Whether you’re a CSA devotee, a farmers’ market weekender or consider ketchup a veg, we’ll bring you fresh inspiration for how to prepare our local produce.This week’s harvest: Bell Peppers Botanically speaking, bell peppers are lovely low-sugar fruits. However, in the culinary world, we consider them vegetables and the only plant in…
There’s an enveloping scent of sugar and chocolate when you first step into Something Sweet Bakery – like Grandma’s cookies and Christmas morning and Willy Wonka’s wallpaper – that in candle form could easily make Glade a fortune. The fragrance promises what the case delivers: rows of fresh, flaky pastries, chewy…
In this week’s Chef Chat we visit with Farah Khalid, owner and chef at Tempe’s favorite Indo-Pakistani joint, the Curry Corner. If you’ve already discovered this spot, tucked away in a strip mall off Apache Blvd. under a sign that still reads “Urban Eats,” then you’ve probably already met Khalid — she’s…
Arizona native Bill Sandweg, owner and master barista of Copper Star Coffee in Phoenix, has wanted to do a restaurant since 2004. “Copper Star was originally going to be a restaurant,” Sandweg tells me. “But then I got talked out of it and coffee ended up being a good idea…
Restaurant Week 2011 is just one week away. With more than 200 restaurants participating, it’s hard to sort through all of those menu. Every time you look at one and think, “Holy cow that sounds amazing,” then you look at the next two and completely forgot about the first one since…
Following the recent closing of Fred’s at Barneys, Scottsdale Fashion Square can add another restaurant shuttering to its list of casualties: Marcella’s Italian Kitchen. Part of a Columbus-based chain, Marcella’s, known for “authentic Italian cuisines of pizzas, pastas, handcrafted cocktails and world-class wines,” opened in October of 2009 at Scottsdale…
Last year we marked the hundred day countdown to Best of Phoenix by sharing our 100 Favorite Dishes with you. Now we’re back – with the 2011 edition. Have a suggestion for a dish you’d like us to try? Leave it in the comments section or email laura.hahnefeld@newtimes.com. 14: Moist…
Whoever said the food truck fad was on its way out better get his engine checked. Thanks to Food Truck Fridays at the Downtown Phoenix Public Market and the upcoming Phoenix Food Truck Festival on October 22, grabbing grub from a motorized vehicle never tasted so good. No wonder Phoenix…
Fred’s at Barneys New York, the stylish, modern bistro and brainchild of Fred Pressman, son of Barneys New York founder Barney Pressman, closed today. Located on the second floor of Barneys New York, which opened in October of 2009 in the Fashion Square Mall in Scottsdale, a Barneys’ associate told…
Another week has come and gone leaving us to ponder the upcoming events that will shape our lives and, more importantly, our dinners out. But before we move on, let’s have one last look at the blog posts from this week. #1 Super Everything Pho from Khai Hoan FnB Back…
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: Mooncakes from the Super L Ranch Market bakery in the Chinese Cultural Center (668 North 44th Street, Phoenix) The…
Out with the old, in with the new. The ol’ My Big Fat Greek Restaurant in Old Town Scottsdale has shut down and been replaced with a cooler new locally owned restaurant, Limelight Dipping Bar & Grill. Dipping Bar? What the hell is a dipping bar? We’re guessing it has…
Last year we marked the hundred day countdown to Best of Phoenix by sharing our 100 Favorite Dishes with you. Now we’re back – with the 2011 edition. Have a suggestion for a dish you’d like us to try? Leave it in the comments section or email laura.hahnefeld@newtimes.com. 15: Har…
If Chick-fil-A, In-N-Out Burger, and T.G.I. Friday’s had a baby, its name would be Raising Cane’s. The chicken fingers chain, based in Louisiana, opened its first Arizona location on Tuesday, at 2715 West Peoria Avenue (1-17 & Peoria Ave.) With a concept called, “One Love” (Bob Marley?), the menu at…
We’ve been talking with Chef James Fox this week, and today he’s going to share one of his favorite recipes from the Big Earl’s BBQ menu. Is there any one thing you’ve changed on the menu that you feel is distinctly “you”? Definitely the pork belly – I’m a huge…
New Noca chef Matt Taylor, the 27-year-old who’s worked with four James Beard award winners and was previously at the Bellagio Resort & Casino in Las Vegas with celebrity chef Michael Mina, had his first dinner service on Sunday, heading up Noca’s Southern Simple Supper. “Matt [Taylor] brings a sense…
Last year we marked the hundred day countdown to Best of Phoenix by sharing our 100 Favorite Dishes with you. Now we’re back – with the 2011 edition. Have a suggestion for a dish you’d like us to try? Leave it in the comments section or email laura.hahnefeld@newtimes.com. 16: Pork…
The Paisley Violin, the bohemian bistro of Mediterranean and Euro-style edibles has closed its current location on Grand Avenue and, according to its website, will re-open at a new location across the street in October (925 Grand Avenue.) Here’s hoping the new digs will be just as quirky and they…
Unlike a certain Valley sushi chain who gained national attention with a sad and tactless publicity stunt involving placing a “9-11 Remembrance Roll” on its menus, Lee’s Cream Liqueur and Sweet Republic, two artisanal ice cream shops in Scottsdale, are simply honoring first responders by giving them free ice cream…
It was a heat-seeking mission — and a dangerous one. Chow Bella’s contributors dispersed through the Valley, in search of the hottest, tastiest, and most creative culinary offerings. Read on at your risk. Desert Tears at Carefree Station: “Do you like spicy food?” This will be the (seemingly) innocent question…
Who doesn’t love seafood in the summer? Especially if you have a summer love to share it with. We’re pretty sure that same thought crossed the minds of Peruvians when they started serving up Jalea (a seafood platter commonly meant to serve two). There are several Peruvian places in Mesa…
In a case of one Valley legend aiding another, Christopher Gross, the James Beard Award-winning chef and owner of Christopher’s and Crush Lounge in Central Phoenix, is helping to overhaul the Wrigley Mansion, the 1930s-vintage manse that overlooks the area surrounding the Arizona Biltmore. “We’re going through everything top to…
