The best ethnic food is often the most difficult to find. So each week we’ll spin the globe and search for a new other-worldly spot to expand our eating horizons around the Valley.This week we go to Poland at Europa Pastry Cafe. I’ve lived around the corner from Europa Pastry Cafe…
The downtown Phoenix shopping scene is getting a little cooler in 2011 with the official opening of Mercantile this Saturday.Shauna Thibault’s storefront on Central Avenue between Roosevelt and McKinley streets started years ago as a small, sign-free salon and studio space. Recently, the spot had a bit of a face-lift…
Getting farm-fresh, antibiotic-free meats just got a little easier for Phoenicians.Prescott Valley Farms recently opened a tiny storefront to sell their own pork, lamb and chickens and outsourced elk, buffalo and French Rouge — all raised naturally.Clint Van Wuffen, owner of Prescott Valley Farms, exited a career in politics and started his…
The best ethnic food is often the most difficult to find. So each week we’ll spin the globe and search for a new other-worldly spot to expand our eating horizons around the Valley.This week we visit Vietnam & China at Maxim Restaurant. It’s easy to miss the washed-out sign for Maxim…
If your Christmas wish list wasn’t fully granted, shopping local is one of your New Year’s resolutions, or you just want to get some good deals — local boutiques are kicking off 2011 with some amazing markdowns. Vintage frocks, holiday accoutrements, handmade jewelry? Check. Here’s a list of some of our favorite indie…
Thanks to First Fridays, ASU Downtown students, and some funky new businesses — downtown’s offerings are much more attractive than they used to be, but are people really going to haul downtown for a day of shopping? There have been mall-like attempts in the past (Arizona Center, anyone?) which didn’t…
Sometimes it’s more fun to give people presents they’ll never (and should never) use. Marketed on television, sold online, and rarely found in anywhere other than the discounted section of any store, these gifts are so wrong, we wind up buying them anyway. So here are a few gift ideas…
Cookie exchanges are a staple at every holiday office party, including the offices of Chow Bella. But the contributors to this blog are a cutthroat bunch, and with an inordinate amount of trash talk thrown about, our cookie exchange quickly became a cookie showdown. Check back here each day through…
Downtown Phoenix is developing quite a little vintage scene. On December 1st, a new line of clothing, Hailey’s Hand Me Downs joined the growing list of indie cool finds (First Butter Toast, recently GROWop) as the newest purveyor of vintage goods.Hailey Andresen, a recent FIDM grad, is the Hailey behind…
Not all foodie gifts need to land on your thighs. The following are four different fun and funky food-inspired gift ideas that don’t necessarily belong in the kitchen. A non-perishable print or calendar that will last much longer than an edible gift. Some of our favorites from Etsy. Chances of…
So you didn’t attend early-December’s Crafeteria — the 5th-annual craft bazaar put on by Frances Vintage and a great spot to find unique, creative local gifts. You missed bustling crowds, St. Francis’ pumpkin soup, meeting some local artists, and picking up some really cool, creative and one-of-a-kind gifts. But don’t…
I have visions of owning chickens. I see myself going only as far as my backyard to pluck freshly laid eggs (small, speckled blue ones) from one of 3 or 4 chickens in my modern-style coop. At least that’s the dream. Then the reality of chicken ownership kicks in; Incubating…
Shopping Black Friday is a marathon, not a sprint. Long lines, long hours, big crowds — you’ll need to sustain yourself accordingly with some convenient dining options.The following are suggestions of some of the best places to dine depending on the Black Friday sale you’re shopping.If you go to Scottsdale…
Steve Strauss and his Arcadia home can be described using the same adjectives — eclectic and passionate, yet relaxed. The part-owner of Wag N’ Wash (the pet supply and DIY washing station in Phoenix) and percussionist of the long-time local band Azz Izz has lived in the Orange Grove Heights…
LollyPOP Vintage in Phoenix opened its brand new doors this weekend after moving out of its home in Retro Ranch for a larger location, just down the street. “I wanted to expand and Retro Ranch didn’t have any more room,” owner Heather Powers explained. The new, larger store opened on…
Join local burlesque troupe, Scandalesque, in a weekend full of glitz, glamor and sexy dancing featuring legendary burlesque star, Catherine D’lish, known for her extravagant outfits and props as well as her other, ummm, amazing assets.Dita Von Teese might be burlesque’s best-known name, but according to Scandalesque star Pyra Sutra, …
Whether you were 5 or 25, you’ve probably been the victim of bushwhacked bangs. “Never, never, never cut your own bangs,” says local all-around stylist and makeup artist, Shauna Thibault, “but if you absolutely have to …” she offers a few suggestions for creating fabulous fringe. 1) Wet it down…
High Point Good style starts with shoes. For an assortment of funky sneakers that range from snazzy, colorful Nikes and Supras to retro classics like Vans and PF Flyers, and even a few hard-to-get brands unavailable elsewhere in town. And it’s not just shoes. High Point also carries T-shirts, hats,…
After the Butterfingers and Snickers are long gone, there sit the dregs of the Halloween pillowcase. Those undesirable confections that linger after all of the coveted candies have been eaten: Bit-O-Honey’s, candy corn and other generic sweets that lie at the bottom of the bag with the toothbrushes and pennies.Three…
Candy is dandy, liquor is quicker, so combining candy AND liquor must be a jovial jaunt to inebriation.If you’ve got a bowl full of Halloween candy and some alcohol in your cabinet, why not get creative and really trick-or-treat.Here are 5 ideas to get make some Candyland-style boozy magic.1. Candy-infused…
We are obsessed with pumpkin so much over here at Chow Bella that we thought it was time to take all the smack talk to task with a pumpkin showdown. All the blog contributors gathered ’round the table with their best pumpkin recipes to see whose dish gets the Great…
Halloween is one of my favorite holidays of the year. I love dressing up, carving pumpkins, and hiding rubber cockroaches in unexpected nooks in my house. What I don’t love: People who make a mockery out of the sanctity of the holiday. I’m generally a genial person, but come October…
