After a weekend of private friends-and-family events, The Main Ingredient Ale House & Cafe finally opens its doors to the public tonight (2337 N. 7th St.) Owners Matt and Courtney Diamond have transformed the former Lisa G Cafe Wine Bar, which they purchased from Lisa Giungo back around Halloween, into…
In the end, we get what’s coming to us. Let’s hope it’s sweet. Ah, the Golden Globes. This year, the shamfest set up by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (whatever that is) was an opportunity to watch celebrities drink expensive champagne in outfits that cost more than the Blue Book…
Before starting this week’s Monday Night Martha we were standing around asking each other the eternal question, “So, what do you want to eat?” and bouncing a few ideas back and forth.Then the discussion turned into a fantasy of what we thought Martha might have eaten the night before heading…
There is no shortage of options for ethnic dining in Tempe, but frankly, we’ve grown tired of the grunge factor in many of the establishments near Arizona State. We’re not saying these places are dirty — and many do serve good food — but let’s just say the shine is off…
At the Scottsdale Old Town Farmers’ Market this weekend, we caught up with Joe Garcia of La Vida Locavore and got the inside scoop on a new “covert culinary dinner” project called Stealthy Table. Basically, it’s like the food version of a rave — the location of the dinner’s a secret until one day…
Energy drinks come in all kinds of flavors, but we’ve got to admit, the Molotov line of energy drinks contains some of the most eclectic: tamarind, mango, and pineapple — the latter two combined with Tapatio hot sauce and lemon.We were unsure how a fruity, carbonated drink would taste with…
The 67th Annual Golden Globes will air this evening on NBC. The fashion misfires, the bizarre acceptance speeches, and the stage exit stumbles – we relish the opportunity to watch the beautiful people at their best and worst.With Julie & Julia nominated for Best Picture in the Music or Comedy category,…
The Lagunitas Brewing Co. Web site states that the “Lagunitas Brewing Company is emerging as a battle-tested brewery capable of making great beer out of goat’s milk, brambles, and asphalt on the surface of the Moon, if need be.” Let’s hope that it doesn’t come to that. We’re fairly sure…
Another week has come and gone leaving us to ponder the upcoming events that will shape our lives and, more importantly, our dinners out. But before we move on, let’s have one last look at the blog posts from this week: When Life Hands You Meyer Lemons, Make Pasta. Or…
Consider this a shout-out to all the caffeine-fueled, hard-working Americans out there who can’t get the day started without a cup of joe. We feel your adrenal-shot addiction and offer up this advice: Life is much too short to drink bad coffee. How does one make absolute sure they are…
If you consider yourself a card-carrying coffee geek — or, as restaurateur Joe Johnston would put it, a “disciple” of the “true gospel of coffee” — then you need to bookmark Johnston’s excellent new blog, Roaster Project. But even if you don’t consider yourself a java expert or even drink the…
Just got an interesting tidbit from a friend that I thought I’d share.It’s a list of the top 10 recipes that were searched on Google last year. As someone who compulsively Googles everything — and who consults with the online search engine far more often than the recipe box — I…
Good ol’ Middle Eastern Bakery & Deli.This Central Phoenix restaurant has been one of my favorite lunchtime go-to spots ever since I started working at New Times over nine years ago. I recall one of my coworkers taking me there during my first week on the job, and I was…
Even when businesses were dropping like flies earlier this year, it still came as a surprised when popular north Phoenix pastry shop Wicked Bakery closed its doors.But chef-owner Slade Grove is back on the scene, now operating out of Luci’s Healthy Marketplace, which made its own comeback in October, reopening…
Has Avalon executive chef Travis Watson been lured back into the fold at Fox Restaurant Group to work at the soon-to-open Culinary Dropout?The rumor isn’t confirmed, but one thing is true — Watson left the swanky Scottsdale restaurant just after the new year. Before he joined the opening team at…
Happy Olio Nuevo, everyone! This sounds like some crazy made-up holiday along the lines of National Bacon Day (seriously, isn’t that every day??) or National Tempura Day. But Olio Nuevo, aka Festival of the New Oil, is actually an annual event at Queen Creek Olive Mill which begins tomorrow, January 16. Weekly…
For the past two Sundays, we’ve been hooked on Food Network’s new show, Worst Cooks in America. Maybe it’s because this gem stars local celeb-chef Beau MacMillan. Or the fact there’s a contestant from Scottsdale. Or maybe it’s just that we all had an Aunt Mildred or Grandpa Joe or heck, Mom or…
Last week: Marcella’s Italian Kitchen in Scottsdale…
One of Jalapeño Inferno bartneder Emily Quinn’s favorite trends going down in the drinking world right now is using fresh ingredients in cocktails, so it’s appropriate she made a Boss Margarita for us because it includes freshly squeezed lime juice. The bartender: Emily Quinn, who’s worked at Jalapeño Inferno for 3…
Here in the states we count on Japan for all things innovative and weird (especially when there’s no reason or practical application), so we were delighted to see that Abashiri Brewery, located on Japan’s northernmost island of Hokkaido, specializes in “unique” beers…
Craving a cupcake in North Scottsdale? If you were hoping to swing by Scottsdale Bakery & Cupcake Company (15090 N. Northsight Blvd.) for a little frosted confection and a drink, you’re out of luck. The family-owned storefront closed in mid-December due to lack of traffic in a struggling retail complex. However,…
Somebody had a lot of fun with this. Just look at those funny little fondant pigs! A friend just sent me a link to a darling website where they’ve created incredibly detailed cupcake designs inspired by classic games and retro video games, and then made a guessing game out of…
