Welcome to Chow Bella’s Bites & Dishes, where Valley chefs and restaurateurs respond to a question New Times food critic Laura Hahnefeld has on her mind. Have a question you’d like to ask? E-mail laura.hahnefeld@newtimes.com. Miss a question? Go here. Inspiration, information, mouth-watering photography — our favorite cookbooks are like…
Huevos Rancheros, the traditional Mexican breakfast dish, is a menu staple at almost every drive-thru taco shop and Mexican eatery in the Valley. It’s the perfect cure for a hangover and includes all five important elements of a hearty breakfast — eggs, tortillas, beans, rice, and cheese. Instead of pitting…
There’s a new business-to-business food program here in town using the good old fashioned bartering system to feed small business owners and provide valuable services to food producers. It’s called The Edible Exchange and it’s an offshoot of the The Barter Group, a longtime local company that facilitates bartering. In…
How can you add pizza to a gelato spot and still call it The Gelato Spot? That question was surely on the minds of the owners of this Old Town Scottsdale creamery (with three other locations in the Valley) when they installed a wood-fired pizza oven on the premises last…
Yesterday we started the conversation with Chef Mensur Duzic of the Phoenix Children’s Hospital. Today, we continue. Duzic, a classically trained chef who worked for more than a decade in fine dining, is putting the “hospital” in hospitality by bringing his cuisine to an unexpected arena: a hospital cafeteria…
Since it opened a year and a half ago, the Downtown location of Cartel Coffee, the popular local roaster with four locations in Arizona, has not only been supplying the java to the likes of suits and students, but breakfast and lunch bites as well. “We’ve had a good run…
Chef Nobuo Fukuda, the James Beard winning proprietor of Nobuo at Teeter House, is poised to serve what will probably be the classiest bento boxes the Valley has ever seen. An email sent last week promises a $50 Sunday brunch, starting April 15, featuring “Omakase-style bento boxes” and a complimentary…
Gee, sounds like somebody needs a cheeseburger. From time to time here at Chow Bella, we write something we know might make people angry. But once in a while, a post we thought was totally innocuous sets someone off. This is one of those times. When we announced that Tediberto’s…
Aaron Chamberlin chef/owner of St. Francis and his girlfriend Lee del Real have only been in their petite, 1950’s red brick bungalow in the Coronado Historic District for about 4 months — though you wouldn’t know it. The 1950’s-era house has a charming red brick exterior and minimalist decor on…
As the saying goes, good things come to those who wait. Since he was kicked out of his old location in Scottsdale last July, Cullen Campbell, owner and chef of Crudo, has been working on his new Phoenix location at 3603 East Indian School Road (Indian School and 36th Street)…
Lately, in this In Season/Meatless Monday series, we’re taking a look at what I take home from Crooked Sky Farms each week and see what I’ve done with my CSA share, or part share. This week I’m using my leftover cooked collards, spaghetti squash, cauliflower, sweet potatoes and i’itoi onions…
Yes, believe it or not, Phoenix has ten farmers’ markets. Actually, we have way more than ten, and we love them all, but the markets on this list really stand out from the rest. So here’s our list of ten favorites — in no particular order. 10. Gilbert Farmers’ Market…
“Cafeteria” is to “lunch lady” as “restaurant” is to “chef.” Wrong. Enter: Chef Mezur Duzic of Phoenix Children’s Hospital. Duzic, a German-trained chef originally from Yugoslavia, takes the hospital cafeteria to a whole new level with made-to-order salads and a wood-fired pizza oven. This week, we’re getting to know the…
With James Beard Award-winning Chef Nobuo Fukuda at the helm, it’s no wonder that Nobuo Teeter House has one of the best restaurant reputations in town. However, it seems like every time someone says, “Their food is absolutely incredible,” the high praise is followed by, “…but so expensive.” Served tapas-style,…
Yesterday we discussed Pisco (the Peruvian and Chilean liquor made from distilled grape juice) in the general, and Pisco Porton (the most recent addition to the range of Piscos available in Arizona) in the specific. Today we show you the best possible use for Pisco Porton — the Pisco Sour…
The Market: Between vendors and visitors, every market has its cheerleaders. But few come as loyal as those who frequent the Downtown Phoenix Farmers Market every Saturday morning. It’s easy to find, located in the parking lot attached to the south side of the Downtown Phoenix Public Market, the permanent…
Welcome to Chow Bella’s Bites & Dishes, where Valley chefs and restaurateurs respond to a question New Times food critic Laura Hahnefeld has on her mind. Have a question you’d like to ask? E-mail laura.hahnefeld@newtimes.com. Miss a question? Go here. The meat industry calls it “lean, finely textured beef.” The…
If you’re a fan of Portlandia on IFC, you’ll understand that when you “put a bird on it,” things get spruced up and pretty in a hurry (“I’m painting a bird on a bird!”) — well, at least until the real deal appears. Perhaps that’s what the owners of Songbird…
Happy Good Friday, Happy Easter, Happy Passover, or just plain ol’ Happy Friday! For the first time in thirty years, my mother has decided not to cook Easter dinner for her family, but instead she and my dad are going to Tucson to see their favorite band, Calexico. Damn her…
It would seem from looking around the shelves of bars or liquor stores that Europe holds a monopoly on the production of spirits made with grapes. France gives us Cognac and Armagnac; Spain produces a fair amount of brandy; Italy has its grappa. But drinkers do themselves a disservice if…
The other morning, we found ourselves at our local Starbucks (the horror!) staring at the “breakfast pasty” case. The usual suspects were there — cheese danish, blueberry scone, morning bun, iced lemon pound cake — but there were also four new little treats. Starbucks had pies. Super tiny, adorable pies…
One thing you quickly learn to appreciate when traveling overseas is the beauty of a large, juicy cheeseburger on a soft, warm bun. It’s one of those staples that many people could, and do, eat once a week. And what better way to wash it down than with a cold…
