The Anatomy of a Macaron with Duc Liao of Scratch Pastries

See also: Tastemakers 2012: Duc Liao See also: Heavenly: Salted Caramel Macarons at Scratch Pastries When you’re cooking, it’s all about a dash of this and a splash of that. But baking is another matter, an exact science. In this series, we’re going behind the bakery case and into the…

Old Town’s Daily Dose Opening Second Location

Fans of the Daily Dose, the locally owned restaurant of American comfort food with a twist in Old Town Scottsdale, will soon have a second location of the stylish yet cheerful restaurant to visit for cinnamon apple crunch pancakes, stacked turkey melts, or happy hour sliders on pretzel baguettes. And…

Nikki’s Top Four Picks for Arizona Restaurant Week

See also: Kevin Binkley on Loving In-N-Out Burger See also: Noca Owner Eliot Wexler on Chef Claudio Urciuoli Restaurant Week begins September 15 and runs through September 23. And while it smacks of Black Friday, Christmas in July and all the other bargain bonanzas that attract the great unwashed, I…

Mimita’s Cuban Cafe: Slow-Cooked and Worth the Wait

The paella valenciana at Mimita’s Cuban Café in Chandler may be one of the Valley’s best edible outcomes of the saying “Good things come to those who wait.” As long as it’s understood that the wait is two hours and that it’s best to call in the order. After that,…

17: Bryan Dooley

From now ’til we publish the 2012 edition of Best of Phoenix, New Times and Chow Bella present 100 Tastemakers — Valley residents who make the cut in our culinary scene. Some you’ll know; for others, it’ll be a first introduction (but likely not the last). While you’re here, check…

Cheesy Is Good: Wingless Buffalo Dip at Maizie’s

The Guilty Pleasure: Wingless Buffalo Dip Where To Get It: Maizie’s Cafe & Bistro Price: $9.50 ($5 during happy hour) What It Really Costs: Your whole day’s allotment of carbs and fat… and that’s when you split one. See Also: Ten Favorite Spots for (Actual) Wings in Metro Phoenix There’s…

CLOSED: The Roosevelt Tavern

See also: Matt’s Big Breakfast: New, Bigger Location Now Open Chef and restaurateur Matt Pool’s been a busy man lately. Last week, the chef-owner of Matt’s Big Breakfast, the popular breakfast and lunch spot in Central Phoenix, opened the restaurant’s new and bigger location a few doors north of the…

Six Ways to Turn Your Kitchen Scraps Into Houseplants

See also: Three Egg-cellent Kitchen Science Experiments See also: DIY Bread and Butter Jalapeno Pickles I’m embarrassed to say that I haven’t actually tried any of these projects, yet. I too fall guilty to collecting things on Pinterest for “future reference.” But I’m hoping to get my act together soon!…

What’s the Most Bizarre Thing You’ve Seen at a Restaurant?

Welcome to Chow Bella’s Bites & Dishes, where Valley chefs and restaurateurs respond to a question New Times food critic Laura Hahnefeld has on her mind. Have a question you’d like to ask? E-mail laura.hahnefeld@newtimes.com. Miss a question? Go here. The long, hell-hot summer may have many of us feeling…

Cupcake Wars Challenge: OllieCake vs The Coffee Shop

See Also: America’s Largest Cupcake Franchise Expands to Arizona Because Cupcakes, Chains We’ve all seen Food Network’s Cupcake Wars, right? It’s the show that puts four bakers up against one another to see who can make a few batches of cupcakes worthy enough for the queen of cupcakes herself, Miss…

CLOSED: Two Restaurants Shutter in Chinese Cultural Center

“We apologize for any inconvenience. Please feel free to visit Szechwan Palace as well as Hong Kong Express in the market.” That’s part of a sign on the door of the Golden Buddha at the Chinese Cultural Center in Phoenix. The restaurant, which served a Cantonese and Mandarian menu and…

Arrowhead Grill: Happy Hour Report Card

See also: St. Francis: Happy Hour Report Card See also: Richardson’s: Happy Hour Report Card The Spot: Arrowhead Grill, 8280 W. Union Hills Drive, Glendale, 623-566-2224, www.arrowheadgrill.com The Hours: Happy Hour is offered from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. every day…

18: Sam Fox

From now ’til we publish the 2012 edition of Best of Phoenix, New Times and Chow Bella present 100 Tastemakers — Valley residents who make the cut in our culinary scene. Some you’ll know; for others, it’ll be a first introduction (but likely not the last). While you’re here, check…

Mariscos Ensenada: Hold On to Your Margarita to Escape the Hyper Tension

Hey, readers, get ready. We’re putting new meaning into the term “street food.” For Chow Bella’s latest mission — “Eating 16th Street” — we’ve employed a young woman who’s literally eaten her way around the world. Alex Rodriguez has eaten borscht in Moscow, steak in Buenos Aires and a “life-changing…

Top Five Phoenix Food Stories of the Week

Every week, there’s a cornucopia of Phoenix food news, features, and reviews to report here at Chow Bella. If you’re like most people, you probably just don’t have the time to get to all of it. It’s kind of like those burgers at Old Town Whiskey; it just won’t all…