Tuscany

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 >>

Greg LaPrad Explains Why Mangos Are Over-Rated and Gives the Best Lecture Ever to Negative "Foodies"

Greg LaPrad Quiessence & Morning Glory Cafe The Farm at South Mountain 6106 S. 32nd Street, Phoenix 602-276-0601 (Q), 602-276-8804 (MG), quiessencerestaurant.com, morningglorycafeaz. com See also: -- Phoenix Cold Snap Is Over But What Are the Repercussions For Local Farmers and the Restaurants Wh ... More >>

Carefree Station, North, and Other Phoenix Area Restaurants Update Wine Lists for the New Year

It's always time for wine, but a new year means it's time for something new. Restaurants around the Valley often update their wine lists to reflect menu changes, a new culinary influence or simply a change to what is available seasonally. Changes might go unnoticed, so we wanted to suggest that you ... More >>

Pete DeRuvo Dishes on the Mouthwatering Italian Food He Grew Up On (You Will Be Jealous) and Praises Three Local Chefs (Although One Goes Un-named)

See also: Chuck Wiley Shares His Oddball Guilty Pleasure and Makes the Best Cooking-to-Music Genre Comparison Ever See also: Justin Beckett Dishes on Roy Yamaguchi and Describes His Fantasy Restaurant This is part two of my interview with Pete DeRuvo, executive chef at Davanti Enoteca. If you mi ... 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 >>

Masters of Wine: The Test

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. This past week, a record 98 students took the test to obtain their Masters of Wine, trying to join the mere 298 worldwide who curr ... More >>

When the Sun Goes Down, Exotic Nightlife Locales Light Up

Isabella Mannone-Bertuccio of La Fontanella

There are few places in the restaurant world that can say they've been around as long as La Fontanella, the family-style Italian eatery that made its home in Arcadia long before renovating old houses was the "cool" thing to do. This year, the restaurant, which opened in 1982, celebrates its 29th yea ... More >>

Chris Costantino of Cotstantino's Kitchen (Part Two)

Chef Talk this week has brought you into Costantino's Kitchen, where Chris Costantino is cooking up small, handmade batches of his Grandma Angie's Tomato Basil Sauce. On Monday, we talked about how he broke into the culinary world from his past corporate life, and got the scoop on the sauce that's ... More >>

10 More Valentine's Day Dinner Ideas

​For all of you procrastinators out there, we've dug up 10 more Valley restaurants that would love you to dine with them on Valentine's Day. (Here's our original list.)This is it though. There isn't going to be anymore help after this. So make a decision and make reservations. You don't want to sp ... More >>

Christmas Eve and Christmas Day Dining Options in Metro Phoenix

​ Dishes, dishes, and more dishes -- that is exactly what we do NOT want to be doing during our precious time off. You probably don't either, which is why we put together this handy guide to who's doing dinner on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.  Christmas Eve 2011 Wright's at The Biltm ... More >>

Thanksgiving Dining Guide 2011

​ It's Turkey Time! Time to dirty up every dish in the house after making countless trips to the grocery store for forgotten cans of cranberry sauce or your third box of butter. A day to slave away in a warm kitchen while the rest of your family enjoys a beautiful sunny 75 degree perfect day ... More >>

The House at Secret Garden's Wine Dinner and Ox Tail Soup in Today's Eater's Digest

www.livelovepasta.com​ Seasonal FeastDidn't get enough of dinner under the stars last week? Well, here's your chance to really have dinner under the stars on one of the best patios in town. South Phoenix's House at Secret Garden will be hosting a "Four Seasons Around the World" wine dinner to ... 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 >>

Grown Up's Table at Beckett's Table

Carol Blonder Beckett's Table​ Right down to the name, Chef Justin Beckett has centered his Arcadia neighborhood restaurant concept, Beckett's Table, around a stunning, reclaimed black walnut community table. Last night he took it up a notch with a new concept, the Grown Up's Tab ... More >>

Gayle Shanks' Perfect Food Day

Gayle Shanks​Gayle Shanks is co-owner of Changing Hands Bookstore in Tempe. We're big fans of Changing Hands. Shanks is an expert bookseller and all that, but a girl's gotta eat, right? We want to know where. She gave us her take on food: "I love food that is fresh and locally grown and cooke ... More >>

Kai to Host Three Summer Wine Dinners

Wine Bohemia​Whether it's a special occasion or simply another way to celebrate our love of good food and fine wine, Kai, Arizona's only AAA Five Diamond and Forbes Five Star Award-winning signature restaurant, is giving us three good reasons to splurge this summer. Pairing its award-winning ... More >>

Olive Garden's "Culinary Institute" in Tuscany: What the Hell is Happening Over There?

Hanover Signs​Poor Olive Garden. First the Italian food chain got tagged for accidentally serving a child sangria ("Mom, dis Kool-Aid makes my sgetti bwurry!"), now it's the target of recent internet buzz with tales of what really goes on at its infamous Tuscan cooking school. You can almost hea ... More >>

Wine Tasting at Avalon and Kettle Corn in Today's Eater's Digest

theyummylife.com​ Hungry for your early morning serving of food news, with no preservatives or additives?Avalon Wine TastingTonight, join sommelier David M. Johnson at the stylish Avalon Restaurant in Scottsdale for an exciting and informative red wine tasting event. Sample 5 different styles of r ... More >>

Guido Saccone of Cibo Urban Wine Cafe & Pizzeria

Phoenix has crazy love to thank for Chef Guido Saccone's pizza and pasta at Cibo Urban Wine Cafe & Pizzeria. Saccone, who was born just outside of Naples, fell in love with the American girl working in Tuscany for the summer, who just happened to be from Mesa. A love story straight out of a fairy ta ... More >>

Friday Night Vino Tasting, Top Chef at the Market and Cinnamon Swirls in Today's Eater's Digest

cafelynnylu.blogspot.com​Friday Night VinoSample wines from Italy with Damien Kanser from Action Wines at AZ Wine Co. in Carefree tonight from 5:30 to 7:30. Learn about the laws of wine and regions of Italy while enjoying sample of wine from Sicily, Trentino and Tuscany. AZ Wine Co. will als ... More >>

Mother's Day Dining Guide: Phoenix and West Valley

The Farm at South Mountain​ It's time to give it up for moms. Yes, this Sunday is Mother's Day and if you've already made reservations, the rest is pie. If you haven't, however, here are some of the places in the valley that might have a few extra tables. After all, it is the busiest restaurant h ... More >>

"Sophisticated" Reality TV Returns with Top Chef Masters, and Tucson Makes Food Wars Watchable, in This Week's "TV Dinner"

Wading through the grease pit of bland food, cooking, and eating shows focusing on cheap shopping, bogus belly busters, and chefs more familiar with cursing than conjuring up a decent dish, we've paid our dues to the TV gods (Kraken release avoided!) -- at least for the time being. In return, we ... More >>

Ristorante Tuscany Gets Revamp, Becomes Tuscany

​It's a makeover just in time for spring.Ristorante Tuscany, the upscale Italian eatery at JW Marriott Desert Ridge, has been transformed into a new spot called, simply, Tuscany.Although the restaurant did not close down for the transition, it's undergone quite a few changes to become a more casua ... More >>

April 2 In Blogs: Joe Arpaio, Peachcake, Ristorante Tuscany, and Don Stapley

​​​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: Feathered Bastard: Joe Arpaio's Secret Immigration File: Rants, Threats, and Hate Site Literature Joe ... More >>

Chef Talk: Peter DeRuvo, Sassi

​Peter DeRuvo's come a long way since he started as executive chef at north Scottsdale's Sassi a couple years ago. Since he's been in the kitchen, the beautiful Italian restaurant has received the AAA Four Diamond award, a high honor indeed. Part of Sassi's appeal is its ever-changing menu ... More >>

This Just In: Chef Line-Up for West of Western

Wasn't it just New Year's Eve? Weren't we just shivering in our sweaters and jackets? All of a sudden it's March, and it feels like summer's right around the corner. No complaints from me, buddy. I love this time of year, not only because of the balmy weather, but because there's so much to do ... More >>

Miracle at St. Anna: Spike Lee’s WWII Drama Is an Epic Bore

Get ready for West of Western

V-day dinners around town

Italian inspiration at Quiessence

West of Western Feeds Downtown

Farm Fresh

La vida local

Skip Town -- For Real

Minimize expenses and maximize culture shock

Have Glue Gun, Will Travel

Crafting on land and sea

Fear Factors

Conspiracy and greed confront the wonder of childhood in I'm Not Scared

Tuscan Raider

Diane Lane indulges in Italian pleasures, while ignoring those of the source material

Resorting to Anchovies

The clean, sparkling flavors that epitomize regional Italian cuisine

Gimme Indie Rock

A pair of Valley talents team up for a split delight

Italian Nice

Haute Streak

Picasso / Le Cirque

The Mangia Event

Mondo Carne

Capisce de Resistance

Night & Day

May 21 - 27, 1998

Second Helpings

Linguini Bopper

PASTA LIFE REGRESSION

THE MIDDLE--AGED MAN AND THE SEA

Kvetcher in the Rye

Hollywood Deli & Bar, J. Philips Gourmet Deli & Restaurant