Burgers, dogs, burritos, fries, shakes, sandwiches, cheese curds — Fry Girl’s packed her breadbasket with as much fast-food fare as one year could deliver. So what’s the verdict? Dig my list of “mosts” and find out what fried food was fabulous and what flopped in 2010. Most unique: When it…
Lazy Cakes Relaxation Brownies kicked our ass.After trying the Drank Relaxation Beverage and finding it lacking, we had low expectations for these brownies, which are sold in head shops around the Valley (we picked ours up at It’s All Goodz). But we’d heard Lazy Cakes brownies were all the rage,…
Whatever the plans for New Year’s Eve, a night in with family and libations or a cocktail hour soiree with friends before heading out on the town, you need some simple and elegant bites to accompany the champagne. We have a menu in mind, and recipes for classic Hors D’Oeuvre…
Every city has a certain type of cuisine it’s known for. In New York, there’s a pizza place on every corner. Memphis and Kansas City have great BBQ joints. In Phoenix, it’s Mexican food. While finding a late-night burrito or enchilada in this town is a piece of cake (tres leches, of…
There are two days in every year that it is acceptable to get drunker then Li-Lo at a va-jay-jay flashing contest and wake up with the worst hangover known to man: St. Patty’s Day, and New Year’s Eve. Those of us who happen to call the bar our second home…
It’s been called “weed in a can” and “a can of drag ass” by media, but does Drank really offer a mellow buzz? We must admit, we were skeptical of the powers within this purple aluminum can. When somebody told us about Drank, the “extreme relaxation” beverage, two thoughts crossed…
We hear a hot diet trend for 2011 is the Baby Food Diet. The idea is simple: Substitute two meals a day with baby food purees and you’ll have a slim, baby-sized waistline. Hollywood types most likely have their people mix up homemade concoctions of the mush to ensure organic mixes. Good…
Michelle Donovan The co-owner of the Nile Theater and The Mantooth Group wants you to come to Madball and Comeback Kid at the Nile Tuesday, January 18. What’d you eat for dinner last night? I had a bunch of mini-candy bars. It was the only thing on my desk. Favorite…
Still hungry? Try not to get drool on your keyboard as you check out our sweet slideshow of holiday goodness. Now hit the treadmill!…
A particularly giddy (and macabre) holiday reveler in a much colder part of the country created her own Frosty the Snowman cocktail (aka Frosty-tail) this weekend — and it was too cute not to share. The drink is a combo of snow (the real thing!), diet ginger ale and Absolut Citron,…
In the spirit of tying up loose ends, we’re recapping some of our favorite food-related finds of the year. We’ve already recapped the Best Books, Battle of the Dishes, and Just Offal favorite posts from 2010; today we bring you our favorite recipes. The recipe picks for 2010 are as varied as our…
Oregon or Auburn? We’re still on the fence about which team we hope wins the BCS (Bowl Championship Series) next week. What we’re really excited about is the Bud Light Fiesta going on at Scottsdale’s SouthBridge January 3-7. As the name of the festival implies, there will be plenty of…
Christmas means spending time with your family, not wasting moments surfing the Internet. Good lord! Don’t you know that’s what work is for? Still, we’re not the types to send you away empty-handed. Consider the above video our gift to you for showing up when we took the day off…
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: Jennifer Woods, What Are You Baking? 5 Pre-Order Holiday…
If you don’t like eating things with a face (or a shiny, red nose) you may want to steer clear of this week’s feature story on local celebrity chef and controversy enthusiast Payton Curry. This holiday, Curry’s got reindeer on the menu. Don’t tell the kiddies. Food Critic Michele Laudig…
Even if your oven sits cold all year, chances are you’re considering firing it up, right about now. As a holiday twist on our “What Are You Eating?” feature on Chow Bella and “What Are You Wearing?” on Jackalope Ranch, this holiday season we brought you “What Are You Baking?”…
Chef Andrea Volpi of Local Bistro learned to cook at an early age, watching his mother in the kitchen and helping her with fresh, simple recipes like this delicious Italian Bolognese sauce. Mangia! Pappardella Bolognese What you’ll need: 1/ 4 lb. ground pork, coarse1/2 lb. ground veal, coarse1/2 lb. ground beef, coarse2 large…
Even if your oven sits cold all year, chances are you’re considering firing it up, right about now. As a holiday twist on our “What Are You Eating?” feature on Chow Bella and “What Are You Wearing?” on Jackalope Ranch, this holiday season we brought you “What Are You Baking?”…
There’s a hot new ride tearin’ up the streets of America, and it’s called the food truck. Thanks to shows like The Great Food Truck Race, in addition to new chow wagons popping up all over the Valley, folks can pig out in the open air of a parking lot…
Who could conceive of butchering poor Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer? Payton Curry. And he’s come up with fancy ways to show off the gastronomic possibilities of feasting on Santa’s adorable sidekick. A couple of weeks ago, when the cheeky, curly-haired executive chef of Tempe’s chic Caffe Boa announced he’d be…
When bakeries started selling decorated cupcakes at three bucks a pop, I thought the fad would fall faster than an overbaked soufflé. I was wrong. Call it the Starbucks effect, but years later people are still willing to shell out thirty bucks for a dozen cupcakes they could make at home for…
Yesterday, we spoke with Chef Andrea Volpi of Local Bistro about his gypsy ways and his life growing up in Italy. Today, the conversation continues… First cooking job: I was a manager at a 14-top place in Chicago in ’87. My job was to make espresso, cappuccino, slice of cake…. Favorite…
