Restaurants

Working out of her mad-lab apartment kitchen, Gabi DiFerdinando never thought her cake hobby would make more than a few good birthday presents. More than 30 cakes later, she’s starting to change her mind…

How well do you know your favorite cookhouse contraptions? Can you tell a melon baller from a cookie scoop? See if you can guess today’s gadget and check back next week for the answer. Here are a few of our guesses, add yours to the comment box below: – Nemo…

I’m a fan and regular reader of Sunset Magazine, with its timely mix of food, travel, and living articles, as well as it good-looking layout. Flipping through its pages and spotting region-specific gardening advice and profiles of beloved local restaurants and entrepreneurs always gives me a tiny jolt of Arizona pride…

​Yes, you read that right, folks. Deep-fried cupcakes. Two trends collide, and while we haven’t tasted the results, we can guarantee this is not the next Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup you’re looking at. Still, we had to share, because frankly, it takes a lot to suprise us these days, jaded as we…

As it is, Cuban food isn’t easy to come by in the Valley, and now a local Cuban favorite has scaled back due to the tough economy. Havana Cafe closed its five-year-old Ahwatukee location a week ago Saturday. Chef-owner BJ Hernandez continues to operate the flagship Havana Cafe on Camelback (4225 E…

In the end, we get what’s coming to us. Let’s hope it’s sweet. Valentine’s Day (or Saint Valentine’s Day) is a holiday celebrated on February 14 by lovers expressing their affection for each other through gifts of sappy cards, gas-station flowers, clichéd jewelry, lingerie, and George Foreman grills. Hold the…

In the mood for Cajun food? You’re in luck. With Mardi Gras right around the corner, the timing is spot on for the opening of Beauregard Food Co., which debuted last Friday at DC Ranch in North Scottsdale. Owner Dan Brinton also is a franchise owner of Krispy Kreme Arizona,…

​ ​Another east side eatery bites the dust. The infamous Better Than Sex Cake Cafe in Historic Downtown Chandler went down last week, right on the heels of 98 South Wine Bar & Kitchen’s recent demise. When we heard the news, we were convinced the worried moms and religious fanatics who’d been complaining about the tiny…

Looking for the latest in tasty television? Need to know the need-to-watch episodes of your favorite foodie shows? Chow Bella is here to help. We’re reviewing the most delectable and dreadful with a handy, must-see schedule so you won’t miss a thing. If there’s one thing we need to get…

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: Monday Night Martha: Big House Fantasy Soup Day Drinker:…

​According to the National Pie Council, – yes there is such an organization and you can even become a card carrying member – Saturday January 23rd is National Pie Day.  We’ve already heard whispers that pie is all the rage, and this is a trend we can sink our fork into.   Not interested…

There may not be enough beer in the Valley for Cardinals fans to drown their sorrows. But if you happen to be rooting for one of the better luckier teams still in the playoffs, here are four local bars fans of these teams can call home. Tempe’s Four Peaks Brewing…

Last night’s storm knocked out power in some sections of the Valley — and with more thunderstorms expected this weekend, some of you could be facing a few nights of candles and takeout. Oh, darn. We hate being without electricity, but really there’s no better excuse to try that new restaurant…

​If I could afford it, I’d eat sushi and sashimi about every other day, interspersed with Italian, Thai, and Vietnamese cuisine. But the problem is, I’ve become such a Japanese food geek that I won’t eat just any raw fish, lest I get mad for wasting my hard-earned paycheck on…

Maybe the name has something to do with it, but the Happy Lady Eats blog is so darn charming that it can’t help but lift your mood to read it.Editor Joy Deangdeelert Cho, a visually creative foodie who applies her graphic design skills to making her blog into pure eye…

​Today is actress Linda Blair’s birthday.   Though she has gone on to perform in other films, Blair is best known for her role as possessed child Regan in the 1973 classic horror flick, The Exorcist.  No scene has grossed us more than that of Blair’s devilish character spewing a green…

Battle of the Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups Fight, fight cups down the field, Fight with your peanut butter and cacao seeds and don’t ever yield. Original has milk chocolate, newcomer dark, One will be victorious, the other, a lark. Cheer, cheer for the orange and brown, Milk chocolate with peanut…

​Tell the truth: How long did your New Year’s diet last? Yeah, ours too. Here at Phoenix New Times, we take a while to contemplate our resolutions — so just this week, we published our annual Resolution Guide. If you’re feeling guilty about those fries you just scarfed, sidle up…

We’ll admit it. As much as we’d like to think we’re culinary adventurers constantly in hot pursuit of the next, undiscovered eatery, we tend to hang about the same ten or twelve joints. But given this week’s Cafe column is about a far-flung eatery not worth the drive, perhaps we’re…

Are you fond of fondue? Now you can get your dip-and-swish fix at the Valley’s third location of popular fondue house The Melting Pot, located in the Citadelle Shopping Center at 19420 N. 59th Avenue (at Utopia). At nearly 6,200 square feet, with seating for almost 200 people, it’s the largest…

​Who can resist a weather-centric special? Especially when it involves booze?Not me. I talk a good game about wanting a cup of hot tea, but I would not refuse a Jameson’s Irish Coffee if one mysteriously appeared in front of me.This week’s crappy weather is reason to celebrate at Cadillac…

​How many farmers’ markets does it take to make Phoenix healthy? Or screw in a light bulb? Seriously, we’re starting to feel like farmers’ markets are going the way of Starbucks. There’s one practically on every corner — or at least, it feels that way when you’re deciding between eight farmers’ markets all on…