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 many years, meat’s been the star attraction of the American plate. But with the…
Phoenicians welcomed a whole bunch of new restaurants last month, including the second location of Portillo’s and couple new vegan-friendly spots. And the month also saw a few makeovers completed. You can officially check out the fresh digs at T. Cook’s at the Royal Palms Resort, or grab a cocktail…
In what can now be pretty much be deemed “2013: The Year of the Landlord,” another Valley restaurant has been shuttered by a building owner — this time, it seems, much to the surprise of the staff. On Saturday, September 28, Carefree Station, the nine-year-old Southwestern restaurant located in Carefree’s…
We’re really wishing our gag reflex had an on/off switch right about now because after reading (and checking out photos) of how Derek Nance eats, our stomachs are feeling a bit queasy. Five years ago, Nance began having trouble eating. For reasons unknown to him and his doctors, he lost…
The Spot: Petite Maison 7216 East Shoeman Lane, Scottsdale 480-991-6887 www.petitemaisonaz.com…
Last June, Nick Watts’ mobile kitchen of grilled cheese sandwiches, called Chedda Truck, made its debut to a huge (and unexpected) crowd at Artistic Tattoo in Central Phoenix. Watts sold nearly 175 sandwiches in three hours, but customers were angry at the wait time (over an hour) and many left…
This is part two of our interview with Sacha Levine, former sous chef at FnB who now works at Rancho Pinot. She still makes time to help out her mentor Charleen Badman at the old spot and turns out her own line of pickles products, which are sold at Bodega…
The wait for convenient, fresh produce is over. October brings changes to metro Phoenix farmers markets, both in terms of hours and activity. Most markets are seasonable and start up again this month or change their hours to reflect the cooler mid-day temperatures. Can’t keep track? No worries. We’ve gathered…
The Valley has plenty of joints offering familiar brunch dishes like pancakes and omelets. But the newest spot for one of our most favorite weekend indulgences has neither — nor would you expect it to. Crudo, chef Cullen Campbell’s home of modern Italian food in Phoenix, has announced it will…
MacAlpine’s is it: the last of the vintage soda shops. First opened in 1928, the former Birch’s Pharmacy became MacAlpine’s Rexall Drugs 10 years later — a popular pharmacy with a lunch counter and soda fountain. In 1991, Monica Heizenrader bought it and has been running it, with her two…
Valley food aficionados might remember the annual Cooks and Corks event, though it’s been a while since the culinary fete made it into the Scottsdale Culinary Festival lineup. This year, the party’s back on, though the revised rendition means there will be a few changes. The one-night event is designed…
Stephanie Smith is in her mid-30s and lives with her boyfriend Eric. They’ve been together for two years and have traveled the country, met each other’s parents, and “hosted many a dinner party” together. And just over a year ago, he told her, “Honey, you’re 300 sandwiches away from an…
This weekend marked the second annual Roosevelt Row Chile Pepper Festival — and our own Minervaland correspondent Miranda Rincon was there to feel the heat as an official judge. Check out our slideshow of the event. When your mouth is filled with eye-watering heat, you eat sugar to relieve the…
Beer: Green Bullet Brewery: Green Flash Brewing Co. Style: Imperial IPA ABV: 10.1 percent Science tells us that, biologically speaking, the best time to taste a beer is in the morning, when your senses are sharpest. So when evaluating a beer for a review, I’ll often wake up early and…
Huachinalgo! Bagre! Mojarra! No, that Mexican seafood menu isn’t trying to insult you, nor is it in the middle of an Adam West as Batman showdown with his villain du jour (Holy fishy huachinango, Batman! That punch sure sent the Penguin into cold storage!). Ahem. Let’s forget that terrible joke…
Sacha Levine Cook Rancho Pinot, FnB Restaurant ranchopinot.com, fnbrestaurant.com This is part one of our interview with Sacha Levine of both Rancho Pinot and FnB Restaurant. When she’s not serving as wingwoman for her mentors Chrysa Robertson and Charleen Badman, she’s pickling all sorts of seasonal veggies and things for…
Another month, another look back at the best things I ate during September. From dishes like my new favorite carne asada taco to magnificent Mediterranean eats to a killer lasagna my dining companion likened to the work of the devil, here are 10 of the best things I ate this…
There are only two kinds of meat at Backyard Taco in Mesa — carne asada and pollo — and they’re both pretty amazing. Tender and cooked to perfection over mesquite charcoal with just the right amount of seasoning (so that you still taste the grill), they’re served with cabbage, onions,…
District American Kitchen 5-Year Anniversary Today Today, District American Kitchen at the Sheraton Downtown Phoenix Hotel celebrates five years in business by bringing back five of their most popular dishes and cocktails. The special birthday menu includes two appetizers, two entrees and one dessert: a BLT salad, duck quesadilla, Nimbus…
The Guilty Pleasure: Agua Vita Where to Get It: Paletas Betty, Tempe(and soon in Chandler) Price: $3 or $4 depending on size What it Really Costs: [reads the ingredients] Wait… this is good for you?! Not long ago, I found myself at the Chow Bella HQ underground lair, discussing recent…
Whether you’re an ass man or more into a nice set of knockers, the Japanese have created the perfect dessert to combine sexy time with meal time. No, butt pudding isn’t a reference to a nasty accident in your pants, it’s an actual product that allows you to make your…
Cocktail trends come and go. I was talking with some friends, and realized that the appletini had quietly become passé a few years ago. I do have a certain nostalgia for them. I blame their popularity in my nascent drinking years. I remember extensive discussions with friends about what places…
