Chik-a-Rib’s Lava Wing Challenge

​For this week’s Feast of Fury, my faithful fellow food fighter Todd and I are at Chik-a-Rib’s (1830 W. Glendale Ave., 602-759-8521), a tiny shack in north Phoenix serving up soul food faves like macaroni and cheese, glazed racks of ribs, and fried chicken and waffles. But the murals of…

Mucho Gusto: Happy Hour Report Card

The Spot: Mucho Gusto Taqueria & Mexican Bistro, 603 W. University Dr., Tempe, (480) 921-1850 http://muchogusto1.com The Hours: Between 3 and 6 pm, Monday through Friday. The Details: $3 booze and $5 appetizers. Choose from the house margarita, house wine, or a Dos Equis draft and snag one of about…

Green: Lunch $10 and Under

“Where’s the beef?!” Not here. But if you want a totally veg meal that’s so filling you won’t be asking, Green is just the spot. With all menu items $10 or under, this might be pushing the buck for our budget beat, but it’s well worth every penny. So grab a friend and get ready to go meatless. (Your favorite Boca-burgered-out vegetarian will thank you.)

How Do I Make a Great Cup of Coffee?

How do I make a really good cup of coffee? Our favorite coffee house slogan: “Drink Coffee, patriotic beverage since 1773.” That’s because the Continental Congress declared coffee our official national beverage when the original tea party, a revolt against the British tea tax, began in Boston’s Green Dragon Coffee…

57: Carne Asada on a Potato Pancake at The Vig

Hungry yet? We’re working up our appetites for our huge Best of Phoenix issue, out September 30, with daily servings of Chow Bella’s 100 Favorite Dishes from across the Valley — in no particular order Leave your suggestions for upcoming favorites in the comments section. Visit our sister blog, Jackalope…

Justin Garza, What Are You Eating?

Justin Garza The singer/songwriter for The Season Premiere plays with the band at the Desert Sound Music Festival in Yuma September 25. The band recently released a new single on i-Tunes, entitled “She Doesn’t Know”. What’d you eat for dinner last night? A 6-ounce sirloin steak with mashed potatoes and…

Night Train Express

Anyone that has searched the couch cushions for a handful of change knows that boozing on an extreme budget can be a risky proposition. To help you decide how to spend that meager pile of pennies, we’ve scraped the bottom of the barrel to review some of the cheapest, most…

Gazpacho! For One and All

Gazpacho? There’s a scene in the Pedro Almodovar film, Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown, where gazpacho is offered to the police who come to the apartment of central character, Pepa Marcos. Candela get me a drink. What kind? There’s gazpacho. Right! Gazpacho! Where are you going? For gazpacho? Want some? Were on duty…

58: White Flannel Hash at Orange Table

Hungry yet? We’re working up our appetites for our huge Best of Phoenix issue, out September 30, with daily servings of Chow Bella’s 100 Favorite Dishes from across the Valley — in no particular order Leave your suggestions for upcoming favorites in the comments section. Visit our sister blog, Jackalope…

Caffiend: Giant Coffee’s Smoke Jumper

Giant Coffee recently opened next to Bunky Boutique off 1st Street and McDowell Road, and the menu at the coffee shop is as quaint and cute as the merchandise next door. But in addition to scones made in-house, desserts from Tammie Coe Cakes, and tasty drinks like Honey Vanilla Lattes…

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: WTF? KFC Offers Free Doublicious Sandwiches to “Two-Timing” Employees…

Where Am I Eating?

On a semi-gloomy Friday afternoon, we were in need of a seriously energizing lunch. So we thought, ‘Why not fill our plates and stomachs with a “Raw” salad?’ (though to be quite honest, we weren’t quite sure what a “cooked” salad would have been). A few lemony leaves of kale…

Simon Alam’s Caipirinha

​Yesterday we met Simon Alam, the man handling the bottles at Merc Bar. Today he treats us the Caipirinha, a drink he was kind enough to share some history on: “The Caipirinha is Brazil’s national cocktail. It’s made with cachaca, the most common distilled alcoholic beverage. While rum is made…

Now Open: Tapas Papa Frita

​After a year of teasing us with his promise to open a tapas restaurant, Cin-Cin Bistro chef-owner Joseph Gutierrez finally unveiled Tapas Papa Frita at Scottsdale’s SouthBridge last night. Their menu of Basque-influenced Spanish food is pretty impressive, with dozens of small plates including Gambas al Pil-Pil (shrimp in white wine sauce), fried calamari in…

Phoenix Public Market Launches Rewards Program

Shopping local just got a little bit cheaper with the introduction of the Community Supported Market card at the Phoenix Public Market Urban Grocery and Wine Bar. The CSM card is half gift card and half discount card, which Community Food Connections (CFC), the non-profit organization that operates the Phoenix Public Market, said was created to thank customers for their continued support.

Raw Milk: Taste Test

Earlier this week, we explored the controversy surrounding raw milk, and where to buy it in Arizona. Today, I’ll share my personal experience with the stuff. As mentioned previously, many of the usual suspects don’t sell raw milk, including Whole Foods, which sent us a statement explaining it discontinued selling…