Art Burn: Art Just for the Halibut at District

Malee’s Thai in Scottsdale isn’t the only eatery in town that partnered up with a local gallery. Prior to opening in the Sheraton Phoenix Downtown hotel at 320 N. 3rd St., District American Kitchen and Wine Bar (with the help of Tele Art Resource’s Laurie Post) solicited proposals from local art galleries…

More Bianco Love From Gourmet and Food + Wine

In case you had any doubt that people are actually making pilgrimages to Phoenix for some Pizzeria Bianco action, get a load of the double-whammy of national media props for the restaurant — which comes on the heels of Martha Stewart’s six-page feature on Chris Bianco. This month, Gourmet features…

Your Meal Ticket to Mother’s Day Bliss

Tired of taking Mom to the same old Mother’s Day buffet? In this week’s Meal Ticket dining newsletter, we’ve got the scoop on a few unforgettable places to take your mama this Sunday, from classic champagne brunches to a runway show dinner for the trendy fashionista mom. Also look for…

Wednesday: Free BBQ at Joe’s in Gilbert

With all the awards that Joe’s Real BBQ has stacked up, the place could easily coast on its own fine reputation. But that’s just not how owner Joe Johnston operates. Instead, he makes a point to host an annual Free Day, dishing up gratis plates of the barbecue that made…

Waiter Confidential: Meet Bob

Meet Bob. Talk about a major tool. Bob’s one of those types who makes us hard working restaurant stiffs wince over the thought of having to accommodate him. Bob’s friends and family insist he’s just hard to please. Every time he comes in, everyone with him seems to take turns…

Onyx Bar & Lounge Shares the Good Stuff for Cheap

It’s a tough job but somebody’s gotta do it. The food and beverage team at the Four Seasons Resort at Troon North is holing up for a few days to do a hardcore blind tasting of many, many different wines from around the world — as in, 3 or 400 wines…

Cooking School Secrets: Ready or Not – Here We Come

Well, our classroom hours are over. It’s on to the restaurant, which is as close to a rite of passage as you get in culinary school. Our group was scheduled to spend the first few weeks in the kitchen. I felt ready to face the challenge. After all, I learned…

More Bacony Perversity

What am I doing up blogging at this hour? I’m sharing this hysterical link with you. This is the kind of stuff my dear friends email to me in the middle of the night, when it’s really hard to laugh silently. Check out How to Use Bacon to Make Your…

Tempe’s Three Roots Cafe Goes Co-Op

Over the seven years that Robin Bundy owned Three Roots Cafe on Mill Avenue (1020 S. Mill), the hip little indie coffee shop earned a loyal following among ASU students and neighborhood locals alike for its relaxing, bohemian vibe and its well-crafted coffee drinks. How loyal, you ask? Thanks to some…

Wanna Go to BaconCamp?

I swear this is for real — BaconCamp meetups for people who want to know more about bacon. You thought I was kidding about bacon takin’ over? Nuh uh. It’s only a matter of time before this happens in Phoenix, I bet. Look at the cool “crafts” the BaconCamp people have…

Recent Restaurant Closures

April wasn’t quite the harsh month for restaurant closures that March was, but I’m holding my breath now that summer’s coming. Surely any struggling restaurant would try to at least make it through the busiest part of the tourist season, so from here on out, it’ll be interesting to see which…

Monday Night Martha: Potato Skins

We’re cross-pollinating Martha Stewart with Rachael Ray tonight. The dish is called “Stuffed Potatoes with Ham, Thyme and Gruyere” AKA “I bought a flippin’ huge bag of potatoes and now I don’t know what to do with them.” We uncovered the recipe in Ray’s book 30 Minute Meals, a classic for…

Caffiend: Mana Energy Potion

This week’s Caffiend starts with a couple of caveats: 1) We bought this Mana Energy Potion at Hot Topic, and 2) We were warned to drink only half of the 1.6 ounce bottle. We raise the first point because if an energy supplement is available at Hot Topic, it’s supposed…

This Week In Chow Bella

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: Caffiend: Organic Yerba Mate Tea Never Too Much Bacon…

Budget Beat: TexAZ’s Dow Burger

The good people behind TexAZ must be feeling a bit of schadenfreude during the economic downturn, and now they’ve got a deal that lets you, the hungry but budget-minded diner, join in the fun. The popular Texas-themed steak-ribs-and-burger joint on the northeast corner of Bethany Home Road and 16th Street has…

Phoenix Phoodies: Carolina’s

There are a few things that are certain in Phoenix: Summers will be hot, politics will be messy, and Carolina’s tortillas are delicious. For 40 years, this family restaurant has been making enchilada sauce so luscious you can drink it, machacha so silky it melts in your mouth, and tortillas…

Cafe: Heirloom

How far will you drive for food? Certainly there are some tasty treats that no distance could separate a hungry enough mouth from. Unfortunately, Chef Michael DeMaria’s latest venture, Heirloom, is not one of them. According to Food Critic Michele Laudig, driving all the way out to Heirloom’s North Scottsdale…

Ice Tango Files For Bankruptcy

Isn’t this supposed to be fro-yo season? Ice Tango, LLC filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy (which prevents creditors from collecting on any debts) on Tuesday, for the Frank Lloyd Wright Boulevard location that closed at the end of January. According to David Cha, general manager of Ice Tango’s other two locations –…

Take Home Chef Curtis Stone Makes an Appearance

Curtis Stone, from TLC’s popular Take Home Chef series, will be hitting up Sur La Table at Kierland Commons on Friday, and I wouldn’t be surprised if the photogenic Aussie surfer has to fight off groupies. After all, he got “Sexiest Man Alive” props from People a few years back…