Wasn't it just New Year's Eve? Weren't we just shivering in our sweaters and jackets? All of a sudden it's March, and it feels like summer's right around the corner. No complaints from me, buddy. I love this time of year, not only because of the balmy weather, but because there's so much to do -- almost too much to do, except that it's nice to have options.
Two weekends from now, I know what I'm looking forward to: West of Western Culinary Festival, March 14 and 15 at the Phoenix Art Museu
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:
Now Open: The Parlor
Fine's Cellar Closes Over the Weekend
Chefs Cullen Campbell and Brandon Crouser Plan New Restaurant
Summer Beer Quest Week One
Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest Qualifier This Saturday
This afternoon, I finally got some time to catch up with chef Cullen Campbell in the wake of Fine's Cellar's recent closing, and he says he's really upset about it.
"It was pretty much the economy, and with the way things have going, the investors didn't want to put more money into it," he tells me.
But even before things really started to look grim, Campbell set his sights on opening his own restaurant, along with Atlas Bistro chef Brandon Crouser as a partner.
AZCentral's list of 20 new restaurants scheduled to open by the end of the year has suddenly been changed to 15 since the story was posted yesterday. Not hard to figure out which five are now missing -- it's the restaurants on Jackson that Bernie Kantak is planning. Should we read between the lines and assume that the project's gotten pushed out to 2010? Let's hope not.
A bunch of new Scottsdale eateries are reportedly in the works: Yellow House, a bakery and breakfast p
There's a new breakfast and lunch option in Old Town Scottsdale. And soon, it will be a dinner destination, too.
After this summer's unfortunate demise of Fine's Cellar, chef Cullen Campbell teamed up with his good friend, chef Brandon Crouser, formerly of Atlas Bistro, to open Crudo Cafe, located in the Stephen Paul Salon (7045 E. 3rd Ave.).
They quietly opened over a month ago and have been tweaking their breakfast and lunch menu (served 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Tuesday through Sa
Celebrity chefs. Blind wine tasting contests. Food samples from dozens of Valley restaurants. Only two weeks after Scottsdale's Dine Out With the Chefs event, culinary afficianados from across the Valley loosened their belts for another huge epicurean event: CRAVE Arizona, formerly known as Eats3. This year's event was a relaxed, outdoor affair. It seemed to strike the perfect balance in attendance, with enough of a crowd to make everyone feel sociable
