For those full-up with fast food, pizza, or a weekend’s worth of cheap beer, a new healthy eats spot coming to Tempe aims to provide a bit of balance. D’Lish Kitchen and Coffee House, a health-conscious eatery complete with a drive-thru for good food on the go, is opening its…
Hey Chandler, ready for some BBQ? Texas style or Mountain style? You now have both! Texas barbecue franchise Rudy’s Country Store and BBQ opened earlier in April and are dishing out Texas style brisket, ribs, chicken and smoked sausage. And right across the street, New Mexico’s Can’t Stop Smokin’ is…
Pizzeria Bianco, celebrated pie master Chris Bianco’s award-winning Heritage Square eatery, continues to secure its place in history as a pilgrimage-worthy destination with a nod from Food & Wine magazine as one of its 25 best pizza spots in the U.S. Chosen from new and established pizza places from all…
Just utter (or type) the words food and truck in close proximity, and some people freak out — while others drool. It’s the same among Chow Bella’s staff, which is why when we decided to unveil our first “Point-Counterpoint” (with thanks/apologies to our sister blog in Houston, Eating Our Words)…
Phoenix isn’t exactly a culinary hub, and the Valley’s restaurants don’t always get the kind of attention as those in New York, L.A., and Seattle. But we have our fair share of star chefs, and if there was a leader of the pack, it might just have to be Chef…
Yesterday we told you about our experiences with coconut shampoo rum and the surprisingly similar Malibu Red, a blend of coconut rum and tequila. Dedicated tasters that we are, we tried the drink in many forms: neat, on the rocks, mixed with coke, and in the many cocktails posted on…
For those in Old Town Scottsdale in search of cheesesteaks, meatball sandwiches, and cold hoagies — especially in the late evening hours — and who might not have heard the news that the Philadelphia Sandwich Company has moved (and re-opened) to a larger space at 4225 North Craftsman Court, not…
Out with the doughnuts, in with the pizza. As of this week, East Coast Italian-style pie lovers in Tempe can hit up Paisan’s Pizza & Italian Kitchen, at 425 South Mill Avenue (5th Street and Mill and in the former home of Dunkin’ Donuts), to test run a new favorite…
It’s another beautiful Phoenix weekend! Better get outside and enjoy it while you can. This weekend, I’ll be trading in the super nice Phoenix weather for the smog and traffic of Los Angeles. I plan on hunting down the infamous mac & cheese with BBQ pork grilled cheese sandwich from…
The Market: The Roadrunner Park Farmers Market is a weekly slice of American suburbia right here in north Phoenix. As early as the sun rises, youth baseball teams are rounding the bases and girls’ soccer teams are busy at practice. Later on families sit down to picnic tables for lunch,…
Years ago, I went on a spring break cruise with a group of my hard-drinking friends and, broke college kids that we were, we dedicated the days leading up to the vacation to finding every possible method of smuggling booze aboard. Clear plastic water jugs, giant blue containers of Listerine,…
To eat at Fu-Fu Cuisine on Phoenix’s west side, is a journey far from the sprawling Arizona desert. The new restaurant owned by Esther Mbaikambey, who was born in Nigeria and spent her high school years in Jamaica, offers a culinary journey to Africa and Caribbean…
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…
Surely you’ve seen the rainbow cake. It’s pretty darn popular. As my fellow Chow Bella-ite Amy Silvemran puts it, the rainbow cake is nothing less than “the holy grail of Pinterest.” Pin Up Girl would be a farce if we didn’t conquer this thing. So this week we spent three…
I’m not impressed by sleek for sleek’s sake. But this is a James Bond kind of toaster. It’s sleek and functional – like a Beretta.
Oh, my, this is exciting. For those who thought Bomberos Winebar, the hip little neighborhood hangout in Sunnyslope that shuttered last March after failed lease renewal discussions with the landlord (the space is now occupied by Timo), was ancient history, it’s time to write a new chapter. Just over a…
Since opening at the end of last year, Distrito and Old Town Whiskey, the two restaurants in Scottsdale’s The Saguaro, have been causing quite a buzz in the Valley. Much of that is due to Chef Jose Garces, the man behind the menus, who is best known for winning the…
Imagine mashed potatoes. Then imagine a pile of mashed potatoes — smooth and sticky — shaped into a starchy dome. You pull a piece and mold it into an indented marble-size ball, a flat disc, or perhaps a thumb-pressed oval to scoop up a richly flavored soup or stew. The…
Warsan, a new African restaurant and coffee shop first-time owner Loyan Hassan Abdi tells me means good news in the Somali language, has opened in the strip mall at 2935 East McDowell Road (McDowell and 29th Street.) The casual, bare-bones restaurant, opened for about a week, is still sparse on…
This week in Chef Chat we’ve been talking with Chef Mensur Duzic of Phoenix Children’s Hospital. A tenured veteran of fine dining spots from across the Valley to across the pond, Duzic has enjoyed his position at the hospital for nearly ten years. But does he miss his more high-class…
Good news for fans of New York-style pizza from Myrah and Joe Aiello, owners of Aiello’s, the East Coast Italian restaurant in Phoenix. The couple has announced their new pizza shop, Isa’s Pizza, will open this Thursday next to their second restaurant, Aiello’s Salumeria, a “mini Aiello’s,” at 777 East…
Last August, a large wooden crate arrived at the sandwich shop Pane Bianco. In the crate — bearing an Austrian return address — was a 1600 pound stone mill and sifter: the sole piece of machinery that would revive Tempe’s century and a half-old Hayden Flour Mills brand for which…
