By Michele Laudig It just might be impossible to stifle a smile when an ethereal pink ball of cotton candy appears at the dinner table. Nope, you won’t find it on the dessert menu at Noca, but don’t be surprised if you find yourself nibbling on pieces of the fluffy…
By Michele Laudig Us New Times folks are always kinda-sorta on the job. (I actually dream about work, and sadly don’t get overtime for it.) That’s why Benjamin Leatherman, in the middle of his Friday night, took the time to report on the latest downtown dish about the Willow House…
By Michele Laudig After months of speculation, the Fairmont Scottsdale’s upscale Mexican eatery, La Hacienda, has finally closed. Although scheduled to be open yesterday, management made an “out of the blue” staff announcement that the decades-old restaurant would not serve dinner after all, says hotel concierge Lara Cosseboom. “It’s gonna…
Cuban cuisine certainly lends itself to an upscale, even fusion treatment (like at Scottsdale’s chic Asia de Cuba), but for me, it’s most enjoyable as down-to-earth comfort food. That has a lot to do with my earliest encounters with Cuba’s culinary delights: at a cozy neighborhood joint near my college…
By Michele Laudig On the eve of its scheduled opening, downtown Mesa’s new de la Cruz Bistro isn’t quite ready to open yet. According to chef Keawe Aikau, who goes by “Chef K,” there’s still some paperwork to take care of before the new eatery can open its doors at…
By Michele Laudig Tell me I can’t have something, and I’ll want it even more. Right now, what I really want is a hot, doughy scone from Kohnie’s, the infamous Camelback coffee shop where owner Robert Kohn dished out his own brand of dry humor right along with killer scones,…
By Michele Laudig It had been awhile since I’d been into Mediterranean House — the cozy eatery next door to Richardson’s, on Bethany Home at 16th Street — so I stopped by for some falafel the other day. Turns out, the place is closing, according to the two waitresses who…
By Michele Laudig Last fall, I reported on how coffeeshop/hangout the Willow House was being inexplicably booted from its longstanding home on McDowell Road. The place was closed by late October, but managed to find a new location before long. December’s First Friday was its grand reopening party at 1722…
By Michele Laudig Alrighty: It’s been confirmed that Aunt Lena’s Creamery, the Chandler gelato shop, will be featured in the “Brain Freeze” episode of Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives, set to air on the Food Network on Monday, August 11, at 7 and 9 p.m. Aunt Lena’s features 32 flavors of…
If you decided to quit your job and leap into a whole new career, what would it be? The question has always fascinated me. One of my friends is a fitness club manager who dreams of going into interior design. Another is an IT whiz who’d love to start a…
By Michele Laudig Seeing that the sold-out round three of Locavore, Tapino’s successful AZ-centric wine dinner, takes place tonight and tomorrow (with 120 people each night), it’s probably a good time to announce the details of Locavore 4: Cultivation, which takes place October 7 and 8. Obviously reservations are essential…
By Michele Laudig Huh. So Tony Bourdain finally comes to Phoenix, and the only thing that merits attention to this city — or hell, this state — is a two-foot chili dog from Cooperstown? I still don’t know if the brief AZ segment pissed me off, made me sad, or…
By Michele Laudig I’m starting to think it’s a bad idea to drink Diet Coke while reading emails, because I never know when I might get something so funny that I risk said soda spurting from my nostrils. !!! The latest unassuming correspondence to take me off guard? A simple…
By Michele Laudig A month ago, I reported on the imminent opening of Noca, the new “modern American” restaurant from Phoenix’s most obsessed gourmet, Eliot Wexler, and chef Chris Curtiss. To the best of his knowledge, Eliot had predicted July 8 as the opening date, but his crystal ball was…
By Michele Laudig Konnichiwa, Phoenix! Ohisashiburi! (It’s been a long time!) I’m writing to you through the haze of jetlag after spending the last couple of weeks in Tokyo — just got home about 24 hours ago, and I’m trying to convince my body that it’s Thursday afternoon instead of…
For this week’s Cafe column New Times visited Eddie’s House in Old Town Scottsdale and Christopher’s Restaurant and Crush Lounge situated next to Saks at Biltmore Fashion Park to photograph the atmosphere of the two restaurants. From the stacks of plates waiting for their destinies in Eddie’s House’s dining room…
Let’s hear it for the home team. Eddie Matney and Christopher Gross are two of the area’s best-known celebrity chefs, and each opened his own namesake restaurant — Eddie’s House and Christopher’s — in May. Each has had a namesake place before, but because other cities’ celebrity chefs are breaking…
He’s monstrously large and covered in hops. Luckily for you, he only exists on a label…or so we hope. Hopsquatch, a frighteningly powerful Barleywine from Four Peaks, is currently available for those lucky enough to make it to the Four Peaks brewery before the keg runs out. The stuff is…
By Amy Silverman This one makes me sad. I love Cyclo, the innovative, funky Vietnamese restaurant in Chandler. Apparently the Maricopa County restaurant inspectors didn’t love it so much, during their most recent inspection, July 17. (It should be noted that this was the only “no award” inspection online for…
A salad’s a salad, right? Leafy bits with some sliced veggies or fruits thrown in to the mix. Perhaps you like to add a handful of nuts for texture or even crumbles of cheese for a sour contrast of taste. What about caramel corn? Anyone add that? I thought not…
There are a lot of good restaurants in the southeast part of town, but besides Kai, at Wild Horse Pass, the options aren’t very exotic. But now there’s a new spot that just might give foodies an excuse to head to south Chandler. It’s called Cork, and although it hasn’t…
By Jonathan McNamara Ah! A steaming hot cup of joe is the backbone to any productive day. Liquid speed with a drop or two of milk and two sugars please! Coffee Cartel is my current supplier of the brown stuff. Find out how owners Jason and Amy Silberschlag keep customers…
