Chef Michael O’Dowd and partner Ed Leclere, founders of Vivid Lifestyle Concepts (VLC), the company they started this spring after O’Dowd left as executive chef at the Sheraton Phoenix Downtown, have called it quits. Under VLC, O’Dowd and Leclere, a former Harley-Davidson promotions director, opened North Scottsdale’s Renegade by MOD…
Judging is hard. I’m not belly-aching about all the pie I had to eat or the cool apron and taffy I got at Saturday’s Pie Social. However, assigning a value to someone else’s work can be intimidating. Our job is to judge the pie, which is the culmination of their…
Barrio Queen already stays open until midnight Tuesday through Saturday. But the modern Mexican restaurant’s owner and chef, Silvana Salcido Esparza, is taking the late-night scene in Old Town Scottsdale one step further: by staying open until 3 a.m. on Friday and Saturday. “Scottsdale has a weekend nightlife and not…
At first glance, you might think you could run Grassroots Kitchen & Tap yourself. You’d be wrong — and therein lies the genius of this North Scottsdale restaurant. What seems obvious about the place is really a kind of deceptive simplicity. Look closer and you’ll find the approachability of this…
Vegetable Literacy for Thanksgiving Saturday, November 23 Any good host or hostess knows that sides are no mere backup singers to the giant, golden turkey on the Thanksgiving table. They’re stars, too. But serving the perfect side dishes means dealing with vegetables, which can be a make-it-or-break-it situation with picky…
Only in a place like Amsterdam would alcoholics be able to get a job that pays both money and (let’s be honest, what they really want) beer. The project, called the Rainbow Foundation project, is financed by the Dutch state and donations, according to Times Live. Employees get paid 10…
Sometimes it’s nice to get out of town, even if only for a day. Tucson, our progressive little sister city to the south, is known for quality thrift stores, thriving local businesses and a healthy dose of historic Old West nostalgia. Amidst all of that, you can find Pasco Kitchen…
Heads up, Spinato’s fans: your pizzeria just got supersized. The family-owned local chain that’s been making old-school Chicago-style pies in the Valley just shy of 40 years has announced their newest location, a 10,000-square-foot space at 5509 North 7th Street in Central Phoenix (7th Street and Missouri), will officially open…
If you’re looking for a hearty, stick-to-the-ribs hangover cure, look no further than a nice, hot plate of poutine. The Canadian classic post-bar snack hasn’t quite taken roots in the Valley yet, but a few local spots like Petite Maison and Rose & Crown offer the dish for the culinarily…
If the holidays are about bringing people together, then it makes perfect sense that tamales have become a staple of many people’s holiday celebrations. They bring us together to make and then enjoy them because it’s impossible not to smile while unwrapping delicious packages of moist masa surrounding all manner…
Mesa, the third-largest city in Arizona, sports some big-time tastes when it comes to its best restaurants at the moment. Here, you’ll find flavors from all over the globe — Asia, Latin America, even Canada — in dishes put together with things like cured fish, minced banana flowers, and ham…
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. For people with celiac disease, ingesting just a little bit of gluten (a protein in…
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…
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 lists. Today, Chow Bella’s Gift Guide for the Serious Restaurant Goer. They’re out nearly every weekend, know…
If you find yourself in need of transportation from Geneva Airport to St. Gallen in Switzerland sometime in the future, you might want to consider hopping aboard the first Starbucks coffee store on a train. As of last week, the coffee powerhouse debuted its new two-story coffee car created in…
At first glance, you might think you could run Grassroots Kitchen & Tap yourself. You’d be wrong — and therein lies the genius of this North Scottsdale restaurant. When you walk in, you’re not surprised to see that it’s a pleasant place, an open, welcoming room of muted tones, oversize…
The Spot: Bar Maximus 214 W. Roosevelt St. 602-687-8796 http://www.barmaximus.com…
After 13 years, Cartwright’s, the sophisticated Southwestern restaurant in Cave Creek, is getting an upgrade — cowboy style. Recently, partners Eric Flatt and John Malcolm, who also own Cave Creek’s Tonto Bar & Grill, completed a remodel of their restaurant, named after the historic Cartwright family of the late 1800s,…
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. As much as I hate to admit it, U.S. Representative Michelle Bachmann is right: The end times are upon…
Thanksgiving is right around the corner — and so is Hanukkah! This year, the first day of the eight-day Jewish Festival of Lights falls on the last Thursday of November, which just so happens to be when Americans turn their attention to football and food. Luckily, fried foods fit right…
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 world traveler. We all have that friend who jumps…
Today we’re back for the second part of our interview with T. Cook’s executive chef Paul McCabe, who joined the restaurant at the beginning of summer to help with a three-month renovation of both the food and design. On Monday, we found out how McCabe came up with some of…
