-fried banana peppers and topped with spicy pepper relish. 

• Sonoran – Jalapeno-stuffed bacon-wrapped fried hot dog with homemade Farm pinto beans, queso de cotija, and pico de gallo, yellow mustard and sour cream-mayo drizzle. 

• Carolina Blue – A grilled dog is topped with a generous portion of Joe’s BBQ pulled pork, tangy crumbled blue cheese and hand-cut sweet coleslaw drizzled with Joe’s Real BBQ sauce and homemade coleslaw dressing. 

• Coney Chili Cheese – Grilled hot dog, lots of homemade Michigan Coney chili sauce, cheese sauce, diced white onions and yellow mustard piled high with shredded Tillamook cheddar cheese. 

The cost for a single dog with guest’s choice of one side is $14, or $21 for a combination of any two plus one side. 

Mesquite Fresh Street Mex’s school supply drive 

Mesquite Fresh Street Mex, a modern Mexican grab-and-go concept, donated more than 20,000 branded stationery items, including pens, pencils and sticky notes, to students and faculty Aug. 13 at 12 different Valley high schools. 

The schools included Campo Verde High School in Gilbert. 

“Mesquite Fresh Street Mex is committed to supporting the Valley’s educators and brightest minds,” Ahmad Alatrash, co-founder of Mesquite Fresh Street Mex, said in a release. 

The Mexican restaurant made donations to schools across the Phoenix metropolitan area within the vicinity of the nine Mesquite locations.