By Jonathan McNamara Once again I assembled a crew of able-bodied Phoenix New Times employees to the break room for a Brew Review. Sitting between the rows of plastic coffee cups and packages of creamer, a large, black sack awaited us. Inside was a substance with a reputation so vile…
By Michele Laudig If you’re all about eating and shopping locally, then this party’s for you. It’s Local First Arizona’s fourth annual Certified Local Fall Festival, happening this Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Duck & Decanter (16th St. and Camelback). There will be free food, shopping, live…
McCormick & Schmick’s chipotle-potato taquitos: Cheap and addictive. By Jay Bennett At first glance, the two parts of the headline on this blog post may appear to contradict each other. What, you may be asking, does eating on the cheap have to do with a chain of upscale seafood restaurants…
Lighten up, sushi purists: A little kitsch can do you good sometimes. That’s my take on TeHaru Sushi and Sushi Eye in Motion, two sushi restaurants that’ve lately introduced Valley locals to a more playful side of Japanese food culture: kaitenzushi. That means “conveyor-belt sushi,” and, just like you’d imagine,…
Three hundred and fifty calories … By Sarah Fenske This morning, some time after breakfast but before lunch, I ate 54 percent of my daily allotment of saturated fat. Fifty-four percent! Do you know how little that leaves for french fries at lunch, for butter at dinner, for any sort…
By Eddie Matney So we’re approaching Halloween, and I remember the days before kids, when the party was definitely more adult – great costumes, great bars and great food. And with Halloween on a Friday this year, I have a feeling it’s going to be crazy. But the key to…
By Amy Silverman I know sex is supposed to be dirty. Call me a prude, but the concept just doesn’t translate when it comes to food, even at a place called the Better Than Sex Cake Cafe. I admit I found the name of the Chandler restaurant intriguing, when I…
By Michele Laudig Brian Yaeger has it all figured out…
By Benjamin Leatherman The oh-so-spicy “Buffalo ’66” wrap. I’ve got a somewhat scandalous confession to make. While I’m 100 percent heterosexual, I freely admit to having something of a man-crush on Damon Brasch. You can’t blame me, since the thirtysomething chef/restaurateur is the pimpest cat in the Valley’s vegetarian/vegan scene…
By Jonathan McNamara I’m not too sure about you, but it’s a rare event that a waiter in a restaurant runs out to ask me if “two percent organic milk” is okay for my latte. Sure, on a Starbucks run “half-calf, full foam, double shot, two percent, organic” or some…
By Michele Laudig Good times. Saturday’s Eats3 Arizona Grand Tasting turned out to be a mighty fine way to spend a gorgeous, sunny October afternoon — friendly people, tons of the best restaurants in town serving up more delicious dishes than one could possibly eat, all kinds of good wines…
By Jonathan McNamara See shots from Sens in our slideshow. If Sens Asian Tapas and Sake Bar was going for an authentic Japanese bar experience, they definitely gave it to their patrons on opening night. Guests were packed tighter than a Tokyo subway during rush hour in the bar located…
By Eddie Matney Grilled Shrimp, Asparagus and Tomatoes with Lemon-Caper Vinaigrette…
By Jonathan McNamara Last week’s look at seasonal brews introduce us to a selection of ales and lagers that hinted (and in some cases hit you upside the face) with seasonal flavors. But there was one type of beer decidedly lacking from our selection: the porter. Every year Four Peaks…
By Michele Laudig executive chef Michael Stebner is still staying in the fold with Fox Restaurant Concepts, which owns The Greene House, at Kierland Commons, as well as True Food Kitchen, set to open Monday, October 27, at Biltmore Fashion Park. True Food Kitchen is the anticipated new concept spawned…
By Amy Silverman Like Chelsea’s Kitchen a couple blocks away, Fenix Eatery & Bar on Camelback Road recently received back-to-back “no award” ratings…
By Jay Bennett If you’ve never been to the Ranch Market at the Chinese Cultural Center, you have to check it out for a colorful experience. And if you’re looking for Chinese cuisine that goes above and beyond the run-of-the-mill stuff served at seemingly most Chinese restaurants, you have to…
My rediscovery of one of the classiest restaurants in Tempe happened, ironically, by way of a rock concert. I had plans to see a national act with a couple of friends who’d bought tickets months ago. Since these gals have families and busy careers, the show was a rare treat…
My favorite place, but not my favorite dish… By Sarah Fenske I have been in the worst mood lately. For some reason, fall always makes me depressed, in a “Remembrance of Things Past” kind of way. Like I can’t stop thinking about past autumns — better autumns — and my…
By Michele Laudig Sometimes the Valley seems like land of the culinary festivals, so why would one more foodie event stand out? Well, since Eats3 — taking place this Thursday, Friday, and Saturday — is totally new to the scene, it’s impossible to predict how it will play out. But…
By Benjamin Leatherman They don’t fool you at Z’s Greek, they feed you. The cool thing about having someone of Greek descent as a relative is that you get to chow on a lot of sumptuous Grecian cuisine. And I’ve done just that. My nephew’s half-Greek, which means that family…
By Amy Silverman Sure, everyone has a bad day now and then. But back to back “no award” inspection reports for a restaurant as tony as Chelsea’s Kitchen — the fun and funky casual dining spot on the north bank of the Arizona Canal? Yuck. And even after the inspectors…
