Menu for Tonight’s Special Tasting at St. Francis

Just got a last-minute copy of St. Francis’ menu for tonight’s farm and blessing dinner, with organic produce provided by Duncan Trading Co. — pan-roasted sea scallops with lincoln leek puree, beets, and citrus is calling my name . . . FarmBlessing_1Up.pdf…

LGO Public House Coming to CityScape

What a major, major coup for downtown Phoenix. Bob Lynn, the creator of La Grande Orange Grocery — which brought new life to east Phoenix and spawned a busy hub of eateries at 40th Street and Campbell — will be launching a new gastropub by the end of the year…

Lon’s at the Hermosa Now Serves Breakfast

When we went to Society Café in Las Vegas a few months ago, we were totally impressed with the American restaurant’s innovative takes on classics–pasta drenched in truffle cream, egg-topped ham-and-cheese sandwiches and mouthwatering cocktails. Lucky for us, the former chef of that restaurant, Jeremy Pacheco, is now back in…

Battle of the Sexy Desserts

With Valentine’s Day around the corner, we thought we’d get you in the mood with a little friendly competition of gooey, rich and chocolatey desserts. We have two serious competitors: a deep, dark chocolate cake and a brownie-like dessert served with a side of warm chocolate sauce. So light some candles…

Chef Chat: Christopher Mayo of Metro Brasserie

​​Christopher Mayo may be a fresh face at Metro Brasserie (he was named executive chef when Matt Taylor left in November), but he’s certainly no food-scene virgin.  At the tender age of 20, Mayo opened Grilled Expedition at Desert Ridge. Later he split for culinary school in New York, then to the kitchens of Daniel…

Coming Soon: Rhythm & Wine

If rock ‘n roll had an official drink, what would it be? I’ve had countless beer-drenched nights in the more than two decades I’ve been going to rock shows, but these days, a little vino with my music suits me just fine (even if I can’t take a wine glass…

Haagen-Dazs Tests New Sundaes in Arizona Market

Arizonans have an understandable affinity for all things cold and sweet — hello, that’s a survival mechanism most of the year! — so it’s no surprise that ice cream giant Haagen-Dazs is focusing on our state (along with California, Florida, and New York) to test out a new line called…

Spanish Conversation Hearts: A Sign of the Times

We were delighted to see something new (to us, at least) in the Valentine aisle at Walgreen’s — conversation hearts in Spanish, alongside the traditional English variety. Sadly, when we ripped into the bag, we couldn’t help but notice how piss-poor the quality was…

Eli Kluger, What Are You Eating?

Eli KlugerThe video producer of Phoenix Rising has a slew of other films at www.youtube.com/beatfilms What’d you eat for dinner last night? I ate a granola bar.Favorite food: My favorite food has to be pizza, or Peter Piper Pizza buffet, more specifically. I can’t resist all-you-can-eat deliciousness at a reasonable…

St. Francis Hosts Brophy Farm to Table Dinner

St. Francis chef-owner Aaron Chamberlin is hosting a special event on Wednesday, and he doesn’t even know what’s on the menu yet.   That’s because he’s waiting to see what kinds of exotic organic produce farmer Patrick Duncan will drop off for his Brophy Farm to Table Dinner. Chamberlin will cook…

Twig & Thistle Offers Free Valentine Goody Bag Design

OK, so you’ve got those Valentine treats baked, and they’re too cute for a Ziploc. No worries. The blog Twig & Thistle has an adorable goody bag for you — and all you have to do is download the design and print it on bags. No charge. T&T has created a…

Now Open: Robbie Fox’s Public House

The evolution of Mill Avenue continues. While retailers might’ve taken the biggest economic hit along downtown Tempe’s walkable stretch (witness the sad row of empty storefronts just north of P.F. Chang’s), the restaurant scene is burgeoning. Open since Friday, Robbie Fox’s Public House is the newest addition to the mix, giving Rula…

New in Tempe: Lobbys Beef, Burgers, Dogs

From high-end burgers at swanky steakhouses to chains like Smashburger and Five Guys making their way into the local market, the lust for hamburgers shows no sign of ending. That’s what restaurateur Lobby Syregelas is betting on with his new concept, Lobbys Beef, Burgers, Dogs, which opened late last year…

Modern Steak: Behind the Scenes with Designer Catherine M. Hayes

Just a second — Catherine Hayes is fluffing the decorative pillows in the outside dining area. She comes here, to Modern Steak, nearly every day. Hayes and her team at Hayes inc. were behind the architecture and design of the recent addition to the Fox Concepts empire. Hayes’ Phoenix-based firm is…

Behind the Scenes with the Maker of “Blood Into Wine”

Seems everyone’s getting into the alcohol business these days, from Olivia Newton-John and Dan Aykroyd to Ludacris and Tool frontman Maynard James Keenan. The difference is that Keenan is actually hands-on with his winery, while we’re guessing the Grease and Ghostbusters celebs aren’t getting their manicured nails dirty trimming vines or mashing grains. Filmmakers Ryan Page and Christopher…

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: The Cheesiest Food Tour We’ve Ever Seen New Restaurant…

Food Network Looking for Cupcake Reality Stars

​ ​ ​Just when you thought the cupcake thing was over, here comes a sign that it’s anything but. Last night we stumbled upon yet another cute cupcake web site — this one is called Bella Cupcake Couture — and some breaking news (something you don’t often encounter on a cupcake web…

Dip Showdown: And the Winner Is . . .

Man, oh man, was this a hard one. Toughest competition yet. I’ve been angsting all week about picking a winner for our Dip Showdown, where Chow Bella’s ambitious cooks all brought in their own tempting dip recipes, in anticipation of our country’s most dip-worthy holiday, the Super Bowl. (Yes, I…

This Weekend: Vietnamese Tet Festival at Mekong Plaza

I have a sneaking suspicion that Chow Bella readers don’t really need an excuse to eat Vietnamese cuisine, but just for fun, why not celebrate the lunar new year at Mekong Plaza’s Tet Festival this weekend? The Mesa Vietnamese shopping center (66 S. Dobson) is already home to a handful of…

Cakewrecks.com: Sperm, Cigarettes, and Other Cake Decorating Don’ts

The internet is chock full of gorgeously photographed cake blogs loaded with towering confections where every detail is executed to perfection.  And while we admire these baked beauties, we also relish the rubbernecking when the art of cake decorating goes completely off-road.  In case you’ve missed the hype on this…