Rarely do I feel like attacking another local writer’s work in public — usually I just share my criticisms with friends and fellow journalists, in private. But come on. How can a story that contains this sentence in the lede — “Does anyone hear Phoenix and think yum?” — make…
I’ve got neighborhood envy again. This time it’s an unassuming pocket of Mesa, on Dobson Road just north of Southern, where you’ll find one of my favorite strip malls in the Valley. Anchored by Asiana Market, a Korean grocery store that sells everything from kimchi to candy, the corner is…
Time will tell whether this fancy new blog software makes my life better (oh god I hope it’s spam-free!!), but so far, the only thing that’s changed is my URL: http://blogs.phoenixnewtimes.com/bella/ The old one still works, though…
Slow and low — that is the tempo Slow Food’s Phoenix chapter hosted its “Slow Food is Local — Farm Tour and Harvest Dinner” yesterday, and unfortunately I was out of town. But the next best thing to being there is having a dear friend who’s not only obsessed with…
Truffle season is behind us, but foodies who like to plan ahead (waaay ahead) should get in on this: trees inoculated with French black truffles. There’s a year lead-time, and it would take a few years to produce truffles, but it’d be worth it just to harvest your very own…
Pinkberry vs. Red Mango: The yogurt rivalry continues For some reason, frozen yogurt reminds me of walking down Broadway in New York, listening to Sonic Youth on my cassette-tape Walkman. Just the thought of it takes me back to the early ’90s. Back in the day — before smoothies took…
The recent burst of summerlike weather had me scrambling for something to wear, shopping for sunblock, and dreaming about backyard barbecues. Thing is, I didn’t even have time to dust off my grill before I got a hardcore burger craving. Blame it on one of my neighbors, whose cookout I…
Yes, it’s true — the James Beard Award-winning chef de cuisine at the Valley’s most luxurious resort dining destination is moving on. Thompson made the announcement at a staff meeting yesterday afternoon. The news isn’t entirely surprising. Anytime I hear about someone winning such prestigious culinary honors, I have to…
Kai had the prettiest table at the festival. Here’s a display of pastry cones filled with goat cheese cheesecake and sprinkled with pistachios. They were also handing out some rockin’ machaca tacos. Tapino’s “fancy campfire smores” made all the girls swoon. Taggia dished up some heavenly homemade cheese drizzled in…
I like their lattes, but Drip fixes up some mighty fine munchies, too Have you ever found yourself driving around downtown, famished, and it’s way too late for lunch anywhere? I’m thinking at around 3 or 3:30 in the afternoon, when old standbys like Fate or Matt’s Big Breakfast or…
Courtesy of West of Western Great chefs of the West: Cookin’ up a storm at the Arizona Center Thousands of growling bellies will descend on the Arizona Center this weekend for downtown’s most delicious event of the year — West of Western Culinary Festival — and they’re all sure to…
Living in Arizona, it’s easy to become familiar with the nuances of Mexican cooking. From corner taquerias and casual family-style places to higher-end restaurants, there’s something for every taste and occasion, whether it’s comfort food or exotica. But culinary creations from a lot farther south of the border — as…
My cup runneth over: Tea as an obsession I’m a collector of tea. I have way too many kinds in my cupboard — probably half a dozen fruit-flavored black teas, jasmine tea, some interesting decaf chocolate tea I found at Trader Joe’s, Celestial Seasonings’ Sleepytime, Rooibos, and Nutcracker Sweet (the…
Arizona representin’, yo: Our corner of the culinary universe just got a few tips of the hat from the granddaddy of foodie organizations, the James Beard Foundation. Barbara Yost from the Republic — who wrote a behind-the-scenes feature on Olive & Ivy — is among the final three contenders for…
What’s in a name?: Free stuff if you come up with the best one What will you be doing in October 2008? I like to think ahead, but wow — that’s pretty far off. For the City-owned, still-under-construction Sheraton Phoenix Downtown, though, that date actually means something: a grand opening…
I’m used to looking for hole-in-the-wall ethnic restaurants or modest indie bistros, but I didn’t expect to have to hunt for one of the Valley’s most exciting, high-end resort dining destinations. Well, until now. For my first visit to Vu — the fine-dining spot at the Hyatt Scottsdale Resort &…
Scandalous! The Twinkie’s mysterious past, revealed A pal just passed along a link to a new book that I could really get into. Just from the title alone, it sounds like the same kind of car-crash fascinating stuff Eric Schlosser explored in Fast Food Nation: Twinkie, Deconstructed: My Journey to…
Marcellino Ristorante Marcellino’s amazing Italian-to-go: The next best thing to having a personal chef You really don’t have to twist my arm to go to Marcellino for some excellent homemade pasta or a plate full of seafood, but man, I wish I could go more often. Someone was just telling…
Feeling blue: Roaring Forties rocks My Sunday evening ritual involves HBO (currently Rome, but soon to be The Sopranos and Entourage), a handful of friends in my tiny living room, and snacks — the more, the better. The group consists of me, my foodie/fashionista friend, and a bunch of hungry…
The fast and the furious: Even impatient cooks can use these recipes Contrary to popular belief, I do not eat at restaurants seven nights a week. If I’m lucky, I’ll have a fridge full of goodies — not to mention the time — to put together a nice meal. But…
Escapist tendencies: Go to Scottsdale, eat, and pretend you’re here. With balmy weather like this, all I need is a nice glass o’ vino and some stellar antipasti to feel like I’m relaxing on the Riviera. So lucky me — and you, if you love Italian food — for next…
Waiting for a table at Asia de Cuba on a recent Saturday night, my friends and I knew time was dragging on when we started to nurse the ice cubes left from our 15-dollar rum cocktails. Even though we’d made reservations days earlier, we found ourselves sitting at the bar,…
