Maui

Inaugural Phoenix Brewers Invitational Festival Coming December 7 and 8

The craft beer movement has been steadily growing in Phoenix over the past few years, and now all the hard work we've done downing pints and sampling flights has paid off with one really big event. The first Phoenix Brewers Invitational Festival will take place from noon to 10 p.m. on Friday, Decemb ... More >>

Beer for Brains RAREaffair 2012: Tons of Brews, a Dozen-Plus Restaurants, and No Flippin' Drink Tickets

A wise man (Homer Simpson) once said, "To alcohol! The cause of and solution to all of life's problems." And if the problem happens to be how to raise brain cancer awareness, then the Beer for Brains RAREaffair has glasses full of the solution. From 7:30 p.m. to 11 p.m., Saturday, November 10, Bee ... More >>

New Fast Food Joint to Take Over Former Maui Dog Space

Since Maui Dog, the colorful eatery of wonderfully flavored island-inspired dogs, burgers, and sliders closed late last year, the little standalone building on Indian School Road and 36th Street in East Phoenix has been as vacant as my still-mourning-its-closing heart. (Follow-up note: Maui Dog owne ... More >>

Praying Monk: Embrace the Familiar (and the Beer), Avoid the Novelty

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 >>

Jugg-Fest 2012 @ Marquee Theatre

Oscar Eats Out: Restaurants Best-Suited for This Year's Best Picture Nominees

Bakerella.com​Hang in there, motion picture fans, the wait is nearly over. Hollywood's orgy of self-congratulation and promotion, otherwise known as the Academy Awards, is this Sunday, February 26. And what better way to celebrate than with a Valley dining experience or two best-suited to the ... More >>

Top Ten Hot Dogs in Greater Phoenix

​The connection between hot dogs and dogs, the lovable tongue-wagging pets, is thought to have come from newspaper cartoons by T.A. Dorgan around the 1900's, which portrayed talking frankfurters, also known as "dachshund sausages," because of their shape. No matter the origin of the name, hot ... More >>

Five Wishes for the Valley Food Scene in 2012

In the last few years, thanks to an explosion of TV shows, celebrity chefs, blogs, and social media outlets, our knowledge of and accessibility to various kinds of cuisine, cooking methods, and ingredients has increased tremendously. And while the Phoenix dining culture has evolved as well, there's ... More >>

The 5 Saddest Restaurant/Bakery Closings in Metro Phoenix in 2011

  ​Considering the bad economy continues to top the headlines, the restaurant industry in Phoenix fared pretty darn well in 2011. Some restaurant closings -- like the notoriously icky Eddie's Pizza in Tempe -- were, frankly, overdue. And sure, we lost a slew of Marie Callender's ... More >>

Maui Dog to Close Up Shop

Sarah L.​​Sad news from the Valley hot dog scene: Maui Dog, the colorful eatery of island-inspired dogs, burgers, and sliders which opened last July on Indian School Road and 36th Street in Central Phoenix, is closing its doors for good at the end of this year. Owner John Stamatakis, wh ... More >>

Foodiebear Reviews Tien Wong Hot Pot, FnB Restaurant's Color Run Challenge and Sandwich Porn at Sammiches

A round-up of tasty morsels from Valley food blogs. ​Foodiebear's blog makes you feel warm and fuzzy with the stellar snaps and well-written reviews of local restaurants. This week Foodiebear takes us to Tien Wong Hot Pot in Chandler. Head over for helpful hints on how to enjoy a hotpot with p ... More >>

Hakata Ramen from Cherryblossom Noodle Cafe

​Last year we marked the hundred day countdown to Best of Phoenix by sharing our 100 Favorite Dishes with you. Now we're back - with the 2011 edition. Have a suggestion for a dish you'd like us to try? Leave it in the comments section or email laura.hahnefeld@newtimes.com. 6: Hakata Ramen fr ... More >>

Moist Brisket from Texas BBQ House

​Last year we marked the hundred day countdown to Best of Phoenix by sharing our 100 Favorite Dishes with you. Now we're back - with the 2011 edition. Have a suggestion for a dish you'd like us to try? Leave it in the comments section or email laura.hahnefeld@newtimes.com. 14: Moist Brisket ... More >>

In Season: Sweet Onions

Kelly Saxer Sweet Onion from Desert Roots Farm ​Whether you're a CSA devotee, a farmers' market weekender or consider ketchup a veg, we'll bring you fresh inspiration for how to prepare our local produce. This week's harvest: Sweet Onions They are sweet enough to be eaten like an apple - ... More >>

Lunch Under $10 at Leo's Island BBQ

Hannah Hayes​Sometimes, we just want a cheap lunch, we want it quick, and we want to stray from our weekly burrito bowl at Chipotle. Thankfully, if you're on the westside around 75th Ave. and Bell Road, this won't be a problem. Around here, non-chain spaces are sparse, so when Leo's Island ... More >>

Ten Phoenix Hot Dogs Worth Their Mustard

Maui Coconut Porter

Zach Fowle ​The beer: CoCoNut PorTeRThe brewery: Maui Brewing Co. Style: Robust PorterABV: 6 percent Say aloha to Maui Brewing Co., the newest entrant riding the waves of the Arizona craft beer scene. Coming all the way from Lahaina, Hawaii, Maui's microbrews all come in cans -- a conscious ... More >>

June 29 In Blogs: DREAM Act, Eric Iwersen, Myst, Chris Curtiss, and Wes Gullett

​​​In the 24-hour news cycle, it can be difficult to keep up. We have the solution. Check back on Valley Fever every evening for highlights from each of New Times' blogs. Today's entries:

Our 10 Favorite Hot Dogs in Phoenix

​The snap of the casing, the juicy mystery meat, the seasonings -- thankfully, the mighty hot dog makes its home not just in ball parks and backyard barbecues, but at plenty of wiener stands across the Valley. With so many places to choose from and always a new hot dog to try, we at Chow Bell ... More >>

The 10 Best Canned Craft Beers

​Bad beer comes in cans. There's no denying it -- images of sloppy NASCAR fans and drunken frat boys have done much to taint the perception of canned beer, as has the mass-market swill that's often inside. But in recent years there's been a canning revolution -- a "canversion," if you will -- am ... More >>

AmeriCAN Canned Craft Beer Festival Winners Announced: CANgratulations are in order!

cannedcraftbeerfest.com ​The AmeriCAN Canned Craft Beer Festival comes in two parts. The festival portion -- wherein we all get to taste the canned goodness -- will go down this Saturday. The judging portion, for which certified tasters from around the Valley were gathered to revie ... More >>

Justin Beckett of Beckett's Table

David Moore Chef Justin Beckett has a reputation for being a culinary badass that stems from his relentless drive and lifelong passion for food. Beckett started working in kitchens around the age of 14, went to culinary school four days after graduating high school, and was the young ... More >>

Lakhana In of Sekong By Night

Keyon Fareghi​It's all about love for one new local chef. Lakhana In of Sekong By Night -- a self-taught home cook turned executive chef -- has a lot of love for simple, good Asian flavors and for her son, Yutheana In, who has embarked on this venture with her. The restaurant/ ... More >>

Susie Timm's Perfect Food Day

Susie Timm ​Susie Timm is an ASU grad who started as a banker and then switched gears completely by co-founding Foodies Like Us. She currently blogs over at Girl Meets Fork about all things food. Timm says she's an incredibly adventurous eater -- from sushi to steak and everything in bet ... More >>

The Maui Dog Big Kahuna Challenge

The Big Kahuna Challenge ​The average person's stomach can hold about a liter of food, or close to two pounds' worth. But who wants to be average? All over town, restaurants are offering up contests of confection, defying brave eaters to ingest more food than they should eat in a week -- dai ... More >>

March 14 In Blogs: The Brides of March, Asobi Seksu, Devoured Culinary Festival, and Vampires

​​​In the 24-hour news cycle, it can be difficult to keep up. We have the solution. Check back on Valley Fever every evening for highlights from each of New Times' blogs. Today's entries:

Fry Girl's Fast Food Recap of 2010

2010 Redux: Just Offal

Erica O'NeilHot tongue-on-tongue action. Veal tongue and crispy bone marrow from Petite Maison. In the spirit of tying up loose ends, we're recapping some of the best food-related finds of the year. We've already recapped the Best Books and Battle of the Dishes superstars, a ... More >>

SPAM: Mystery Meat Sliders from Maui Dog

Flickr- cookiepediachefSPAM pizza. Mystery meat has never been so direct. ​Despite what the supermarket aisle may lead you to believe, there's more to an animal than neatly wrapped styrofoam trays of meat. From tongue to tail, offal (pronounced awful) encompasses all those taboo edibles that don't ... More >>

Shawnte Orion, What Are You Eating?

Shawnte Orion​Shawnte OrionThe published poet will be reading with one of his favorite poets (Bakeem Lloyd) at Urban Beans on Friday, December 17th for the Phoenix Poetry Series. What'd you eat for dinner last night? Carly's Europa panini, while listening to the smooth sounds of The Doug Bale Exp ... More >>

Wildfish Seafood Grill Hires Sushi Chef

The raw bar at Wildfish Seafood Grille​Already a reliable spot for a good crabcake or a big platter of raw oysters to slurp, now Wildfish Seafood Grill is bringing sushi and sashimi into the mix with the hiring of sushi chef Stephan Martin.It's a natural evolution for the Waterfront restaurant, wh ... More >>

Maui Dog Does Burgers, Fresh-Cut Fries, and a Little Something Called Volcanic Sauce

​Feast your eyes on these burger beauties. The one on the left is a Hana, the one on the right a Sweet and Spicy. Both are the burger brainchildren of Maui Dog owner John Stamatakis. Taking his homemade sauces, fresh toppings, and slightly sweet signature bun concoction that make his dogs so del ... More >>

Maui Dog's Irresistible Island Flair

Pretty Doggies Bite Back With Island Love

​Aw, what pretty little dogs you have...CHOMP! These island beauties come from John Stamatakis, owner of the new Maui Dog on Indian School Road. His first restaurant after years of doing a zillion other things, Stamatakis claims there's nothin' like his hot dogs on the U.S. mainland. Originall ... More >>

Now Open in Arcadia: Vatra Grillhouse

​East Indian School is really hoppin' right now. Along with last week's openings (Maui Dog and Loving Hut) and another spot coming soon (Beckett's Kitchen Table), the latest debut is Vatra Grillhouse (at the southeast corner of Indian School and 56th Street). "The name Vatra means "fire" ... More >>

This Week In Chow Bella

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: Caffiend: Giant Coffee's Smoke Jumper Night Train Express Chik-a-Rib's Lava W ... More >>

Maui Dog and Loving Hut Open on Indian School

​Two new restaurants just a few blocks apart, both opening the same week? Not bad for a particular stretch of Indian School Road that hasn't see a lot of action lately. The brand-new dining options are cheap, cheerful, and casual. Maui Dog is a brightly painted joint that took over the form ... More >>

Trader Vic's: Happy Hour Report Card

Erica O'Neil A taste of the islands with Trader Vic's retro rollback happy hour.​The Spot: Trader Vic's, 6850 E. Main St., Scottsdale, (480) 421-7799 http://www.hotelvalleyho.com/scottsdalerestaurants/tradervics.html The Hours: Every day of the week from 4 to 6 pm and again from 9 to 11 pm ... More >>

Restaurant Roll Call for 2009

Nine 05 brought Asian noodles and more to downtown Phoenix in 2009.​Bittersweet seems to be the best way to sum up the Valley restaurant scene for 2009 -- sweet that more than 100 restaurants opened in the midst of a very rough recession, but bitter that more than twice as many places shut t ... More >>

Snow Birds: They're Coming in Droves! Phoenix/ Scottsdale Ranks 11th in Travel Desinations For the Remainder of '09

www.scottybud.com​As we sit on the cusp of kissing the daunting 110 degree days goodbye for eight glorious months, we can be certain of one thing: They're coming.That's right; as the majority of the country prepares to freeze its ass off for the rest of the year, as Phoenicians we prepare for the ... More >>

Keali'i Reichel

Letters

Letters from the week of July 17, 2003

Heat Stroke of Genius

Mi Casita worthy of hole-in-the-wall hall of fame

Meatball Wizard

La Famiglia dishes up Italian masterpieces flavored with family tradition

Under Fire

Cops seeking sympathy and attention fabricate tales of woe

Bizarre and Grille

How to put some thrill into a grill at DG's Metropolitan Deli.

Best Sushi Happy Hour

Kona Grill

Best Pacific Rim Restaurant

Kona Grill & Sushi Bar
7014 East Camelback, Scottsdale
480-429-1100

Hawaiian Munch

Surf's up at Aloha Kitchen

The Talking Penis

Basic Instinct author crawls up Bill Clinton's pants and hangs on tight