Finger lickin’ good: Ethiopian food by the handful at Blue Nile Yes, I’ve been a blog slacker the past few days. I’ve been an email slacker, too, and a flat-out voicemail ignorer (is that a word?). Next week, you’ll see why. Anyway, yeah, I’ve been a little sidetracked, but not…
It’s a total pain to get anywhere in Tempe, especially when you’re hungry. More and more over the past few months, I’ve found myself avoiding restaurants I’ve frequented for years, unless I could stop by at an off time, or think of a clever route around the mess caused by…
You never know what you’ll learn when you’re inconspicuously munching on fried ama-ebi heads and yellowtail sashimi. The other night, I felt lousy, like I was coming down with something. I’ve been blaming my occasional cough on allergies, but this felt like a real cold. At times like that, I…
There’s a reason they say that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, and I don’t think it has anything to do with getting your metabolism revved up. To me, it’s because breakfast food is the only thing that’s appealing ’round the clock — morning, noon, or night…
You already know what a sucker I am for packaging, so this new discovery shouldn’t come as a surprise. Ciao Bella pinot grigio? Come on, that thing was screaming my name. Lately I’ve been thinking about buying a Vespa, too. I spotted the vino at Cooks & Corks on Sunday,…
So did you hit up any of the culinary fest events over the weekend? I stopped by the Great Arizona Picnic and Cooks & Corks for awhile yesterday, and if my photos look half decent, I’ll post a few later on. (Haven’t seen them except on my digital camera’s tiny…
Restaurant Mexico deserves a sweet trophy for marathon-worthy endurance. It was one of a handful of popular downtown Tempe restaurants that got the boot when developers decided to demolish their old digs at University and Forest. And while it wasn’t the first time the business has picked up and moved…
An artist’s rendering of SouthBridge, soon to be home to seven high-profile restaurants If you’ve attempted (in vain) to find street parking in Scottsdale lately — especially near Cowboy Ciao, Stingray, and the like — you might already be familiar with SouthBridge, the still-under-construction condo, shopping and dining complex brought…
The day that Publishers Clearing House shows up at my front door with a giant check for $10 million is the day I become a full-time globetrotter. Nothing gets me revved up like travel — navigating unexplored streets, chatting with strangers, discovering unusual things. I like to immerse myself in…
Brian Lewis: Soon heading to France to enhance his super-chef powers This week’s splashiest foodie news is the somewhat sudden departure of chef de cuisine Brian Lewis from his post at Vu – the fine dining destination at the Hyatt Scottsdale Gainey Ranch, which I reviewed in my New Times…
Courtesy of Scottsdale Culinary Festival Hail to the chef: Kevin Binkley gets gets props from the Culinary Hall of Fame Tomorrow marks the start of the 29th annual Scottsdale Culinary Festival, and it’s looking like one hell of a foodie marathon. What sounds like a six-day blowout is actually more…
Just in time for First Friday comes Bar Smith, a new restaurant/hangout/watering hole that’s taken over that spot on Washington that housed the short-lived Taste of N’Awlins, and before that, Oregano’s. The place has been open a few weeks now, but last night was the grand opening. I haven’t had…
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…
