Listen up, Valley chefs, cooks, and caterers: Do you have the ability to make something out of nothing? Is your personality as memorable as your food? Do you know what the f*ck a grocery store is? If you answered yes to these questions, you could win up to $20,000 on…
The plates may be cleared from the 2013 dining table (don’t let the door hit you on the way out, Cronut), but that doesn’t mean a new slew of food trends for 2014 aren’t already being served up across the country. From the “hottest” to the “most disgusting” to those…
Who would’ve thought that a moonshine and barbecue dinner could go highbrow? Well, leave it to Old Town Scottsdale’s iteration of Bootleggers Modern American Smokehouse to make it so. The Moonshine Madness dinner features a five-course (plus dessert) menu, each with its own moonshine cocktail to pair with it. Some…
Yep, 2014 is coming on strong. Might we suggest that taking a class on growing food or other earthy practices is easier than losing weight — and more fun, too. It might even help you get in shape. Here are several great classes to sign up for now with a…
Though the holiday season is over, there still are plenty of reasons to get excited. The New Year promises quite a few new and exciting dining spots in the Valley, including several new concepts from some of our favorite chefs and restauranteurs and second locations of popular local spots. Here’s…
Did you pop a bottle of champagne to ring in the New Year? Or did you indulge in a finger or two (or three) of Maker’s Mark? Either way, what you drink supposedly says a lot about how you’re likely to vote. According to consumer data supplied by GFK MRI,…
In Chow Bella’s new comic, Wait or Die, we tell the stories of waiters and waitstaff from restaurants around the Valley. Submit your stories here: waitordie@newtimes.com — and be sure to let us know if you wish to remain anonymous…
Welcome to Chow Bella’s Bites & Dishes, where Valley chefs and restaurateurs respond to a question New Times food critic Laura Hahnefeld has on her mind. Have a question you’d like to ask? E-mail laura.hahnefeld@newtimes.com. With the New Year now officially underway, it’s tough not to reflect on life lessons…
The Spot: Isabel’s Amor 1490 East Williams Field Road, Gilbert 480-658-0742 www.isabelsamor.com…
Welcome to “Schaefer,” in which Eric Schaefer — a local guy with a big (but discerning) appetite and a sense of humor to match — takes on the Phoenix food scene. For my last column of 2013, I’m sharing with you a secret. No, it’s nothing terribly earth-shattering or lascivious,…
Shine, our annual pocket guide to all things Scottsdale, is out. And this year, local artist Luster Kaboom is taking readers on an illustrated ride through the city’s best spots for food, drink, art, and entertainment. Here, in no particular order, are the five best places for happy hour in…
The Guilty Pleasure: Fresh-Baked Buns on Six Dollar Thickburgers Where To Get It: Carl’s Jr. locations Valleywide Price: Five or six bucks What It Really Costs: These burgers hover around a thousand calories each. Good grief. Over the past year or two, the brass at Carl’s Jr. has made some…
What were we doing a year ago? We were waiting on news about that second restaurant from Citizen Public House owners Bernie Kantak, Andrew Fritz, and mixologist Richie Moe. And we didn’t know it yet, but were headed for a cold snap that would cost local farmers and restaurants thousands…
What? You don’t follow us on Instagram already? Well you should fix that by finding our Chow Bella Instagram account: @chowbellaphx. We posted hundred of photos from our food adventures last year, generating thousands of likes and hundreds of comments. Thanks to all our followers for your interaction. And in…
Beer: Fernet Aged Porter Brewery: Odell Brewing Co. Style: Imperial Porter ABV: 9.8 percent On almost any subject, you’ll find a group of nerds willing to fight you to the death to defend its awesomeness. Every day across the land, Star Trek nerds put on their crazy Klingon makeup, fantasy…
Pondering pastry from 2013 has been pretty easy. There were some powerhouse trends, and some more subtle scary trends that slipped in, pinging our radar. Trends are just that: trendy. And there is a need for them eventually to be buried in a time capsule…
Set your DVRs to “lively roundtable restaurant discussions,” folks. The new season of Check, Please! Arizona, the Emmy Award-winning series in which Arizona food fans review locally owned restaurants, premieres at 7 p.m. Thursday, January 2, on KAET Channel 8. Hosted by James Beard Award-winning chef Robert McGrath, the fourth…
Just over a month following the split between ex-Kai chef Michael O’Dowd and partner Ed Leclere of Vivid Lifestyle Concepts (VLC), Renegade in North Scottsdale has shuttered. First opened in May under the moniker Renegade by MOD, O’Dowd and Leclere’s restaurant featured an eclectic menu of re-invented foods from around…
There have been a few changes this year at our beloved Valley Permaculture Alliance (VPA). The public is mostly familiar with the public programs the VPA sponsors like the Tour de Coops and the Shade Tree program in conjunction with APS and SRP, and there are many classes and programs…
San Tan Brewing Company Today It’s illegal in nine countries. And it’s made with bits of real panther, so you know it’s good. Just kidding, but San Tan Brewing’s Sex Panther porter does take its name from the pungent, aphrodisiacal cologne featured in the original Anchorman movie. The beer is…
The year’s most outstanding dishes in the Valley run the culinary gamut — from the exquisitely unique to artfully crafted re-inventions of elemental flavors. Put them on your plate and prepare to be wowed…
Every weekday, Chow Bella brings you food stories from around the world in the form of its Wake Up Call column. Sometimes the stories are about national food trends bound for Phoenix, other times they’re just plain fun, and still other times they’re stories of food scene mavens caught up…
