Food & Drink

You’d think that my recent run-in with a jalapeño at a central Phoenix hole-in-the-wall Mexican joint would’ve killed my appetite for the spicy stuff. It did. That hideously hot little bugger brought me down within 15 minutes of eating it and wrecked me for a day. To be sure, I…

There’s been a lot of talking and tweeting today about yesterday’s blog post on the return of Counter Culture, this time, we’ve heard, to a prime location on Mill Avenue. Andres Yuhnke, co-founder of Counter Culture, told Chow Bella earlier this week that his business was a lock to reemerge on Mill. While…

With one post of her Facebook and another on her Twitter account yesterday, Lisa Giungo (of Lisa G Cafe Wine Bar) raised $250 and two plane tickets for her longtime friend and colleague, Lionel Geuskens. And that was just in one day, “so I know I can get him home,”…

It was less than 3 weeks ago that we announced they were downsizing. Valley foodies barely had time to pine away for the culinary stylings of Chef Payton Curry before word spread of the reopening of Valley favorite Digestif, tonight at 5. Reservations are coming in quickly, but if you…

The travels of Deborah Knight are documented in her recipes. She’s visited almost every continent (Australia and Antarctica seem to be the only two left off her list) and she’s getting ready to head off again, when her restaurant, Mosaic closes for two months on August 1st. The chef, who…

Remember all those eager reports in the news last fall ballyhooing the arrival of a Fresh & Easy Neighborhood Market just a mile from downtown Tempe? The grocery chain was applying to the Tempe City Council for a liquor license. It sounded delightful, but more than six months later the…

Monday we introduced you to Sloane Burwell’s salt obsession. Yesterday we told you where to get your own salts. Today we’ll put those various salts to the culinary test. Want a perfect recipe for your newfound salt obsession? Try gravlax. Chef Carol Blonder, resident chef and culinary advisor at Sur…

Urban Cookies vs. Cupcakes   It’s been several years since the cupcake craze ignited. According to most food fad timelines, cupcakes should have jumped the shark by now, but they obviously haven’t because there’s still no shortage of frou-frou cupcake boutiques around the Valley. That’s fine with us — what…

CenPho’s very own Phoenix Public Market can officially call itself a foodie destination. Epicurious.com, the Web site, information hub and social forum “for people who love to eat,” has made the Phoenix Public Market it’s first stop on their second annual summer Farmers’ Market tour. Our very own Southwestern local…

It seems that everyone’s favorite 24 hour coffeehouse is on the verge of a comeback. The Counter Culture Cafe used to offer music, art, and locally-made goods and clothing along with coffee, light snacks, sandwiches, and wifi available at all hours until they were unceremoniously booted from their home on the northwest…

Deborah Knight would simply not make it on Fox’s Hell’s Kitchen. It’s not that she’s not good enough. She’s just too nice. She teaches rather than barking orders, which may be why her employees call her “Mom.” And they tend to stick around for five or six years — an…

Downtown urbanites will no longer have to brave the summer heat for their local veggies and fruits come September. The folks behind the Phoenix Public Market, the Saturday farmer’s market for the downtown set, are making progress on the construction of its indoor incarnation, the Urban Grocery and Wine Bar…

Need a salt fix? Never tried vanilla sea salt? Want to try salt on ice cream? (Trust us, it’s a winner.) Salt has moved out of the cupboard to take its place as the seasoning of choice, so if there’s no sea salt to be found in your house, it’s…

The (far) West Valley is on its way up — the Valley food chain, that is. Next Monday, Majerle’s Sports Grill will open its third location at 13375 W. McDowell Rd., just west of Dysart Rd. in Goodyear. Majerle’s, which is named for (and owned by) Dan Majerle, the three-time…

Ever since we posted Posh’s recipe for kangaroo steaks last week, we’ve been hearing requests for unusual meat entrees. Ever tried fried gator? How about elk? In this week’s Meal Ticket dining newsletter, we track down some of Phoenix’s more exotic restaurant (m)eats. Valley diners may feel hard-pressed to find…

“You want what for Christmas?” My mom says this every year. And every year my request is the same – salt. I love salt in every incarnation — the weirder the better, whether it’s pink, blue, black, smoked, or infused. Salt can turn the blandest dish into something special. It’s…

As the remains of one of our favorite Phoenix restaurants smolder, we are thinking back to good times had at Richardson’s. This place was (and hopefully will soon be again) an institution in a town with far too few. For evidence, we reached into the not-so-way-back machine for this gem,…

Summertime is on full blast, which means that we’re definitely in the midst of barbecue season. To tell the truth, though, while there’s nothing more satisfying than serving up juicy burgers, plump franks, and roasted veggies to pals, grilling under a hateful Phoenix sun can be less than ideal. (Not that…