Somehow there’s always some sort of edible entertainment when I eat at Hana — a flaming sugar cube, a whole fish getting carved up behind the counter, a bubbling bowl of noodles. Yesterday, lunch was a glowing trio of littleneck clams, set atop a small pile of flaming salt. As the…
The Arizona Matsuri means a lot of different things to a lot of different people. To the teens obsessed with anime and J-Pop, it’s a chance to dress up in Harajuku-style finery or Cosplay get-ups inspired by cartoon characters. Traditionalists bust out the kimono, yukata, or even reproduction samurai armor. Some…
Social media can help you make friends, get a job, keep up on the news, or find a deal at a local restaurant. It’s all fun and frivolous and quite addicting.But to illustrate just how much more epic its power can be, consider the story of Anu Dwivedi, who is…
Are you on the cutting edge of the local culinary scene? Running a food truck? Making a culinary documentary? Working on a fledgling urban farm? Come out to play, brainiacs.If you’re a Valley resident with talent in the culinary arts, New Times wants you. We’re seeking nominees for our second annual…
Local beer fanatics were psyched when Chandler-based San Tan Brewing Company started canning its brews last summer. Who wouldn’t want a taste of the microbrewery at the ready — and ice-cold — at home?Now, SanTan’s just kicked off retail sales of its new mixed 12-packs, featuring four of its six…
Last week, when I inquired about the imminent demise of Metro Brasserie at SouthBridge, Spring Creek Development VP Randy Brown scoffed at “more rumors” and denied that the French restaurant would be shutting its doors. And president Fred Unger did not respond to inquiries about the chefs I’d heard he’d…
How many ways can you dress up a hot dog? At The DawgFather Grill, a new CenPho spot that grew out of a food cart business, there are eight variations inspired by different regional specialties. There’s a Chicago Dawg on a poppy seed bun topped with relish, onion, tomato, pickle, peppers,…
Yeah, there happens to be a food holiday for every single day of the year, but some seem more legit than others. (National Turkey Neck Soup Day? WTF?!) National Margarita Day is one that seems actually worthy of celebrating, although whomever chose to make it in Februrary didn’t really capitalize on the possibilities…
It was big news the other day when chef Payton Curry — one of the Valley’s better known culinary rock stars, who even has groupies — announced his departure from Caffe Boa/Boa Bistro. It got a lot of people gabbing about how well Boa would fare in his wake. Can…
What’s up with all the contests lately? Last week, the big news was all the Arizonans on the semifinalist list for James Beard Awards. Also, Noca’s Chris Curtiss landed in Food + Wine’s chef popularity contest, which the public can vote on. Now, round three in the competition department: the Arizona…
Why did Simply Bread simply close its doors a little over a week ago, when business seemed so robust? Why are 87 people now suddenly out of a job? The official word is that the bakery’s Michigan-based bank is to blame. However, I’ve been talking to lots of local restaurant…
You’ll be forgiven if you thought that CityScape’s latest restaurant, The Arrogant Butcher, was already open to the public. The place has been booked with VIP parties for days. But, in fact, it officially opens its doors today. Whether people come out in droves to dine at Sam Fox’s new restaurant…
Just kidding about that headline. Eytan Zias, owner of Phoenix Knife House, is actually really low key when it comes to self-promotion — he hasn’t tweeted in months, doesn’t do email newsletters or press releases, and doesn’t use Facebook to constantly pimp his business, either. I suspect that’s because he’s too damn busy…
After nearly a year and a half as executive chef at Tempe’s Caffe Boa and Mesa’s Caffe Boa Bistro, chef Payton Curry is leaving to launch his own restaurant.”I want to do what Charleen Badman’s doing, and what Pavle (Milic) is doing, and what Justin Beckett is doing,” says Curry…
Award-winning pastry chef Christine D’Angeli has worked for The Ritz-Carlton, as well as for acclaimed chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten (at Hotel Icon in Houston, Texas), and she’s even starred in two episodes of Food Network Challenge. Now, she’s set up her pastry-making HQ — Slice Cake Designs — right smack in the middle of…
A slew of chefs have been nominated for the Southwest category of Food + Wine magazine’s new The People’s Best New Chef contest — ten in all, from Arizona, Colorado, Utah, and Texas — but there’s only one representing our great state: Chris Curtiss, executive chef of Noca. It’s not surprising…
Kitchen 56 has just opened its doors this week after a major overhaul. The interior was redone, new management and staff are on board (Brittani West, formerly of Metro Brasserie, is the GM), and new chef Jonathan Stonis (who previously worked for Fox Restaurant Concepts’ Olive & Ivy and Bloom)…
The highly anticipated semifinalist list for the annual James Beard Awards is out today, and some of the state’s best and brightest chefs and restaurateurs have made the cut. Nobuo Fukuda’s Nobuo at Teeter House has been nominated for Best New Restaurant. Two previous semifinalists have once again been included…
Pane Bianco, the Italian sandwich take-out shop owned by James Beard Award-winning pizzaiolo Chris Bianco, now serves a full dinner menu from 4 to 8 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday. “We wanted to expand the experience at Pane, with iconic dishes from my childhood,” Bianco says. The restaurant quietly started dishing…
Cambodian cuisine has been non-existent in the Valley, unless you’ve been lucky enough to sample it at one of Asian festivals. But not anymore. Sekong By Night is set to open at 1312 E. Indian School Rd. in the next day or two, pending a final health inspection, and will…
After working in Sunnyslope for the past three years, baker Brian Tieman has relocated his business, My Goodness Cakes, to the Bragg’s Pie Factory building (1301 Grand Ave) in the Grand Avenue Arts District. His website is full of examples of the kind of playful, pretty cakes he creates for weddings,…
Prado’s new chef de cuisine, Peter DeRuvo (formerly of Sassi), hasn’t wasted any time in the kitchen since he came on board. First up among the things he’s rolling out is a new tapas menu, available starting on Friday, February 25. Available in the restaurant’s lounge, Mbar, the tapas menu…
