Gazpacho Throw Down: Rita’s Kitchen vs. A Touch of European Cafe

Forget half-price slushes at Sonic: Ice-cold gazpacho may be the perfect summertime treat. Both satisfying and refreshing, gazpacho has adopted many forms, but most commonly it is a chilled, tomato-based raw vegetable soup usually featuring garlic, olive oil, stale bread, and vinegar for light tartness.The soup is an ideal way…

Coming Soon: Perc Up Café

Rise and shine, Coronado. In just a few weeks you’ll be able to wake up to the sweet smell of coffee roasting in your neighborhood. If you remember the old Drip coffee shop location and Toast Boutique, you’ll be able to find Perc Up Café. Three women, who live in…

Anthony Spinato’s Get Meaty Pizza

 In the kitchen with: Anthony Spinato Making: Get Meaty Pizza This week, Chow Bella gets a behind-the-scenes look into the fifth–and newest–location of Spinato’s Pizzeria in Ahwatukee. After the lunch rush on a recent summer day, Spinato’s has a sleepy, quiet vibe to it.  One family shares a pizza in the larger dining…

Bob’s Big Burger from Renegade Canteen

Last year we marked the hundred day countdown to Best of Phoenix by sharing our 100 Favorite Dishes with you. Now we’re back – with the 2011 edition. Have a suggestion for a dish you’d like us to try? Leave it in the comments section or email laura.hahnefeld@newtimes.com. 47: Bob’s…

McClendon’s Select Snubs Local Growers With Summer Produce Blog

Local growers like those you find vending at the Scottsdale Old Town Farmers’ Market and Downtown Phoenix Public Market are typically a peaceful lot. But this past weekend, that calm was shattered when word got around about a recent online article by Kate McClendon of McClendon’s Select about their decision to not…

Tinga Quesadilla from Los Reyes de la Torta

Last year we marked the hundred day countdown to Best of Phoenix by sharing our 100 Favorite Dishes with you. Now we’re back – with the 2011 edition. Have a suggestion for a dish you’d like us to try? Leave it in the comments section or email laura.hahnefeld@newtimes.com. 48: Tinga…

Now Closed: Parc Central and Spitfire Grill & Tavern

Oh my, looks like we lost two Valley restaurants as of late. Parc Central, home of progressive American cuisine in the Scottsdale Quarter and only open since January, posted on its Facebook page last Wednesday that it was closed for the day and to make reservations for a future date…

In Season: Purslane

Whether you’re a CSA devotee, a farmers’ market weekender or consider ketchup a veg, we’ll bring you fresh inspiration for how to prepare our local produce. This week’s harvest: Purslane/Verdolagas Purslane is the fancy schmancy succulent weed that you see at farmers’ markets around town and the rest of the…

Bruschetta Three Ways, All Vegetarian

I don’t know about you, but I am ready to give my cook top a break — send it on vacation with the chefs who, like a NYC shrink, shutter their doors for a summer respite. My ambition to make a meal has been reduced to quick and easy preparations that…

Paletas Betty on Cooking Channel’s Food(ography) Tomorrow

Following Sweet Republic’s stint last week on Food Network’s The Best Thing I Ever Ate, looks like another Valley ice cream eatery will be getting some cool television exposure. Paletas Betty, the paleteria with locations in Chandler and Tempe and specializing in handmade Mexican popsicles, will be featured on the…

District American Kitchen & Wine Bar Gets a Minty Fresh Menu for Summer

In the mood for some new summertime fare with minty freshness? Me, too. District American Kitchen & Wine Bar, the American comfort food restaurant at the Sheraton Phoenix Downtown Hotel, has a rooftop garden bursting with several varieties of the flavorful herb (think chocolate mint, pineapple mint, spearmint, and peppermint),…

Manti from Golden Valley Restaurant

Last year we marked the hundred day countdown to Best of Phoenix by sharing our 100 Favorite Dishes with you. Now we’re back – with the 2011 edition. Have a suggestion for a dish you’d like us to try? Leave it in the comments section or email laura.hahnefeld@newtimes.com. 49: Manti…

This Week In Chow Bella

Another week has come and gone leaving us to ponder the upcoming events that will shape our lives and, more importantly, our dinners out. But before we move on, let’s have one last look at the blog posts from this week. New Coffee Shop Opening Next to Over Easy in…

Double Check Ranch’s Grassfed Beef Crisps

Paul Schwennesen wants you to forget what you know about beef jerky. Every week, Schwennesen and his team from Double Check Ranch in Winkelman bring pure grassfed beef to the folks of Arizona, setting up shop at the Phoenix Public Market, the Gilbert Farmers’ Market, the St. Phillips Plaza Farmers’…

Okonomiyaki from Nobuo at Teeter House

Tired of the same old tired orange chicken and California rolls? Want to venture beyond the standard suburbian-stale take-out? Here comes Chop PHX, with the Valley’s rarer Asian offerings.  This Week: Okonomiyaki from Chef Nobuo Fukuda of Nobuo at Teeter House The Basics: Okonomiyaki is one of the staple dishes…

Cheddar Jalapeño Biscuits and Sausage Gravy from Over Easy

Last year we marked the hundred day countdown to Best of Phoenix by sharing our 100 Favorite Dishes with you. Now we’re back – with the 2011 edition. Have a suggestion for a dish you’d like us to try? Leave it in the comments section or email laura.hahnefeld@newtimes.com. 50: Cheddar…