Restaurants

Don’t: add sparkling water (or 7Up) … That’s a spritzer or wine cooler and you’re either a girl in high school or reliving your glory days as a girl in high school.

In January, I reported that Fox Restaurant Concepts had plans to open a second Arizona location of its trendy Scottsdale gastropub, Culinary Dropout, in Central Phoenix (another location in Las Vegas was announced earlier this month.) Located at 5632 North Seventh Street (between Camelback and Bethany Home Roads), the restaurant…

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…

The molcajete, the Mexican version of the mortar and pestle, isn’t particularly rare. For thousands of years, the three-legged round bowl, made from a single piece of rough, gray volcanic rock, has been used for making guacamole and salsas and for grinding spices. But at La Barquita, a Mexican restaurant…

Yesterday, we shared the first part of our interview with Chef Brian Hulihee of Roaring Fork who celebrated his 10th anniversary working at the Old Town Scottsdale eatery in January. Today, we get personal as Hulihee shares some of his childhood memories and talks about his family…

Ahhhh, the banh mi. Such a tasty and cheap little Vietnamese sandwich. Soft French bread filled with carrots, jalapeños, cilantro, and a delightful meat. It’s one of our favorites, but we tend to overlook the little guys when we are at our favorite Vietnamese spots because, well, because there are…

Hey, remember those pizzas with the crusts stuffed with cheeseburgers and chicken tenders you were asking about? They’re here. Yup. Congratulations. Pizza Hut must have received all your heartfelt letters and phone calls because they’re doing it. They’re really, really doing it. This is totally going to change the way…

Even if you think you don’t like sushi, you should go see this movie. With luck, it might encourage you to give sushi a shot. At worst, you’ll at least walk away with some idea why sushi is so popular. Jiro Dreams of Sushi, a stunningly filmed documentary by director…

This week we sat down with Chef Brian Hulihee of Roaring Fork. The last time we checked in with Chef Hulihee in 2010, he talked about his young family and his excitement over pink sea salt. This time, he’s celebrating his tenth year anniversary working at the restaurant. Oh how…

Looks like Michael Rusconi, the executive chef of Lon’s at the Hermosa from 2005 to 2009, and whose success at combining European technique with native ingredients and local produce garnered the restaurant a AAA Four Diamond award, has resurfaced to start a place of his own. The Republic reports that…

Editor’s Note: Meet Chow Bella’s new wine columnists, two men who likely need no introduction (and certainly no more wine, after the video you’re about to watch) — Pavle Milic and Brian Reeder…

We had so much fun chucking Chow Bella contributors Ando Muneno and Lauren Saria into the ring over food trucks, we decided to do it again. This week’s burning topic: Alton Brown. Ando: Alton Brown is the man and I challenge you to say otherwise. Lauren: CHALLENGE ACCEPTED. Ando: Seriously,…

“We have the same chef as before,” server Wendy Kohlhoff tells me, “and most all of us quit our jobs to join Leland again. It might be Ranch House Grille to our customers, but it’s Ranch House Home to us.” Kohlhoff is speaking of last week’s re-opening of Ranch House…

There’s one chef in all of Arizona who’s currently nominated for a James Beard Award. Up for Best Chef: Southwest, Kevin Binkley is making our state proud. But with entrees priced around $40, not everyone will be rushing to Binkley’s to see what the buzz is all about. Luckily, the…

Yesterday we met Rob Samuels, grandson of the creator of Maker’s Mark Whiskey and current chief operating officer of the distillery. You would expect a family with such a rich, bourbon-soaked history to know a few good whiskey recipes — and you’d be right. Rob’s father, Bill Samuels Jr., perfected…

Also read: Citizen Espresso Bar Owner Calls it Quits; Letter Says She Was Forced By Her Investor/Mom to Leave Sherry Dew wants to make one thing clear: Her daughter, Tiffany Dew, never owned Citizen Espresso Bar. “Tiffany liked to tell everyone she owned it, but that just isn’t true. My…

The Market: Since the only farmers markets west of Peoria may very well be in California, we were happy to see the Peoria Farmers Market spring up in January — one shouldn’t have to travel too far to have access to organic fruits and vegetables. The Parking: Located at the…

2012 sure is looking like a busy year for Sam Fox. In February, the restaurateur’s company, Fox Restaurant Concepts, partnered with the largest T.G.I. Friday’s franchisee and announced plans to open several Zinburgers in 23 states. That same month, FRC hooked up with Scottsdale-based P.F. Chang’s, who acquired a 51-percent…

It’s going to be a busy foodie weekend! The Scottsdale Culinary Festival is in full swing (you can check out our coverage for all the big events you might have missed here) and since there are so many fun foodie things going down this weekend, I’m taking a break from…

Rob Samuels comes from a long line of whiskey-makers — the Samuels clan has been distilling as far back as the 1500s in Scotland and was making whiskey in America before the country was founded. Bill Samuels Sr. (Rob’s grandfather) began producing Maker’s Mark in 1954, and Rob took over…

UPDATE: Citizen Espresso Bar mom and owner responds to daughter’s Facebook letter. Here’s one family table we’ll consider ourselves fortunate not to be sitting at over the holidays. Tiffany Dew, owner and operator of Citizen Espresso Bar, has called it quits. The reason? She says it’s her investor, Sherry Dew,…

The neighborhood around Camelback and Seventh Avenue has another restaurant to enjoy courtesy of Arizona native Bill Sandweg. Sandweg first moved into the area with Copper Star Coffee and recently ventured into full-on food with Circle H Barbecue. Circle H serves up a variety of meat: pork, beef brisket, and…