Fresh Chocolate Croissants with Eugenia Theodosopoulos

​In the Kitchen with: Chef Eugenia Theodosopoulos of Essence Bakery CaféMaking: Croissants and Chocolate CroissantsOn an early Wednesday morning, when the sun is hanging low in the sky and the sounds of rush-hour traffic mingle with the gentle hum of leaf-blowers, six people are milling about outside Essence Bakery Café…

Cafe: Bonfire Grill and Bar

Are you a meat lover? If you are, you can thank chef Matt Carter for the wood-fired cuisine at Bonfire Grill in Scottsdale. Carter consulted on Bonfire’s menu, creating a selection of American dishes with hints of the extravagant, heavy on the skewers, and approachable enough, in ingredients and in…

AndyTalk: Cooking Without a Net

Philosophy or quantum physics (or some combination of the disciplines) suggests that one of an infinite number of monkeys with typewriters will eventually type a Shakespeare play. This leads me to believe that the average person can make a salad without a recipe.

CLOSED: Farrelli’s Cinema Supper Club

Farrelli’s Cinema Supper Club, the upscale restaurant and movie theater combination housed in a 1940s-style theater in Scottsdale has closed. Opened in 2001, Farrelli’s had this to say on its Facebook page: “It is with great sadness and a heavy heart that we announce the closing of Farrelli’s Cinema Supper…

Bacon-Wrapped Jalapeno Matzoh Balls: This Time It’s Gone Too Far

You know what that is? It’s a bacon wrapped jalapeno matzoh ball from the Scottsdale champagne bar Narcisse’s new menu.  The picture is impressive, sure, but really, bacon around a matzoh ball? Aside from the fact that Jews eat matzoh balls but are prohibted from Jewish law from eating bacon (what’s next, wrap…

Chef David Hall’s Braised Beef in Cabernet Sauvignon

This week we’ve been chatting with personal chef David Hall of Thyme for a Chef. Today he’s sharing his recipe for Braised Beef in Cabernet Sauvignon. Braised Beef in Cabernet Sauvignon Serves six Ingredients: 2 tablespoons, olive oil, divided 2 pounds, beef chuck roast, lean, boneless, cut into 2 inch…

Cheesecake Choco-Berries: Fair Food Showdown

With the Arizona State Fair headed our way at week’s end, we at Chow Bella decided on our latest  challenge: Create a “fair food” that kicks it up a notch. No one dared to cook with bugs, but we did have some creative entries. Check back later this week, when…

Stephanie Izard’s Goat Tour: Scottsdale Tickets Still Available

Hey Phoenix, are you excited that quasi-local majorly-talented national celeb chef Stephanie Izard is coming to town this weekend? We are. We bet her parents are, too — they live in Scottsdale. Izard’s been absolutely rockin’ the the foodosphere since her Top Chef Season 4 win. She is the chef/partner of…

Triple Bacon Corn Monstrosities: Fair Food Showdown

  With the Arizona State Fair headed our way at week’s end, we at Chow Bella decided on our latest challenge: Create a “fair food” that kicks it up a notch. No one dared to cook with bugs, but we did have some creative entries. Check back later this week,…

Chef David Hall of Thyme for a Chef, Part Two

We’re back today to talk with Chef David Hall of the personal chef service, Thyme for a Chef. Yesterday he talked about how he became a personal chef and today, he’ll share his secret to meeting some of the culinary world’s brightest stars and give us real facts about the…

Watermelon Juice in a Fancy Glass

Lately, in this In Season 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 watermelon…

Lemon-Thyme & Blackberry Snow Cones: Fair Food Showdown

With the Arizona State Fair headed our way at week’s end, we at Chow Bella decided on our latest  challenge: Create a “fair food” that kicks it up a notch. No one dared to cook with bugs, but we did have some creative entries. Check back later this week, when…

Chef David Hall of Thyme for a Chef

We’re taking a break from the bustling Phoenix restaurant scene this week to talk to Chef David Hall of Thyme for a Chef personal chef services. He share how he, a former engineer, got into the culinary world and explain what a personal chef really does. Did you always know…

CLOSED: Sweet Sensation

Sweet Sensation, the new ice cream shop in the strip mall on Camelback (Camelback and 7th Street), and the subject of which I received a fair amount of heat from after a blog post regarding my concern for its success, has closed. The sign on the door said that Sweet…