By Michele Laudig Three sister restaurants in Chandler — 56 East Bar & Kitchen, 98 South Wine Bar & Kitchen, and KiZake Sushi & Martinis — closed abruptly on Tuesday. Any one of those places shutting its doors would’ve been a loss to the East Valley dining scene, but losing…
By Michele Laudig Lydia Ruiz didn’t expect to be back in business at In Season Deli, but now that she’s in the swing of things, she’s happy to be in her old digs. Ruiz owned the Mill Avenue eatery for 27 years, but sold it a year ago after she…
By Wynter Holden We’ve always seen Mac’s Broiler and Tap, the popular little bar with the awesome patio tucked between Tempe’s beloved Changing Hands Bookstore and the newly-opened Hoodlums music shop, but we never popped in for a drink. Lucky for us we did, because there we met 24-year-old Torey…
By Eddie Matney www.meritagewine.org. Yum. Chef Eddie Matney is the owner of Eddie’s House in Scottsdale…
By Michele Laudig When I heard that The Art of Soup was expanding its hours to include breakfast service, I had to stop myself from shaking my head in bewilderment. Of course soup for breakfast makes sense. The Vietnamese already have that figured out (pho), and so do the Japanese…
By Jonathan McNamara What makes a rogue? I couldn’t help wondering as I stumbled over to the Rogue Web site after sampling their Dead Guy Ale. The qualifications are numerous (ten to be exact) and include such gems as “rogues pursue the long shot” and “rogues ignore the accepted patterns…
By Amy Silverman I have always believed that diners should have a separate rating system, when it comes to cleanliness. C’mon, haven’t you ever heard the term “greasy spoon”? But apparently the Maricopa County health inspectors don’t share my nostalgia for a time when waitresses smacked gum and no one…
By Jay Bennett I usually don’t have much reason to enter Old Town Scottsdale — it oftens seems kind of a like a foreign land to me — but perhaps I have a reason now since checking out a fun little place called Terrace Café, which sits on the corner…
Tacos and burritos will always be reliable standbys, but when it comes to Mexican fast food that Phoenix does really well, tortas are my hands-down favorite option for a quick, cheap bite. What’s not to love about the scrumptious Mexican sandwiches? When they’re made right, tortas are one of life’s…
A happy experience at the lounge at the new downtown Phoenix Sheraton … who would have thunk it? By Sarah Fenske I totally wanted to hate District: American Kitchen and Wine Bar, the brand-spankin’-new restaurant at the brand-spankin’-new downtown Sheraton. In my other life, the non-food-blogger one, I am a…
By Benjamin Leatherman It’s not a deep-fried corn dog, but it’ll do nicely. I used to love the Arizona State Fair. But this year I’m gonna hate it. Endlessly. See, one of the main highlights of attending our fair state’s annual exposition (which kicks off this weekend) has been loading…
By Amy Silverman At this point, I’ve gotten accustomed to seeing news of cockroaches and soda guns with “bacterial slime” — both of which afflicted the Texas Roadhouse on Stapley Drive, during a recent inspection. But there was something about the litany of complaints involving hands that got me: A…
Aji sushi with scallion and ginger (left), and fresh katsuo with shiso, onion, and roasted garlic chips By Michele Laudig Do you have a favorite restaurant that is the first place you visit when you get money in the bank? Whenever I’m dying for payday and need a light at…
By Wynter Holden So there I was, in the brand new Sign of the Whale restaurant at 1706 E. Warner in Tempe (in the old Voodoo Daddy’s spot), when I was faced with a whale of a problem: guzzle down the high-calorie house special chowder and the fish & chips…
By Eddie Matney Uncorked and Unplugged event at Desert Ridge Marketplace. And you’ll find the Valley’s best and brightest supporting Make A Wish Foundation. And the Arizona Liver Alliance. And hosting private charitable events. We local guys give back. And the community embraces us. It’s good food, good karma and…
By Jonathan McNamara Convenience stores are too expensive and grocery stores are better reserved for doing a lot of shopping. This seems to be the hope of Marketside, a store that sells groceries but does not identify as a grocery, a store that aims to be as efficient as a…
Bartender Carson Quinn of Roka Akor in Scottsdale is the kind of guy women — and some men — are intimidated by. He’s attractive, well-traveled and intelligent, with a very European outlook and the slight drink snobbery that comes with being a good bartender (Three Olives Grape instead of fresh…
By Eddie Matney Let’s meet. I want your feedback. I want you to sit at my counter, challenge me to create a dish for you. I want to know what’s working. And god knows you’ll tell me if something isn’t. Seriously. Let’s do this Monday, Oct. 6, at 6 p.m…
By Michele Laudig Here’s some more porno for foodies. A dear friend and I stopped by NOCA last night and couldn’t resist the night’s special, a lobster roll with a big pile of duck fat fries. My god, we were ecstatic. The meat was impossibly tender and sweet, mixed with…
By Jonathan McNamara I know, I know. Rest assured that we’ll be diving back into your regularly scheduled dose of legitimate brew review next week (in fact, I’m currently securing some samples at the recommendation of Al the Pal) but this time around I’d like to focus on something that…
By Michele Laudig Lunch at Digestif yesterday was quite a treat — an orgy of pancetta and Epoisse and homemade pastas. Although the menu is essentially the same format as it’s been, there were quite a few new interesting dishes I was curious about. I ended up with the tripolini,…
By Amy Silverman Is there a curse at the Chinese Cultural Center in Phoenix? I’m starting to wonder. I’ve had more bad Asian meals than I can count from a grouping of businesses that should be the best in town, given the billing. I’d about sworn off the CCC entirely…
