This St. Patrick’s Day, you’ll likely see a lot of green beer flowing. Thing is, unless the brewer’s done something horribly wrong, beer isn’t meant to be green. Also, the fizzy yellow stuff they’re adding food coloring to is for wusses. March 17 is a day for celebrating the Irish…
I’m a sucker for Chai tea. My problem is that I don’t like to pay for it. If I’m going to spend $5 on a drink at a coffee shop, I have to choose something with espresso, because I can make chai tea at home. Unfortunately, I can’t say the…
It seems as if we’ve been waiting for Chick Rotisserie & Wine Bar in Arcadia to open for, well, almost forever. From Allen and Traci Thompson, owners of next-door neighbor The Grind, and headed up by its chef, Bevin O’Neil, Chick’s been “coming soon” for so long that Sam Fox…
When a tomato is cooked, its inherent sugar caramelizes. That’s why there’s a distinct difference between the flavor of raw and cooked tomatoes. I think we’re genetically predisposed to like caramelized food.A cooked tomato tastes sweeter and less acidic than its raw sister. Cooked tomatoes have rounder tones (to borrow…
When a new spot opens in town, we can’t wait to check it out — and let you know our initial impressions while sharing a few photos and some menu items. First Taste, as the name implies, is not a full-blown review, but instead a peek inside restaurants that have…
Fuego Tacos is one of the last restaurants standing at the Camelback Esplanade — at least for now. Flavorwise, this casual spinoff to Fuego Bistro, the tiny Latin-inspired eatery in north Central Phoenix, is a far cry from its sister restaurant. But that doesn’t mean one can’t find a few…
Last Friday night, Smeeks hosted Chow Bella’s 3rd Annual Caramelpalooza, and phew, that was a TON of caramel. As author of the blog’s Dessert First series, I was asked to be one of five judges. Thanks to all of the ice cream/candy/cookie/popcorn/paleta makers for bringing their creativity to the table…
Fuego Tacos is one of the last restaurants standing at the Camelback Esplanade — at least for now. The mixed-use development on the southeast corner of Camelback Road and 24th Street, across from Biltmore Fashion Park (home of Christopher’s Restaurant and Crush Lounge, Seasons 52, and True Food), hasn’t had…
This week we’ve been chatting with Chef Buzz and Bee from Buzznbeez Good Food Truck. Chef Christian Buze, grandson of Mrs. White of Mrs. White’s Golden Rule, takes soul food to the street and adds a global twist with dishes like Jamaican Jerk Chicken and the dish we’ve got today…
It got all the way from its home in Mexico to the tables of Southwestern families and restaurants for a reason. Posole is easy to make, share, and customize, and like Mexico’s cultural equivalent to chicken noodle soup, it can hardly do wrong. But unlike chicken noodle, posole is best…
Hold on to your curdles of milk, cheese fans, the latest report from the field is that pepper jack, the spicy subordinate of Monterey Jack, is the hottest new menu trend in consumer grub consumption. A recent USA Today article says that Datassential, a restaurant market-research firm, reports that the…
If you’re in the Carefree area, boy, do we have good news for you. Café Bink, the “little sister to Binkley’s Restaurant,” is now serving Happy Hour from 3 – 5 p.m. every Monday through Friday.
Although it has limitless possibilities, cardamom really shines as the star ingredient in baked goods with a hint of almonds, pistachios, or walnuts to round out the flavor.
No Joke. Sprinkles is now in the 24-hour automated cupcake business. No longer will one have to stand in a long line waiting for middle-aged women to have the cashier describe every single flavor twice only to decide on a cupcake of the vanilla chocolate variety because she “just loves…
Where should you go when you’re looking for the most authentic Chinese food in America? According to Clarissa Wei, a freelance journalist for CNNGo, a travel and lifestyle website independent of the 24-hour cable news channel, if you’re in Arizona, you should go to China Magic Noodle House in Chandler…
Yesterday, we introduced you to one of Phoenix’s newest food trucks: Buzznbeez Good Food Truck. As the latest apple to fall not-so-far from Mrs. White’s family tree, you can be sure to find down home Southern cookin’ and friendly service from this purple and yellow truck. Today, we’re back with…
If you saw him at TEDxPhoenix last November, are planning to hear him speak at Ignite Food in March, or are simply a fan of his seasonal American fare at his restaurant, Beckett’s Table, in Central Phoenix, then chef Justin Beckett is a familiar name — and one that’s just…
After our super busy January, the restaurant world seems to have slowed down a bit in February. We still added a few new spots to our growing restaurant scene, and luckily we only had to check a couple off the roster. February 2012 OpeningsPho Cao, TempeFritz’s Footlongs, MesaHow Do You…
Today, the cookie sandwich known as the Oreo turns one-hundred years old, and for the millions who routinely enjoy its near-perfect and seemingly un-screw-upable taste (I prefer the Double Stuf variety straight from my freezer), it’s just as awesome today as it was on March 6, 1912, when the company…
Lately, in this In Season series, we’re taking a look at what I take home from Crooked Sky Farms each week to see what I’ve done with my CSA share, or part share. This week I’m using dried chiles and i’itoi onions…
Talk about job creation on the fly. Four-hundred positions are in need of filling as the cache of new restaurants inside Terminal 4 in Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport prepare to open. HMSHost, the international airport restaurateur in charge of the food program, will open more than 15 new eateries throughout…
If you believe culinary talent can be passed genetically, or that lineage counts for anything, you’ll be thrilled to meet the newest addition to the Mrs. White’s Golden Rule/Lolo’s Chicken and Waffles family of soul food restaurants. Along with Beatrice “Bee” Bullock, Mrs. White’s grandson Christian Buze has began his…
