Food & Drink

It is almost certain that in the deep recesses of your mind the words “soul food” are permanently affixed to instantly answer the question any and all questions about what you would like to eat. Yet, you choose something “healthier” instead because you’re counting calories. Bikini season is right around…

Today’s news of the James Beard Awards semifinalists had barely been out an hour before readers and friends started messaging me by Twitter, text, and email. What did I think of the Arizona nominees, and how was that list created, anyway?A committee from the James Beard Foundation selects the semifinalists…

Checking back in with Kathy “Meetup” after her  Cupid’s Cocina event this past weekend. Evidently, things at Table for Six got hot and tasty … we’re just glad she took pictures.Kathy used recipes from Like Water for Chocolate and Elote, a recipe book by Sedona-based chef Jeff Smedstad (formerly of…

Change is in the air. The folks at LGO Hospitality announced today that they’ll be closing radioMILANO after dinner service this Saturday for a five-week-long renovation that will include an overhaul of its cook line and the installation of a larger draft beer system. When it reopens, it will be…

The Lodge originally opened in 1934 as the Judson School for Girls, and was converted into a restaurant and pub three years later. Former owner Joe Miller started bartending at El Chorro in the fifties, eventually buying the place in 1973. Local philanthropist Jacquie Dorrance picked up the property just one month after Miller…

ourchocolateshavings.blogspot.com ​Here’s a blog with a refreshing twist — no personal story to slog through, on your way to good recipes. Instead, Tastespotting is more of a virtual recipe file, inviting readers (even you!) to submit photos and recipes, and rate others.  More than anything, it’s some serious food porn. Check…

Yesterday we sat down with Charles Stotts of Avalon in south Scottsdale. Lucky for you, there’s a part two! Want to hear about Stotts recent foodgasm? Read on … What’s the best tool in your kitchen drawer? A spoon. I am against tongs; they’re something else you won’t find in…

​Congratulations are in order for an elite group of Arizona chefs and restaurants included in the list of 2010 James Beard Award semifinalists, which were just announced by the James Beard Foundation this morning. The nominees were chosen from among 21,000 entries from across the country. Five finalists in each category will…

Uh-oh, not again! I’ve found another restaurant that I’d love to keep a secret. As a critic, this happens to me pretty regularly, and every time, I force myself to spill the beans anyway. My friends have already given me plenty of gentle flack for giving glowing reviews to closely…

It’s the end of an era at Town & Country shopping center.After nearly six years serving shoppers at the retail cluster, Pie Zanos Gourmet Pizza Kitchen is closing its doors on February 26. The restaurant was not able to renew its lease at the current location. However, a second Pie Zanos…

Avalon can thank Sin City burn out for its new chef, Charles Stotts. The Minnesota native says his culinary career took off in Las Vegas; after a while, though, he wanted the first flight out.Stotts was Chef de Cuisine at Avalon and stepped up when Travis Watson left for Culinary…

Natalie Morris was a Slow Foodie by pure instinct. During culinary school at the Art Institute, the budding chef hadn’t heard about the global movement to eat seasonal, local food, but she immediately recognized a key issue: “‘Why do we have to keep ordering food from one big company? It’s not…

Let me guess: when you’re looking for comfort food, Asian cuisine doesn’t exactly pop to the top of the list. While yummy, sushi lacks the warm, tummy-nurturing sensation that comes with mac n’ cheese or Aunt Sally’s meatloaf. But there are a few Asian dishes that easily calm frazzled nerves after a hard…

​Valentine’s Day has come and gone and you’ve whole heartedly abandoned your New Years diet by professing your undying love to a giant box of chocolates.  Your jeans still don’t fit and those crafty Girl Scouts will be delivering their delicious little cookies starting this week.  Soon, you’ll be plowing…

Yesterday one of the Chow Bella contributors asked me what I do if I see another food critic when I’m out at a restaurant I’m reviewing. Should there be some special protocol here? A secret code or handshake or something?  I don’t do anything, except maybe spy on them from across…

Chinese New Year and a friend’s birthday were a good excuse to hit up Mesa’s Asian Cafe Express for an over-the-top seafood lunch. Some of my clever friends figured out that you can buy whatever you like from Mekong Plaza (right across the street — and the fish department is…