Claudio Urciuoli

West of Western Feeds Downtown

Is cuisine an artform?

Claudio, we hardly knew ya

Get ready for West of Western

Welcome back, Claudio!

Prado, M Bar, Crave Cafe set to debut at new InterContinental Montelucia Resort

Digestif: Pavle Departs, Payton Gets on Camera

Digestif's chef Payton Curry (left) and GM Pavle Milic hug it out over some fresh mozz at last year's Eats3 Pavle Milic, general manager at Scottsdale's groovy Digestif, was a man with a plan. But in the words of John Lennon, "Life is what happens while you're busy making plans." So al ... More >>

Prado at InterContinental Montelucia Resort Doesn’t Live Up to Its Atmosphere, Thanks to Lousy Service and Watery Paella

Digestif's chef Payton Curry (left) and GM Pavle Milic hug it out over some fresh mozz at last year's Eats3 Pavle Milic, general manager at Scottsdale's groovy Digestif, was a man with a plan. But in the words of John Lennon, "Life is what happens while you're busy making plans." So al ... More >>

Changes at Prado at the Montelucia

He's been on board for a while, but as of today, former Digestif front-of-the-house personality Pavle Milic has officially been named the new general manager of Prado, the fine-dining restaurant at the InterContinental Montelucia resort. Another well-known local talent, Paul Xanthopoulos, ... More >>

Prado Lands on Esquire's "Best New Restaurants" List

​Food critic John Mariani's annual list of best new restaurants for Esquire magazine hasn't hit the streets yet, but it's already shown up on the web, courtesy of the Eating Las Vegas blog. For 2009, the lone Arizona pick in Mariani's roundup is Prado, chef Claudio Urciuoli's Spanish-themed ... More >>

It's Restaurant Week. Do You Know Where You're Eating?

The third Arizona Restaurant Week is underway as we speak, with a huge variety of participants enticing newbies and regulars alike with three-course meals at a special price of either $29 or $39. The price depends on the place -- a spot like Roaring Fork will set you back $29, while something m ... More >>

Chef Claudio Urciuoli Leaving Prado

Claudio Urciuoli Staff at Prado just got the announcement today: Chef de cuisine Claudio Urciuoli will soon be leaving his post at the Italian fine dining restaurant. "It has been a great journey and I'm very grateful for the opportunity that they gave me," says Urciuoli. "I have esta ... More >>

Payton Curry Plays Reindeer Games

Claudio Urciuoli Staff at Prado just got the announcement today: Chef de cuisine Claudio Urciuoli will soon be leaving his post at the Italian fine dining restaurant. "It has been a great journey and I'm very grateful for the opportunity that they gave me," says Urciuoli. "I have esta ... More >>

Vatra Grillhouse to Become Kitchen 56

Vatra Grillhouse is now called Kitchen 56.​Will the third time be the charm for the restaurant at the southeast corner of Indian School and 56th Street? The recently renovated building, which used to be a garage, opened in August as Vatra Grillhouse, and, after getting a lukewarm response fro ... More >>

More on Vatra/Kitchen 56 Changes

Kitchen 56 is the new name for a completely overhauled Vatra Grillhouse.​Bill DeGroot, the industry pro who was brought in to help revamp Arcadia's Vatra Grillhouse this past fall, confirms that he's still in the picture as a consultant for the new Kitchen 56, and that chef Peter DeRuvo has i ... More >>

Chris Bianco Buys Out Business Partner in Pizzeria Bianco

Pizzeria Bianco co-owner Susan Pool has parted ways with the restaurant.​After a 16-year business partnership, James Beard Award-winning chef Chris Bianco is parting ways with Susan Pool, who's been a front-of-the-house fixture at the popular downtown eatery. "I'm taking over the ownership ... More >>

Peter DeRuvo Hired as Chef at Prado

Chef Peter DeRuvo was invited to cook at New York's James Beard House while he was chef at Sassi. ​The off-the-record buzz about chef Peter DeRuvo taking over the chef de cuisine position at Prado is now confirmed news. He officially starts the job on Monday. DeRuvo seems lik ... More >>

Pane Bianco Opens for Dinner Service

Pane Bianco, the Italian sandwich take-out shop owned by James Beard Award-winning pizzaiolo Chris Bianco, now serves a full dinner menu from 4 to 8 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday.  "We wanted to expand the experience at Pane, with iconic dishes from my childhood," Bianco says. The rest ... More >>

Pane Bianco Delves Into Dinner With New Chef

Pane Bianco, the Italian sandwich take-out shop owned by James Beard Award-winning pizzaiolo Chris Bianco, now serves a full dinner menu from 4 to 8 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday.  "We wanted to expand the experience at Pane, with iconic dishes from my childhood," Bianco says. The rest ... More >>

Chef Peter DeRuvo Leaves Prado

​After less than nine months at Prado, the Andalusian-inspired fine-dining spot at Paradise Valley's InterContinental Montelucia, chef de cuisine Peter DeRuvo has left. DeRuvo, who started at Prado in January a few months after leaving Sassi, the award-winning Italian restaurant at the foot o ... More >>

Laura Hahnefeld Looks at the Year of the Food Truck

​After less than nine months at Prado, the Andalusian-inspired fine-dining spot at Paradise Valley's InterContinental Montelucia, chef de cuisine Peter DeRuvo has left. DeRuvo, who started at Prado in January a few months after leaving Sassi, the award-winning Italian restaurant at the foot o ... More >>

Laura Hahnefeld's Year in Food: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

Beckett's Table joined in the pie craze of 2011.​In addition to food trucks making the scene in a big way in 2011 (see the article here), the year in food for the Valley was chock-full of other newsworthy goodies as well -- even chef Payton Curry managed to slip in a last-minute announcement.  ... More >>

Chris Bianco's New Italian Restaurant (Called Italian Restaurant) Opens Today

​Last October, rumors were flying, then confirmed, that legendary pizza master Chris Bianco was planning to open a up a trattoria in CenPho. Now, it appears the launch date is set -- TODAY. Monday, January 16, Bianco is opening his much-buzzed about new restaurant, called Italian Restaurant, ... More >>

Bianco's Italian Restaurant: Low-Key, Fabulous Food, and Sipping the Olive Oil Is Acceptable

Get This: Devil's Gulch Pork Shank, Kamut, Brussels Sprouts​When a new spot opens in town, we can't wait to check it out -- and let you know our initial impressions. Share a few photos, some menu items. First Taste, as the name implies, is not a full-blown review, but instead a peek inside restaur ... More >>