Justin Olsen Chef de cuisine Bink’s Midtown binksmidtown.com This is part one of our interview with chef Justin Olsen of Bink’s Midtown. Today, he dishes on how he went from fixing cars to the culinary arts and how he ended up working at Binkley’s four years ago. Be sure to…
You have less than a week to take part in the championship round of The Gelato Spot’s Local Chef Flavor Competition. At the beginning of the summer, 12 Phoenix-area chefs created unique gelatos, which were split into three groups and pit against one another throughout June, July, and August. Get…
Jeff Kraus is at it again. The artistically minded chef of Crêpe Bar — his breakfast and lunch spot in Tempe (opened July 2012) featuring seasonally inspired and thoughtful creations of crepes, baked goods, and small plates, as well as outstanding specialty coffees — is planning on opening a new…
While most of us spent the Labor Day weekend relaxing, Bashas’, the Arizona-owned grocery store chain with more than 130 locations in Arizona, California, and New Mexico, was doing some serious explaining. The company, which also operates AJ’s Fine Foods and Food City, has admitted to mislabeling meat and overcharging…
Americans are known for their deep-fried food fetish, and bizarre new concepts crop up at state fairs every year, like fried Cadbury crème eggs, mac ‘n’ cheese, and Coca-Cola. But the United States isn’t the only country that enjoys covering everything in batter and sticking it in the deep fryer…
Beer: Oatmeal Yeti Brewery: Great Divide Brewing Co. Style: Imperial Stout ABV: 9.5 percent It’s safe at this point to say it: the yeti exists. Scientists were skeptical for many years, but the evidence is overwhelming. Seasonal migration patterns have different species of yeti lumbering right through the middle of…
The countdown to Best of Phoenix is on. Mark your calendar: This year’s issue will be on newsstands September 26. What better way to warm up than by asking some local “experts” to list their own personal bests? This week Natalie Morris — the founder/owner of Good Food Finder (a…
Summer may be taking its sweet time saying good-bye, but the good eats served up on this critic’s plate for the month of August seem all but a blur. From dishes like heady asparagus at one of my favorite new restaurants, to food truck pho, to a handful of a.m…
Micah’s Menu at Bar Crudo Tuesday, September 3 This Tuesday Phoenix’s New American eatery Crudo is launching a daily cocktail-paired menu created by chef/owner Cullen Campbell and mixologist/owner Micah Olson. Every day the duo will craft a new three-course dinner with cocktail pairings that will be available from 8 to…
You’re headed to your go-to section of the grocery store: the cookie aisle, ice cream freezer, or snack section. As you grab a container of your favorite food, greasy potato chips or chocolaty brownies, your mind starts to drift off to the moment when you get home, sit down on…
Although the doors didn’t officially open until Saturday, about a hundred guests enjoyed a sneak preview Friday night of one of the Valley’s most highly anticipated new restaurants, The Gladly. Chef Bernie Kantak, Andrew Fritz and mixologist/bar master extraordinaire Richie Moe, the triumvirate responsible for Scottsdale’s Citizen Public House, took…
This weekend, Salut Kitchen Bar joined the Tempe brunch scene in a big way, with Oreo pancakes, breakfast nachos, Cinnamon Toast Crunch fried chicken and waffles and other signature dishes…
Brews to Benefit, a monthly happy hour that supports local and national charities, will be taking over Hula’s Modern Tiki on Thursday, September 5. In line with the restaurant’s theme, the featured craft beers will be brewed by Kona Brewing Co. From 6 to 8 p.m., patrons can get 4…
The restaurant company Vivid Lifestyle Concepts (VLC), is hosting a job fair on Tuesday, Sept.3 to fill various positions for Renegade by MOD and the soon-to-be-open Wicked Six Bar & Grill at SunRidge Canyon golf course in Fountain Hills…
After a little over three months, the Sheraton Phoenix Downtown Hotel has found a replacement for Michael O’Dowd, its former executive chef. O’Dowd started with the hotel in October 2012 after leaving the acclaimed restaurant Kai, a sister property, following a 10-year run there, and he now owns Vivid Lifestyle…
Tarts tins. Ring molds. Loaf pans. Mini tart tins. Pastry bags. Pastry tips. All of varying sizes and shapes. Cake plates. Pie plates. Muffin tins. Madeleine tins. Bundt pans. Sheet pans. A multitude of small wares for manipulating fondant. Cannoli tubes. Chocolate molds. Silpats. Rolling pins. The list goes on,…
The Spot: Yasha From Russia, Open Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. until 7 p.m. and Sunday from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m…
Every good movie has a memorable scene — an action scene, a sex scene, or our personal favorite, a food-centric scene. Fewer and far between are the cinematic moments where food porn and soft core porn come together– in a scene that is sometimes erotic and more often, not. Whether…
Chocolate is healthy — potentially lowering blood pressure, reducing risk of heart disease, and staving off dementia, research shows — but only in small quantities. It’s recommended to eat less than 3 ounces of dark chocolate per day because it is so calorie-dense and high in saturated fat. However, a…
Up in Canada’s Yukon Territory, a bar is missing its most famous toe. A patron took it home… by swallowing it. Apparently, the long winter nights up in Dawson City are conducive to strange behavior. Back in 1973, one of the bar regulars at the Downtown Hotel in Dawson City…
Mojito – white rum, sugar, lime juice, sparkling water, and mint. Refreshing on a hot summer’s day. Necessity when you are a prominent author sipping them in a Cuban bar called La Bodeguita del Medio. Cheers, Hemingway! Made famous by Ernest Hemingway, the birthplace of the mojito is suspected to…
In case you’ve missed previous Valley Permaculture Alliance’s mesquite pancake breakfasts, make this the year you show up. For starters, there’s a new venue (O.H.S.O.), and at $10 for the buffet, it’s a nice deal for a Saturday morning. Unlike in past years, tickets are not being sold in advance…
