Kitchen 56, formerly Vatra Grill, opened back in February but decided to work out all the kinks before rolling out an official preview. Last night they featured a variety of appetizers, highlighting their new menu of upscale comfort food in the Arcadia corridor. The Asian flair on some dishes was pleasantly surprising,…
There’s a new boss in town, located on Saddlebag Trail in Scottsdale near Axis/Radius and Suede. El Hefe, a play on the Spanish word for boss, opened its massive garage doors to the public on March 23, though the official grand opening wasn’t until yesterday. The “super macho taqueria,” run…
One good thing I can say right off the bat about The Arrogant Butcher, the latest “concept” eatery from restaurant guru Sam Fox, located in CitySpace, kitty-corner to US Airways Center in downtown Phoenix: It’s convenient. And though it’s always great to see another downtown restaurant open its doors to…
When New Times received a press release from Mont’s indicating celebrity chef Beau MacMillan would be participating in Monti’s La Casa Vieja’s “Culinary Masters” guest chef series we couldn’t help wondering, What the hell? This is Beau MacMillan we’re talking about. The same Beau MacMillan who has reigned supreme among a…
Judging by the crowd of more 75 people attending last night’s food truck information session at Modified Arts, you can bet Phoenix will see new mobile food vendors up and running soon. The session was sponsored as a part of Roosevelt Row’s Small Business Incubator series along with Local First AZ…
Editor’s Note: We stand corrected — by Vienna Beef, which reports that its hot dogs are kosher-style, not kosher. And “premium beef,” rather than “all beef.” Chow Bella regrets the error. In order for a hot dog to be called a Chicago Style Hot Dog, the purveyor must adhere to…
Shh, be berry, berry quiet. A little red-headed sprite named Wendy is planning to unleash a super-food salad this summer loaded with blueberries, strawberries, almonds, and a dressing made with açaî juice. The word’s out thanks to the U.S. Highbush Blueberry Council, those bastards whose sole purpose is to think…
As one of her final acts as New Times’ food critic, Michele Laudig weighed in with her choice in our Trefoil Cookie Showdown. We tried to one-up ourselves at Chow Bella when Girl Scout Cookie season kicked in this year. A year ago, we experimented with Thin Mints and came up…
Yesterday we started talking to Anthony Redendo of Sofrita and Redendo’s Pizzeria about some of what has brought him success in the restaurant industry. Today the chef/owner/teacher gives us some common sense advice that works in any environment. Redendo, who is an avid Facebook user, understands the value of sites…
If she’s not the godmother of the cupcake, she’s definitely the cupcake’s bat-shit crazy aunt — and we love her. Happy Birthday, Amy Sedaris…
Even the CDC probably couldn’t identify all the germs at kids’ entertainment centers. But, dammit, we expect places that cater to our children to keep their kitchens clean and their food safe. Not all are doing so, a review of health inspections shows. Our ire on the matter was provoked…
There’s a new truck — a wagon, actually — rolling around town, ready to deliver fresh wood fired pie. What began as a hobby after Bill Forrest built a wood-fired oven in his backyard has turned into Il Bosco pizza catering, with plans for a North Scottsdale brick and mortar location…
Courtesy of Anthony Redendo For Anthony Redendo of Sofrita and Redendo’s Pizzeria, having a successful restaurant of one’s own is not enough. Redendo is a teacher and mentor to his culinary students at Phoenix College as well as his followers on Facebook. Is this guy really a chef? There isn’t an arrogant…
Beware: The new tabletop design tool in the At Home section of Anthropologie’s site is way too much fun. If you love a lovingly crafted tabletop, but can’t afford to take home everything from our favorite chain store, you can get swept away in designing your own dream brunch-on-the-porch table settings…
Got some Girl Scout cookies sitting around? So did we. Hence, the Trefoil Cookie Showdown. Being one of the newest Chow Bella members, I was a bit nervous about entering this challenge. I had seen last year’s Thin Mint competition and wondered if I could make something worthy of all…
If you are under the impression that cupcakes have jumped the shark, you clearly have not attended Cupcake Camp. That’s right — a daytime event (this is no sleepaway camp) devoted to baking, frosting, decorating and selling that perky little baked good so many are starting to hate. No hate…
[Editor’s Note: This blog was edited after Sweet Republic let us know that their truck will be on Roosevelt Row for First Friday, but not at Curry’s new restaurant opening.] Last week, former Digestif and Caffe Boa chef Payton Curry announced he’d found the perfect location for his new pop-up-restaurant…
Since the beginning of the year, going meatless one day a week has been, for us, a way to celebrate the bounty of the farmers’ market, winter root vegetables, and a commitment to increasing the variety of grains in our diet. So far we have shied away from using processed…
Got some Girl Scout cookies sitting around? So did we. Hence, the Trefoil Cookie Showdown. There’s something perverse, or at least ironic, in combining Girl Scout cookies and liquor. So I did it. Instead of using lemon pound cake in layers for my usual trifle, I substituted Girl Scout Trefoils,…
Got some Girl Scout cookies sitting around? So did we. Hence, the Trefoil Cookie Showdown. Re-purposing Trefoils into some sort of dessert seemed a little too easy. I wanted to try my hand at something savory. Almost instantly, I had it. Coconut Shrimp! I honesty didn’t even consider anything else…
Something interesting popped up among the locally grown carrots and lettuce heads at last week’s ASU Farmers’ Market: tiny clusters of still-green bananas grown right in downtown Tempe. Apparently, the banana trees are just one of many fruit-bearing plants on campus.ASU’s harvest program began back in the early ’90s, when…
Film: The Princess and the Warrior (2000) Popcorn Alternative: Popcorn with Cinnamon Butter and Dried Apple Chips Entrée: Roast Chicken with Melted Onions and Herbed Spaetzle Beverage: German Beer Get das breakdown after the jump…
