Remember when salt first started upstaging sugar during dessert, to the shock of mainstream diners everywhere? (Sea salt on chocolate chip cookies? Shut the front door!) These days you’d be hard pressed to find a hip restaurant that doesn’t give salt top billing on at least one post-dinner dish; what…
There must be something in the air this month because in just the last few weeks we’ve had to say goodbye to quite a few classic Valley restaurants. The most recent casualty: La Fontanella, the more than three decades-old Italian restaurant that served solid, old-school Tuscan cuisine in the Arcadia…
Get excited, beer and cocktail lovers, because O.H.S.O. owner Jon Lane is getting ready to open a second location in Scottsdale within the next few months. Lane says the second O.H.S.O. will be at 15681 North Hayden Road in Scottsdale, inside a shopping center located south of Frank Lloyd Wright…
Eggs have been a rising trend in restaurants for the last few years, and we can’t expect them to be pulled off menus, well, ever. And for good reason! Not only are they incredibly versatile, but this essential ingredient is every bit as super as kale or salmon. If you’re…
One of Phoenix’s newest breweries is gaining a lot of buzz with its craft brews after RateBeer.com, which is known as the preeminent craft beer ranking site, made it number one in its list of the world’s top new breweries. Arizona Wilderness Brewing Co. in Gilbert has only been open…
Prom sucks. There’s a lot that can go wrong from wardrobe malfunctions to being stuck dateless, but perhaps a fate even worse than going stag is being given a fried chicken corsage by your date. For some reason, KFC thought anyone would be interested in wearing fried chicken on their…
For four years The House at Secret Garden has been a destination for romantic patio dining, a go-to spot to impress out-of-towners with the restaurant’s uniquely Arizonan cuisine. Unfortunately as of Saturday, April 12 that is no longer the case…
It’s midnight on a Tuesday. You have promised to bake up your amazing chocolate cupcakes for the office tomorrow. After ripping apart your refrigerator for the fifth time, you realize that dozen eggs you thought you had is only two eggs. Now what? This happens to me more often than…
The weeklong Scottsdale Culinary Fest came to an extravagant end last night at the annual Best of the Fest dinner held at the Scottsdale Hyatt Regency. The event brought out eight of the Valley’s top chefs who each prepared a coursed dinner for two tables of guests. It’s a sort…
There are two major judging competitions for beer. One, the Great American Beer Festival, is held yearly in Denver. It’s the largest and most competitive tasting in the country — but entrants have to be from this country. Winners of a GABF gold medal are deemed the best examples of…
I wake up every morning around 7 a.m., albeit begrudgingly. Sometimes I hit the snooze until 7:30, but eventually I pry myself out of bed and get ready. Everything’s hazy and grey until I pop into Cartel downtown on my way to work to get my morning cold brew. Everyone…
This week starts with some sad news for fans of chef David Antonelli and his Scottsdale restaurant The Brooklyn Cafe. According to an announcement on the restaurant’s Facebook page, Antonelli has sold the business. The bright side is you still have a chance to get one last meal in since…
You submitted nominations for awards given to the Valley’s emerging creatives, and the results are in. Introducing our 2014 Big Brain finalists. Leading up to the Big Brain Award announcement and Artopia on April 25, Jackalope Ranch and Chow Bella will introduce the finalists. Up today: Arizona Wilderness Brewing Co…
March Madness might be over, but Chow Bella’s Ultimate Battle of the Ramen is just heating up. We pitted two first round winners against each other to see who will proceed to the finals. In this crosstown match, Hana Japanese Eatery takes on Republic Ramen…
Eddie’s House Monday, April 14 Passover begins at sunset today and that means it’s time for Seder. But don’t worry if you didn’t make plans for the festive feast because Eddie’s House in Scottsdale has got you covered. The restaurant will be serving a Passover feast that includes four courses…
Vegans, vegetarians, and other meat-averse folk now have their very own protein option at Chipotle restaurants in Arizona. Rather than making a hodgepodge of beans, guac, fajitas veggies, and corn (which actually doesn’t sound that bad), vegans can opt for the new Sofritas, a chile pepper-braised tofu, in tacos, burritos,…
“Joyride” is a curious name for a restaurant, given that it is defined as “a fast and dangerous ride, especially one in a stolen vehicle.” And when you account for the fact that Joyride Taco House is the latest venture from Upward Projects, the team behind Postino, Federal Pizza, Windsor,…
The Scottsdale Culinary Festival’s Eat, Drink, and Be Pretty fête is arguably more about seeing and being seen than it is about eating — Be Pretty, Drink, and Eat might be a more apropos name. It’s the sort of event that doesn’t favor any foods too messy or cumbersome; if…
America’s favorite restaurant owners Amy and Samy Bouzalgo of Amy’s Baking Company in Scottsdale will once again face off with Gordon Ramsay on tonight’s season six premiere of Kitchen Nightmares. The two-hour episode will air from 7 to 9 p.m. ET/PT on Fox, featuring “never-before-seen footage” and “an exclusive interview…
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You know those cows from the Chick-fil-a commercials, the ones that want you to eat more chicken? This was so not their scene. Picture 13 of the best burgers in Phoenix, all gathered at Scottsdale Stadium for a gladiator-style showdown, and you’ve got Scottsdale Culinary Festival’s annual Burger Battle…
Later this month Citizen Public House chef Bernie Kantak will welcome one of the true pioneers of the Valley food scene when chef Gregory Casale comes to the restaurant for a cocktail-paired dinner. In the early 90s Casale was one of the best chefs in town, turning out imaginative cuisine…
