Consider this a shout-out to all the caffeine-fueled, hard-working Americans out there who can’t get the day started without a cup of joe. We feel your adrenal-shot addiction and offer up this advice: Life is much too short to drink bad coffee. How does one make absolute sure they are…
If you consider yourself a card-carrying coffee geek — or, as restaurateur Joe Johnston would put it, a “disciple” of the “true gospel of coffee” — then you need to bookmark Johnston’s excellent new blog, Roaster Project. But even if you don’t consider yourself a java expert or even drink the…
Just got an interesting tidbit from a friend that I thought I’d share.It’s a list of the top 10 recipes that were searched on Google last year. As someone who compulsively Googles everything — and who consults with the online search engine far more often than the recipe box — I…
Good ol’ Middle Eastern Bakery & Deli.This Central Phoenix restaurant has been one of my favorite lunchtime go-to spots ever since I started working at New Times over nine years ago. I recall one of my coworkers taking me there during my first week on the job, and I was…
Even when businesses were dropping like flies earlier this year, it still came as a surprised when popular north Phoenix pastry shop Wicked Bakery closed its doors.But chef-owner Slade Grove is back on the scene, now operating out of Luci’s Healthy Marketplace, which made its own comeback in October, reopening…
Has Avalon executive chef Travis Watson been lured back into the fold at Fox Restaurant Group to work at the soon-to-open Culinary Dropout?The rumor isn’t confirmed, but one thing is true — Watson left the swanky Scottsdale restaurant just after the new year. Before he joined the opening team at…
Happy Olio Nuevo, everyone! This sounds like some crazy made-up holiday along the lines of National Bacon Day (seriously, isn’t that every day??) or National Tempura Day. But Olio Nuevo, aka Festival of the New Oil, is actually an annual event at Queen Creek Olive Mill which begins tomorrow, January 16. Weekly…
For the past two Sundays, we’ve been hooked on Food Network’s new show, Worst Cooks in America. Maybe it’s because this gem stars local celeb-chef Beau MacMillan. Or the fact there’s a contestant from Scottsdale. Or maybe it’s just that we all had an Aunt Mildred or Grandpa Joe or heck, Mom or…
Craving a cupcake in North Scottsdale? If you were hoping to swing by Scottsdale Bakery & Cupcake Company (15090 N. Northsight Blvd.) for a little frosted confection and a drink, you’re out of luck. The family-owned storefront closed in mid-December due to lack of traffic in a struggling retail complex. However,…
Somebody had a lot of fun with this. Just look at those funny little fondant pigs! A friend just sent me a link to a darling website where they’ve created incredibly detailed cupcake designs inspired by classic games and retro video games, and then made a guessing game out of…
We’re the peculiar type of foodie who refuses to eat things one way. Heaven help us if we are presented with more than one condiment at a restaurant. Chances are we’ll go back and forth until the food item we’re placing it in has been completely devoured. Maybe that’s why…
Last night, the new Oakville Grocery at the Scottsdale Quarter opened to a packed house of chefs, industry professionals and local food lovers for a VIP Grand Opening celebration. At 6 p.m., guests began to trickle in while the grocery’s in-house chefs and local vendors set up tables with samples…
Billy-Boy Wordsworth defined poetry as “the spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings.” Fitting then, we should apply this definition when we speak of fabulous fare. See if you can relate to this week’s victual verse and feel free to pen a few lines of your own, should you be so inspired…
Chinese New Year doesn’t officially happen for another month, on February 14. But with a fresh new 2010 calendar at my desk and an out-of-the-blue craving for dim sum, I had the upcoming Year of the Tiger on my mind and figured I’d round up some friends for a feast…
Chocolate cherry sourdough. Olive walnut sourdough. Rosemary bread. Pumpkin bread. Sun-dried tomato bread. Is your mouth watering yet? These are just a few examples that illustrate why The Phoenician’s master baker Ben Hershberger has gained a following for his outstanding artisanal breads, which he bakes daily for Il Terrazzo, Windows on the…
Jordan Stejskal used to struggle with a multiple personality problem.For years, the Phoenix native worked for a Scottsdale architecture firm where she was a self-described office Super Girl in pencil skirts and heels. When she wasn’t in the office, Jordan turned into the hippie chef, a farmer’s market groupie who…
For some, guacamole is a mere condiment akin to sour cream or salsa. We think of it more like Guinness — excellent as an accompaniment to lunch or dinner, but thick and hearty enough to be a meal on its own. Afraid you’ll bust your diet resolution if you down…
This time of year, we crave savory meals to warm us up.This Guajillo Shrimp Cazueala, from Rita’s Kitchen’s executive chef Amol Agarwal (whom we profiled in yesterday’s Chef Chat), is not only hot in temperature, but it also contains some spicy ingredients that will make you feel the warmth. But,…
As part of local franchisee Sunwest Burgers LLC’s plans to open 30 Smashburger locations in Maricopa County over the next few years, another one of the fast-food burger joints is set to open at Gateway Crossing in Avondale (9915 W. McDowell, Ste. 101) on February 3. (The Tempe store is pictured above.) …
The past six months have been a blur. It was only back in July that the newly formed non-profit organization Devour Phoenix, a coalition of local indie restaurants affiliated with Local First Arizona, was making news with its plans to launch a high-profile culinary festival that would replace West of Western at…
We apologize to anyone who read the headline and got excited that Savor Scottsdale was resurrecting their cleverly named pig roast and wine dinner, held in April 2009 at the now defunct Digestif. We’re actually talking about The Notorious P.I.G., a new barbeque restaurant on Thunderbird Rd. in NoPo that our food-loving friends…
He may be cooking Southwestern fare now, but Chef Amol Agarwal is bringing worldly sensibilities to Rita’s Kitchen at the Camelback Inn in Paradise Valley. The Indian-born Agarwal has really filled up his passport, having lived and worked in Singapore, Thailand, Sri Lanka, California, Jamaica and China before coming to Phoenix…
