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Good Gravy! Welcome Diner in Downtown Phoenix Serves Up Southern Charm

13 Metro Phoenix Restaurants and Bars with Cinco de Mayo Celebrations

Okay, so maybe you don't know exactly why it's a tradition to eat, drink, and party on Cinco de Mayo (FYI, it's to commemorate the 150-year-old Battle of Puebla, a victory of the Mexican militia over the French army). But those pesky details shouldn't stop you from having a truly awesome modern Amer ... More >>

Claudio Urciuoli on Olive Garden, Truffle Oil, and the Weirdest Thing He Ever Ate (Which Is Pretty Weird)

Claudio Urciuoli Noca 3118 E. Camelback Road, Phoenix 602-956-6622, restaurantnoca.com See also: -- Noca Re-Opens with New Look, New Breads and New Cocktail Program -- Noca Serves Up Wallet-Friendly Lunch with Nocawich This is part one of my interview with Claudio Urciuoli, the executive chef at ... More >>

Robatayaki Dinner at Roka Akor in Scottsdale: Surf, Turf, and a Charcoal Grill

It's not impossible to find good seafood in the Valley but there are certainly times that we feel the inconvenience of being in the middle of the desert. The distance from the coast, however, hasn't stopped many an adventurous restaurateur or chef from setting up shop around here. It also hasn't s ... More >>

Matt Pool on Diners, Drive-ins and Dives, His Last Meal on Earth, and What Most People Don't Know About Coffee

This is part two of my interview with Matt Pool, owner of Matt's Big Breakfast and Giant Coffee. If you missed part one, where Pool explains what he learned from Chris Bianco and defends Phoenix as a food town, read it here. See also: -- Chris Bianco's Italian Restaurant Gets a Facelift and We've G ... More >>

Crudo Chef Cullen Campbell Invited to Cook at the James Beard House

With the Oscars right around the corner, it seems fitting that chef Cullen Campbell of Crudo, his home of expertly crafted modern Italian fare in Phoenix, would be called upon by a foundation whose awards are known as the Oscars of the food world. See also: - Best Move 2012 - Crudo - Cullen Campbel ... More >>

Suds (Mostly) Trump the Grub at Brat Haus

Payton Curry Consults for Starfire Golf Club, Bringing Farm-to-Table Philosophy to Golf Course Fare

Payton Curry is still making pickles and stuffing sausages at Brat Haus, but his consulting business called Curryosity took on a new client a few months back, and now the fruits of Curry's labor will be unveiled. See also: -- Payton Curry Dishes on Marketing Bullshit and the Futility of Eating Kal ... More >>

Desert Botanical Garden to Open AZ-inspired Gertrude's Restaurant in January

It may be an old-fashioned name, but at the Desert Botanical Garden, founded by visionary environmentalist Gertrude Divine Webster in 1939, "Gertrude" has a decidedly modern ring to it. In fact, a brand new restaurant, named in her honor, is slated to open adjacent to the plant shop on the garden's ... More >>

Chef Patrick Boll and Jason Raducha Open P. Joseph Project at Squash Blossom

Local fooditarians who keep a culinary Who's Who in their heads surely remember Patrick Boll as the right hand man to James Beard Award-winner Robert McGrath at Roaring Fork in its heyday. Boll eventually left his longtime mentor to take chef gigs at Il Vinaio, El Chorro and the now defunct Spotte ... More >>

New Bar and Grill in Scottsdale from Owners of TK's Urban Tavern

Over a year has passed since former luxury hotel executives Tom Kelly and Brian Pierce opened TK's Urban Tavern in the Scottsdale Quarter in January of last year. Now, the two have embarked on their second, tavern-y Scottsdale venture: Tavern Americana. At 20469 North Hayden Road (North Hayden and ... More >>

Nikki's Got Four More Picks for Arizona Restaurant Week -- It's Not Too Late!

Arizona Restaurant Week kicked off last Saturday and ends this coming Sunday, September 23 -- which means there's still time to find a great bargain if your favorite restaurant isn't already booked. "You snooze, you lose" definitely applies here. See also: Nikki's Top Four Picks for Arizona Restau ... More >>

Crudo's Pig Ears: Way Too Freaking Amazing For Your Dog

Most of us think of pig ears as leathery chewables for the dog, not something we'd ever dream of eating ourselves. But they're showing up on local menus as bar snacks, and you know what? They're fantastic. At Crudo, chef Cullen Campbell turns pig ears into crunchy strips of such addictive porkali ... More >>

Delux Burger from Delux

​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. 4: Delux Burger fr ... More >>

New Flame Burger Concept Comes to Chandler

The building's signage isn't even up, but Flame Burger is already packing Angus patties between buns.​Bacon and cupcakes may be the culinary trends of choice these days, but we can't ignore the amount of burger joints popping up in Phoenix. Recent months have seen the emergence of ... More >>

Grimaldi's Opens Second Coal Burger Location in Chandler

Coal-fired burgers are now on tap in Chandler.​The idea of a healthful burger joint is pretty laughable, especially considering how much fat and calories are packed into the average Big Mac (29 grams and 540, respectively). But Coal Burger, the "coal-fired burgeria" which launched this past March ... More >>

Payton Curry Pops Up at the Welcome Diner

Jonathan McNamara ​Thanks to Chef Payton Curry, life has returned to the beloved Welcome Diner, which sat sad and empty on the corner of 10th street and Roosevelt for far too long. The infamous chef kicked off the first night of his three-month pop-up project to a packed house -- and a ... More >>

New Concessions at US Airways Center: The Taste Test

Erica O'NeilThe bustling new ZZ to Go was packed with customers during half-time.​Last week we reported on US Airways Center's plans to upgrade their concessions line-up, with a push toward incorporating more fresh and local ingredients. This week we're bringing you the verdict on some of those ne ... More >>

US Airways Center Upgrades Concession Menu

Photo courtesy of flickr.com/brianpatrick123​We know Phoenix Suns fans love their two free tacos from Jack in the Box when the team scores 99 points, but just in case the Suns don't do the deed, US Airways Center has several new menu options that may win fans over. Levy Restaurants and US A ... More >>

15: Delux Burger at Delux

​Hungry yet? We're working up our appetites for our huge Best of Phoenix issue, out September 30, with daily servings of Chow Bella's 100 Favorite Dishes from across the Valley -- in no particular order Leave your suggestions for upcoming favorites in the comments sectio ... More >>

Chestnut Lane Café Fills Your Economic Depression With Tasty Tarts and Scrumptious Salads

Chestnut Lane Cafe Takes Over Old Kohnie's Space

Polly Levine and her friend Marilena Sacks had long fantasized about owning their own cafe -- nothing unusual about that. But three weeks ago, they finally realized their dreams when they opened Chestnut Lane Cafe. Tucked into the tiny Camelback Road (4225 E. Camelback) spot that hou ... More >>

Wine bar Cork pops a little creativity into each dish

Digestif in Scottsdale serves up absinthe and "Cal-ital food for the soul"

Vu to a Thrill

Tasty pretty things

Delux and De-lovely

Great grub to be had while soccer moms snooze

A Plateful of Prada

Dining has become so darn pretentious, like a version of "ChefsGone Wild"

Best New Restaurant

Atlas Bistro

Grape Nuts

Wine, don't whine, with the unpretentious fun at Atlas Bistro

To the 'N'th Degree

Jagne's Corner Cafe is for anyone who was comfort when comfort wasn't cool.

Too Sexy for My Soufflé

Local Chefs hate Zinc Bistro, so you know it's gonna be good.

Foie's in the 'hood

Arcadian bacon awaits diners at new east Phoenix neighborhood find