That’s a Wrap! Gets Unwrapped For New Dinner Offerings

Last Saturday, CenPho’s That’s a Wrap!, the lunch spot specializing in good-for-you wraps, salads, and rice bowls, announced it would be soft launching a new dinner menu sans the tortilla coverings. Aptly titled “Unwrapped,” the new dinner menu starts after 5 p.m. and will focus on six healthy-themed plates between…

Chef Danielle Leoni of The Breadfruit

In many ways the exterior of The Breadfruit — tucked away on a quiet street and so unassuming that even walking right by, it could still go overlooked — reflects the amiable persona of its unpretentious chef. We met with Chef Danielle Leoni this week to get to know the…

California’s SOL Cocina Coming to Scottsdale Quarter

Coastal Mexican cuisine via California makes its way into the Valley in March when SOL Cocina, from the owners of Ra Sushi and The Mastro Group, moves into the former Parc Central space at Scottsdale Quarter. The sophisticated restaurant featuring upscale modern Mexican fare established its first location in Newport…

CLOSED: Bonfire Grill and Bar

What the skewer? Bonfire Grill and Bar, Old Town Scottsdale’s stylish restaurant of American wood-fired cuisine at 7210 East 2nd Street has been shuttered. Opened in March of last year where Furio used to be, Bonfire boasted a menu designed by chef Matt Carter of Zinc Bistro and The Mission…

The Spotted Donkey Cantina’s Dulce Calor

​Yesterday we talked about buying your own barrel of tequila, which the Spotted Donkey Cantina at el Pedregal recently did. But what to do with it after you bring it home? Cocktails, of course. The Dulce Calor is a spicy new addition to Spotted Donkey’s menu made with cilantro simple…

Chop PHX: Olympic Meat Pies

Tired of the same old tired orange chicken and California rolls? Want to venture beyond the standard suburban-stale take-out? Here comes Chop PHX, with the Valley’s rarer Asian offerings. ​This Week: Haicheng Beef Meat Pies from Chou’s Kitchen (910 N Alma School Rd, Chandler) The Basics: Imagine a delicious Chinese…

Like Tequila? Buy Your Own Barrel

​So you say you have a nice collection of bottles of tequila at your home bar? Oh, and it’s top-shelf stuff? Yawn. Talk to us when you have your own barrel of tequila. In June of 2011, tequila distillery Tequila Herradura announced the launch of its Buy the Barrel program,…

Thoughts and Predictions for the 2012 Food Scene

It’s no secret that the Valley food scene is slow to hop aboard the gastronomical trend train, but that doesn’t mean it can’t surprise us every once in a while. And when it comes to food predictions for Arizona eaters in 2012, I’m certainly no fortuneteller, but given high food…

The Little Woody Opens With a Little Help From The Vig

Given Beckett’s Table, Cave & Ives, Kitchen 56, the coming soon new home of Crudo, and a possible second location of Essence Bakery, the stretch of Indian School Road between 36th and 56th streets sure is heating up as hot property these days. And The Little Woody, the cool new…

Christopher’s vs Vincent on Camelback: Tarte Tatin Tete a Tete

arte tatin is a fancy apple pie without the spices, but that doesn’t begin to describe this wonderful dessert. Done right, it’s made with caramelized apples and cooked upside down with the crust on top, then inverted for your tasting pleasure. This is one dessert that not many places offer,…

Chef Peter Deruvo’s Grilled Crostini with “Cecamariti”

This week we sat down to talk with Chef Peter Deruvo of Cuoco Pazzo in Scottsdale. He may have said, “there’s no such thing as Italian food,” but Chef Deruvo’s Roman-style feasts have been creating a buzz in the food community since the restauraunt opened in late 2011. Today, we’ve…