In what may be the Valley’s most anticipated new restaurant, The Clever Koi, a modern Asian food and drink establishment, has announced a tentative opening date of Tuesday, November 19. From former Parlor Pizzeria chefs Jared Porter and Joseph Absolor, along with co-owners Joshua James (beverage director) and Nicholas Campisano…

Since Coconut’s Fish Cafe opened in Maui in April 2009, it’s been featured on CNN.com’s list of “Top 10 Places to Eat Like a Local” as well as the restaurant review website Zagat for having “the perfect fish taco.” This April, the healthy “island style” fast-casual eatery made its first…

Scramble, the four-year-old fast casual breakfast spot in Sunnyslope, is expanding to Scottsdale. And although the cheery theme, size, and breakfast and lunch menu of familiar American dishes will remain pretty much the same as the original, the Scottsdale Scramble will offer something the Sunnyslope spot doesn’t: a.m. cocktails…

In February, when most of us were still reeling over a giant-ass meteor in Russia, the lights going out at Super Bowl XLVII, and the awfulness of Seth MacFarlane hosting the Oscars, restaurateur Sam Fox threw another bombshell into the mix: a “life-changing food experience.” The promise came in 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…

Cornish Pasty Co. founder and Cornwall, England, native Dean Thomas is plotting to taking over the world — with pasties. Not really. But you might think so. After opening his first establishment of the hearty hand-held turnovers (pronounced PASS-tees) in Tempe in 2005 and then in Mesa in 2008, Thomas…

The Blind Pig in South Scottsdale is the new venture of restaurateurs Bob and Sally Ann Molinari (Uncle Sal’s Italian Eatery, the Side Door bar and restaurant) and Bret Pont, owner of Hobe Meats, a butcher shop in business for more than 50 years in Phoenix. Whether The Blind Pig’s…

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. It could be said that no meal makes us feel more sociable, cheery, and worry-free…

Is The Blind Pig in Scottsdale a butcher shop with a restaurant or a restaurant with a butcher shop? In either instance, it’s all about the meat. Consider its centerpiece: a gleaming glass case stretching from one wall to the other and full of freshly butchered offerings. On one side,…

On the heels of opening its first West Valley location in Glendale last week (6738 West Bell Road), Oregano’s Pizza Bistro, the local pizzeria chain headed up by CEO Mark Russell, has announced plans to open a new location in Cave Creek. “We’ve found a really cool, and truly old,…

When notable farm-to-table chef Greg LaPrad left Quiessence at the Farm at South Mountain to open his own restaurant, Overland Trout in Sonoita, owner Pat Christofolo (who also owns Morning Glory Cafe and The House at Secret Garden) filled the high-profile position with her chef-son, 32-year-old Dustin Christofolo of The…

Last week, the Valley food universe nearly cracked its cosmos when Valley pizza legend Chris Bianco was spotted in the kitchen at Pizzeria Bianco in the Town & Country Shopping Center. Turns out the James Beard Award winner and Arizona’s most famous pizzaiolo is indeed back and doing what he…

Recently, restaurants such as Postino East, So Cal Fish Taco Company, and Joyride Taco House have put down stakes in Gilbert, home to restaurateur Joe Johnston’s trio of dining spots (Joe’s Real BBQ, Liberty Market, and Joe’s Farm Grill) for around 15 years. Now, two more are doing the same…

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…

Halo-Halo Kitchen, the Filipino restaurant on the city’s west side, is not only a place to eat, it’s also a place to party. On one side, there is the eatery, a bright white room of Filipino baked goods and groceries and a turo-turo, or a cafeteria-style “point-point” setup of meats…

When the restaurant gods shutter a Monk, they open a Bootlegger. At least that’s the case with Praying Monk, restaurateur and chef Aaron May’s stylish American beer cafe in Old Town Scottsdale opened in May of last year. Shuttered last night, Praying Monk, located at 7217 East First Street, will…

When chef Jared Porter left The Parlor in September to start his own venture called Clever Koi — a modern noodle and dumpling house in Central Phoenix planned to open this fall — the Central Phoenix pizzeria owned by father-and-son-team Dan and Aric Mei (the two also also own Nello’s…

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. Think chefs don’t rely on a little help from the neighborhood supermarket to kick up…

Halo-Halo Kitchen is like a mullet gone the way of the Philippines: Filipino food business in the front, Filipino karaoke party in the back. Tables spread throughout the West Phoenix restaurant’s two decidedly distinct rooms allow for guests to decide which portion of the hairstyle, er, Halo-Halo they most associate…

Got a hankerin’ for South African biscotti, a Cuban sandwich, or an Estonian roosamanna? You’ll want to check out Alo Cafe, the globally inspired breakfast and lunch spot in downtown Scottsdale. Courtesy of husband-and-wife team Hilja and Steve Martinez, who have roots in Estonia, Alo Cafe, named after Estonian composer…