So you’ve always wanted to try wild boar, elk or shark, but you aren’t willing to fork over the dough for a dish you’re not even sure you’ll like. We hear you. That’s why we’re profiling one East Valley restaurant where you can sample exotic meats minus the massive (and…
As a career bar and restaurant guy, I’ve had my professional eye trained on the state of social-sexual politics for the past twenty-five years. Even so, it’s hard to say whether we’ve evolved or devolved as an outgoing species. While the games remain basically the same, the rules have certainly…
Restaurant critic John Mariani, who contributes to national publications such as Esquire, just published the first installment of a feature called “Scottsdale and Beyond” on his website. He visited Digestif, Estate House, Prado, and The Mission, and had good things to say about all of them (I have to add,…
I love a good Southwestern-style breakfast. Huevos rancheros, Southwestern eggs benedict, and anything with chorizo — all that chile heat gets me revved up and ready to face the day. Coffee helps too, of course. So I was delighted to read Sierra Bonita Grill’s new brunch menu, which looks absolutely…
Some of the ways I cook at home were bound to change once I started culinary school. I expected that. I wanted it. What surprised me was how significantly a few small tweaks changed the quality of my food. I’ve already talked about using homemade stock, clarified butter, kosher salt…
Today is the first day in business for Lola Coffee, the hip hangout created by Daniel Wayne (formerly of Lux and Lola Tapas). House-roasted coffee is one good reason to go; homemade pastries by Danielle Librera of the recently closed Sweet Pea Bakery are another. And what about the location…
What’s up with those recipes that seem too intimidating to try on your own, and then you go visit a friend and they cook them from scratch without even blinking? This week’s dish is one of those. It comes from our pal Margret; she makes a mean cranberry sorbet. Now…
For the longest time, foodies scratched their heads in amazement that Phoenix didn’t have its own Restaurant Week, a popular annual event in other cities that entices people to explore local restaurants with special prix fixe menus offered just for the occasion. Then the long-awaited Arizona Restaurant Week debuted last fall,…
It’s a little piece of Pischke’s in Phoenix. Local Breeze, a new spot that quietly opened over the weekend in the former Palatte location (606 N. 4th Ave.; the official opening date is tomorrow), is run by an alumni of the popular but defunct Old Town Scottsdale institution. Owner Sid…
Cup O’Karma coffee shop in Mesa has always been a popular hangout for East Valley hipsters, and for good cause: portions of every coffee and tea sale go to the National Advocacy & Training Network, a human rights organization that works to end domestic violence and sexual assault. But while…
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: Wanna Go to BaconCamp? Tempe’s Three Roots Cafe Goes…
“Deathly pale” is not a phrase that appears in everyday conversation very often. In fact the only example I can think of occurred the last time I visited a beach. It was uttered from some nearby ladies as my physique built on my Irish heritage approached the surf. It stung…
We tried to be good. We really did. Go take a quick step outside. Did you feel it? That’s right. It’s pool weather and if there’s one reason we’ve been slogging it out at the gym day in and day out it’s to enjoy this weather with preferably only two…
Each of the Valley’s farmers’ markets has its own distinctive atmosphere. That’s fun to suss out, but we’re all about the produce, too. The Roadrunner Park Farmers’ Market, just off the 51 on Cactus Road, is Phoenix’s oldest — it’ll celebrate its 20th birthday in October — and both the…
Eytan Zias is a culinary samurai. After compiling an impressive resume working in famous kitchens in New York City and all over the Valley, he decided to return to an earlier love: knives. He sold off parts of his impressive collection to finance his current venture, Phoenix Knife House (www.phoenixknifehouse.com,…
Forking columnist Colin Redding doesn’t play around when it comes to his sausage. Quite the contrary in fact as even a failed relationship hasn’t kept him from cooking a few of his ex’s sausage recipes. Explore this and the mystical combination of sausage and grape jelly in this week’s Forking…full…
We love the spa treatment, but as Food Critic Michele Laudig points out in this week’s Cafe column, apples and cucumber water do not satisfy us to the same degree as an hour-long massage. Luckily there are a few Phoenix spas that cater to our tummies. Michele Laudig on feasting…
Tammie Coe employees say they have no idea which show it’s for, but word’s out that a crew from the Travel Channel just stopped by the Roosevelt Row pastry shop to shoot some footage and take pictures this afternoon. Apparently they’re making the rounds at different dessert-y spots in the…
Some of the restaurants I write about in Budget Beat are old faves, some are recommendations from readers or friends, some are just sitting there on the side of the road, begging to be tried. One of the fun things about doing this weekly blog is being surprised by a…
Call me naïve. I assumed the majority of restaurant appetizers and entrees were cooked after the food was ordered. (Yeah, I know what they say about assume.) But it’s quite the opposite. At least in my limited experience. Most of the food to be served is prepped before service begins,…
We are so spoiled. With all the resort spas in the Valley, we have more opportunities to get scrubbed and balanced and massaged into a mellow state of mind than perhaps anywhere else in the country. People fly into town to make a luxury vacation of it, while those of…
I decided recently to make some life changes. I quit my day job and rented my house for the next six months. Hell, the economy sucks, so I figure six months of not being tied down by a mortgage will give me the freedom to travel and eat and not…
