Here in Arizona, we’re used to being the butt of the rest of the country’s jokes — and now Arizona Theatre Company has invited some more by comissioning one of the best comedy troupes around to make fun of us this spring. We joined some other Phoenix types this morning at…
A watched pot may never boil, but lettuce will grow before your eyes — in Matt Moore’s world, anyway. Moore’s oddly enchanting videos of vegetables literally coming to life will be shown at the Sundance Frontier, a companion to the better-known film festival coming up later this month. Over on…
There’s nothing fancy about Harlow’s. Or wait, maybe there is. On a recent visit, we noticed chandeliers hanging from the ceiling — not so unusual for a restaurant, except that this longtime wood-paneled Tempe breakfast spot also sports a prominent sign warning patrons to leave their guns outside, and other…
We know there are those of you out there who strongly believe that pie is the next big thing, and we see the signs, sure, but we’re also betting on the brownie. On a recent trip to ABC Baking in Phoenix, we couldn’t help but notice the prominent display of brownie-making and…
It’s not likely to snow any time soon in these parts — and the holidays are long gone — but if you’re still fighting the post-Xmas blues, like we are, check out the cavitity-inducing sweetness over at www.bakerella.com, a super-cute blog we just discovered. Talk about eye candy. And hey,…
The overwhelming concern, when it comes to juvenile corrections and mental illness, is that kids are being jailed for petty crimes caused by behavior related to pre-existing mental illness. But sometimes a kid commits a serious crime — and then cracks. That appears to be what happened to a 16-year-old…
The girl has a history of pulling out chunks of her own hair and drawing on the walls with her feces and blood, then wiping herself with pages she’s ripped from a Bible. And she’s a cutter. The scars from her self-abuse are visible on her arms and legs. The…
Word has come in from family in Denver that the temperature’s in the single digits. We’d swear it’s that cold here. We even have the long johns out, and we’re taking a vow to stay indoors til spring. Looking to curl up with good blog? Let us recommend one of our…
Don’t get us wrong. We love Pita Jungle. Adore it. Consider it a civic treasure (treasures, actually, as new locations continue to pop up around our metropolis). We even like to take our kids there, though it’s admittedly a little pricey with no kids menu, an omission we noted when we…
From now ’til Thanksgiving, we’ll be sharing various stuffing recipes — all tested and taste-tested first-hand by Chow Bella contributors. On Thanksgiving Day, our “celebrity judge,” New Times food critic Michele Laudig, will weigh in with her favorite of the lot. All year, we dream about stuffing. The crunchy, onion-y…
These days, satellite radio passes as live entertainment in many eating establishments. So it was refreshing to stumble recently on two musical dining experiences. By now it’s practically become cliche that the worst Chinese food in town can be found at the restaurants at the Chinese Cultural Center near the airport. And…
Last week’s 10 Things to Know If You’re Dining Out struck a nerve with readers — and, we’ll admit, with Chow Bella’s administration. Particularly the part about dining out with children. Sure, yes, absolutely, no doubt about it — it’s gotta suck to wait on people and their screaming, drooling, demanding,…
Cynthia Clark Harvey climbs the stairs to the second floor of her north Phoenix home, pausing in a small bedroom. It’s the kind of room empty-nesters tend to keep, and this one is packed with artifacts from her daughters’ childhoods. Briana’s Beanie Babies hang on the wall in an organizer…
You didn’t expect to read the terms “cognitive dissonance” and “homemade candy corn” in the same sentence, but there they are.And so apt — as soon as we got the idea to make our own candy corn (not knowing if it was even possible or had ever been attempted) we…
Recently, we’ve noticed that the kitsch factor on candy corn has really kicked up a notch. One kids TV channel has its own homage to (rather, against) the sugary treat, called “I Don’t Like Candy Corn”. And lately there’s been a lot of discussion on the Web about how to…
Niki Varlotta loves her son Alex so much, she called the cops on him. On a Wednesday evening not long ago, Niki sits in a booth in the back of a chain restaurant at a big mall in north Phoenix, telling her family’s story from the beginning. A plate of…
So, you’ve read Julie & Julia and all of Ruth Reichl’s books, but you’re hungry for more? Fear not, summer reader. We’ve got a week’s worth of book recommendations for you, all food-related in one way or another, starting today with The Fortune Cookie Chronicles by Jennifer 8. Lee. Speaking of…
The music editor cornered me. “Hey,” he said, all friendly-like. “The Wiggles are coming to town. Want to review the show?” Damn, I thought. I really should cut my bangs to cover the “MOM” tattoo on my forehead. I don’t blame the music editor. As the mother of young children,…
As the remains of one of our favorite Phoenix restaurants smolder, we are thinking back to good times had at Richardson’s. This place was (and hopefully will soon be again) an institution in a town with far too few. For evidence, we reached into the not-so-way-back machine for this gem,…
We eat. We tweet. New Times food critic Michele Laudig is working all the angles for you, Phoenix — including Twitter, where you can follow her cravings. She’s easy to find: @michelelaudig. We’ve been on Twitter for a while now, and in between the tweets about Iran and Mark Sanford’s…
In a bit of culinary news that’s something of a departure from our typical coverage here at Chow Bella, we must share the latest dining chapter at the county jail. You know, home of the green baloney sandwich. Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio today issued a press release announcing…
Get toasted, Phoenix. And we’re not talking about the backs of your legs on pleather seats after your car’s roasted in the sun for an hour in the Safeway parking lot. We mean cocktails — serious cocktails. In our latest guide to summer in this godforsaken city (well, godforsaken from…
