Kevin Binkley

16 Favorite Places in Metro Phoenix to Eat at the Bar

Restaurant bars stopped being strictly bars years ago. Nowadays, many people consider them the best seats in the house for a casual dinner that doesn't require reservations, waiting, or a deep reservoir of patience. Because most of them operate on a first-come, first-served basis, customers are free ... More >>

Kevin Binkley Stiffed (Again) at the 2013 James Beard Awards

Tonight, the James Beard Foundation Awards, also known as the Oscars of the culinary world, announced this year's winners at the Awards Ceremony and Gala Reception at Lincoln Center's Avery Fisher Hall in New York City. See also: - Vincent Guerithault on Wolfgang Puck and Kevin Binkley - Bink's Mid ... More >>

Kevin Binkley, Searsucker, and Short Leash Hot Dogs Among Winners of the 2013 Foodist Awards

Who's this year's master mixologist, top chef, and most outstanding restaurant concept? Last night, the Arizona Restaurant Association (ARA) put a name to them all -- as well as a few other categories -- at the first-ever Foodist Awards. See also: - Big Brain Awards 2013 At a ceremony and dinner a ... More >>

Bink's Midtown Is a Must (Especially When It Comes to Veggies)

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, and dish about some menu items. First Taste, as the name implies, is not a full-blown review, but instead a peek inside restaurants that have just opened, sampling a few item ... More >>

Top Five Phoenix Food Stories of the Week

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. So, here's a recap of some of the top stories from the week that you may have missed.

4 Phoenix-Area Chefs to Watch and What Their Big-Name Bosses Say About Them

If you're any kind of food geek at all, you're already familiar -- by fork and good press -- with local celebrity chefs such as Chrysa Robertson, Chris Bianco, Kevin Binkley, Greg LaPrad and Charleen Badman. But what you're far less likely to know are the names and faces of the behind-the-scenes che ... More >>

Kevin Binkley to Open Bink's Midtown in Phoenix on Wednesday

No, it isn't your St. Patrick's Day hangover messin' with your head: Bink's Midtown, the restaurant from James Beard Award-nominated chef Kevin Binkley, will open this week in the former Sophie's Bistro space on Osborn. See also: -2013 James Beard Award Semifinalists Announced: 4 Arizona Candidate ... More >>

Chef Kevin Binkley a Finalist for James Beard Award

Today, the James Beard Foundation Awards, also known as the Oscars of the culinary world, culled its huge February listing of restaurant and chef semifinalists into a short selection of finalists for this year's awards, which will be announced on Monday, May 6, at Lincoln Center's Avery Fisher Hall ... More >>

8 Favorite Fresh-Baked Bread Experiences at Metro Phoenix Restaurants

Bread is such an important part of a restaurant meal. It's the first solid thing to hit the table, the first impression made, the first clue as to what we might expect about all that's to follow. If it's stale or cold or dry or just plain lousy, we're not only disappointed but worried. Bad bread nev ... More >>

2013 James Beard Award Semifinalists Announced: Four Arizona Candidates Make the Cut

The James Beard Foundation Awards, also known as the Oscars of the culinary world, announced today its annual restaurant and chef semifinalists for 2013. As in years past, the list is gigantic, but come mid-March it will feature just a short selection of nominees. See also: Crudo Chef Cullen Campbe ... More >>

What National Chain Restaurants Do You Secretly Like?

Welcome to Chow Bella's Bites & Dishes, where Valley chefs and restaurateurs respond to a question New Times food critic Laura Hahnefeld has on her mind. Have a question you'd like to ask? E-mail laura.hahnefeld@newtimes.com.As much as they may deny it, chefs and restaurateurs secretly enjoy nationa ... More >>

6 Sexy Foods Nikki Buchanan Wants to Eat on Any Day But Valentine's Day

Valentine's Day -- a good excuse to tell the people we love that we love them the best way we know how. A hand-made card, candy, flowers, perfume, underwear . . . all that stuff works for me. Please just don't drag me to a restaurant on the busiest, most hectic night of the year. See also: -The ... More >>

Kevin Binkley Gets Closer to Opening New Spot in Central Phoenix

Permits, permits, permits. They're the bane of every restaurateur's existence in the pre-opening phase of a new restaurant. But Kevin Binkley -- who opened Binkley's Restaurant in 2004 and Café Bink in 2008 -- is taking it all in stride, sprucing up the former Sophie's Bistro space on Osborn in pr ... More >>

Todd Sicolo Dishes on Grant Achatz and His Short-Lived Las Vegas Marriage

Todd Sicolo T. Cook's at Royal Palms Resort & Spa 5200 E. Camelback Road, Phoenix 602-808-0766 royalpalmshotel.com See also: -- Josh Riesner of Scottsdale's Pig & Pickle Dishes on Bartending Bullshit and What He Ate That You Never Will - Keenan Bosworth of Pig & Pickle Dishes about Chrysa Robertso ... More >>

OpenTable Announces 100 Best Restaurants in America: Arizona Nabs Four, Chicago Gets Zip (Wait, What?)

Open Table, the online restaurant reservations provider, has released its 2012 Diners Choice Award winners for the Top 100 best restaurants in the United States. And while its thumbs up for four Arizona venues, one of the country's top food cities, Chicago, doesn't get a single restaurant mention. ... More >>

Cowboy Ciao's Lester Gonzalez Dishes on His Kitchen Pet Peeve and His Grandmother's Tortillas

This is part two of our interview with Lester Gonzalez, comfort food enthusiast and Executive Chef at Cowboy Ciao. To catch up on Gonzalez's food truck fantasies and his take on the bacon obsession, check out part one of interview. See Also: Peter Kasperski Considers Using FnB Name in San Diego Ni ... More >>

8 Best Neighborhood Happy Hours: Best of Phoenix 2012

We've spent the last year in the laboratory putting Phoenix under the microscope to reveal hundreds of specimens of the best culture, outdoor adventures, shopping, dining, and nightlife the city has to offer. And we're finally ready to publish our results. Nerd alert! Now presenting Scientific Phoen ... More >>

Whole-Roasted Pigs Cooked in La Caja China: Saturdays at Café Bink, Sundays at The Mission

You may be completely over bacon (it's certainly fashionable to say so), but if you're any kind of pork-lover at all, it's pretty hard not to get excited about whole roasted pig. With its crispy skin and falling-apart meat -- ultra-flavorful for being cooked on the bone with all the fat -- it's fabu ... More >>

Chef Kevin Binkley of Binkley's Restaurant: Best Molecular Gastronomist

We've spent the last year in the laboratory putting Phoenix under the microscope to reveal hundreds of specimens of the best culture, outdoor adventures, shopping, dining, and nightlife the city has to offer. And we're finally ready to publish our results. Nerd alert! Now presenting Scientific Phoen ... More >>

Mini Chocolate Lava Lamps and More Desserts at Binkley's Restaurant

If you have your ears (or, er, tongues) open in the Phoenix food scene, Binkley's Restaurant needs no introduction. Chef and owner Kevin Binkley has been nominated for the James Beard Foundation's Best Chef Southwest for several years in a row, and this year he was named as a finalist. To those who ... More >>

Trading Places: Five Chef and Restaurant Switches We'd Like to See Happen in the Valley

After hearing that Chicago's Alinea and New York's Eleven Madison Park, two of the country's highly celebrated restaurants, will be trading chefs and staff for one week in the fall, it got us to thinking: What chef/restaurant switcheroos would we like to see in the Valley? Here are five we'd love to ... More >>

Nikki's Top Four Picks for Arizona Restaurant Week

See also: Kevin Binkley on Loving In-N-Out Burger See also: Noca Owner Eliot Wexler on Chef Claudio Urciuoli Restaurant Week begins September 15 and runs through September 23. And while it smacks of Black Friday, Christmas in July and all the other bargain bonanzas that attract the great unwashed, ... More >>

How To Be a Restaurant VIP and What It Will Get You

See also: Kevin Binkley Stiffed at Beard Awards Shh, don't tell anyone, but some people get the royal treatment in restaurants while others don't. You've probably witnessed some version of Special Handling in action -- servers scurrying to and from a particular table, the chef-owner engaging in an ... More >>

Kevin Binkley, Shinji Kurita, Kelly Fletcher, and More Scheduled for Beau Mac's 2012 Lunch & Learn Series

You know it's summer in the Valley when celebu-chef and flat leaf parsley fan Beau MacMillan brings some of the stars of the culinary world out to the Paradise Valley resort Sanctuary at Camelback Mountain for his popular Lunch & Learn series. Beginning Saturday, July 14, food fans can hook up wit ... More >>

67: Amy Binkley

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 >>

Here's a Sneak Peek at the Menu for Cafe Bink's New Weekend Brunch (Starting This Weekend)

For those who would classify themselves in the "need amazing brunch, will travel" set, saddle up those mimosa glasses and head for Carefree. Cafe Bink, the accessible and affordable sister restaurant to Binkley's, from chef-owner and 2012 James Beard Foundation Award finalist Kevin Binkley, has anno ... More >>

Six-Course Heirloom Tomato Dinner at Binkley's Sounds Juicy

Summer's heirloom tomatoes are in season, and Kevin Binkley wants to celebrate. From 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. on Wednesday, June 13, Binkley's Restaurant will host an heirloom tomato dinner, featuring 10 different heirloom varieties, courtesy of local farmer Bob McClendon.

Kevin Binkley Dishes on The French Laundry and His Badass Wife

Kevin Binkley Binkley's Restaurant 6920 E. Cave Creek Road, Cave Creek 480-437-1072 www.binkleysrestaurant.com Cafe Bink 36889 N. Tom Darlington Drive, Carefree 480-488-9796 www.cafebink.com This is part two of my interview with Kevin Binkley, chef-owner of Binkley's Restaurant and Café Bink. Rea ... More >>

Kevin Binkley on Loving In-N-Out Burger and Why Squash Blossoms Are Overrated

Kevin Binkley Binkley's Restaurant 6920 E. Cave Creek Road, Cave Creek 480-437-1072 www.binkleysrestaurant.com Cafe Bink 36889 N. Tom Darlington Drive, Carefree 480-488-9796 www.cafebink.com This is part one of my interview with Kevin Binkley, chef-owner of Binkley's Restaurant and Café Bink. You ... More >>

Soft-Shell Crab Done Right at Quiessence, Teeter House and Binkley's

It's soft-shell crab season now until the end of summer, which means we're going to be seeing lots of it on local menus -- usually served lightly battered and deep-fried, always eaten whole. The good news? No futzing around with crab-crackers. The bad news? Having to eat those beady little eyes. ... More >>

Three Ways to Eat Your Way Through Arizona Restaurant Week

Sure, it may be called Arizona Spring Restaurant Week, but this nine-day sup-fest -- from Saturday, May 19, through Sunday, May 27 -- takes place when the Valley starts heating up and the restaurant business starts slowing down. In Phoenix and beyond, about 90 eateries are offering three-course di ... More >>

Kevin Binkley Stiffed at James Beard Awards

This just in: Valley chef Kevin Binkley -- the guy pretty much everyone agrees owns the best restaurant in Arizona -- did not win the 2012 James Beard Best Chef Southwest award this year. Instead, the honors went to Paul Qui, executive chef of Uchiko in Austin, Texas. Last year, the category tied. ... More >>

Laurie Notaro's Army of Foodies, the Amuse Douchers of the Culinary World

Every army has a pecking order, and the Amuse Douchers are no different. To rise in foodie rank, you have to be bold, you have to be fearless, and you have to...basically not have any other interests, hobbies, or loved ones that check in on a regular basis. We ALL suffer for our art, but unfortunat ... More >>

Profiteroles with Roasted Banana Ice Cream at Café Bink

There's one chef in all of Arizona who's currently nominated for a James Beard Award. Up for Best Chef: Southwest, Kevin Binkley is making our state proud. But with entrees priced around $40, not everyone will be rushing to Binkley's to see what the buzz is all about. Luckily, the restaurant has a l ... More >>

2012 James Beard Awards Finalists Announced: Only One Valley Nominee Moves On to the Finals

Last month, the James Beard Foundation announced its semifinalists for the 2012 JBF Restaurant and Chefs Awards -- and the Valley got loved on -- hard. Silvana Salcido Esparza, owner and chef of Barrio Cafe and Barrio Queen, and chef Kevin Binkley of Binkley's Restaurant and Café Bink were both n ... More >>

Is the Foie Gras Controversy Justified?

Welcome to Chow Bella's Bites & Dishes, where Valley chefs and restaurateurs respond to a question New Times food critic Laura Hahnefeld has on her mind. Have a question you'd like to ask? E-mail laura.hahnefeld@newtimes.com. Miss a question? Go here.Anthony Bourdain supports it, Wolfgang Puck's aga ... More >>

Cafe Bink: Happy Hour Report Card

​The Spot: Cafe Bink, 36889 N. Tom Darlington Drive, Carefree. (480) 488-9796. www.cafebink.com The Hours: 3 to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday The Details: They've made it easy: All well drinks, beer (draft and bottle), and wine is 50% off. That brings a glass of the San Tan Sex Panther Double Choco ... More >>

Silvana Salcido Esparza, Kevin Binkley, Sam Fox, Vincent on Camelback, and Shin Bay Announced as Semifinalists for 2012 James Beard Awards

​Today, the James Beard Foundation, the New York-based national nonprofit organization and undisputed standard of excellence when it comes to giving props to the culinary world, announced its semifinalists for the 2012 JBF Restaurant and Chefs Awards -- and the Valley is seeing some sweet Bear ... More >>

Binkley's Winemaker Dinner and Chili Tofu in Today's Eater's Digest

www.rachelcooksthai.com​ This upcoming Wednesday, January 11th, Binkley's in Cave Creek will be hosting their very first Winemaker's Dinner of 2012 with the talented winemaker Julie Johnson of Tres Sabores Winery. Chef Kevin Binkley has put together a pretty amazing seven-course menu for the eveni ... More >>

Baby Goats, Banoffee Pie and Chipotle's New Concept

A round-up of tasty morsels from Valley food blogs. ​Mouthbysouthwest shared the news that Chipotle is opening a new concept called ShopHouse Southeast Asian Kitchen, the first of which will be in Washington, DC this summer. The restaurant "is inspired by the traditional shophouses found throug ... More >>

AZ Represent! Locals on Beard Semifinalist List

Chef Nobuo Fukuda, who won the James Beard Best Chef Southwest Award in 2007, is up for Best New Restaurant for 2011.​The highly anticipated semifinalist list for the annual James Beard Awards is out today, and some of the state's best and brightest chefs and restaurateurs have made the cut ... More >>

Beard Awards Bypass AZ in Finalists List

Oh, the anticipation of Twitter.This morning, the James Beard Foundation live-tweeted the finalists for its prestigious culinary awards.Nobody from Arizona made the cut. There were five finalists for each category.In the running was Sam Fox of Fox Restaurant Concepts (Outstanding Restaurateur), ... More >>

James Beard Foundation Announces Award Semi-Finalists

​Congratulations are in order for an elite group of Arizona chefs and restaurants included in the list of 2010 James Beard Award semifinalists, which were just announced by the James Beard Foundation this morning. The nominees were chosen from among 21,000 entries from across the country ... More >>

No Beard Love For AZ

Wah wah wah... Today's an anticlimactic day for some of the most talented people in the Arizona restaurant biz, as the James Beard Foundation announced its finalists for the 2009 awards. Nobody from this state was on the list. But the eight semifinalists who'd been in the running for vario ... More >>

Eight AZ Names Among James Beard Nominees

Creme brulee at Vincent's In a press release this morning, the James Beard Foundation announced its preliminary lists of nominees for various categories in the prestigious James Beard Awards. There are 20 nominees in each category, and eight Arizona individuals and restaurants are among t ... More >>

Eliot Wexler is banking the success of Noca on his food knowledge and local connections

West of Western Feeds Downtown

Power to the people

Beggar's Banquet

Sticking a fork in 2005

Iron Chef

Maybe the Valley's best