Southern Europe

Scottsdale's Pomo Pizzeria Moving to Downtown Phoenix

Pizzeria Bianco and Cibo may be downtown's mainstays for top-notch pies, but on Tuesday, May 28, another pizza powerhouse will enter the ring: Pomo Pizzeria. See also: - Sam Fox's New Seafood Spot, Little Cleo's, Opens at The Yard in North Central Phoenix - Jobot Owner John Sagasta Opening Ice Crea ... 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 >>

Sneak Peek: First Press Arizona Wine Auction

For $250 a person, you're probably wondering what is in store at the First Press Wine Auction on February 16 at the Montelucia Resort. If the 5-course dinner and paired wines sound predictable you should know that you'll also get to preview distinctive wines and live auction lots and silent auction ... More >>

Holy Ship!! Wrap-Up: It Was the Best of Times....

There were a lot of grim faces on Monday morning as the electro-loving masses emerged off the MSC Poesia -- a.k.a. the EDM party boat Holy Ship!! -- and did a slow zombie shuffle through U.S. customs and back into the real world (a.k.a. Fort Lauderdale). Here in the industrial port, the sky was over ... More >>

Join the Slow Food Movement and Celebrate Terra Madre Day on Dec. 10

If you haven't made it to the Biltmore Fashion Park's latest addition UNION -- a mix of 18 small, distinctive boutiques run by local vendors -- mark your calendars to visit on Monday, December 10, from 6 to 8 p.m. for Terra Madre Day. This international event is a celebration of slow food and eating ... More >>

Shine: Eating in Scottsdale

Biltmore's Central Bistro Announces Grand Opening Date (We've Got the Happy Hour Menu)

The construction is finally finished in the former home of Zen32, at 32nd Street and Camelback Road, in the Biltmore Neighborhood. And at 5 p.m., Sunday, November 4, Central Bistro, the modern restaurant featuring flavors from Italy, France, and Spain, opens its doors after nearly nine months of rem ... More >>

Get Thirsty: Chef Gabriele Bertaccini Introduces BACCHUS MISCHiEF

MISCHiEF maker and il Tocco chef, Gabriele Bertaccini is at again, and this time, he brought the wine. BACCHUS MISCHiEF will make its premiere (and already sold-out) appearance at an undisclosed location on July 28. Bertaccini's new event is the new younger sibling of the three-year-old CULINARY M ... More >>

What's On Your Cooking/Baking Bucket List?

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.Go shark-cage diving, get on a JumboTron, sleep w ... More >>

Paula Deen to Import Italian Cooking Show, Renamed Food Chain

Variety reports that Paula Deen, the Queen of Cream, is shopping around a U.S. version of a popular Italian competitive-cooking show. Judging from the available clips, it looks like Chopped but with amateur cooks and Who Wants to be a Millionaire? lifelines. Deen's show will be called Food Chain, bu ... More >>

Wine Regions 101: Sonoita/Elgin

Welcome to Vine Geeks, where Brian Reeder and Pavle Milic of AZ Wine Merchants take the drinking game quite seriously. Pay attention -- you might just learn something. One of the consistent columns I'll be writing as the resident 'vine geek' will be about different wine regions around the state, n ... More >>

What's the Most Expensive Ingredient You've Used?

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.It's no secret that top-notch chefs and restauran ... More >>

Drew Barrymore Jumps on Celebrity Alcohol Bandwagon -- Shocking.

​Not really. Drew kinda seems like the white wine swilling type. Actress, producer, director, Covergirl, Playboy model, Drew Barrymore, known for her role in movie classics such as E.T., Firestarter, Boys on the Side,  50 First Dates, and as Brian the Dog's girlfriend on the animated tel ... More >>

Beatriz Alatorre de Hong: Caramelpalooza Candymakers

​From now through Caramelpalooza -- March 2 at Smeeks candy shop -- Chow Bella will introduce you to the 18 chefs participating in the third annual caramel tasting. Today, meet Beatriz Alatorre de Hong, or as she's known in the Mexican popsicle world, Paletas Betty. You could ... More >>

Cross Examination

Eleven Favorite Ice Cream Shops in Greater Phoenix

Ever since Italy and France began making iced and flavored confections made from milk or cream in the 17th century, ice cream has become one of the most successfully cool, dairy-based treats on the planet. Not sorbet, ices, or gelato (we promise those lists will come later), here are 11 of our favor ... More >>

Burlesque at FilmBar, Vernacular Typography, and Christopher Walken Reads Where the Wild Things Are

Welcome to the Morning Buzz, a catch-up on interesting happenings around the city and country and a quick guide to what (and who) to keep your eyes on. We'll be here, first thing every weekday, to get you going. Here's what's buzzing this morning:​1. Scandalesque Presents: FilmBar Vignet ... More >>

Chow Bella Book Club January Selection: Blood Bones and Butter: The Inadvertent Education of a Reluctant Chef by Gabrielle Hamilton

​We're starting the year in style by choosing the memoir  so stellar, it inspired us to create Chow Bella Book Club. We're reading Blood Bones and Butter: The Inadvertent Education of a Reluctant Chef by Gabrielle Hamilton this month and it will be capped off with a visit from the author hers ... More >>

Cave & Ives Wine Dinner and Pumpkin Spice Churros in Today's Eater's Digest

Bakergirl​ Hungry for your early morning serving of food news, with no preservatives or additives? Vino & Cucina Join Cave & Ives tomorrow night for an evening of wine and food Portico-style. Hosted by Italian wine expert Aldo Zaninotto from the Vietti and Alois Lageder wineries in ... More >>

Christopher Gross' Perfect Food Day

Christopher Gross​ We've known and loved Chef Christopher Gross' French-inspired cuisine for so many years -- we guess you could say we have a "crush" on him - sorry, couldn't resist. For a little fun, Chef Gross likes to fly across the pond and jump on his bike to give it a spin. This is him at ... More >>

Five of the Most Expensive Cheeses in the Universe

​There's a lot of weird cheese floating around out there on the Internet. But you don't have to be a foodie to know that you can't put just put any old hunk of curdled milk in your mouth. So for the true cheese connoisseur, we bring you five of the most expensive cheeses in the universe. ... More >>

Incoming: Alien Ant Farm, Old School Jam, Stephen Stills, Sublime With Rome, Wale

​There are only two kinds of people in the world: those who think Sublime will always be great and those who believe Sublime could only be great as long as Bradley Nowell was around (I guess there is a third kind, too -- people who hate Sublime, but forget about those folks).Either way, it's time ... More >>

Tempe Bistro's Brett Vibber, Part Two

Maya Dukmasova Brett Vibber in the kitchen at Center Bistro​Ysterday, Chef Brett Vibber of Center Bistro shared his stories of travel in Italy. Today he dishes more about his childhood in Tempe as the son of two local teachers and working his way up from pizza to fine dining. When did you ... More >>

Chad Krystals Explains "Keep It Live" Off Mind Games

Chad Krystals, 'Mind Games'​Next week is a special one for Chad Krystals. The local hip-hop musician is releasing his new, third independent album, Mind Games, on July 5, off his own independent label, Krystal Clear Inc. He's giving Valley music fans a little taste of the album with a special show ... More >>

Train Makes 'Drops of Jupiter' Wine

​Pop music hit makers Train are making a "Drops of Jupiter" wine, according to Entertainment Weekly.Train's wine, which is a 2009 Petite Sirah, will be available for just $9.99 as of July 18. The proceeds from the sales will be donated to a charity called Family House.The idea for making the group ... More >>

Natalie Morris' Perfect Food Day

Natalie Morris​Natalie Morris really gets around when it comes to food. She went to culinary school, wrote about food, then wrote some more about food. She went clear across the globe only to learn more about food and returned eating fewer foods as she's mostly vegetarian these days. You can ... More >>

Crudo Announces Summer Wine Dinner Series Exploring the Regions of Italy

Crudo​Crudo, the quirky Old Town eatery of inventive raw seafood dishes and handmade pastas, has announced a summer series of wine dinners that will explore the regions of Italy -- a country where seemingly everyone cooks with confidence. Dinners will feature three wines and three courses and ... More >>

Arrowheart, What Are You Eating?

Sara Robinson​Sara Robinson What'd you eat for dinner last night? I had a 6-inch turkey sub from Subway, Sara-style! Favorite food: During the week, I eat healthy, but on weekends I eat my favorite food, which is the breadsticks from Olive Garden and Orange Chicken from Panda Express. Least favo ... More >>

Food and Fun at the 2011 Winter Fancy Food Show in San Francisco

Carol Blonder artful display​ Twice a year, the National Association for the Specialty Food Trade (NASFT), a not-for-profit trade association, sponsors the Fancy Food Show, open only to the specialty food trade. This year's winter show, held January16-18, at The Mascone Center in San Franc ... More >>

Underoath @ Marquee Theatre

Phoenix Eaterati Dish on Their Fave Foods of 2010

Joe Johnston Restaurateur Joe Johnston's perfect sandwich of 2010.​ What was the best thing you ate in 2010? I asked around with a handful of Phoenix food lovers, and they were split down the middle. For some, the answer was easy and obvious, a singular work of gastronomic perfec ... More >>

Charleen Badman of FnB, Part Two

Chef Charleen Badman has made a name fore herself cooking vegetables at FnB, a trend she attributes to her vegetarian yoga instructor/friend. More specifically, she's embraced the vegetables no one else wants to cook and made them her signature: Converting boring, bland leeks into a cult classic tha ... More >>

Chef Andrea Volpi Heads Up New Local Bistro

​Andrea Volpi, the Milan-born chef who impressed the Valley with his Italian cuisine at La Locanda in the '90s, and later succeeded Claudio Urciuoli at Taggia, will be heading up the kitchen at Local Bistro, a new European eatery set to open in early November. Restaurant owner German Osio, ... More >>

Chow Italia: Lasagna at VinciTorio's and Humble Pie

For some, the ultimate comfort food is fried chicken. For others, it's meatloaf. For me, it's lasagna -- a thick, saucy, cheesy slab of Italian heaven. Of course it has to be homemade with Italian sausage like the lasagna I feasted on every holiday season growing up with Italian friends an ... More >>

Weezer at Fall Frenzy Last Night

Luke HolwerdaWeezer on stage at Arizona Fall Frenzy.​New York magazine put it best: "There are few things more terrifying to longtime Weezer fans these days than the prospect of a new Weezer album."That review of the band's latest album -- sarcastically headlined, "Is Hurley Weezer's Best Album Si ... More >>

Italian Doughnut Stand Opening at The Farm

​It might be slushy/popsicle/ice cream weather yet, but I'm thinking about fresh, warm Italian doughnuts. October can't come soon enough.That's when The Farm at South Mountain will start its Italian doughnut stand, open every Saturday and Sunday morning. The Farm's managing partner, Pat Chris ... More >>

Big Brain Award Winner Natalie Morris Makes Art of Gastronomic Proportions

Pomo Pizzeria Receives Official Italian VPN Designation

There's good pizza, and then there's officially good pizza. From its excellent wines to its classic cheeses and beyond, Italy's regional food products are all about strict standards of quality. Pizza is no exception. In fact, there's a trade organization devoted exclusively to promoti ... More >>

Pino's Pizza Satisfies Fry Girl's Need for a Quick Slice of 'Za

Fry Girl Finds Romance, Italian-Style, at Pino's Pizza Al Centro

​An Italian farm boy leaves his home and family behind for the hot sun and his heart's true love in Phoenix, Arizona, where he opens a prosperous pizza joint and lives the American dream. A Lifetime original movie? Hardly, but a delicious story like this one needs to be told.

Backyard Pizza Night at Jason Raducha's

Standing on a hand paved brick patio, vines climbing a wrought iron trellis, a moonlight sky, inhaling the scent from the wood fired oven, it was hard to believe we were in north Phoenix rather than northern Italy. It was Backyard Pizza Night at Jason Raducha's. Carol BlonderForno Bravo Oven ... More >>

Will Hello Kitty Booze Turn Kids into Drunks?

​ Yet another storm is brewing on the 'net, this one over an adults-only product with oh-so-cute packaging that will appeal to little girls everywhere: Hello Kitty Wine. Yes, Japan's beloved animated feline is all grown up -- as evidenced from the saucy Hello Kitty in a cocktail dre ... More >>

Transnational Pastime

Phoenix Sister Cities are doin’ it for themselves at Hance Park

Ciao Fun

Terrence McNally takes us on a Florentine joy ride

Now That's Italian!

Family Style

Escargot there

Sugo Wrestling

Each go around just kept getting better

Insalata Da-Vida

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