Next Week: Chef Michael DeMaria Opens Heirloom

Chef Michael DeMaria’s Tempe restaurants, Trattoria M and Aroma Market, might be facing delayed openings, but Heirloom, his new spot at North Scottsdale’s DC Ranch, is coming together really quickly. Opening night is next Tuesday, January 27. “We took over the Flo’s space and demoed it a month ago, over…

New in Mesa: Cornish Pasty Co.

Here at New Times, we’ve long been vocal about our love for the Cornish Pasty Co., and how we wished the popular Tempe eatery would serve its savory, flaky English pies all across the Valley. And guess what? They just opened a second location in Mesa last Saturday. The place looks great — bright…

Pullano’s Pizza & Wings Serves Up Happy Hour Pizza For Free

Who says there’s no such thing as a free meal? We found one. On certain days at certain times, Pullano’s Pizza and Wings will give you free pizza with the purchase of any beverage.  This includes alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages — and domestic drafts are only $1.50. Not bad. …

Los Sombreros Revamps Menu

Unforgettable mole poblano, mouthwatering carnitas, and naughty flan drenched in Almendrado tequila were already reason enough to head to Los Sombreros in south Scottsdale, but now the charming Mexican restaurant has a revamped menu with some new additions (old faves remain, of course): Los Sombreros Jan Menu.doc Look for the fig…

Mmm: Mini-Pies at Lisa G

Move over, cupcakes. I’ve found a new tiny dessert to obsess over. Lisa G Cafe & Wine Bar just started serving miniature pies every Friday and Saturday night, available individually or as a “pie flight.” The flavors change frequently, but I recently got a taste of the most recent ones: Nutella with vanilla…

Won Tons at China Chili Make a Cheap, Tasty Lunch

  Sometimes you find an appetizer so good it passes for the main event — and these days (time-crunched, wallet-crashed) that can be a very good thing. Such are the Boiled Won Tons at China Chili near downtown Phoenix. Served in a big bowl, the soup features ten pork dumplings swimming in a…

Pop Culture: Coke, Pepsi and RC Face Off in Cherry Form

It’s easy to forget now, when there are over a dozen flavors of Coca-Cola available, but a bottled cherry cola — as opposed to the sort of cherry colas mixed up traditionally at drugstores and diners — was once a revolution. Like you’d probably expect, Coke came up with it,…

New in Scottsdale: Avalon

After months of delays, including a publicized December opening that just didn’t work out (ah, the restaurant biz), Avalon finally opened its doors for dinner last night. Located in south Scottsdale, adjacent to the 3 Palms Oasis Resort, Avalon serves “contemporary American coastal cuisine.” Executive chef Travis Watson, a Scottsdale…

Who is Eater AZ?

Inquiring minds want to know. I’m one of those people who pays attention to bylines and actually reads those goofy contributor bio pages in the front of magazines. So when I came across a local food blog called Eater AZ — where there are no bylines — the first thing I…

Juju Berri’s Frozen Yogurt is a Tasty Bargain in Glendale

The concept is simple. Pick up a pink or green tub at the door and serve yourself. Mix and match from 10 flavors of soft-serve frozen yogurt, including New York Cheesecake, Blueberry Pomegranate, Green Tea and Kiwi. Next there are more than 30 toppings to choose from including granola, cheesecake bites, gummy bears…

Veggie Boy: The Breadfruit

The Breadfruit’s “Vegan Special” will be Jamaican your mouth water.The Valley isn’t exactly known for its Jamaican culture.Truth be told, there’s a grand total of two restaurants around these parts that serve up cuisine straight from the tiny Caribbean isle that birthed Bob Marley and the Rastafari religion. It’s quite…

Fate No More?

No, the house that Johnny Chu built is not closing, as far as I know. But Fate is definitely in the midst of a name change, now that Chu’s effectively out of the picture. The signs out front have been taken down, and although employees still say “Thank you for…

Waiter Confidential: President Bush at Dick’s Hideaway

Today, the torch passes to a new generation. But some will never forget certain meals enjoyed during the Bush Administration. On October 13, 2004, in an act some might consider tantamount to cannibalism (shame on you), President George Walker Bush dined on turkey-stuffed enchiladas at Dick’s Hideaway in Phoenix. (Dick’s…

Tomorrow: Free Fish Tacos at Rubio’s

So, the Cardinals beat the Eagles, and now Arizona residents get an unexpected perk for seeing their football team head to the Super Bowl: free fish tacos. Tomorrow, January 21, Rubio’s Fresh Mexican Grill will give you a free taco anytime from 2:30 p.m. to close. Either plan on a…

Obama Cookie Makes a Comeback at Tammie Coe

Before the election, the stretch of Roosevelt around 6th Street seemed unusually busy, no doubt due to the Obama campaign headquarters located in an old house, amid the art galleries and shops. Brilliantly, pastry guru Tammie Coe — whose shop is right across the street — came up with Obama logo…

Arizona Flag Cake: Show Your State Spirit

The Arizona Cardinals headed to the Super Bowl, and unless you’re prepared to brave rowdy crowds at a hellishly over-packed sports bar, you’re probably going to be headed to someone’s house to watch the game. If you’re looking for something fun to bring, try making a fruit-topped Arizona flag cake…

Tomorrow: Half-Price Humble Pie

How nice of them. The folks at Humble Pie are celebrating their own one-year anniversary by giving us the deal: half-price pizzas, available all day long, on Tuesday, January 20. That way, if you’re undecided about whether to get the one with Schreiner’s sausage, roasted fennel, mozzarella, and tomato sauce,…

Caffiend: 5-Hour Energy

The makers claim that a 2-ounce shot of 5 Hour Energy contains “350% the energy” of a Red Bull, but they don’t disclose the actual caffeine content. We estimate it to be about 80 mg, or the equivalent of a Red Bull. The shots also contain 40 mg of vitamin B6 and 500 mcg of B12.

Quiessence Unveils Daily Menus on New Website

These days, restaurant competition is so tough that chefs can’t just write a menu, keep it static, and ride the wave. The good ones know you need to stay on top of what’s fresh and in season, and find a way to work as much of it into the rotation as…

Monday Night Martha: Alinea’s Liquefied Caramel Popcorn

The new cookbook from Alinea certainly topped a lot of Christmas lists, and some of us were lucky enough to get it. For those not completely obsessed with molecular gastronomy, Alinea is the hoity-toity Chicago restaurant that’s famous for its ueberly deconstructed food. The twenty-five course menus include oddball delectables such…

Brew Review: Ommegang’s Rare Vos

If there is one way in which beer falls flat to its grape-based partner in alcoholic frivolity, wine, it is in its lack of ceremony. Popping a cork, smelling, swirling, these are all things enjoyed by wine connoisseurs with the regularity of a religious ritual. Beer is about drinking. It…

Cardinals Cupcakes for Game Day

What better way to show your support for the Arizona Cardinals than to eat an edible version of their mascot? It’s sort of like how ingesting certain animals is believed to give you the power of that animal in Asian cultures. But instead of eating monkey brains to be smarter,…