One can never have enough Thin Mints. At least that’s what we thought until Managing Editor Amy Silverman brought in a dozen unsold boxes to a recent Chow Bella meeting. If one must make lemonade when life hands one lemons, we theorized one must make dessert when life hands one…
Just because the bartender doesn’t hand you a nutritional information packet with your cocktail doesn’t mean those calories don’t count. For some, a night of binge-drinking can reach an entire day’s worth of calories, and it’s gonna take one hell of a workout to counteract that effect (especially with your…
Ready, set … gorge! Today marks the kickoff of the 32nd annual Scottsdale Culinary Festival, which showcases six days of fine wines, celebrity chef dinners, and tastings galore. More than 40,000 people came out for the festival last year, and there’s a special event for everyone’s palate. Proceeds from the…
Ready, set … gorge! Today marks the kickoff of the 32nd annual Scottsdale Culinary Festival, which showcases six days of fine wines, celebrity chef dinners, and tastings galore. More than 40,000 people came out for the festival last year, and there’s a special event for everyone’s palate. The only remaining…
Champagne isn’t just for wedding toasts and hip hop videos anymore. What was once generally reserved for special occasions is now popping up on drink menus all over the country in cocktail form, and the standard brunch Mimosa is just the tip of the sparkling iceberg. Read on for some…
Church. Hiding plastic eggs for unappreciative children. Cooking a huge dinner. Putting up with painfully unlikable family members. Whatever your Easter entails this Sunday, there’s a good chance you’ll be ready for a stiff drink. You wouldn’t want to be the one swigging out of a paper bag on this…
In case you’ve missed America’s Best Dance Crew (ABDC) entirely, breakdancing has come a long way from dudes with names like Ozone and Turbo (Breakin’, anyone?) battling it out on the streets or in clubs. The National Breakdancing League, founded in 2006, has turned breakdancing into a structured competitive sport,…
Phoenix Fashion Week 2010 kicked off Thursday night at the W Hotel in Scottsdale. Fashionable folks sipped pricey cocktails as they waited (and waited … see Wynter Holden’s review) for the show to begin. Check out the scene in our slideshow…
About a month ago we reviewed a new locally-made hangover remedy called RESQWATER. The verdict was, shall we say, less than favorable because whether or not the stuff works it tasted so “vitaminy” that it was a real task to actually swallow (and this was after a night that included…
In a rather repulsive example of how “That which does not kill you makes you stronger,” snake wine (made predominantly in Vietnam, Thailand and other parts of Southeast Asia) is said to contain medicinal properties that can cure a variety of ailments as well as improve sexual performance (kind of…
You won’t see a frolicking Perry Farrell or topless girls riding on shoulders, but this weekend’s Caramelpalooza promises to be even sweeter. Sponsored by our own Chow Bella blog, the shindig is a live “Battle of the Dishes” event featuring some of the Valley’s best chefs to determine the top…
Even with top shelf alcohol, a mixed drink is only as good as its mixer. A cheap, artificially flavored juice can totally ruin the taste; and the usual “soda, juice or energy drink” mixer options are limiting (and rather monotonous) for those who prefer fresh or non-traditional flavors. You can…
You don’t generally associate Scottsdale’s Phoenician resort with “affordable retail,” but in the case of it’s latest endeavor Grape & Grain, you actually can. While it is considered a wine, beer and spirits boutique, the Grape & Grain doesn’t purchase any of its inventory and can therefore can keep the…
“Fusion” is one of those buzz words that gets tossed around so much that they lose their meaning and/or get really annoying to hear. Be that as it may, fusing disparate elements in a complementary manner can yield positive results; for example, combining Middle Eastern belly dancers with an all-American…
Helzapoppin’ may sound like a damnation-themed dance night, but this weekend, the name refers to the Helzapoppin’ Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA). Every March since 1935, this nationally sanctioned rodeo has celebrated our Wild West heritage with bronco riding, bull fighting, and the crowning of the Miss Helzapoppin’ PRCA Rodeo…
As the old adage goes, “Everybody’s Irish on St. Patrick’s Day.” That does not, however, mean you have to celebrate your “honorary” Irish heritage by swilling pints of leprechaun piss until the inside of your mouth starts to look more like Shrek’s. So while others go from looking thirsty to…
Nothing beats a little outdoor drinking on a cool spring night; and not even the wind and sporadic spats of rain could deter the party people from yucking it up outside at The Vig on Saturday night. Check out the slide show…
In a city where suburbs and farming communities are still couched in a Wild West mentality, the cultural event of the year celebrates giant flightless birds and the jockeys who race them. No, we’re not kidding. This weekend marks the 22nd year for Chandler’s Ostrich Festival, a family-oriented event featuring…
For many, the time in March when schools suspend classes for a week (commonly referred to as “spring break”) is just around the corner; and nothing screams “SPRING BREEEEAAAAK!!!!” (sorry, can’t resist an opportunity) quite like guzzling icy booze in the warm sunlight amongst your dearest nearly nude acquaintances. Tempe-based…
While it beats the heck out of driving home intoxicated, leaving your car at the establishment where you got drunk is generally less than optimal. Taking cabs to and from the bar to avoid the car situation gets pricey and time consuming. There are, however, several driver services in the…
For those unfamiliar with the beverage, barley wine isn’t wine at all, but rather, a type of ale with a wine-like alcohol content (ranging from about 8-15 percent by volume). It can be aged like wine, and some are even quite fruity in taste, but ultimately barley wine is made…
Not everyone enjoys a night of heavy drinking, but even the most severe masochist hates a hangover. And as long as there’s been alcohol consumption, there have been professed hangover cures, whether it’s “hair of the dog,” pills and powders, or IV infusions. Now Scottsdale-based company Intelligent Beverages is bottling…
