This time of year is perfect to pull out the big guns for refreshing cocktails. You can keep your frozen Daiquiris and Margaritas, I’m reaching for Negronis right now. You might remember a few months ago when we discussed the classic Americano. Think of the Negroni as the advanced version…
The Guilty Pleasure: Anything deep-fried The Place to Get It: Pete’s Fish & Chips, eight locations valley wide The Cost: $4-7 What You’ll Really Pay: Around a thousand calories, and enough grams of fat to blow any diet. But it’s seafood, so it’s healthy, right? Sometimes I should know well…
This week, the mailbag fell open to reveal a message/question in a bottle: “Help! We stocked up on tequila for margarita season. Now we’re already tired of margaritas and still have lots of tequila, what should I do with it?” Simple: Send it to your favorite booze blogger. Oh, you…
Saturday is the Belmont Stakes, the final race of the Triple Crown series. Most years, the Belmont is ho-hum after two different horses win the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness. This year, it looked like we were in for an exciting race as Derby long shot I’ll Have Another had…
Odds are good that if you’re a gringo, you haven’t heard of Pizza Patrón. Don’t be too surprised. It caters primarily to Hispanic markets, with its metro Phoenix locations concentrated in South Phoenix, Maryvale, and central Mesa. Chorizo is an available topping and jalapeños are one of the most popular…
Las Vegas is my favorite vacation destination. It’s an easy jaunt, and I know I’ll have a great time, no matter my budget. When I head up there, I spend an awful lot of time at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas. The atmosphere there is different from the blasé mass…
If you’ve lived around here for more than a few years, you’re probably familiar with a little drink called the Jamaican Ten-Speed. Odds are good that your favorite bartender will whip up one for you in the blink of an eye. Then you go on vacation in the Caribbean. A…
Two weeks ago, a great deal of people put on extravagant hats, got together to watch a horse race, and proceeded to get inebriated on mint juleps. Since the second leg of the Triple Crown is tomorrow, it’s a good reason to throw another get-together in case you didn’t get…
A lot gets said about what liquors you need to start a good home bar. Our own Zachary Fowle got a good answer from an excellent local bartender. But there’s something else that’s often neglected: You need to have something to hold your drinks. Sure, you can use that motley…
Perchance I was a bit mean last week with the Americano. It really is a nice drink . . . once you get to know the thing. At work, it was easy to tell who’d experienced Campari’s unique astringent bitterness for the first time: Those people’s eyebrows did funny things…
When a new spot opens in town, we can’t wait to check it out — and let you know our initial impressions, share a few photos, and dish about some menu items. First Taste, as the name implies, is not a full-blown review, but instead a peek inside restaurants that…
Summer is upon the Phoenix area once again. Sure, the official start of summer is a couple of months away, but hearing people start every conversation with “Damn, it’s hot!” is our equivalent of the first robin of spring. It means different things to different people. For me, it means…
Last week, I covered a great drink that takes a little while to make properly, the Daiquiri. In so doing, I mentioned the other great drink that takes a long time to make well, the Ramos Gin Fizz… and then swept it under the rug. Sure enough, a commenter noticed…
I feel like I’m out of my mind writing a Budget Beat article about a place serving $9 sandwiches. But hear me out. This ain’t just any sandwich I’m talking about. These are some of the best sandwiches you’ll find, definitely worth the extra bucks. Second, the restaurant serving them…
A friend recently handed me the February 2012 issue of Esquire magazine. Sticking out the side was a Post-It with three huge question marks and an arrow pointing inside. The arrow pointed to the cover story, “Agree: Bill Clinton and 78 Other Things We Can All Agree On”. Specifically, it…
Why is it so hard to get a good Martini in this town? Hell, why is it so hard to find a good Martini anywhere? For such a simple drink, you’d think you could saunter into any bar short of a sleazy dive and get a Martini done right. The…
When a new spot opens in town, we can’t wait to check it out — and let you know our initial impressions, share a few photos, and dish about some menu items. First Taste, as the name implies, is not a full-blown review, but instead a peek inside restaurants that…
This week, I’ve had enough of watching people play horrible games of pool at the table where I work. I’m stepping out from behind the bar to show all of you how to play pool. Head on over to Jackalope Ranch for your lesson in how to play a game…
From my post behind the bar at Shady’s, I see quite a few things. Many of the drink-related things I see become posts on my weekly Chow Bella column “Last Call.” But a good bar is about more than just drinks, and that’s why I’m here on Jackalope Ranch this…
It’s that time again, time for the students at ASU to be on spring break, heading off to Puerto Peñasco or Lake Havasu or goodness knows where. And with spring break comes a time-honored tradition for college students everywhere: binge drinking. One of the most popular mixed drinks for copious…
Since I sling drinks for a living, I get to hear quite a bit about people planning soirées at their houses. These descriptions of upcoming cocktail parties always come with an implication that they are looking for feedback on how to better throw their party. So, since many of you…
You’ve seen gourmet food trucks all over town. Each one has its own different spin, giving a unique twist to casual street eats. For the most part, each better-known truck has its own specialty… except two of them. There is a pair of trucks prowling the Valley offering gourmet hot…
