Looks like Coup Des Tartes, the romantic French bistro in Phoenix, has turned what could have been the lamest landlord story of the year into one of new beginnings. In June, owner Ron Pacioni issued a press release stating the 17-year-old restaurant was being forced out of its former historic…
Joining the sizzling, patty-filled meat sea of burger chains in the Valley (see: In-N-Out Burger, Habit Burger, Smashburger, Culver’s, etc.), a new contender, Burger 21, has announced plans to throw its hamburger hat into the western U.S. ring with its first Arizona restaurant in Chandler. The fast-casual franchise, founded in…
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. Whether it’s a farmers market find, some local love at the grocery store, or a…
Chandler-ites who enjoy live music, comfort food, and craft beer might want to meet their new neighbors this week — interestingly enough, in the form of a bar and restaurant called Nabers. Celebrating with a grand opening at 11 a.m. this Friday, August 16, Nabers is located at 825 North…
Chef Aaron Chamberlin has brought in some extra firepower at St. Francis, his American restaurant (recently featured on Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives) in Central Phoenix. Chamberlin, who also owns Phoenix Public Market Café in downtown Phoenix, has hired chef Jay Bogsinke (District American Kitchen, La Grande Orange, Chelsea’s Kitchen, Zinc…
For eight years, notable farm-to-table chef Greg LaPrad made Quiessence at the Farm at South Mountain a destination restaurant with an ever-changing menu of sophisticated, rustic fare. But this June, LaPrad said goodbye to his South Phoenix home, leaving to open his own restaurant, Overland Trout, in Sonoita, Arizona. That…
After seven years, The Gelato Spot, the family-owned Italian frozen treat chain, has made the decision to shutter its location at Scottsdale Road and Shea Boulevard in Scottsdale. The remaining four locations continue to operate and currently are showcasing a rotating selection of signature flavors from 12 Valley chefs through…
In July, chef-owner David Antonelli announced he was giving Voltaire Restaurant, the 30-year-old fine-dining spot of classic French cuisine in North Scottsdale, a much-needed makeover. “January, February, and March are busy months for us, but we can’t survive on three months of activity,” Antonelli said in a heartfelt letter to…
McDuffy’s Grille, the Chandler sports bar with a long history in the Valley, has shuttered. Originally opened just off Tempe’s Mill Avenue in 1988, McDuffy’s, describing itself as “a great neighborhood sports grill where you can come watch any game you can think of” was known for its walls of…
Another Phoenix food truck has found a brick-and-mortar home. On the heels of Sit…Stay from Short Leash Hot Dogs and Mamma Toledo’s Pies, which opened a shared brick-and-mortar space at 110 East Roosevelt Street on Roosevelt Row in July, Pizza People, the mobile kitchen of artisan pies, has announced its…
Bootleggers in North Phoenix is a kind of barbecue pit gone the way of a gastropub. It’s a place where a half-pound of sliced brisket can be paired with a well-crafted Old Fashioned served up in a mason jar; cold-smoked chicken wings can be chased with gourmet jelly shots; and…
Given the handful of decent barbecue joints in the Valley, chasing the aroma of smoked meat is a little like finding relief during a Phoenix summer: There are moments of satisfaction, but for the most part, it’s a losing battle. So it is both surprising and fortuitous that a place…
Chef-owner Christopher Van Arsdale, the one-man show behind Scottsdale’s BYOB Café Monarch, has left the restaurant he started six years ago. Located at 6934 East First Avenue (First Avenue and Goldwater Boulevard), the 1200-square-foot restaurant, which Van Arsdale decorated himself, was known for its intimate setting and Mediterranean-inspired dishes, many…
Oh, brother. Amy and Samy Bouzaglo, the high-strung owners of Amy’s Baking Company and the couple behind the best/worst episode of Kitchen Nightmares ever are now hawking catchphrase T-shirts. Who asked for these? Did you? I’m pretty sure I didn’t…
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. America’s recession hit the restaurant industry hard, with elements such as reduced traffic, staff layoffs,…
After just eight months, Saladworks, the largest fresh-tossed salad franchise concept in America, has shuttered its only Arizona location. Located at 15768 North Frank Lloyd Wright Boulevard, the North Scottsdale Saladworks opened in December of last year. The over 25-year-old company, based in Conshohocken, Pennsylvania, currently operates 105 104 locations…
A new American restaurant heavy on the veggies is coming to Ahwatukee. Called Perfect Pear Bistro, the new spot comes courtesy of industry vet Chris Hove — who has managed and opened restaurants such as Ling & Louie’s, Pei Wei, and Buffalo Wild Wings — and his wife, Laura. Located…
Chef Jared Porter is going from artisan pizzas to noodles and dumplings with a twist. The executive chef of the Parlor, the gourmet pizzeria in Central Phoenix owned by father-and-son-team Dan and Aric Mei (the two also also own Nello’s in Ahwatukee), is leaving his home of four years on…
It’s been a little over seven months since chef Charleen Badman and Pavle Milic pulled up stakes at Stetson Drive and moved their restaurant, FnB, a few streets over to Craftsman Court. The Old Town Scottsdale storefront has been vacant ever since. But now it looks like its landlord, Peter…
When Arcadia’s Cave & Ives Portico Grill shuttered in April, it didn’t take long for a new project, called The Attic, to take the place of the two-year-old Mediterranean-inspired restaurant from owners and brothers Cary and Ivan Morrow (Sacks Art of Sandwicherie) — in fact, it took one day. That’s…
As of today, fans of European-style breads in Mesa have one fewer place to pick up a Norwegian rye or a rum raisin babka. On Wednesday, after eight years in business, Breadsmith of Mesa shuttered. Located in The Village at Las Sendas Shopping Center at Power and McDowell Roads, the…
After three-and-a-half years, chef Jeremy Pacheco is leaving Lon’s at the Hermosa, the luxury boutique resort in Paradise Valley. Responsible for bringing Lon’s into the farm-to-table movement, Pacheco made contacts with local farmers, cultivated the garden on the hotel grounds, and educated his culinary team on the importance of simple,…
