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Nikki's Five Picks for Arizona Restaurant Week (May 18-27)

Arizona Restaurant Week -- the Spring 2013 Edition -- begins Saturday, May 18 and ends Monday, May 27 (which is Memorial Day, when most of us will be grilling burgers and drinking beer at home . . . but never mind). By the end of this week, ARW officially will be upon us: a 10-day eating extravaganz ... More >>

Phoenix Art Museum's Latest Show Is Not What You Might Expect -- in a Good Way

Wedding Mess

Bodega 420 in Phoenix: What We Bought, What We Skipped, and What We're Still Lusting Over

The Spot: Bodega 420, Open daily from 8:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. See Also: - Biltmore Union Farmers Market: What We Skipped and What We're Still Lusting Over - Jobot Owner Helps to Open New Market on Roosevelt: Think Fresh Veggies, Bulk Grains, Mexican Candy, and Hula Hoops - Aaron Chamberlin's Phoenix ... More >>

Processing Chickens in Arcadia with Caroline Van Slyke

It was a beautiful Saturday morning in Phoenix, the kind of morning when posh couples with Suri-like children sip espresso at La Grande Orange and the fit triathletes of Phoenix have been up for hours enjoying the weather and getting in their weekly miles. I was at Boho Farm and Home in Arcadia wit ... More >>

Arizona Produces More Porn Stars Than 43 Other States (Perhaps)

According to what appears to be very important research, Arizona-born folks tend to show up in pornographic movies more often than most other states.In fact, according to a 10,000-porn-star sample taken by writer Jon Millward, only six states have produced more porn stars than Arizona.See also:-Back ... More >>

6 Don't-Miss Events During AZ Cocktail Week: Feb 16-22

I've said it before and I'll say it again. Phoenix is becoming a bona-fide food-town, "becoming" (present progressive) being the operative word. Exhibit A, for your consideration: the second annual Arizona Cocktail Week, a seven-day series of boozy events -- some educational, others not so much -- b ... More >>

Five Things to Eat and Drink this Weekend in Metro Phoenix

Looking for something to put in your mouth this weekend? We've got you covered. Check out what's on our plate. See Also: Gilbert Food Truck Court to Re-Launch This Friday, Jan. 18 AZ Cocktail Week Kicks Off Feb. 16: Expect a Carnival, Competition and Seminars. Better Line Up a Designated Driver. Q ... More >>

1920s Fashion Shows a Leap Forward at Phoenix Art Museum

Top Five Must-See Shows in Metro Phoenix This Weekend

Curious about what's going on around town this weekend? Need some suggestions where to rock, dance, or krump in the Valley of the Sun? Don't fret: These are our Five Shows to See This Weekend.

Your Holiday Heavy Metal Gift Guide

What's the most metal gift you've ever received? I can think of several that stick out: Led Zeppelin vinyl, a miniature model of Dimebag Darrell's Razorback lightning bolt guitar, spike-bedecked high heels that would make a dominatrix envious, a stripper pole paired with a handle of whiskey. But I ... More >>

Five Things to Eat and Drink This Weekend

Looking for something to put in your mouth this weekend? We've got you covered. Check out what's on our plate. See also: - Hana Japanese Eatery Makes Travel Leisure's Best Sushi Restaurants in U.S. - Five Things to Eat and Drink Before the End of the World Christkindlmarkt: A Celebration of Germ ... More >>

Leftover Cuties' Retro Ukelele Sound Makes You Smile

With a name like Leftover Cuties and a penchant for unabashed use of ukelele, how could the Los Angeles-based quartet of Shirli McAllen, Austin Nicholsen, Stuart Johnson, and Mike Bolger be anything other than adorable? The group's folksy sound evokes images of happy couples strolling down a board ... More >>

Polish Goodies: Pierogi, Sausages, and Sauerkraut (Oh, My!)

Danuta and Richard Zablocki are starting over. And they're starting over in Sunnyslope. Both originally from cities in southwestern Poland, the couple hit hard times in 2010 with their first restaurant, a sandwich shop, in the Scottsdale Airpark. But looking back, Danuta tells me, she wouldn't cha ... More >>

Henry Rollins Won't Tell You Who to Vote For (But He Really Thinks You Should Vote)

See also: OFF!'s Dimitri Coats Talks Phoenix Oil Theft Charges See also:Henry Rollins on Occupants, the Occupy Movement, and the RadioYesterday, 458 episodes of legendary maverick pirate/BBC radio broadcaster John Peel's radio program were mysteriously uploaded to SoundCloud. For fans of radio that ... More >>

In Celebration of the Best Metal Documentaries

See also: Metallica at Outside Lands: The Five Best Parts of the Band's Fiery San Francisco Show See also: The 10 Most Ridiculous Claims Made By Dave Mustaine of Megadeth See also: Lamb of God's Randy Blythe Set Free; Five Finger Death Punch Weighs InHeavy metal fans are a tenacious bunch. Plenty o ... More >>

Top Phoenix Music Stories of the Week

The news waits for no one -- at least that's what we read somewhere -- so it's perfectly understandable that you, the reader, might have missed out on a musical tidbit, breaking news about your favorite venue, or one of our rants. So enjoy this digest-style sampling of some of our biggest stories f ... More >>

Top Five Must-See Shows This Week

Yeah, yeah, yeah...we get it Mondays suck (we've read Garfield). But it means the start of a new week, which means a bunch of killer shows in and around Phoenix. And here are a few of the coolest, our top five must-see shows this week.

Howe Gelb on Giant Giant Sand, and How an Acid Trip and Roman Polanski Birthed Tucson's Music Scene

See also: Howe Gelb Discusses Rainer Ptacek Howe Gelb doesn't like to fight fate. The Tucson-based singer/songwriter says that destiny played a big role in the birth of Tucson, the new record from Gelb's Giant Giant Sand collective. The extra "giant" was added to signify the group's swelling ranks ... More >>

Masters of Wine: The Test

Welcome to Vine Geeks, where Brian Reeder and Pavle Milic of AZ Wine Merchants take the drinking game quite seriously. Pay attention -- you might just learn something. This past week, a record 98 students took the test to obtain their Masters of Wine, trying to join the mere 298 worldwide who curr ... More >>

94: Hanna Gabrielsson

From now 'til we publish the 2012 edition of Best of Phoenix, New Times and Chow Bella present 100 Tastemakers -- Valley residents who make the cut in our culinary scene. Some you'll know; for others, it'll be a first introduction (but likely not the last). While you're here, check out our 100 Creat ... More >>

Stanley's Sausage Company on McDowell Moving

If you've visited Stanley's Homemade Polish Sausage Company on McDowell Road lately in search of a damn good smoked sausage sandwich (or other meaty delights) only to find it shuttered with a sign on the window noting the address and hours of its retail-only location on Bell Road, fear not. The near ... More >>

The Avengers: Superheroes Bump Superegos

Best of Coachella Weekend Two: Sunday, April 22

See also: Our complete Coachella coverage By the third day of Coachella's second weekend -- the sixth and final day of this year's festival -- folks had more or less learned to ignore the dust and the heat. Here are our intrepid writers' favorite things about the final hours of the 2012 event.

Nominees for the 84th Academy Awards

​Our shiny, golden man is back for the 2012 Academy Awards. Nominees for this year's awards were announced this morning, with a few surprises. We've listed them below, and we're plotting award-time strategy (and perhaps a drinking game). So grab the popcorn and catch up on these flicks before ... More >>

The Knux Kick Off US Tour at Scottsdale's Rogue Bar

​It's a pretty common complaint around town that awesome acts often skip Phoenix on tour. Well, here's a story that argues the opposite. New Orleans-based rap duo The Knux are kicking of their tour here in the Phoenix Metro, at Scottsdale's Rogue Bar on Tuesday, November 8. The band often gets c ... More >>

9/11 - 10 Years Later

Kratom: Some Say the Latest "Legal Drug" Is a Harmless Herbal Tonic. The DEA Says It's Far More Sinister

Ask a Mexican on SB 1070 and Cultural Identifications

Hanna Gabrielsson of Beaver Choice

Maya Dukmasova Hanna Gabrielsson shows off a tray of salmon marinating into gravlax at Beaver Choice ​This week we talk to Hanna Gabrielsson, the woman behind the delightful little Scandinavian bistro with an even more delightful name, Beaver Choice. The restaurant has been open in Tempe on ... More >>

Quick Flicks

2011 World's 50 Best Restaurants: Two Tickets to Denmark, Please

Getty Images​Those devilish Danes have done it again. Curse their delicious Nordic cuisine! (Not really. Pass the Greenland musk ox, please.) Restaurant magazine and S. Pellegrino's annual "World's 50 Best Restaurants" list is out and it seems Denmark, the land of Lego AND Hans Christian A ... More >>

Chicago Shoot Out: Luke's vs. Lobby's

​In order for a hot dog to be called a Chicago Style Hot Dog, the purveyor must adhere to a very specific, very detailed list of toppings and preparations. The first rule: No Ketchup. The second: all-beef kosher dogs, usually Vienna Beef ( first sold at the Chicago World Expo in 1863). The ho ... More >>

Eating the World: Europa Pastry Cafe

The best ethnic food is often the most difficult to find. So each week we'll spin the globe and search for a new other-worldly spot to expand our eating horizons around the Valley.This week we go to Poland at Europa Pastry Cafe. Carrie Wheeler The small pierogi and stuffed cabbage plate ... More >>

How Should I Plan a Wine Tour Vacation?

UNCORK THE ISSUE: How should I plan a wine tour vacation? SPILL THE JUICE: "Pick a region, know it proficiently, and try to taste as much as possible and experience as much as possible in that region," says Christine Wisniewski, the owner of Caffe Boa with her husband, Jay, and a certified sommelier ... More >>

The Baker's Daughter: Christine Boerner

courtesy of The Baker's DaughterKarl and Christine Boerner​ We think the name The Baker's Daughter is a pretty cool name for a chocolatier and bakery café, and a fitting moniker for the chocolatier and pastry chef Christine Boerner's new business. Christine is the daughter of Karl Boerner, the ba ... More >>

Pastis vs. Pittsburgh Willy's: Another Pierogi Gets Burned

Last week, one of the dudes hired by the Pittsburgh Pirates to run around in a pierogi costume was fired for comments he made about the team on Facebook. Not being from Pennsylvania, I could've cared less about the ridiculous mascot and his social media woes. But the incident did ... More >>

Knight and Day: Tom Cruise, Please Stop Talking

2010 World Cup: USA vs. Ghana

TLC Launches Best Food Ever (or Yabba-Dabba-Done-to-Death)

Napoleon Dynamite: This is pretty much the worst video ever made. Kip: Napoleon, like anyone can even know that. Let me go, I need to narrate. Wilma!​Kip's right. How can anyone know what's the worst (or the best) of anything? TLC's hoping we'll trust their judgment with its new show, Best Food ... More >>

Behind the Bar: Tyler Christensen at Malee's Thai Bistro

​Not only is Tyler Christensen the bar manager at Malee's Thai Bistro, but he's also a musician, world traveler (where he picks up ingredients and ideas for drink creations) and public-transit advocate. Oh, and did we mention he started his own independent record label?One of Christensen's other p ... More >>

Groupon: Unintentional Comedy?

How can you not love Groupon? I sure do. It's a daily deal delivered to your inbox, and some of the offers from local businesses are incredible. And it's free to join.But have you ever actually read some of these descriptions? Somebody is getting really creative in writing their copy. I actually loo ... More >>

Fry Girl Reveals the Origins of Festival Foods' Arizona Hot Dog

Rock Me Amadeus

Phoenix Symphony performs Mozart’s final piece

The White Ribbon: There's a Certainty at the End of Ribbon — and a Sure Hand Behind It

Fall Out Boy Grows Up

Sausage Fest

It was the wurst of times

BOBilicious!

There's BOB hope for hungry and thirsty Diamondback fans

Mr. Tea

A DRINK WITH JAM AND BREAD