A big highlight of my summer was a weekend trip I took to Los Angeles with a couple of adventurous friends who were just as eager to eat and shop their way through ethnic neighborhoods as I was. We skipped the haute cuisine hot spots to hit up Little Tokyo,…
I’m about to blow your mind. Ready? There exists a veggie burger that’s as good as the real thing. And I found it. It’s always tough to find a restaurant that suits my vegetarian and vegan buddies as well as it does the rest of us omnivores. They’re usually stuck with one…
Chef Chrysa Robertson of Rancho Pinot is a true Italian chef; why, you ask? “I always make way too much food!” Robertson laughs. Today she tells us about her first nerve-racking Italian feast, sweetbreads and all; her embarrassing fryer oil incident three days into a job, and the one addictive snack that always does her in. A lifelong cook, Robertson’s had her fair share of restaurant disasters and tough lessons, but she’s got a bone to pick with parents of poor eaters.
We cornered Maricopa County Supervisor Mary Rose Wilcox after a news conference last month at El Portal, the downtown Phoenix restaurant owned by her and her husband, Earl. “When are you going to clean this place up?” we asked snottily. El Portal, located at 117 West Grant Street, may serve tasty…
When Chef Chrysa Robertson decided to launch lunch at her restaurant Rancho Pinot, her restaurateur friends thought she had lost her mind. Not so, says Robertson. Her inspiration: The economy. Her vision: Keep it simple, do it well, and it just might work.
Feast your eyes on these burger beauties. The one on the left is a Hana, the one on the right a Sweet and Spicy. Both are the burger brainchildren of Maui Dog owner John Stamatakis. Taking his homemade sauces, fresh toppings, and slightly sweet signature bun concoction that make his…
Emily Spetrino-Murtagh Emily Spetrino-MurtaghThe co-owner of Sweets & Beats hosts a show at The Trunk Space Sunday, October 17th, featuring Liam and the Ladies and more. What’d you eat for dinner last night? Homemade egg salad. Actually, egg salad or eggs of some form have been the last several meals…
The business: Saffron Kitchen What they’re packin’: Meat and vegetable pies with a South African flair Where you can find them: More Valley farmers’ markets will be added soon. Find your fix on Thursdays at the Market at Hayden Station Plaza in Tempe, 5-8 p.m. and Saturdays at the North…
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: Smashburger Goes Chicken With New Menu Items The Top…
It’s October and, happily for Fry Girl, everything’s comin’ up pumpkin. Right on schedule, Dairy Queen has returned with its seasonal favorite frozen treat, the Pumpkin Pie Blizzard which DQ bills as, “pumpkin pie blended with vanilla soft serve, crowned with whipped topping and nutmeg.” Yeah, it’s pumpkin-y good. We…
When it comes to sushi, no distance is to great to travel for the real deal. That’s why we’re making a trip to Hiro Sushi. Food Critic Michele Laudig on Hiro Sushi: Hanging out here and observing the way the sushi chefs interact with their customers — and the way…
Steve Nash (not that Steve Nash) and Dennis Green (no, not that guy either) may share their names with notable sports dudes, but the only athletes these friends and co-owners of Rocket Burger, the Westside’s newest fast-food joint, are connected to are the football players of neighboring Moon Valley High…
Sushi Chef Rick “Koji” Hashimoto, above right, and Kitchen Chef Kazuto “Kaz” Kishino of Hana Japanese Eatery team up to serve both fish two ways: raw or cooked. Today they dish up Rainbow Carpaccio from the sushi bar and Tai Ishi Yaki steamed table-side.
We were so touched by the entries in our final drawing for tickets to the Best of Phoenix A’Fare Saturday night!Tickets are still available here, if you didn’t win.Catch the superwinners after the jump…
I’ve had my share of fun at chic, trendy sushi spots around town, where the upbeat vibe and eye-candy clientele are just as interesting as any of the nigiri that lands on my plate. A few years back, it seemed they were becoming almost as ubiquitous as wine bars and…
Steve Nash, co-owner and cook at Rocket Burger & Subs isn’t a Midwesterner, but he sure as hell slings hash like one. His chili cheese dog is a delicious mess that made this Detroit girl misty-eyed with memories of Coneys past. Then there’s the Wisconsin snack of fried cheese curds…
October is Breast Cancer Awareness month, and to help fight for the cause the foodie way, show your support by heading out to these spots around the Valley. Cupcake giant Sprinkles will be donating 100 percent of the proceeds of their Pink Ribbon cupcakes to The Entertainment Industry Foundation’s Breast…
For some, the ultimate comfort food is fried chicken. For others, it’s meatloaf. For me, it’s lasagna — a thick, saucy, cheesy slab of Italian heaven. Of course it has to be homemade with Italian sausage like the lasagna I feasted on every holiday season growing up with Italian friends and relatives…
Born, raised, educated and trained in Japan, Chef Kazuto “Kaz” Kishino, the man running the behind-the-scenes show in the kitchen of Hana Japanese Eatery, is about as old school as it gets in Japanese cooking. Kaz is a man of few words and little English, but Lori Hashimoto plays translator to unveil the secrets to making high-brow tempura, the reason Kaz loves his knives, and his movie-star aspirations and kitchen-cupboard realities.
Chef Rick “Koji” Hashimoto rocks and rolls as he prepares sushi at Hana Japanese Eatery, dressed to the nines and showing off his skills. Today, we pick Koji’s brain about his sushi technique, the brown bag lunches he couldn’t escape, the best bone-removal method and if any deadly catches will be hitting the sushi boat decks and Hana’s any time soon.
Warning: these frozen fall treats from Culver’s are dangerously addictive. If you’re not into pumpkin stuff, feel free to jump down to the next post, but if you’re like Fry Girl and anxiously await autumn’s arrival of all things of the large, edible, orange-yellow fruit borne by a coarse, decumbent…
Preston SmithPreston Smith The improviser, director, instructor and marketer for Jester’Z Improv Comedy in Scottsdale performs regularly with the troupe. What’d you eat for dinner last night? I teach improv comedy, and a student brought me a pie to the last class. I took it home and forgot about it…
