What? Not done with your holiday shopping? Yeah, neither are we. But we’ve been making lists — and checking them twice — and we’ve got some suggestions for the nice people on your list. Today, Chow Bella’s Gift Guide for the cocktail lover. Craft cocktailing has become as much a…
What? Not done with your holiday shopping? Yeah, neither are we. But we’ve been making lists — and checking them twice — and we’ve got some suggestions for the nice people on your list. Today, Chow Bella’s Gift Guide for the Wine Lover. A lot of people don’t know that…
What? Not done with your holiday shopping? Yeah, neither are we. But we’ve been making lists — and checking them twice — and we’ve got some suggestions for the nice people on your list. Today, Chow Bella’s Gift Guide for the Baker. When we were kids, my sister and I…
During the holidays, pumpkin- and gingerbread-flavored items tend to be everywhere, particularly in seasonal beverages. Mountainview Coffee in Fountain Hills has those two covered but also offers a Candy Cane Frappe that makes peppermint a strong contender in the season’s flavor throwdown…
From time to time here at Chow Bella, we challenge one another to a showdown. This fall’s theme, naturally, was pumpkin. Damn you, pumpkin-infused Kahlua and pumpkin-flavored Pringles — you’re ruining it for the rest of the pumpkin goodness out there, like the dishes our colleagues prepared for us a…
If you garden in the Phoenix area this time of year, you likely have a bed or two full of basil, sage, oregano, and other herbs. Of course, herbs are delicious, but you may be surprised that some plants and herbs in your own yard, or nearby, can help you…
Are you the kind of diner who enjoys dishes that dole out the heat? Not from a blistering fury of chile peppers, but from a complex harmony of Indian spices that punish and delight in equal measure? Then the cuisine of Chettinad, a dry, remote region of the state of…
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. Nearly as anticipated as the feast, the post-Thanksgiving turkey sandwich has a place in our…
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…
Tracy Dempsey Pop-up Holiday Boutique Friday, November 29 Since Tracy Dempsey left her gig as pastry chef of Cowboy Ciao in 2009, she’s been focusing her energy on her line of packaged boutique confections, Tracy Dempsey Originals. They’re available locally at Smeeks, in addition to being sold throughout the southwest…
Ask Bill Gates about the future of food and he’d probably point you to his website, where, through info-graphics and interviews, he lays out the argument that we should all be getting protein off our plates. In the presentation, he mentions a company called Hampton Creek Foods, which is working…
The Spot: The Gladly 2201 East Camelback Road 602-759-8132 www.thegladly.com…
From time to time, Chow Bella’s contributors challenge one another to a showdown: Make the best dish you can, using one common ingredient. This time (naturally), it was pumpkin. For the past few weeks, we’ve been sharing the results, and tomorrow, we’ll let you know who won. Today: New Times…
The Valley food community lost a dear friend this past weekend when Lisa Giungo, more commonly known as “Lisa G.,” passed away after a battle with lung cancer. Following years spent working at Scottsdale’s Arcadia Farms, Giungo opened her own place, Lisa G’s, in a 1930s bungalow in Central Phoenix…
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. In case you hadn’t figured it out by now, I’m Jewish. What that really means is that in between…
When a new spot opens in town, we can’t wait to check it out — and let you know our initial impressions, share a few photos, and dish about some menu items. First Taste, as the name implies, is not a full-blown review, but instead a peek inside restaurants that…
What? Not done with your holiday shopping? Yeah, neither are we. But we’ve been making lists — and checking them twice — and we’ve got some suggestions for the nice people on your list. Today, Chow Bella’s Gift Guide for the home gardener…
This week the Valley welcomed its first Snooze, an A.M. Eatery. The Colorado-based breakfast restaurant chain specializes in creative takes on breakfast classics with seasonal menu changes and an ever-changing Pancake of the Day. Today, we’re sharing the second half of our chat with Joe Strelnik and Tyson Holzheimer, co-executive…
The fourth annual Phoenix Tequila Festival at U.S. Airways Center brought shots upon shots of reposados, anejos and blancos to the Valley this past weekend for all of the tasting we could handle. In our circles at least, tequila has a bad reputation for mindless shots chased with lime and…
Presentation is an important part of gift-giving, which is why we go through rolls and rolls of wrapping paper and ribbon each year during the holidays. And if you’re feeling a bit guilty about all that waste, innovators in the United Kingdom have come up with a genius solution to…
Mutton chukka is a dish that gives little in the way of apologies. Uncompromisingly brash, it refuses to be coddled. Its rough-looking appearance, a haphazard array of braised then fried hunks of lamb, bay and curry leaves, and red onion slices, shuns any ideals of culinary charm. Pitiless in the…
Scratch Pastries owners Duc and Noelle Liao are looking forward to the New Year, especially in light of what happened in this one. In June, following problems with investors concerning their second location (Scratch French Cafe, located in the former Canvas space on Roosevelt Row), the husband-and-wife team declared bankruptcy…
