The Spot: Icehouse Tavern 3855 E. Thomas Road, 602-244-1179 The Icehouse Tavern is a bar that feels like a desert mirage, housed inside the Arcadia Ice Arena on Thomas — and no, there’s no mistake in that sentence. A banner posted outside declares it as “Phoenix’s best hockey bar.” But it’s…
Nestled in the hills of the Phoenix Mountain Preserve, the Pointe Hilton Tapatio Cliffs resort offers an impressive view of the Phoenix area sprawled out below. At the top of the hill sits the resort’s crown jewel, Different Pointe of View, a fine-dining restaurant led by executive chef Anthony DeMuro…
Love ’em or hate ’em, trends are part of the restaurant industry. Though some restaurants stick to the classics, many tweak their menus to appeal to what diners want right now. Over the past few years, we’ve seen cupcakes, Cronuts, and then doughnuts each take a turn in the limelight. So…
Where: Kay’s Kafe When: 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Friday; 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday Dish: Spanish omelet Price: $11.98 (including tax and tip) The Setting: Located at 3401 South 43rd Avenue in South Phoenix, Kay’s Kafe is tucked away in what feels like an industrial park. We initially drove…
Fugly Sweater Party at Linger Longer Lounge Saturday, December 5 Dig out the ugly Christmas sweater Auntie Muriel made you last year and wear it Linger Longer Lounge this Saturday night for the Fugly Sweater Party. From 9 p.m. to 2 a.m., the lounge will be making merry with an…
As of last week, 19 people in seven states have fallen in from an E. coli outbreak that’s been linked to celery in rotisserie chicken salad sold at Costco. The multistate outbreak prompted Taylor Farms, located in Tracy, California, to recall dozens of products sold in stores all over the…
The Guilty Pleasure: Hot Cocoa Chips Ahoy Where to Get It: Grocery Stores Price: $3.79 What it Really Costs: Funeral expenses for “Pumpkin Spice” Much like the word “basic” to describe those who love it, “pumpkin spice” flavoring seems to be on its way out. This winter, the new flavor…
As anyone who’s ever eaten an In-N-Out Double Double knows, there’s nothing quite as satisfying as biting into a fresh, hot cheeseburger from the regional chain of fast-food restaurants. And as anyone who lives east of Texas knows, the company is fastidious when it comes to quality control, which it…
Malaysian cooking, as opposed to other Southeast Asian cuisines, doesn’t get much play on the American restaurant scene. This is confounding when you consider that the Malaysian kitchen offers one of the most accessible and multicultural cuisines in the world. On any given plate, you’re likely to encounter Chinese cooking…
Here’s the good news: chef Michael Babcock and owner Sloane McFarland plan to open a third restaurant. Here’s the bad news: it’s in Tucson. The duo — also behind popular Valley spots Welcome Diner and Welcome Chicken + Donuts — have purchased Chaffin’s Diner, a historic mid-century diner located at 902 E…
Peppermint and eggnog may be the poster flavors of the season, but at Born & Glazed in Scottsdale, December means three new flavors of doughnuts that promise not to add to the onslaught of gingerbread and hot chocolate-infused products. Starting today, the doughnut and coffeeshop will offer cherry almond, matcha mint…
Call it a chain reaction. From a new zpizza to a new Scooptacular, the Valley is crazy about chains this month — and we’re not talking about Olive Garden. This month, we also said hello a shiny new Pita Jungle and goodbye to the original restaurant on Apache Boulevard. Openings…
It’s a sad truth that the restaurant business is a tough one. About 60 percent of restaurants fail during their first year in business, according to a study from Cornell University. Within five years, as many as 75 percent of restaurants go out of business. That’s a lot of shuttered…
Same truck, new name. The food truck formerly known as Luncha Libre will now be called United Lunchadores Street Gourmet, according to the restaurant’s owner. The agreement to change the name came after a cease and desist letter from Lucha Libre taco shop in San Diego. “It came back to just…
As you travel out of the Valley and state this weekend and throughout the holiday travel season, the Arizona Department of Agriculture is reminding residents not to move citrus in and out of the state. Doing so, the department says, could put Arizona at risk of transmitting a small pest…
When a new spot opens in town, we can’t wait to check it out — and let you know our initial impressions, share a few photos, and dish about some menu items. First Taste, as the name implies, is not a full-blown review, but instead a peek inside restaurants that…
Chefs are the new rock stars. And what do people want to do with rock stars? Date them, of course. But it’s not exactly as easy as it sounds to meet and then successful date a culinary rock star. To help — you know, in case that’s something you’re interested…
Black Friday Black Mage Takeover at 8-Bit Aleworks Friday, November 27 If you’re in the West Valley on Friday, take a break from your shopping at 8-Bit Aleworks in Avondale. The brewery will switch out its typical roster of taps in favor of its signature Black Mage stout. The brewery…
The Guilty Pleasure: Tryptophan, a.k.a turkey-flavored ice cream Where to Get It: Scooptacular Price: $1.50 (kid’s size) What it Really Costs: The last ounce of your waning willpower, which will effectively go into winter hibernation, starting this week. Every year around this time, Scooptacular treats — is treat the right word? – ice cream lovers…
The Larder + The Delta, the Southern-inflected food counter inside downtown Phoenix’s historic DeSoto Central Market, is the kind of highly touted new restaurant that makes you wonder whether it will measure up to the hype. People gush about the cauliflower, of all things, designed to evoke the flavor and…
Couscous Express owner Abdul Chaara closes his restaurant fairly early by most restaurant standards. At 6 p.m. every evening Monday through Saturday, Chaara’s supposed to make the day’s last round date shakes, say good-bye to remaining guests, and begin the process of closing shop. Why so early? Because after a…
East Valley residents and fans of The Clever Koi will soon have a much shorter drive in store to enjoy pork belly steamed buns and pig face dumplings. According to The Clever Koi co-owner Nicholas Campisano, he and owners Joshua James, Jared Porter, and Joseph Absolor will open a second…
