Artisanal Spirit and Cocktail Market Today Don’t get us wrong, we love regular farmers markets, too. But when we have the chance to hit up a market full of artisan spirits and other cocktail-related products, you can bet a bottle of 30-year-old scotch we’re going to go. The Artisan Spirit…
It’s been just a few months since Lylah and Michael Ledner’s The Simple Farm was named a finalist in the 2014 Good Food Awards for their salted goat milk caramels. And now they’re bringing them to Anthropologie in Scottsdale Fashion Square for a pop-up event featuring a handful of local…
No, that headline is not a euphemism. If you’re fed up with your wine going bad because you overestimated the amount of wine you needed (does that ever happen?) or sick and tired of wine stoppers forcing you to cram your bottle into the fridge in haphazard ways, Wine Condoms…
The Arcadia neighborhood somehow has become the burger capital of metro Phoenix. I can’t think of another part of town that has a higher concentration of chichi burger joints. Indeed, it seems burger-centric restaurants outnumber all the other places combined. And so when The Stand first took over the space…
I do love a cocktail that involves showmanship. And few cocktails have quite the flair of this week’s Last Call, the Flame of Love martini. With a name like that, how could I resist making one for Valentine’s Day? The Flame of Love was created in 1970 for none other…
If we ever moved from the Southwest, fresh, handmade tortillas surely would leave a hole in our hearts. Luckily, we’re Phoenicians, so we’re spoiled by vendors like Lula’s Tortillas, who use years of tortilla-making expertise to bring delicious tortillas to local farmers markets. Though the tortillas currently are available only…
Since opening in December, The Clever Koi has quickly become a favorite spot for inventive modern Asian cuisine. We’ve rated the happy hour, given our first impressions, and reviewed the whole menu. And just this week, the restaurant introduced a lunch menu to the mix, with affordable — if limited…
Old Town Scottsdale now has a place dedicated to keeping things tiki chic. The second location of Hula’s Modern Tiki, the retro-themed Central Phoenix restaurant specializing in island-inspired eats, is now open at 213 East First Avenue in Scottsdale. The restaurant now occupies the space left emplty when Earl’s Big…
As we reported Wednesday, Phoenix-based Hispanic retailer Pro’s Ranch Market was sold for $55 million earlier this week to a California-based company — an LLC made up of two other supermarket chains. The family-owned Pro’s Ranch Market declared Chapter 11 bankruptcy last June, saying that the bad economy and negative…
There’s something inherently enjoyable about brunch. Maybe it’s because most of us can only fit it in once a week. Maybe it’s because the hybrid meal allows the freedom to eat pretty much whatever you want. Most likely, it’s because it’s an acceptable excuse to drink well before 5 ‘o’clock…
It’s officially crunch time for Valentine’s Day, but don’t stress if you haven’t found the perfect way to wow your significant other. We’ve compiled a list of the best dinner menus, restaurants, cocktails, beer, recipes, and treats for you in town that can get you on your way to the…
If you’re a whiskey lover finding it difficult to inspire that romantic feeling, there’s good news about getting out of Valentine’s Day doldrums. Since the first release of Copper City Bourbon, it seemed Rodney Hu and his team at Arizona Distilling Co. were excitedly chatting about the all-Arizona-made whiskey they…
Though the origin of ceviche is disputed, it’s likely that the dish comes from the South American country of Peru. This dish, which is made by curing raw seafood or fish in citrus juices, has been popular in South America for years, with nearly every country offering its own take…
For more than two decades, Voltaire in Scottsdale served the same menu of classic French-inspired fare. Dishes like Beef bourguignon, oysters Rockefeller, and Duck a l’orange stayed, while restaurants elsewhere worked to incorporate buzzy concepts like “organic,” “free range,” and “all-natural” into the mix. But in August, the restaurant reopened…
I’m a longtime food truck fan, from way before food trucks were cool. During college in Hawaii, I regularly ate out of trucks parked on the Manoa campus. I ordered what Hawaiians call “plate lunches”: an entrée served with two scoops of rice and one scoop of macaroni salad. It…
You probably know the de la Cruz last name. The family has operated a handful of restaurants around town, including El Sol Mexican Cafe & Bakery and El Zocalo Mexican Grill in Chandler and Mangos Mexican Cafe and the now-closed De la Cruz Bistro in Mesa. And now Obed de…
Strong Beer Festival Saturday, February 15 This weekend kicks off both Arizona Beer Week and Arizona Cocktail Week (really, organizers? Do we have to do this every year?), so as you can imagine, there’s a whole lot of drinking to do. On Saturday, beer lovers will want to hit the…
Love it or hate it, Valentine’s Day is upon us. Most people equate chocolate with this lovebird’s holiday, but chocolate has been widely available only since the 1500s. I’d like to assert wine’s place at the aphrodisiac table; after all, nobody strips down to their skivvies after too much chocolate…
The Interweb has been ablaze with talk of Dumb Starbucks, the L.A.-based parody coffee shop specializing in Dumb Frappuccinos, Dumb Norah Jones Duet CDs, and Dumb Venti Dumb Lattes. Two days after everyone caught word of the spoof cafe, Instagrammers posted shots of everything inside and outside the dumb coffee…
Christmas? Nah. Arizona Beer Week is the most wonderful time of the year, and it kicks off Saturday, February 15, with the 14th Annual Arizona Strong Beer Festival, a showcase of the best (and most alcoholic) brews available in the state. This year, about 120 breweries will pour more than…
It’s got to be tough for gluten-free diners to have to watch their brunch companions dig into pancakes, waffles, and biscuits and gravy while they stick to eggs, bacon, and a mimosa (or two, to ease the pain). Well, suffer no longer gluten-freers because Jewel’s Bakery and Cafe in Phoenix…
There’s no kidding about kidding, it’s serious business. Does give birth to one and two kids in one kidding — and so, it’s all hands on deck at The Simple Farm, where kidding season lasts from mid-January through February. Eventually, the little ladies born will assist in making the milk…
