Micah Olson

Crudo and Noca Team Up for a One-Night-Only, Five-Course Cocktail Dinner in Praise of the Tomato

Some say tomato. Others, tomahto. But when it comes to to enjoying the flavor of this perfect summertime fruit, you'll want to say "reservations, please" when venerable East Phoenix restaurants Crudo and Noca join forces to praise it proper. See also: - English Rose Tea Room to Host Royal Baby Show ... More >>

Copper City Bourbon: Made in Downtown Tempe by Arizona Distilling Co.

If you've seen the historic-looking Copper City Bourbon bottle springing up around town at your favorite watering holes, like Casey Moore's, Little Woody and even Tucson's historic Club Congress, you probably didn't get a chance to read the back label. If you did, you'd have read the story of the Co ... More >>

Weird Cocktails: Put Down That Jack and Coke This Summer

Here's Who's Been Nominated for the 2013 Arizona Culinary Hall of Fame

For over twenty years, the Scottsdale Culinary Festival and the Scottsdale League for the Arts have been presenting the Arizona Culinary Hall of Fame awards, where the best chefs, restaurateurs, and beverage masters in the state have secured a place in culinary history. See also: - Chef Kevin Binkl ... More >>

AZ Cocktail Week Kicks Off Feb. 16: Expect a Carnival, Competition and Seminars. Better Line Up a Designated Driver.

As a card-carrying member of the cocktail cognoscenti, you'll want to know about this: Arizona's second annual AZ Cocktail Week is coming -- Saturday, February 16 through Friday, February 22 -- and it promises to be an altogether intoxicating mix of festivities this year. See also: -- 3 Hot (Liter ... More >>

9 Best New Restaurants of 2012 in Greater Phoenix

This year, the variety of new restaurants in the Valley has more breadth and depth than ever before: comfort-food-meets-gourmet in Scottsdale; artisan pizzas by a legendary baker in Central Phoenix; and knockout Italian eats in east Mesa. When I made this list, I wanted a selection of restaurants ... 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. It's kind of like those burgers at Old Town Whiskey; it just won't all fit in your mouth ... or in this ca ... More >>

Nikki Tries Two Dozen Tacos and Lives to Talk About It: Judging the Arizona Taco Festival

What made me think judging tacos would be a pleasant way to while away an afternoon? This is the question I asked myself -- about 12 tacos in -- at the Arizona Taco Festival held at Salt River Fields this past Saturday. See also: 10 Favorite Tacos Right Now in Greater Phoenix Don't get me wrong. ... More >>

Cullen Campbell Dishes on the Stupidity of a Certain Catch-Phrase and Shares His Feelings about Skinny Jeans

Cullen Campbell Crudo 3603 E. Indian School Road, Phoenix 602-358-8666 www.crudoaz. com See also: -- Crudo at New Location: Get. In. The. Car. -- Small-Batch Spirits Dazzle at Micah Olson's Bar Crudo This is part one of my interview with Cullen Campbell, chef-owner of Crudo. Come back on Tuesday ... More >>

Small-Batch Spirits Dazzle at Micah Olson's Bar Crudo

See also: Chef Cullen Campbell Picks Up Sommelier and Cocktail Artist Micah Olson for New Crudo Bar See also: Mr. Show, Chalkboard Paint and the Perils of Owning a Bar with Crudo's Micah Olson If you're looking for Jim Beam, José Cuervo or Captain Morgan, you've come to the wrong place. Those rel ... More >>

28: Clint Spotleson

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 >>

Ten Favorite Romantic Restaurants in Greater Phoenix That Won't Break the Bank

According to some, love is a battlefield, the drug, and blindness. But when it comes to dining out, one thing it shouldn't be is all-the-time expensive. That's why we've come up with a list of 10 favorite casual romantic restaurants that go easy on the wallet (between around $15 and $40 a person), s ... More >>

Bar Crudo: Happy Hour Report Card

See also: District American Kitchen: Happy Hour Report Card See also: Humble Pie: Happy Hour Report Card The Spot: Crudo, 3603 E. Indian School Road, Phoenix, 602-358-8666, www.crudoaz.com. The Hours: Dinner, 5 to 10 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday at Crudo. Happy Hour: 5 to 7 p.m. Tuesday through ... More >>

11 Favorite Summer Cocktails from Metro Phoenix Restaurants

Toss the gin and tonic. And don't settle for a mediocre margarita. We've got 11 fresh summer cocktails that will have you dreaming of July all year long (really). Bottoms up. Tennessee Peach at Del Frisco's Grille Who doesn't love fresh, juicy peaches in the summer? So just imagine them in a cockta ... More >>

Crudo Debuts $20 Three-Course Chef's Choice Dinner For Summer

See also: Crudo at New Location: Get. In. The. Car. If you haven't yet treated yourself to an evening at Crudo, chef Cullen Campbell's relocated comfortable and contemporary restaurant of raw seafood, handmade pasta dishes, and killer drinks by cocktail artist and sommelier, Micah Olson (Merc Bar) ... More >>

Mr. Show, Chalkboard Paint, and the Perils of Owning a Bar with Crudo's Micah Olson

Last time we talked with Micah Olson, he was mixing drinks and running the wine program at Jade Bar, Sanctuary on Camelback's acclaimed cocktail lounge. He's now part-owner of the new Italian eatery Crudo. What's different about this place? Well, I'm the owner, so there's that. Compared to Sanctua ... More >>

Chow Bella's Top Phoenix Food Stories of the Week

Every week, there's a cornucopia of new 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. It's kind of like those burgers at Old Town Whiskey; it just won't all fit in your mouth . . . or in t ... More >>

Crudo at New Location: Get. In. The. Car.

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 >>

Crudo Bar Now Open, Featuring New Happy Hour and Signature Cocktails

Since it opened earlier this month, Crudo, chef Cullen Campbell's establishment serving inventive raw seafood, handmade pasta dishes, and signature mozzarella, has been waiting on the completion of its bar area to give guests the total restaurant package. But starting today, Crudo fans wanting a li ... More >>

New Crudo to Open Tomorrow

As the saying goes, good things come to those who wait. Since he was kicked out of his old location in Scottsdale last July, Cullen Campbell, owner and chef of Crudo, has been working on his new Phoenix location at 3603 East Indian School Road (Indian School and 36th Street) since November. And tom ... More >>

Fuego Tacos Misses a Few Opportunities

Chef Cullen Campbell Picks Up Sommelier and Cocktail Artist Micah Olson for New Crudo Bar

Micah Olson at former employer, Jade Bar.​If the popularity of last Saturday's pop-up dinner inside chef Cullen Campbell's soon-to-open new Crudo location still leaves doubts as to his new restaurant's appeal, Campbell has created additional excitement with the recent hiring of the bar's owner ... More >>

Valley Mixologists Compete For Greatest Hangar One Cocktail in U.S.A.

Richie Moe from Citizen Public House, chef Josh Hebert of Posh, Julie Hillebrand Tomey from J&G Steakhouse -- they're just three of twelve Valley mixologists battling each other and competitors across America for the title of greatest Hangar One cocktail and an all-expense paid trip to the Hangar O ... More >>

Micah Olson at Jade Bar

Micah Olson​Micah Olson got his start in the food industry as a cook at age 16 and eventually profited from his love for wine by earning his sommelier certification, taking over the wine program at Sanctuary on Camelback's Jade Bar (5700 E. McDonald Drive, 480-948-2100) about three-and-a-half ... More >>

AZ Wines Impress at FnB's Arizona Judgment

Caffe Boa chef Payton Curry (left) joins FnB's Pavle Milic on the Arizona Judgment tasting panel.​Even though you'd never know it to look at his jovial expression, FnB owner Pavle Milic was a ball of nerves leading up to yesterday's Arizona Judgment, a by-invite-only blind tasting of wines that we ... More >>

FnB Hosts Meet the Winemaker Series, Plans Preliminary Blind Tasting

​Chef Charleen Badman's creative, farm-fresh American cuisine, Pavle Milic's expert selections of top Arizona wines, and a relaxed, convivial atmosphere have already turned Scottdale's FnB into a favorite haunt of food enthusiasts, wine geeks, and other bons vivants, but now there's ... More >>