Subject: Michele Laudig

• This just in: Arizona Restaurant Week debuts this fall

  June 10, 2008

• How do food critics keep from gaining weight?

  June 20, 2008

• Cafe: Popping Corks

  July 24, 2008

• Willo Bakery & Grocery closes unexpectedly

  September 3, 2008

• White truffle AND burrata alert!

  September 11, 2008

• Check Out the Best of Phoenix Issue Today

  September 25, 2008

• Prado and Other New Restaurants Opening This Week

  November 3, 2008

• Letters

  Letters from the week of May 20, 2004

  May 20, 2004

• diverCITY at the Clubhouse

  August 19, 2004

• Letters from the issue of Thursday, April 24, 2008

  April 24, 2008

• Summer Guide 2008

  June 5, 2008

• Pure Sushi Opens in Downtown Scottsdale

  By Michele Laudig The Scottsdale Civic Plaza Mall already has a nice variety of restaurants -- The Orange Table, Jewel of the Crown, AZ88, Asia de Cuba -- but now there's yet another reason to hit up the area when you're hungry. Last week, Pure Sushi opened its doors there, too (7343 E. Scottsdale Mall). It's the second outpost for the sleek, chic sushi spot whose original location is in north Scottsdale. What's especially nice is Pure South's accessibility to sushi fans who get cravings at odd

  November 24, 2008

• Green Features Vegan "ThanksLiving" Menu

  By Michele Laudig I've hosted vegetarian guests for Thanksgiving before, and let me tell you -- it is a challenge to come up with something tasty that isn't just a meatless side dish like green beans or mashed potatoes. Sadly, there's no room for tofurky in my oven when I'm already roasting a real bird. But the folks at Green definitely have it all figured out. This year, they're even opening the restaurant on the holiday for a special ThanksLiving dinner, from noon to 4 p.m. From seitan tu

  November 25, 2008

• Canal Unveils New Dinner Menu

  Don't worry, Canal still has its 30 Dollar Sandwich, comically priced at 29.99. The SouthBridge restaurant continues to dish up crispy parmesan fries, and you dirty-minded people can still have ahi three ways, too. But there are plenty of new dishes to check out on executive chef Justin Beckett's new dinner menu, including duck confit salad with yellow peppers, spinach, candied walnuts, and pomegranate sherry vinaigrette; dry-rubbed New York steak with cauliflower and celery root gratin, swiss c

  December 1, 2008

• New All-Day Breakfast Spot Opens in Scottsdale

  They had me at "country-fried" steak. A friend tipped me off to The Breakfast Joynt, a new, independently owned restaurant that just opened two weeks ago in north Scottsdale, and the menu of made-from-scratch fare looks tasty. Along with country-fried steak and eggs, there's biscuits and gravy, stuffed apple pancakes with cinnamon and brown sugar, crepes, Belgian waffles, and build-your-own omelets. Or, if you're not in the mood for a.m. eats, go for a fried pork loin sandwich, a burger, or a b

  December 2, 2008

• Next Week: Get Your Local Shop On

  You've heard it before: Spend your hard-earned cash at local businesses, and that money will benefit your community a lot more than if you'd blown it at a national retailer or a chain restaurant. But there's nothing wrong with a little reminder this time of year, when there's too much shopping to do, and the holidays give people more excuses to dine out.   Next week, there are two occasions for spending locally. First, there's Local First Arizona's "Buy Local Week," from Dece

  December 4, 2008

• Head to Chatham's Fine Chocolates While You Still Can

  This news is bad enough to make any chocoholic ache with disappointment: Chatham Kitz, owner of Chatham's Fine Chocolates, says he'll be permanently closing the doors of his wonderful Camelback Road chocolate boutique by the end of this month. "We'll be open 'til we sell all of our inventory, and that's it," he says. And yes, the economy is the reason. "Once gas hit three and a half bucks a gallon, people didn't want to spend money on expensive chocolate," Kitz adds. "This Christmas is

  December 8, 2008

• NOCA Fried Chicken

  Last month a dear friend was distraught when she missed out on NOCA's fried chicken night. So this blog post is for her, in the hopes that her holidays are a little happier after getting her chix fix. Here's the latest Sunday Supper schedule: Noca Sundays Dec - Jan.doc -- Michele Laudig

  December 19, 2008

• Odell Brewing Company Breaks into AZ Market

    Here's something for beer drinkers to look forward to in 2009: the debut of Odell Brewing Company's beers in the Grand Canyon State. Starting in January, you'll be able to find four different beers from this green, sustainable microbrewery out of Fort Collins, Colorado. There's an English-style ale called the 90 Shilling, the Easy Street Wheat, 5 Barrel Pale Ale, and an IPA. I've never tried these brews, so I'm definitely intrigued. (I admit, I think the label designs look pretty

  December 19, 2008

• Quiessence Serves Italian 'Seven Fishes' Dinner on Christmas Eve

  I have a dirty little secret: I never really liked Christmas ham! Which is why this "Seven Fishes" Christmas Eve seafood splurge at Quiessence sounds so delicious. (Here's the menu.) It was inspired by a coastal Italian holiday tradition, where people would celebrate Christmas with a whole dinner of fish. And the way chef Greg LaPrad interprets it, that means a five-course, family-style meal of crab claws, oysters on the half-shell, New England lobster casserole, fried smelts, and ot

  December 22, 2008

• Cove Trattoria Reopens in Bigger Location Tomorrow

  It's not far, but it's still a move. The Cove Trattoria has left its old digs at the Scottsdale Seville, and after a short hiatus over the past few days, opens its doors tomorrow, December 20, at a bigger space in the same plaza (Indian Bend and Scottsdale Road). Also new to the establishment is chef Matthew Davin, who's adding seafood and steaks to the menu, which still features pastas, pizzas, and salads. -- Michele Laudig

  December 19, 2008

• Heirloom Seeds for Your Favorite Locavore

  One of the most compelling articles I've read in the past year was the indepth Vanity Fair piece about Monsanto's genetically modified plant seeds. Scary stuff, indeed. Around the same time, I read Barbara Kingsolver's fascinating book Animal, Vegetable, Miracle, about her family's year-long commitment to truly living off the land -- growing their own food (or buying neighbors' produce), raising chickens, the works. Both things got me thinking about heirloom foods, and how their superior flavo

  December 23, 2008

• New Cajun Restaurant Opens in Avondale

  A new Cajun restaurant in town? Now that's something you don't hear about very often. Cajun food is far too elusive in the Valley. Jennifer Landry Goff and Calvin Goff thought so, too. The couple moved to Arizona with their family in 1990, and after many years of dreaming about it, they finally opened their own restaurant, Flavors of Louisiana, last month. Their daughter, Holli Muth, helps out there, too, and was kind enough to send me a copy of the menu: fla_take_out_menu_rev2.pdf It looks aff

  December 26, 2008

• Light Rail Cream Ale, Anyone?

  Saturday afternoon. The light rail trains are packed. It's a good time for a pint. So some friends and I wound up at Sonora Brewhouse, just a few blocks' walk from the train. And look at what was there to tempt us before we even got in the door -- a cute handpainted sign advertising Light Rail Cream Ale. Timely! I ended up ordering the Nut Brown Ale (really tasty), but next time I'm craving a cream ale, I'll ditch the Boddington's and see what Sonora's is like. -- Michele Laudig 

  December 29, 2008

• Monday Night Martha: Fleur de Sel Toffee

  What is it about candy thermometers that are so intimidating? Is it that they look a little dangerous? It took a really easy but delicious-looking fleur de sel toffee recipe to help me overcome my fear of using one. The ingredients for the toffee are pretty much butter and sugar, plus a lot of patience. It doesn't take long for an eye-popping amount of butter to melt down into a creamy yellow goo, but after that, it's a waiting game. Eventually, the mixture bubbles down, getting more and

  January 5, 2009

• District Offers Discount to Light Rail Riders

  Everybody's doing it, man. Riding the light rail, that is. Whether for a daily commute or just a joy ride, people seem to be packing the cars, and it's not even the free ride period anymore. The folks at District, the restaurant at the downtown Sheraton, hope even more people get into it for environmental reasons. So for the whole month of January, they're doing a "Go Green, Save Green" promotion. Just show up for breakfast, lunch, or dinner -- with a light rail receipt from that 

  January 6, 2009

• Cafe: Pure Sushi

  Jackie Mercandetti Maki? Nigiri? Raw? Cooked? We don't care what form sushi comes in as long as we can eat it. This week's Cafe column focuses on the newest locale for scarfing up this Japanese delicacy: Pure Sushi in Scottsdale Civic Center. Food Critic Michele Laudig on Pure Sushi: What do you get when you take the see-and-be-seen vibe of AZ88, add the pulsating music and blinding white glamour of Asia de Cuba, and roll it all up in a futuristic sushi mat? You get Pure, the chic new Japanes

  March 19, 2009

• Cafe: Chestnut Lane Cafe

  There are many questions we like to be presented with when entering an eatery. Of these, deciding among coffee, pastry and sandwiches is the question we like best. Why you ask? Because our knee-jerk answer is "all three." That's why we're so excited about the focus of this week's Cafe column: Chestnut Lane Cafe. We can have our coffee/pastry/sandwich and eat it too. Food Critic Michele Laudig on Chestnut Lane Cafe: It's a mellow hangout, the kind of place that makes me glad for Arizona's e

  March 26, 2009

• Your Art Detour 2007

  Listings, maps, and special surprises

  March 1, 2007

• Letters From the Issue of Thursday, October 12, 2006

  October 12, 2006

• A Man of Letters

  MLK drama gets personal

  January 15, 2004

• To Ehre Is Human

  Artist does a body good

  November 20, 2003

• Creep Show

  Ghoulies get groovy at Alwun House

  October 30, 2003

• Playing Ruff

  Pup and coming at Barktoberfest

  October 2, 2003

• Local Color

  Rainbows Festival brightens Heritage Square Park

  October 2, 2003

• Obedience Cool

  Shepard Fairey wages local campaign

  September 4, 2003

• American Beauty

  Personal visions at eye lounge

  July 3, 2003

• Scenic and Heard

  Band supplies soundtrack for SMoCA

  May 29, 2003

• Creatures of the Night

  Zoo hosts party animals

  April 24, 2003

• Refuge Found

  AZ Lost Boys Center opens doors

  April 10, 2003

• For Love and Money

  Body Positive takes art to heart

  March 13, 2003

• Shamrock This Town

  St. Paddy's Day revelry gets the green light

  March 13, 2003

• Party Arty

  Art Detour rocks downtown

  March 6, 2003

• Vintage Style

  Leave the box cutters at home

  March 6, 2003

• Power of 10

  Kieslowski's The Decalogue makes its AZ première

  February 27, 2003

• Cafe: Heirloom

  How far will you drive for food? Certainly there are some tasty treats that no distance could separate a hungry enough mouth from. Unfortunately, Chef Michael DeMaria's latest venture, Heirloom, is not one of them. According to Food Critic Michele Laudig, driving all the way out to Heirloom's North Scottsdale is a bit too much of a trek for the food. Food Critic Michele Laudig on Heirloom:  Three months in, the place is already up to speed in so many ways, namely the relaxing atmosphe

  April 30, 2009

• Cafe: Phoenix Spas

  We love the spa treatment, but as Food Critic Michele Laudig  points out in this week's Cafe column, apples and cucumber water do not satisfy us to the same degree as an hour-long massage. Luckily there are a few Phoenix spas that cater to our tummies.  Michele Laudig on feasting at spas: Some of these spots will actually feed you -- for a price -- between your facial and your full-body massage. Sprouts, at Camelback Inn, is the best one I've found so far. It's a full-service restaurant jus

  May 7, 2009

• Follow Michele Laudig on Twitter

  We eat. We tweet. New Times food critic Michele Laudig is working all the angles for you, Phoenix -- including Twitter, where you can follow her cravings. She's easy to find: @michelelaudig.  We've been on Twitter for a while now, and in between the tweets about Iran and Mark Sanford's email and Jon and Kate Plus Eight, we've noticed quite a few Phoenix foodies popping up with recommendations. That's all well and fine, till someone tips us off that @soandso is quietly pimping those

  June 24, 2009

• 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: Cartel Coffee Lab's Iced Toddy Open Casting in PHX for Next Food Network Star Christopher Gross' Chef's Tour: A Recap Behind the Bar: Dave Johnson at Sol y Sombra Follow Michele Laudig on Twitter

  June 26, 2009

• Stuffing Showdown: Hot Italian Sausage Stuffing With Thyme

  Jonathan McNamara Where is my fork!?​From now 'til Thanksgiving, we'll be sharing various stuffing recipes -- all tested and taste-tested first-hand by Chow Bella contributors. On Thanksgiving Day, our "celebrity judge," New Times food critic Michele Laudig, will weigh in with her favorite of the lot. Yesterday we checked out Nicki Escudero's vegan "sausage" stuffing. Today's recipe is anything but vegan.

  November 20, 2009