U.S. Department of Agriculture

Wanted in Sun City: Breast Specialists

Kook's Korner: Tongue Me!

Cow Punchers

Ranching takes a blow in the courts, an uppercut to the bottom line and a jab in the marketplace

Second Helpings

Ranching takes a blow in the courts, an uppercut to the bottom line and a jab in the marketplace

Marbled Country

Ranching takes a blow in the courts, an uppercut to the bottom line and a jab in the marketplace

Animal Fights

'They're fighting for their careers, for their reputations, for their money.'

High Steaks Game

Demand for beef increases cost

Best Steak House

Ruth's Chris Steak House

Mondo Beef

Is the Scottsdale eatery fixing to close?

Bless the Beasts and the Children

Letters from the week of May 9, 2002

Two Whites Make a Wrong

Seeing red -- and pink -- at the Dodge Theatre

Best Old Valley Charm

El Chorro Lodge

Best Drive-Through Gourmet Grub

Maxie's World Grill

Best Prime Rib

Harris' Restaurant

Best Chicken-Fried Steak

Texaz Grill

Bovine Intervention

At city hall, the steaks are high (priced)

Great Danish

In the Raw blends coffee and canine cuisine

You Grow, Grill

Maxie's World Grill moves into bigger digs

BEST UPSCALE STEAK HOUSE

Drinkwater's City Hall

BEST PLACE TO HOOK UP IF YOU'RE GAY

Bally Total Fitness

BEST NAZI ARTWORK AT A STATE BUILDING

Arizona State Office Building

BEST ESPRESSO BAR FOR DOGS

In the Raw

Cooking School Secrets: Getting What You Want

Maybe this sounds familiar. You order a medium steak in one restaurant and receive meat with a fair amount of pink. Order it somewhere else and you receive just a tiny line of pink. Frustrating, isn't it? Equally so for the chef who prepares a perfect medium rare burger that's sent back for more c ... More >>

BLT Steak Reinvents the Steakhouse with Sashimi Appetizers and Gruyère Popovers

Maybe this sounds familiar. You order a medium steak in one restaurant and receive meat with a fair amount of pink. Order it somewhere else and you receive just a tiny line of pink. Frustrating, isn't it? Equally so for the chef who prepares a perfect medium rare burger that's sent back for more c ... More >>

Cracked Houses

Homes all over Arizona are falling apart. Blame the bad soil -- and the lousy construction

Contaminated Splendor

Painted Rock Reservoir's beauty is deceiving. It's one of the most toxic sinkholes in America

Hog Heaven

Lucy never made Ricky Ricardo puerco so pleasing to the palate

Ant Farm

The death of tiny Autumn White should make lawmakers think more carefully about state budget cuts

A Prime Number

Carnivores find a little tenderness as the rotisserie turns

License to Quill

Tinkerbell's death prompts a federal inquiry at the Phoenix Zoo

Hamburger Helper

Rescuers battle 'killer buyers' to save unwanted horses

Coyote, Ugly

The fields of Killing Coyote run red with cruelty in powerful documentary

Steer Search

The fields of Killing Coyote run red with cruelty in powerful documentary

Second Helpings

The fields of Killing Coyote run red with cruelty in powerful documentary

One Valley Salmonella Case Linked to Tainted Beef Recall

Chick-fil-a More than 800,000 pounds of ground beef recalled by meat distributor. Holy cow!​At least one Valley resident's been treated for salmonella poisoning linked to beef recalled yesterday by Beef Packer, Inc.Beef Packer Inc. recalled more than 800,000 pounds of tainted bovi ... More >>

ASU Students Join PETA's Fight to End Classroom Experiments on Animals

www.demotivateus.com​People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals has a new ally in its fight to end certain types of experiments performed on animals in classes at Arizona State University: the students themselves.Well, not all the students, just the ones with the same general furcoat-h ... More >>

McCain Vows to Block Confirmation of USDA Nominees Until Forest Service Allows Snowbowl to Use Recycled Sewage to Make Snow

www.icanhascheezburger.com​Senator John McCain has pledged to block the confirmation of nominees for three political spots within the Department of Agriculture until the USDA approves a request by the owners of the Arizona Snowbowl to use treated wastewater to make snow.The use of wastewater ... More >>

On the Cost of Illegal Immigration; and Cold Showers

www.icanhascheezburger.com​Senator John McCain has pledged to block the confirmation of nominees for three political spots within the Department of Agriculture until the USDA approves a request by the owners of the Arizona Snowbowl to use treated wastewater to make snow.The use of wastewater ... More >>

Wendy's Chipotle Boneless Wings: Turning Chicken During National Burger Month

Happy National Burger Chicken Month? Thanks to high beef prices, my new favorite holiday is looking as sad as the Hamburglar after a bust. Seems burger chains everywhere are giving the heave-ho to hamburger hurrah in lieu of fare that's fowl. Carl's Jr., just came out with a Teriyaki Chicken Sandwic ... More >>

Lion Meat Burgers at Il Vinaio Cause an Uproar

www.flickr.com/photos/8078381@N03/​Something unique on the menu for World Cup was all Il Vinaio owner Cameron Selogie had in mind when he started serving burgers made from free-range, USDA-approved lion meat. Protests and a bomb threat probably weren't. Selogies says that he did rese ... More >>

Epic Fail? National Farmers Market Search

Where are you, my dear market?​Okay, I thought this would be a cool new thing to write about, but I think it might actually be a cool new thing to make fun of.With good intentions, the U.S. Department of Agriculture recently announced an improved version of its searchable National Farmers Market D ... More >>

2011 Top Food Trends: Home Cookin'

flickr.com/creative commons/Daniel Semper​ Last week local chefs shared restaurant predictions with Michele Laudig, and Wynter Holden mused about her high hopes for Steampunk cooking to trend in 2011. Taking a look closer to hearth and home, here are trends we think will influence the way we garde ... More >>

McDonald's Fruit and Maple Oatmeal: Look Ma, No McMuffin!

​Let's face it, a quick breakfast at Mickey Dee's usually doesn't bring to mind anything that's going to be good for you (McGriddle!), but with this month's nationwide launch of McDonald's Fruit and Maple Oatmeal, Ronald seems to be taking the high, healthy road. What gives? Available all da ... More >>

Brisket Alert! The U.S. Government Has Some Safety Tips

Hipstamatic brisket. It looks better in person. ​I must not be the only one making brisket for the first time this week. (Trial run for Passover.)A tweet from the United States Department of Agriculture's safety unit just caught my eye -- it links to a handy guide to everything you forgot to ask a ... More >>

Horse Herpes Hits Arizona. If You Just Thought "I Need Condoms," That's a Problem

www.cornell.eduSlut​Cody Beck is a 19-year-old college student from Prescott who we wrote about last year in regards to his sexual attraction to horses -- and he better start wrappin' it up; horse herpes has hit Arizona.The Arizona Department of Health Services just announced that an Arizona ... More >>

Horse Herpes Forces Closure of Queen Creek Park

A horse in Arizona does.​An outbreak of horse herpes has forced the closure of a Queen Creek Park.Horseshoe Park & Equestrian Centre will be closed through at least June 2 to prevent the spread of the horse herpes, which is currently spreading throughout the Southwest.

Whole Foods Now Selling Chicken Feed; It's About Damn Time

​Seriously Whole Foods, what gives? Backyard chicken farming has been totally cool and hip for well over a year and we have been having to do the unthinkable and venture into feed and tack stores to purchase food for our ladies. Feed and tack stores?! Oh my, the horror! Okay, all joking aside ... More >>

Follow Friday: Food Safety Twitterers

It's that time again. We've compiled a small but meaningful list of great Twitter accounts for any Phoenix foodie to follow. We sometimes get hit with a "stomach bug" but often it is traced back to poor food handling measures. While it's rare, we read about people who get really sick and sometimes ... More >>

Redesigned Food Labels Make Current Food Label Look Like Ass Crap

Renee Walker​Current food label.​With all the hoopla finally dying down on MyPlate, the new icon of healthy eating from the U.S. Department of Agriculture that replaced the food pyramid, maybe it's time the nation focused on another food-related headache of sorts: the nutrition label. ... More >>

A Shortage of Mexican Laborers Threatens Arizona Farming

Renee Walker​Current food label.​With all the hoopla finally dying down on MyPlate, the new icon of healthy eating from the U.S. Department of Agriculture that replaced the food pyramid, maybe it's time the nation focused on another food-related headache of sorts: the nutrition label. ... More >>