If Chick-fil-A, In-N-Out Burger, and T.G.I. Friday’s had a baby, its name would be Raising Cane’s. The chicken fingers chain, based in Louisiana, opened its first Arizona location on Tuesday, at 2715 West Peoria Avenue (1-17 & Peoria Ave.) With a concept called, “One Love” (Bob Marley?), the menu at…
Juicy barbecue, ice cold beer, and a good cause? This one’s a no-brainer, or, in the case of Bryan’s Black Mountain Barbecue in Cave Creek, a Beer for Brains fundraiser. At 6:30 p.m. on Monday, September 12, Bryan’s Black Mountain Barbecue will be pairing up ‘que and beer with proceeds…
Last week, Mark Dacascos (CALL ME!), who plays “the Chairman” on Food Network’s television series Iron Chef America, as well as Wo Fat, the recurring villain in the reboot of Hawaii Five-0 on CBS, did some laps in a pace car at the Phoenix International Raceway and then told a…
New Noca chef Matt Taylor, the 27-year-old who’s worked with four James Beard award winners and was previously at the Bellagio Resort & Casino in Las Vegas with celebrity chef Michael Mina, had his first dinner service on Sunday, heading up Noca’s Southern Simple Supper. “Matt [Taylor] brings a sense…
The Paisley Violin, the bohemian bistro of Mediterranean and Euro-style edibles has closed its current location on Grand Avenue and, according to its website, will re-open at a new location across the street in October (925 Grand Avenue.) Here’s hoping the new digs will be just as quirky and they…
Unlike a certain Valley sushi chain who gained national attention with a sad and tactless publicity stunt involving placing a “9-11 Remembrance Roll” on its menus, Lee’s Cream Liqueur and Sweet Republic, two artisanal ice cream shops in Scottsdale, are simply honoring first responders by giving them free ice cream…
In a case of one Valley legend aiding another, Christopher Gross, the James Beard Award-winning chef and owner of Christopher’s and Crush Lounge in Central Phoenix, is helping to overhaul the Wrigley Mansion, the 1930s-vintage manse that overlooks the area surrounding the Arizona Biltmore. “We’re going through everything top to…
Bacchus Wine Made Simple, the locally owned wine store and bar at Kierland Commons specializing in small boutique wines from around the world, is closing its doors on Friday, September 30, after ten years in the business. “We say this with a heavy heart as we must close our doors…
It started innocently enough. Last week, St. Francis, the stunningly cool bastion of contemporary American cuisine in Central Phoenix, posted a lunch menu for kids on their Facebook page and ended up with a discussion — pro and con — about children in restaurants. We go there to escape, relax…not a Chucky [sic] Cheese…
Hey, that’s not burnt popcorn I smell — it’s a trend! On the heels of the AMC Esplanade 14 Dine-In Theater opening on Wednesday, September 7, in Central Phoenix, comes the announcement that Studio Movie Grill (SMG), pioneer of the first-run, in-theatre dining concept, is coming to Scottsdale in early…
Celebrity chef Bobby Flay, best known for his colorful personality, his interpretation of Southwestern food, his television shows, his two New York restaurants and, most famously, jumping up and down on a cutting table on Iron Chef, is coming to Scottsdale. Flay, who recently made a cameo on HBO’s Entourage,…
They’re baaaaaaack! FnB, the Scottsdale eatery of eclectic American comfort food courtesy of front-of-the-house pro Pavle Milic and chef Charleen Badman, is back from summer break and will be open for business tomorrow — Wednesday, September 7 — with a new menu to share. Think manti, hand-pulled mozzarella, and grilled corn…
Heaven knows we get enough crap sent to us via e-mail (did we really sign up for fingernail tattoos?), making enlisting in any new adventures a cautious exercise akin to Seinfeld “sponge-worthiness.” Lucky for us, Foodiacs, a free, email-based service tailored specifically for folks interested in food-related products and events,…
Last year we marked the hundred day countdown to Best of Phoenix by sharing our 100 Favorite Dishes with you. Now we’re back – with the 2011 edition. Have a suggestion for a dish you’d like us to try? Leave it in the comments section or email laura.hahnefeld@newtimes.com. 20: Osaka…
Yvonne Darnell of Burgess Hill, West Sussex, pulled a baby carrot out of her garden she said looked like, well, a baby. “I couldn’t believe it,” Darnell said. “It’s so funny. I saw it and thought, ‘It looks like an alien baby’.” According to the Argus, Darnell has named the…
On Tuesday, Oaxaca Restaurant and Cantina, the downtown Phoenix eatery and 30-year-plus landmark near the state Capitol, closed amid a hubbub of activity involving the police and an ominous sign on door stating “closed for plumbing repairs.” “The police aren’t usually involved in these situations,” said Edmundo Hidalgo, President and CEO…
Last year we marked the hundred day countdown to Best of Phoenix by sharing our 100 Favorite Dishes with you. Now we’re back – with the 2011 edition. Have a suggestion for a dish you’d like us to try? Leave it in the comments section or email laura.hahnefeld@newtimes.com. 21: Champs…
If you’ve taken a peek outside lately, you know that summer is showing zero signs of going away anytime soon. (Sigh.) Swelter not, fans of fall. To get us through the last big push of the season, Joe’s Farm Grill, the converted farm home turned eatery in Gilbert, will be…
Grandiose décor, beautiful-people servers rattling off flavor-of-the-day food themes, a big-name chef, the environmental sustainability of the chair your ass is currently occupying — it’s all about concepts these days. How about this for a concept: no concept. Flickering candlelight, the perfume of baking bread, the laughs of good friends,…
The respiratory system of the food world experienced a shortness of breath today when Marianne Belardi of Cowboy Ciao announced she was leaving after fifteen years. If there were various hats to be worn at Cowboy Ciao, Belardi, a Long Island native, wore most all of them, and stylishly. The…
Rum the presses! It seems Tommy Bahama, the island-inspired brand of clothing, home furnishings, restaurants, and its own brand of rum, has been scouring the country looking for their first “rumologist” (a person with a vast knowledge of all things related to rum), and have narrowed their selection to twenty…
Last year we marked the hundred day countdown to Best of Phoenix by sharing our 100 Favorite Dishes with you. Now we’re back – with the 2011 edition. Have a suggestion for a dish you’d like us to try? Leave it in the comments section or email laura.hahnefeld@newtimes.com. 22: Gyro…
