Chicken Handi from the Curry Corner

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. 54: Chicken…

ZPizza Helping “Kids LiveWell” and Eat Well

The NRA (not that NRA), the National Restaurant Association, is rolling out a new initiative to encourage restaurants to offer something different from cheezburgers, grilled cheeze, nugget shapes, fried potatoes and a “juice” on kids’ menus. It’s called “Kids EatWell.” The focus is on “increasing consumption of fruit and vegetables, lean…

This Week In Chow Bella

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. Five Favorite Frozen Treats in Phoenix and Where to…

Mill Avenue’s Red Mango Lives Up to the Hype

My first thought when I saw the “Coming Soon” sign for the new Red Mango location on Mill Avenue in Tempe: Are you kidding?Ever since the fro-yo craze revived a few years back, along with cupcakes and bacon (and bacon cupcakes, shudder), self-serve yogurt shops have been popping up in…

Mango with Thai Sweet Rice from Latitude Eight

Tired of the same old tired orange chicken and California rolls? Want to venture beyond the standard suburbian-stale take-out? Here comes Chop PHX, with the Valley’s rarer Asian offerings. This Week: Khao Niaow Ma Muang (Sweet Rice with Mango) from Chef Nicha Jithchamnonk of Latitude Eight Thai Grill (11 W…

Phoenix Food Trucks are Officially on the Map

Good news, Phoenix — we are officially on the food truck map.Starting Monday, food truck locating app/website Roaming Hunger will add our fine city to its roster. Just log on and find out where your favorite food trucks, including Truckin’ Good Food, Sweet Republic and Short Leash Dogs, are setting up shop…

The Oggie from Cornish Pasty Co.

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. 55: The…

Kids React Takes On Epic Mealtime

Here at Chow Bella, we have a special, unclogged space in our bacon-wrapped hearts for Epic Mealtime; a calorie-laden cooking show making waves of Jack Daniels BBQ sauce on Youtube. We were hooked the moment we watched the carnivorous creators of this show make a meat salad. We developed a carnal…

Five Harry Potter Inspired Desserts

The day has finally come potterheads…It’s over. Come on, it’s not like you didn’t see it coming; exactly how many times can one boy be in “grave danger”? (The answer is seven.) Whether you are already suffering from a bad case of separation anxiety after seeing the movie at midnight or your…

Cafe: Robbie Fox’s Public House

Are there bars around town with decent pub grub? Sure. Does the Valley have bars with food so good that your stomach will lead you in pursuit of sustenance instead of merely a few brews? That’s the very question Food Critic Laura Hahnefeld had in mind when she stepped into…

Russian Memories at Golden Valley

Though most people in the West have the impression that the Soviet Union was a desolate and dismal place of oppression and fear, in reality things were much different. Sure, freedoms of speech, print, religion and assembly were limited but the quality of life for most families was actually quite…

Whole Foods Now Selling Chicken Feed; It’s About Damn Time

Seriously Whole Foods, what gives? Backyard chicken farming has been totally cool and hip for well over a year and we have been having to do the unthinkable and venture into feed and tack stores to purchase food for our ladies. Feed and tack stores?! Oh my, the horror! Okay, all…

Caribbean Candy Bar from Havana Café

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. 56: Caribbean…

Michael Brown of Jamburritos Cajun Grille Express

The business: Jamburritos Cajun Grille Express What they’re packin’: New Orleans- style dishes with a familiar, easy twist: Think Cajun favorites like Andouille sausage and shrimp, chicken and rice doused with zesty Creole and Etoufee sauce – all wrapped in a handy tortilla. There are even Cajun or Creole Tacos…

Now Closed: Brugo’s Pizza

Another one? Seriously?! Reno-based fancy pizza joint Brugo’s, who practically just opened, is done already. It’s a sad story, really. The McDonald family moved to Arizona with dreams of bringing their award winning Reno pizza to Phoenix, opened up shop at the Esplanade in April and then later found out…

Free Captain America Party at Dunkin’ Donuts Tomorrow

Harry Potter isn’t the only hotly anticipated geek flick on the horizon. Following right on the heels of the magical finale is Captain America: The First Avenger, Marvel and Paramount’s flick about the comic book super-soldier. And what better way to commemorate the birth of an All-American hero than with red, white, and…

Jen Anderson’s Halibut Banh mi from Windsor

After talking all about how she creates her recipes this week, Windsor’s Jen Anderson shares one for the Halibut Banh Mi currently available at Windsor. You’ll make something close to the real deal but you’ll have to go to the restaurant to get the plate with Jen’s pickled carrots. First…

Croque Madame Clash: La Grande Orange vs Essence Bakery

Whether you’re more familiar with the Croque Monsieur or its counterpart, Croque Madame (which is basically a Croque Monsieur with a fried egg on top), you’re most likely no stranger to the buttery, gruyere cheese and ham goodness of this treat. As of late, we’ve been on the hunt for…

Liquor-Laced Cigars: Two Vices for the Price of One!

​Know what’s wrong with cigars? You have to take a break from your liquor to smoke it. All that back and forth, breathing, sipping, swallowing — who has the time? Enter Ted’s Cigars: stogies seasoned with your favorite form of booze. Like whiskey? Go with toros flavored by Forty Creek…