Every week, there's a cornucopia of Phoenix food news, features, and reviews to report here at Chow Bella. If you're like most people, you probably just don't have the time to get to all of it. It's kind of like those burgers at Old Town Whiskey; it just won't all fit in your mouth ... or in this case, your day. So, here's a recap of some of the top stories from the week that you may have missed.
Tammie Coe Cakes Ends Relationship With La Grande Orange
As far as successful food hookups go, the longstanding one between well-known local pastry business Tammie Coe Cakes and La Grande Orange, the popular grocery and pizzeria in Arcadia, may be one of the Valley's best-known.
But the relationship has come to a end.
In a Facebook post today on the page of Tammie Coe Cakes and MJ Breads (the artisan bread business owned and operated by Tammie's husband, breadmaker MJ Coe), the notable sweets maker announced that the relationship the business had enjoyed with La Grand Orange had "officially run its course" and that Tammie Coe pastries would no longer be sold there.
"We certainly would not be in our current position without our relationship with La Grande Orange, and we will absolutely remain friendly with our Arcadia neighbors," a portion of the post reads. "We will continue to support their business and wish them success in their future endeavors."
--Laura Hahnefeld
Sweet Republic Introduces Sichuan Orange Chocolate Ice Cream
When do you know you've made the Big Time? For most people, appearing in a national publication would be a pretty good litmus test.
But by now, Partners Helen Yung and Jan Wichayanuparp -- the empresses of ice cream at Sweet Republic -- are probably getting used to the media attention. This go-round, the innovative ice cream shop is mentioned in the business section of the August 6th issue of Time Magazine.
Although vanilla remains the nation's #1 ice cream flavor, according to Time Magazine, "weird flavors -- or at least the idea of them -- have become so mainstream that customers expect a good ice cream shop to offer something unusual even if no one orders it."
Sweet Republic has never been afraid to churn outside the box. Honey Blue Cheese is a staple, while Sweet Corn (containing whole kernels of locally grown corn) has become a seasonal favorite.
Yung recently launched Sichuan Orange Chocolate, a combination that borders on classic until you factor in the unusual Sichuan pepper.
What makes this pepper so memorable is its ability to create a tingly numbness in the mouth. Three or four bites in and you'll feel the effect, which is kind of like your mouth getting high while your brain stays perfectly lucid.
--Nikki Buchanan
If New Orleans can have The Hurricane (a cocktail typically mixed with rum and fruit juice or grenadine), we figure it's high time someone invented The Haboob. And so for the past few weeks, we've scoured the streets of Phoenix in search of bartenders that would take on Chow Bella's latest challenge: create a haboob cocktail.
There were no restrictions, or even standards to this game, except that the new cocktail must be called "The Haboob". We visited 6 bars, 5 of which were victorious simply by accepting the challenge. The bartenders at Hanny's did not wish to take part in the challenge. Oh well.
On to the sandy, dusty, windy, and for the love of God, boozy goodness. Check out all the Haboob cocktail creations.
--Alex Rodriguez
Roosevelt Row's Tediberto's Has a Liquor License Problem
It's one of the worst kept secrets in the downtown Phoenix culture scene: Tediberto's, the vegan Mexican restaurant located along Roosevelt Row, has become a popular late-night hangout for artists, hipsters, trendy types, and party monsters.
And one of the big reasons the eatery, which opened in late June, has become so popular for late-night adventures is not just because it stays open until 3 a.m. or later on weekends or its unique cuisine. When we visited Tediberto's in the hours following the most recent First Friday art walk on August 3, the establishment was serving beer and booze, which New Times has learned was being done without a liquor license.
And it was being done after last call, when all establishments serving alcohol are required by Arizona law to stop selling liquor. When asked about this, the owner of Tediberto's had no comment. Read the full story.
--Benjamin Leatherman
Arizona's brand new growler laws went into effect recently. As we've explained here, Arizona beer nerds can now take home 64oz of their favorite draft beer from some of their favorite craft beer watering holes.
The operative word, however, is some. A few of our coveted craft beer go-to spots that have licenses are classified as restaurants and cannot sell you beer to go.
There are still plenty of places to get those growlers filled but first you should familiarize yourself with three very important rules. Read on to see the rules of the growler game and where you can get your half-gallon of beer.
--Shannon Armour
Don't forget to check out Chow Bella's continuing list of 100 Tastemakers.
