The beauty of the stealth dining trend is how it’s so free-form. Who’s running it? Where will it be held? How to do they organize their dinners? Each incarnation is unique. MF Tasty is the newest to emerge on the local scene, a “secret supper club” run by a local…
An early morning serving of food news, with no preservatives or additives. Think your salsa is the best of the best? Here’s your chance to prove it. The 2010 My Nana’s Salsa Challenge is April 24 at Tempe Beach Park and they are still looking for contestants. Go to this…
I bet you already have a favorite local French spot for your onion soup fix, or for a decent plate of steak frites. But what about crepes? Sadly, they’re not so easy to come by. I usually get mine at the Saturday market at Vincent’s on Camelback. That’s what’s so smart…
Could Thai food possibly get any more popular? The last few years have seen a boom in Thai food across the Valley, and still more new restaurants are opening their doors. The newest is Lao Thai, which opened last week in the former Kam’s Garden space on Scottsdale Road at…
Like flower buds almost ready to bloom, a new crop of local restaurants is gearing up to debut in March, and from the looks of it, this will be one busy season. The trend is toward accessible, affordable fare, even at a couple of upscale resorts. At the InterContinental Montelucia Resort…
Starting this week, we’ll be giving you our own “report card” review of a local happy hour spot. Study hard! The Spot: Moto Sushi 6845 N. 16th Street Phoenix 85016 602-263-5444 The Hours: Happy hour kicks off at 3 pm and goes till 6:15 pm Monday thru Saturday. On Sundays…
Winning a James Beard Award is the holy grail of culinary achievement. (Yes, despite what you might think, having your own Food Network show is not quite as important as the Beard Awards.) Last week, when the nominees for this year’s awards were announced, it got me thinking about how life…
Julian Wright learned the art of opening restaurants the hard way. When he introduced La Bocca Urban Pizzeria + Wine Bar in 2008, food critics (including our own) offered lukewarm reviews. A little more than a year later, he’s back with a vengeance. “La Bocca has been a challenge,” he…
When the press release arrived, we practically fell over ourselves, reaching for the phone to call for reservations. A Friday aftenroon tea party at the Ritz-Carlton, with members of the cast of the touring production of Mary Poppins, currently in residence at Gammage Auditorium in Tempe? How perfect! We already had…
How well do you know your favorite cookhouse contraptions? See if you can guess today’s gadget and check back next week for the answer. Here are a few shots at the answer, add yours to the comment box below: – Pasta-shaped bathroom tile – Dollhouse picture frame – Matchbook cozy…
Bill Campana The Valley poet, who has participated in poetry slams both locally and nationally, hosts Sound Effects poetry open mike every Friday night from 7-9 p.m. at Mama Java’s Coffeehouse in Phoenix. What’d you eat for dinner last night? A chicken and mushroom stir fry with fresh ginger and…
An early morning serving of food news, with no preservatives or additives. Today from 5 pm till close, Sens Asian Tapas and Sake Bar in downtown Phoenix will be hosting a fundraiser along with the American Red Cross to raise money for Haiti relief and development efforts. One hundred percent…
In the hours since RED Development’s announcement that Oakville Grocery will be the new tenant filling the space originally planned as an AJ’s Fine Foods at CityScape, locals have already begun bitching via social media. Along with collective groans about yuppie retail from skeptical individuals on Twitter and Facebook, Downtown Voices Coalition’s Steve Weiss…
We freely admit it — we have a blog crush. It’s Posie Gets Cozy, penned (okay, typed, but penned sounds so much more romantic) by Alicia Paulson — creator extraordinaire, to the point that it would get nauseating or infuriating if she wasn’t so self-effacing and dear and resident, natch,…
After Basha’s Supermarkets’ bankruptcy proceedings led to AJ’s Fine Foods falling out the the CityScape lineup last year, locals have been wondering which retailer — if any — would step up to fill the void for a much-needed downtown grocery store at the 1.8 million square foot mixed-use project. Today,…
Downtown Tempe’s couple of block radius now has not one, but four farmers’ markets. What sounds like a great idea in theory is actually a hot mess. Only the brick-and-mortar version has an identity of its own, and even that is shaky. The Tempe Farmers Market is located in the old Levi’s exchange…
You may typically dread Mondays as much as a fat orange cartoon housecat, but what could be better motivation to get through the workday than knowing it will be followed by a delicious, refreshing, cheaper-than-usual margarita or two? The margarita is the most popular cocktail the U.S. according to renowned…
There is a new favorite here at Monday Night Martha — Sausage and Feta Hand Pies. The filling made of crumbled sweet Italian sausage, thinly sliced slightly licorice-y fennel, onion, crushed red pepper flake — along with 6 diced plum tomatoes, feta cheese and chopped fresh parsley – is delicious…
After a day chained to the computer, eating nothing but carbs — pretzels and cookies and candy, oh my! — my friend’s dinner invitation to Maizie’s sounded like exactly what I needed. As much as I enjoy the salads here, I was haunted by the recollection of my previous visit, when…
In the end, we get what’s coming to us. Let’s hope it’s sweet. The latest issue of Sunset magazine says a $4,000 dresser is “worth the splurge” and the rooms at a former sanitarium turned bed-and-breakfast are calming. One article that doesn’t incite a high-pitched “ha!” is the one predicting…
Looking at the quaint, historic home that houses Inside the Bungalow off Robson and Main Streets in Mesa, one would never suspect the danger that lurks inside, in the form of a coffee drink known as “Instant Karma.” This drink is a “red eye” (coffee mixed with two shots of…
Looking for the latest in tasty television? Need to know the need-to-watch episodes of your favorite foodie shows? Chow Bella is here to help with reviews of the most delectable and dreadful, and a week-long, must-see schedule so you won’t miss a thing. Whoa. Is NBC sure it wants Guy…
