Which Celebrity Should Be the Next to Open a Restaurant in Phoenix?

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. Movie stars and musicians opening their own restaurants is nothing new — even legendary rocker…

New French Bistro from Notable Valley Chef Opens in North Scottsdale

Native Frenchman and chef George Venezia may have lived in the Valley for several years, but he still retains a Gallic agreeability his customers adore. See also: Austin-Based Hopdoddy Burger Bar Coming to Scottsdale Pork-Centric Austin-Based Restaurant Salty Sow Coming to Paradise Valley And now, after running several bistros in…

Soda Drinker Pro Is… A Soda Drinking Simulation

Humanity has accomplished a great deal in its relatively brief time on this planet. So it’s refreshing to see we’ve even managed to wield technology so advanced that we can properly simulate the act of walking around and drinking a soda. See Also: -Colbert Struggles With NYC Soda Ban, Conan…

Gallo Blanco: Happy Hour Report Card

The Spot: Gallo Blanco 401 W. Clarendon Avenue, Phoenix, 602-274-4774, www.galloblancocafe.com See also: — BLT Steak: Happy Hour Report Card — Gallo Blanco’s Doug Robson to Open New (and Slightly Different) Mexican Restaurant in March Hours: Happy Hour is offered 3 to 6 p.m. every day…

Lunch Under $10 at Thai Basil in Tempe

There are a few Thai Basil restaurants around the Valley, and we often hit up the location off University Drive in Tempe. They have a great menu for the lunchtime crowd, featuring different curry or noodle dishes for only $6.95 if you order with tofu, chicken or beef. Besides that,…

10 Favorite Soup & Sandwich Shops in Greater Phoenix

Folks here in the Valley might not experience a true winter chill, but that doesn’t mean we don’t like to snuggle up with a hearty sandwich and a comforting bowl of soup when we need that extra bit of warmth in our souls. See also: The 10 Best Things I…

A Peek Into The Momofuku Kitchen Laboratory

Reuter’s has an interesting video that gives viewers a look into the world of Momofuku’s kitchen test lab, where chefs and microbiologists team up to create novel tastes and textures using humble common bacteria in interesting ways. Momofuku’s chef David Chang is pretty adamant about his desire to use scientific…

Ballast Point Victory at Sea

Beer: Victory at Sea Brewery: Ballast Point Brewing Co. Style: Imperial Porter ABV: 10 percent Beers that are available year-round are all well and fine, but they’re not what I look for when perusing the shelves at my local bottle shop. I want the limited-release stuff — the beers brewers…

Pear Buckle at Lux Central

Primarily known as a coffee shop — and a pretty good one, at that — Lux Central also dishes up food for every moment of the day. Want quiche for breakfast? Lux has that. Mac n’ cheese for lunch? That too. A fresh baked cookie to go with your afternoon…

Charleen Badman and Pavle Milic to Open FnB on Craftsman Court on Tuesday

Chef-owner Charleen Badman and her suavecito, front-of-the-house partner Pavle Milic served their last supper at the original FnB on Stetson Drive on New Year’s Eve. And now they’re getting everything organized and spiffed up for a Tuesday opening (that’s tomorrow, January 8) at their Craftsman Court location — which has…

See, We Told You Rice Cakes Are Dangerous

As was noted in a previous story, one of the most hazardous parts of the holiday season for Japanese are the days directly after New Years when pounded rice cakes known as mochi are consumed in great quantities. The Tokyo Fire Department is reported to have transported more than 17…

Chow Bella’s Top Phoenix Food Stories of the Week

Every week, there’s a cornucopia of Phoenix food news, features, and reviews to report here at Chow Bella. If you’re like most people, you probably just don’t have the time to get to all of it. It’s kind of like those burgers at Old Town Whiskey; it just won’t all…