The people at Lonely Planet have figured out that I love travel, or that I love books, or that I like giving away free stuff on my blog from time to time. Whatever the reason, I have copies of the new Lonely Planet Encounter series — groovy mini-guide books with…

Four Peaks’ latest seasonal beer, the Winter Wobbler, has only been on draft since last week, and already the supply’s down to about 200 gallons. “We say it’s ‘On and gone,'” says owner Andy Ingram. The Winter Wobbler changes every year. Last year’s was a licorice-flavored stout, while the 2007…

Can you believe I wrote my college admissions essay about how coffee was going to take over the world? Me neither. But somehow it worked. Not only did I get into the university of my choice, my prediction came true — sort of, at least. In 1992, I was a…

Just in time for a holiday toast, there’s a new, er, old bar that just debuted down on Grand Avenue. It’s Chez Nous Cocktail Lounge, avec une nouvelle maison. The funky, old-school local favorite lost its longtime digs (sniff, sniff) to new development at 7th Ave and Indian School, but…

My latest solution to turning a shitty day into a semi-good one: Soup. Okay, it wasn’t really a completely shitty day — for the most part, it was pretty productive. But this afternoon I talked to my Dad and got some very depressing news. Super-sad-but-goddamn-I-gotta-be-optimistic news. I thought I’d run…

They got me by the title of this one: I Like Food, Food Tastes Good: In the Kitchen With Your Favorite Bands. (Remember that old Descendents song that they named this after? I haven’t heard it since the cassette player days. Ahh, nostalgia.) Anyway, it’s a fun concept and an…

Pamela Hamilton from Edible Phoenix magazine just dropped me a line to invite Chow Bella readers to nominate their favorite culinary and agricultural personalities for this year’s Local Heroes awards. Here are the five categories: Farmer/Rancher/Forager (2006 winner, Bob McClendon); Restaurant/Chef (2006 winner, Chrysa Kaufman of Rancho Pinot); Food Artisan…

I was surprised to hear our brown-eyed, soft-spoken waiter raise his voice, sounding highly annoyed. “Hey, we could open the window and let it go out,” he said sternly to the man across the room, who was busy thrashing at an unwelcome bee that had happened to buzz through the…

As if Daniel Wayne doesn’t work hard enough cooking up a storm in the kitchen of his restaurant, Lola Tapas, now he says he’s going to be working the espresso machine there every morning, too. Tentatively starting Monday, December 17, Lola Tapas will be open as Lola Coffeebar from 7…

This morning, I chatted with Erenia Pool about the latest news at Matt’s Big Breakfast: the Food Network’s profiling them, too! (See my post from last week about Joe’s Farm Grill.) I couldn’t wish the attention on sweeter people. Guy Fieri and the crew from Diners, Drive-ins and Dives filmed…

Word’s out that Taggia restaurant is no more, and chef Claudio Urciuoli is splitsville. Is anybody really surprised? It seems like the guy never really got a chance to show Scottsdale his true vision. Indeed, the preview menu that I blogged about, way back when, was already watered down by…

After leaving its longtime home on McDowell, Willow House has reopened in a new location, at 1722 W. Van Buren. And since it happens to be First Friday, too, tonight’s a good time for a “Grand Reopening Party.” From 7 to midnight, tonight, there will be free performances from World…

“When they call, you make time,” says Joe Johnston, owner of Joe’s Farm Grill in Gilbert, of his recent contact with the Food Network. A production crew from the show “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives” will be onsite tomorrow to start shooting for an episode that will air in late February…

My morning ritual started the same as always. I went to the break room to get a cup of tea, came back to my desk, fired up the computer, and picked up the phone to check my voicemail. One by one, I listened to rambling messages from publicists who’d called…

After extensively renovating the space that formerly housed Panino on Central, Myrah and Joe Aiello opened Aiello’s, a new Italian restaurant, a little over a week ago. The couple owned an eatery called Mimi’s Macaroni, on Manhattan’s Upper West Side, for the better part of the 1990s, and ran a…

Oh, admit it — you were expecting some foodie bloopers resulting from two soon-to-open upscale Japanese restaurants whose names were uncannily similar. I know I was. No offense to either Roka or Sushi Roku, but those names were a little too close for comfort. Now the pressure’s off, since Roka…

So the big adventure of the weekend, aside from getting a long-overdue Lola Tapas fix (I loved the two specials, a melt-in-your-mouth braised pork dish, plus velvety mocha flan), was my visit to the brand-new Whole Foods at the 101 and Ray Road. One of my favorite local restaurateurs raved…

Scottsdale can’t have all the fun. Sometimes it feels as though that city has a monopoly on dining hotspots, from the action around the canal, to the stuff around Shea, to the northern outposts at DC Ranch. But while Scottsdale Road might be a main artery for the metro Phoenix…

Talk about a fresh start. The Four Seasons Scottsdale at Troon North will usher in 2008 with a whole new look — and a whole new restaurant. Renovations have been ongoing at the resort since July. A few months back, I’d gotten word from Kim Cole, the Four Seasons’ director…

I spent Thanksgiving Eve giving thanks to the beer gods for sending me a bottle of an incredibly elusive, expensive beer that I never thought I’d get a chance to taste in my lifetime. It’s called Sam Adams Utopias, and among beer geeks, it’s got a sort of holy grail…

I love the Food Network as much as anybody, but it’s nice to know that this weekend, there’s another entertainment option beyond the TV: the movie theater. Starting tonight, Harkins Valley Art will be screening the new documentary, How to Cook Your Life, featuring San Francisco-based Zen teacher/cookbook author/restaurant founder…