Erasmus “Razz” Kamnitzer is self-proclaimed “old school” when it comes to cooking.
“Everything came naturally to me; I grew up in the business,” Razz says of his time in culinary school. “Things that you don’t normally see, they were common things to me. I was fortunate enough to travel a lot, to taste and see everything.”
Asian fast food you can feel good about? Check out Loving Hut’s new CenPho location, dishing up vegan wontons, stir-fries and soups without the Omnivore’s Dilemma guilt – aside from the guilt-tripping “Be Veg. Go Green. Save the Planet!” mantra plastered everywhere: the sign, logo, menu, wall art, you get the idea.
Growing up in a family of seven generations of chefs, Erasmus “Razz” Kamnitzer of Razz’s Restaurant & Bar felt the pressure to go into the family business and went running in the other direction instead.
Spicy, sweet and floral. No, it’s not the latest fragrance release; it’s the Chiles and Chocolate Festival coming to the Desert Botanical Garden 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Nov. 12-14, promising samples of “zesty salsas” and “indulgent gourmet chocolates” as well as moles and other concoctions that combine the two.
Given last week’s frozen yogurt obsession and this week’s climbing temperatures, we decided it was time to indulge a little. Okay, a lot.
Can you guess where we got our FroYo fix this Friday?
Forest Hamrick, the chef de cuisine at La Hacienda, has a thing about tacos: keep it simple. “As long as you have the flavors that just kind of explode, the simpler the better,” Hamrick says. “The more stuff you pile into it, it really takes away and you don’t really know what you’re eating.”
Today, he shares his simple but delicious recipe for tacos de langosta, but make sure to get quality ingredients so the taste pops.
Who says your antioxidants have to come from prunes or even a glass of red wine? The Berry Oxy Martini at The Compound Grill packs its punch with pomegranate and – Oprah’s favorite – açaí berries. And did we mention the vodka that makes this taste like the wild cherry hard candies of childhood?
Chef Forest Hamrick, a nursing school dropout, abandoned the sickly when he was tired of school and has been feeding the healthy flavorful modern Mexican at La Hacienda for five years (well, seven, minus the two-year hiatus).
If you haven’t checked out Donna’s Bakery & Café in Tempe yet, you might have managed to stave off a few pounds in ethnic baked confections but you’re really missing out. This is the motherload of reasonably priced baked goods drawing influence from Asia, Europe, and America and made from scratch in the back kitchen. Not to mention the delicious breakfast and lunch menu where you can get your main course, a side, a drink AND dessert for less than $10.
Chef Forest Hamrick grew up 20 miles from the Mexican border surrounded by Mexican food and people who loved eating it – the perfect recipe for La Hacienda’s Chef de Cuisine.
Chef Jerry Alday of Nello’s Pizza & Italian Restaurant shares the recipes for his light yet savory Garlic Shrimp with Gremolata Butter – straight off Nello’s menu.
The more than 20-year-old Scottsdale hot spot AZ 88 serves up martinis just like we like them: ice cold and nearly overflowing. The Saint Germain is citrusy, light, and dangerous, given that noting but booze goes in the mix.
Sixteen baristas will compete head-to-head in a bracket-style Latte Art Throwdown at the J.W. Marriot Sept. 4 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. as part of Phoenix Cooks. They’ll be freehand pouring lattes with rosettas, tulips, hearts swans and maybe even a phoenix to compete for the bragging rights of best latte artist in the Valley.
From a “glorified latte slinger” at a Starbucks drive-thru to barista to manager to the director of education and training at Cartel Coffee Lab, Jen Macias knows her way around a cup of joe. Today she shows us step-by-step how to make your latte not only look pretty sweet but also taste really damn good too.
Jerry Alday, the chef at Nello’s pizza, has a thing for farmers’ markets and fresh, local produce. “It’s really nice to see that surge of farm to table, local first, really getting back to the core of food,” Alday says. “I think food has taken a different direction. And I think a lot of these convenient fast food restaurants are slow to be a dying breed.”
Today, Alday spills his secret to the perfect pizza crust, his most embarrassing kitchen moment, and his habit of talking to vegetables.
Want to remove unsightly facial hair or tame those wild brows? Threading is quite possible the least painful, least irritating hair removal technique… if you get a threader who knows what they’re doing.
Chef Jerry Alday of Nello’s Pizza sees himself not as just a chef but an artist who’s latest medium is food. “I actually wanted to be a rock star,” Alday says, “A guitar player. Of course, everyone wanted to be Eddie Van Halen or Jimmy Gage from Zeppelin! But that didn’t happen.”
InPockets, a contemporary café/bakery in downtown Chandler, juggles breakfast, lunch and brides-to-be. A cupcake tower and multi-tier cakes dominant the display window, so if you’re suffering from wedding fatigue, you may want to look elsewhere for your cheap lunch. On the other hand, if wedding bells are in your future, make sure to swing by for a bite to eat before tasting cakes from pink champagne to red velvet.
Dine Out with the Chefs returns to the Scottsdale Center of Performing Arts for its fifth season, bringing some of the Valley’s best chefs together to assemble a small bite and small talk extravaganza. Score some face time with the chefs from more than 20 local restaurants 4:30 to 6 p.m. Oct. 3.
A food journey through Japan for less than $20 without leaving the Valley? Count us in. Eatrip, a documentary about the connections between food and people in Japan, is coming to Scottsdale’s Chef Loft Sept. 29 for two screenings with a reception between.
Betty Alatorre, the Betty of Paletas Betty now open in Chandler, shares her Mexican popsicle making secrets and divulges the recipe for her sweet yet spicy Mango con Chile Paletas.
Whipped Cream Pie is on tap at Yucca Tap Room, so pull up a stool at the wood wraparound bar, forget about the run-of-the-mill beers and bourbons and cokes, and order one. This liquid dessert tastes like a boozey cross between coconut milk and homemade French vanilla ice cream topped off with an appropriately alcoholic whipped cream and a cherry.
