When it comes to Mariscos Altata on the city’s west side, your feelings about it likely will depend, for the most part, on what you think about noise. The place never quiets. Under a sky-painted ceiling, the modest room packed with family-size tables and booths acts as a kind of…

The culinary world lost one of its titans today when famed chef Charlie Trotter, whose eponymous Chicago restaurant was regarded as one of the country’s finest, was found dead in his apartment. Trotter was 54 years old. A self-taught chef, Trotter opened his Armitage Avenue restaurant, Charlie Trotter’s, in 1987…

After over two years at The Ritz-Carlton Phoenix, executive chef Stephen Toevs is moving on to warmer waters — so to speak. Toevs will continue with the property as an executive chef, but this time at The Ritz-Carlton Aruba, which is set to open on November 22. Who next to…

Another month checked off in the culinary datebook of 2013, another month when I look back on the best things I ate. From dishes like my new favorite macaron of the moment to sophisticated nachos and a tough-to-find street snack, here are 10 of the best things I ate this…

For fans of Barrio Cafe, chef Silvana Salcido Esparza’s home of modern Mexican eats, Saturdays just got a lot more lively. After 12 years, Esparza’s restaurant will open on Saturday afternoons — starting at 11 a.m. Saturday, November 2 — for brunch, happy hour, and live music. Here’s what to…

After six years, Cadillac Ranch, the little bit country, little bit rock ‘n’ roll bar and restaurant in the District at Tempe Marketplace, is shuttering this weekend. And as you might expect, the hangout for ASU students and general party hounds into Southwestern pub grub, endless drink specials, and entertainment…

After nearly two decades in central Scottsdale, Los Sombreros, chef-owner Azucena Tovar’s restaurant of well-crafted Mexican cuisine, is expanding. The new location, a remodeled space at 14795 North Northsight Boulevard (formerly Javinos restaurant) in North Scottsdale, will open at 11 a.m. Friday, November 1. Here’s what’s in store…

They may make gourmet food for a living, but that doesn’t mean chefs don’t have a sweet spot for Halloween candy. So what treats are Valley chefs planning to pass out for this Hallow’s Eve assemblage of ghosts and goblins? Whether they’re the same ones they enjoyed as kids or…

On the heels of opening North Scottsdale’s Renegade by MOD in May, ex-Kai chef Michael O’Dowd and partners Ed Leclere and Don Misheff of Vivid Lifestyle Concepts have opened their second restaurant — this one tucked into a golf club in Fountain Hills. Called Wicked Six Bar and Grill by…

Heads up, burger-and-beer hounds: Hopdoddy Burger Bar, the Austin-based counter-service eatery from the owners of Roaring Fork and Salty Sow, is opening its doors in Scottsdale tomorrow. Listed as one of 33 best burgers in the United States by men’s digital lifestyle brand Thrillist.com, Hopdoddy has two restaurants in Austin,…

It’s been a busy year for the owners of Pomo, the three-year-old, certified authentic Neapolitan pizzeria from executive chef Matteo Schiavone and partners Stefano Fabbri and Mark Proto. Since losing their restaurant’s home at The Borgata of Scottsdale shopping center early this year, the Italian trio not only made plans…

Stacy Phipps may have taken a few hits in his restaurant career, but the Phoenix barbecue man hasn’t been knocked out yet. After his second Scottsdale location of Stacy’s Smokehouse shuttered at the start of last year (after being open just six months and setting Phipps back about $120,000), Phipps…

Once you’ve wrapped your head around the fact that the luxury hotel and resort chain Four Seasons has its own food truck, you might want to get ready to eat. The Four Seasons Resort Scottsdale at Troon North and Scottsdale’s Food Truck Caravan are teaming up for two downtown Scottsdale…

Set those alarm clocks, breakfast biters. Snooze Eatery, the Colorado-based breakfast and brunch joint that’s had the Valley buzzing since the announcement of its first Arizona location in the Town & Country Shopping Center in May, has set a grand opening date. At 6:30 a.m. on Monday, November 25, Snooze…

Construction is coming to an end at the newest restaurant concept from popular grocery and pizza spot La Grande Orange in Arcadia. Once used for much-needed additional parking, the northwest corner lot of Campbell and 40th Street (across from LGO) now sports a cylindrical structure of gleaming metal and brick…

Talk to chef-owner Jordan Murray about his new food truck, Rock A Belly, and it isn’t hard to figure out what he’s passionate about. With a love of rockabilly (Murray’s a member of the Phoenix-based psychobilly band Stitch Hopeless and the Sea Legs), cooking, his Pittsburgh roots, and Arizona, Murray…

Have an image of a cozy Thai cafe? It probably looks a lot like Krua. The little eatery on the city’s north side is a pleasant space, small and tidy, with a handful of tables and booths frequently occupied by guests who tuck into bowls of steaming, fragrant curries, spicy…

When 30-year-old Brandon Bennett was deciding on the name for his food truck, he landed on the nickname his friends in Arizona called him when he moved to the Valley from Eugene, Oregon, in 1994: Yeti. “I was a tall, lanky hippie kid with an Afro,” he says. “I didn’t…

Grassroots Kitchen & Tap, the Scottsdale restaurant from fourth-generation restaurateur Christopher Collins (whose father is Wally Collins of Wally’s American Pub N’ Grille) is bringing its American standards with a Southern twist to a second location in Phoenix…

Krua, on the city’s north side, pretty much embodies the idea of a cozy Thai café. It’s a pleasant space, small and tidy, with a handful of tables and booths frequently occupied by guests who tuck into bowls of steaming, fragrant curries, spicy salads kissed with lemon, and stir-fried dishes…