A couple of years ago, my future husband and I were gifted with a bottle of wine from a small Arizona winery. It was delicious, and we were very impressed. About a month ago, my husband contacted the winery to join its wine club and ask whether we could visit…
In the world of Kickstarter food inventions, not every proposed product idea is golden. However, when we stumbled on The Goose, it became obvious why the egg-centric project received over $20,000 more than its asking goal. The one-of-a-kind invention is a low-tech kitchen gadget that helps you perfectly scramble an…
On the never-ending mission to make the lives of friends in the service industry better, we’ve posted some rules of etiquette for how to treat servers, bartenders, hostesses, pastry chefs, and even your sommelier. However, along with probably your therapist, there’s one person who consistently sees you at your worst…
That’s right, ya bunch of “foodies.” Taco Bell’s new attempt as cashing in on the upscale street taco trend is set to open this summer in Huntington Beach. However, the menu at U.S. Taco Co., which includes some interesting looking milkshakes, beer, and french fries for some reason, also has…
In a delightfully aptly titled article called “What Would Don Draper Make With a 3-D Printer?”, Wired showed us pretty much our favorite thing to come out of Japan since whisky. Suntory, a purveyor of Japanese whisky brands like Hibiki and beer like Sapporo, recently did a little experiment with…
Chances are good that you’ve made darn near certain that you have a bottle of Sriracha in your fridge for everything from spicing up leftovers to making your own BBQ sauce. In any case, your spice world just got a little bigger, thanks to Musashi in New York. The company…
Adding to the lime shortage from Mexico, this season’s serious drought in California could mean a higher total on your grocery bill. Produce such as lettuce, avocados, grapes, and stone fruit will see dramatic price increases as the drought drives farmers to either decrease the amount they plant this season…
Everyone has been abuzz over Dominique Ansel’s latest craze, the cookie shot glass. We covered the cronuts and even recreated them here on the Chow Bella blog. But I had to put my foot down on the cookie shot glass. Who wants to drink the milk before eating the cookie?…
We try not to be snobby about booze. We’ve had our fair share of flavored vodka-based cocktails that taste pretty good and have definitely fallen victim to a wide array of lemon drop, Washington apple, and other shots. But Mark Phillips, the Phoenix resident behind Palcohol, took things too far…
Last week, I told everyone just how much I love cold brew coffee. From the unique, smooth flavor to the higher caffeine content, cold brew is pretty much the only way I get my mornings started. However, I also mentioned that my favorite cold brew at Cartel is $3.75 per…
They brought you the top secret quesarito and made veggie folk happy by releasing Sofritas tofu and now that you’re hooked on new menu items, Chipotle is going to raise prices for the first time in three years. According to the Associated Press, the chain will introduce new menu boards…
Do you know what we think every time we go to upscale pizza joint like Pomo and Pizzeria Bianco? “Man, we wish this pizza crust was actually made of breaded chicken.” Not. But Domino’s went ahead with the idea of replacing its dough, which is definitely passable anyway, with some…
Just when you thought the custom dessert world couldn’t get any weirder, Charlie Harry Francis has created an ice cream that’s not so much an aphrodisiac as it is a medically proven erectile disfunction treat. The self-proclaimed “edible inventor” recently made a Viagra-laced ice cream flavor called The Arousal. It’s…
The laser-cut state love fad isn’t going anywhere quick. We’ve seen Arizona-shaped cookie cutters at ABC Cake Decorating Supplies, but now you can get your chop on Grand Canyon State-style, thanks to Epicurean. Whether you love the trend or are completely fed up with it, these home state pride kitsch-en…
One of Phoenix’s newest breweries is gaining a lot of buzz with its craft brews after RateBeer.com, which is known as the preeminent craft beer ranking site, made it number one in its list of the world’s top new breweries. Arizona Wilderness Brewing Co. in Gilbert has only been open…
Prom sucks. There’s a lot that can go wrong from wardrobe malfunctions to being stuck dateless, but perhaps a fate even worse than going stag is being given a fried chicken corsage by your date. For some reason, KFC thought anyone would be interested in wearing fried chicken on their…
It’s midnight on a Tuesday. You have promised to bake up your amazing chocolate cupcakes for the office tomorrow. After ripping apart your refrigerator for the fifth time, you realize that dozen eggs you thought you had is only two eggs. Now what? This happens to me more often than…
I wake up every morning around 7 a.m., albeit begrudgingly. Sometimes I hit the snooze until 7:30, but eventually I pry myself out of bed and get ready. Everything’s hazy and grey until I pop into Cartel downtown on my way to work to get my morning cold brew. Everyone…
Vegans, vegetarians, and other meat-averse folk now have their very own protein option at Chipotle restaurants in Arizona. Rather than making a hodgepodge of beans, guac, fajitas veggies, and corn (which actually doesn’t sound that bad), vegans can opt for the new Sofritas, a chile pepper-braised tofu, in tacos, burritos,…
Hearing the words coffee flour might immediately make you think of some caffeinated food gimmick, but the new product is about sustainability and health more than providing a java jolt to your favorite pastry recipes. According to BusinessWeek, the flour has a relatively negligible amount of caffeine in it and…
Leave it to Wal-Mart to find a way to make charitable giving and supporting necessary welfare assistance look absolutely disgusting. If you still need proof that being a Wal-Mart shopper and supporting their antics is bad business, the company released a statement enumerating the reasons they’re supporting an increase in…
My husband arrived home with some crumpled printed pages from a website. Bold orange highlighter illuminated some of the words. He handed them to me. Just a few pastry ideas for me from his South African friend at work, Elwin. After seeing my article on Lamingtons, Elwin wanted to pass…
