Welcome to Chow Bella’s Bites & Dishes, where each week Valley chefs and restaurateurs respond to a question or topic 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. They’re masters at their craft and…
One does not go to El Hefe Super Macho Taqueria for dinner. One goes to El Hefe Super Macho Taqueria for the tabletop taps. An ingenious invention that, like Eden’s apple, simply must be sampled despite its most assuredly sinful outcome, the self-serve taps sit like condensation-kissed gas pumps of…
Looks like the Agritopia farming community and the Fresh & Easy marketplace at Higley Road and Ray Road in Gilbert will be welcoming a new neighbor in late December. A new, family-owned, fast-casual restaurant called The Spot will occupy a tall and narrow space with an an interior mezzanine where…
Slow Food Phoenix needs some creative help and we thought that one of you Chow Bella readers might be the key. They posted on Facebook that they need a “catchy slogan” or image for their new t-shirts and we know you can come to the rescue. Find out what you’ll…
Steamed buns. A tasty addition to any table tasting of dim sum. We say table tasting because these bite-sized portions of Chinese-styled dumplings are best ordered family style–which allows for much more variety. With choices ranging from steamed buns and dumplings to rice noodle rolls and egg tarts, you might…
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, some menu items. First Taste, as the name implies, is not a full-blown review, but instead a peek inside restaurants that have just opened,…
Want a Rock Springs Pie for your Thanksgiving spread but driving to Black Canyon City isn’t really on your to-do list? Well, you’re in luck. This year you only have to drive to Phoenix. The Duce will be getting a huge shipment of Rock Springs Pies delivered next Wednesday and one…
Lately, in this In Season series, we’re taking a look at what I take home from Crooked Sky Farms each week and see what I’ve done with my CSA share, or part share. This week I’m using green chiles and tomatoes.If there is a burger on the menu with green…
You call yourself a bacon lover. But are you a bacon lover? Baconlube is exactly what it sounds like — the world’s first bacon-flavored personal lubricant and massage oil…
Today we’ve got the second half of our chat with Tuck Shop owner DJ Fernandes. Yesterday he explained how he came up with the concept for his debut restaurant venture in the heart of the Coronado District. Today he’ll be sharing plans for his newly acquired space next-door and discussing…
Looks like The Phoenix Cheesesteak Company, a mobile eatery serving up rib-eye cheesesteaks with a twist, is making the leap from four wheels to four walls at 2605 North 7th Street in Central Phoenix (northeast corner of 7th Street and Virginia). Unfortunately, that address used to be the home of…
It’s tough to find a restaurant that’s 100% vegetarian, but when in doubt, look for a place that serves authentic Indian food. Why? India has the highest population of vegetarians worldwide. For a spicy vegetarian fix, look no further than Woodlands Vegetarian South Indian Kitchen in Chandler, AZ.
This month, two more food trucks joined the Phoenix Street Food Coalition, tipping its number of mobile specialty food members to over twenty-five. The first, Aji Mobile Foods, is a father and soon team focused on Latin American fare and has made its first few appearances at the Avondale Farmers…
Big Earl’s BBQ got some mad TV love last month when Adam Richman and his crew of Travel Channel’s Man v. Food Nation (the evolution of Man v. Food, in which Richman recruits locals to take on food challenges instead of doing them himself) paid a visit to the Old…
We’re back this week for Chef Chat with architect-turned-restaurateur DJ Fernandes of Tuck Shop in Central Phoenix. After attending architecture school in New Orleans and working for a firm in Phoenix, Fernandes was drawn into the restaurant business by a combination of passion for food and wine and desire for a new…
Canned tomato producers are outsourcing our taste buds to robots. We spotted a New Scientist article via The Food Section and were completely fascinated that researchers from the University of Copenhagen have come up with a “magnetic tongue” that mimics a human’s ability to taste different flavors using a sensor…
Tired of the same old tired orange chicken and California rolls? Want to venture beyond the standard suburban-stale take-out? Here comes Chop PHX, with the Valley’s rarer Asian offerings. This Week: Murg Makhani from India Oven (1315 S. Gilbert Rd., Mesa) The Basics: Murg makhani (aka butter chicken) is the…
Did the recession finally get to Two Hippies Magic Mushroom Burgers and their $5 burger deals? Part of the Phoenix-based Two Hippies chain, the psychedelic burger shack, on Indian School Road in Central Phoenix, opened in 2008 by husband-and-wife team Andy and Jan Goldstein (Andy’s brother Ron founded Long Wong’s…
The Arizona Republic recently named Soi 4 as the Best Thai Restaurant of 2011, but have they neglected dessert lovers? While not all of their desserts are a winner, we highly recommend their Fried Bananas with Coconut Ice Cream.
Hey kids! PETA, the radical animal rights organization responsible for the comic book targeted at young people entitled, “Your Mommy Kills Animals,” is currently heading up its 2011 Cutest Vegetarian Kid Contest — ’cause meat-eating kids are as hideous as their parents!!! PETA’s contest hopes to celebrate the “radiance and…
Sweet potatoes have a number of innate qualities that make them wonderfully pie-worthy. They have an abundance of natural sugar, which, although not essential, is good for starters. When baked, the sugar in the sweet potatoes caramelizes, becoming deeper, richer, and more complex (the way caramel is richer and more complex than granulated sugar).
Want to enjoy a warm, faux-blood libation with lunch? Yes, we know Halloween is over, but for fans of the HBO series True Blood the chance to sip on a perfectly replicated bottle of Tru Blood drink would be like dying and not going to heaven–because, of course, vampires are…
