Welcome to Chow Bella’s Bites & Dishes, where Valley chefs and restaurateurs respond to a question New Times food critic Laura Hahnefeld has on her mind. Have a question you’d like to ask? E-mail laura.hahnefeld@newtimes.com. Last month, Squid Ink, the food blog of our sister paper LA Weekly, pondered the…
All over the country, healthy eating is on the rise. And in the realm of fast-casual dining, that means replacing the iceberg lettuce and “lite” mayonnaise with roasted vegetables and well-seasoned sauces served up fast, fresh, and with a nod to all kinds of diets — from vegan to gluten-free…
Mambo’s, the family-owned restaurant serving traditional comida dominicana in Queen Creek, has shuttered. Courtesy of former New Yorker Eddie Taveras and his family, Mambo’s, which opened under a year ago, brought the food and flavors of the Dominican Republic to a former pizza joint in Queen Creek. “We wanted to…
In just a handful of days, Arizona Restaurant Week, the twice-a-year event put on by the Arizona Restaurant Association, will be in full swing. And this year, the nine-day fall celebration, which runs from Saturday, September 21, to Sunday, September 29, is expected to include over 150 restaurants offering discounted…
Described as the “fifth and final piece to Craig DeMarco and Lauren Bailey’s nucleus of restaurants,” a second location of Joyride Taco House will join Postino Central, Windsor, Churn, and Federal Pizza on Central Avenue in Central Phoenix this December. DeMarco and Bailey, the Upward Projects restaurateurs who opened 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…
Heads up, Gilbert doughnut hounds: There’s a new spot in town to get your fix of fried dough. Courtesy of a Californian with a few doughnut stores under his belt, Good Donuts, his first in Arizona, opened in a strip mall at 865 North Gilbert Road (Gilbert and Guadalupe Roads)…
In February, the restaurant gods smiled upon Arizona by gracing Scottsdale with its first Portillo’s, the Illinois restaurant chain beloved by Chicago transplants throughout the Valley who craved its Chicago-style hot dogs, Italian beef, hamburgers, and cake shakes. So eagerly awaited was its arrival by fans old and new, in…
A man with a passion, a woman with a generous heart, an episode of Unsolved Mysteries . . . anyone up for a love story of the culinary kind? You’ll find it at Asi es la Vida, the Spanish phrase for “such is life.” The 20-year-old Mexican restaurant in East…
Central Phoenicians seeking a morning pick-me-up or an evening wind-down — and with a nod to helping those in need — may want to check out The Refuge, a new coffee shop and wine bar opening in the Melrose Boutique District in mid- to late-September. Located in the former Melrose…
Rock-N-Roll Fingers, the Valley’s only locally owned spot specializing in chicken fingers of the fresh-not-frozen kind, has shuttered. Located in Tempe, at the southeast corner of Broadway and Rural Roads, Rock-N-Roll Fingers opened in January of 2005 courtesy of husband-and-wife team Amy and Adrian Moghina…
Welcome to Chow Bella’s Bites & Dishes, where Valley chefs and restaurateurs respond to a question New Times food critic Laura Hahnefeld has on her mind. Have a question you’d like to ask? E-mail laura.hahnefeld@newtimes.com. The Gladly, the new American restaurant from Chef Bernie Kantak, Andrew Fritz, and mixologist Richie…
You may not have heard of restaurateurs and sisters Hue and Lan Tran, but chances are you’re probably familiar with their restaurants: Rice Paper, the modern Vietnamese restaurant in Phoenix opened in 2011; Saigon Kitchen, their family’s two-year-old traditional Vietnamese eatery in Surprise; and Bonjour Vietnam, the duo’s French-Vietnamese spot…
Así es la Vida is as much an ongoing love story as it is a charming spot for a gratifying culinary journey through the regions of Mexico. And like any good romantic yarn, Así es la Vida’s starts with a twist of fate. Once upon a time, in the mid-1970s…
Jeff Kraus is at it again. The artistically minded chef of Crêpe Bar — his breakfast and lunch spot in Tempe (opened July 2012) featuring seasonally inspired and thoughtful creations of crepes, baked goods, and small plates, as well as outstanding specialty coffees — is planning on opening a new…
While most of us spent the Labor Day weekend relaxing, Bashas’, the Arizona-owned grocery store chain with more than 130 locations in Arizona, California, and New Mexico, was doing some serious explaining. The company, which also operates AJ’s Fine Foods and Food City, has admitted to mislabeling meat and overcharging…
Summer may be taking its sweet time saying good-bye, but the good eats served up on this critic’s plate for the month of August seem all but a blur. From dishes like heady asparagus at one of my favorite new restaurants, to food truck pho, to a handful of a.m…
After a little over three months, the Sheraton Phoenix Downtown Hotel has found a replacement for Michael O’Dowd, its former executive chef. O’Dowd started with the hotel in October 2012 after leaving the acclaimed restaurant Kai, a sister property, following a 10-year run there, and he now owns Vivid Lifestyle…
Today, organizers say fast-food workers in Phoenix are expected to walk off their jobs in what’s expected to be the largest-ever strike to hit the $200 billion industry, spanning 50 cities and every region of the continental United States…
Dottie’s True Blue Cafe in Scottsdale, the second location of the famous 20-year-old diner in San Francisco from chef-owner Kurt Abney, has shuttered. Opened in February of last year by Abney’s brother, Brent, at 4151 North Marshall Way (in the former home of Bada Boom Pasta Room), the Scottsdale Dottie’s,…
When Starbucks, the Earth’s largest chain of coffee houses, decided a good place to plop its newest store (one of 20,891 locations in 62 countries) was right next to Urban Beans, the Midtown java shop owned by Virginia Senior (who also owns its wine bar, Tertio), state Senator Katie Hobbs…
On the heels of last week’s opening of Huss Brewing Co., the Tempe brewery from husband-and-wife-team Jeff and Leah Huss, comes a second East Valley brewing establishment ready to kick up the craft when it comes to local ales. From 11 a.m. until midnight Monday, September 2, Arizona Wilderness Brewing…
