Schools are starting back up again across the Valley, and in two weeks, ASU’s fall classes will begin. Downtown Tempe is soon to become a rushed blur of students as they move in, settle down, and get ready to hit the books. Until winter break brings some relief, study groups…
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…
Welcome to Brunched, where Chow Bella samples local restaurants’ offerings for our favorite meal. (Hey, you get to sleep in and eat breakfast — what’s not to like?) See also: Iron Chef Jose Garces of Distrito at The Saguaro What: Distrito at the Saguaro Hotel Where: 4000 N. Drinkwater Boulevard,…
What’s in a name? In the case of Bad Mother Cluckers, a new late-night, fowl-filled eatery in Tempe’s Mill Avenue District, chicken — and lots of it. Set to open on Friday, August 24, Bad Mother Cluckers (BMC) will feature signature rotisserie and fire-grilled chicken as well as salads, sides,…
See also: World of Beer Grand Opening in Tempe Happy weekend Chow Bella friends! We’re going to sweat it out this weekend with a little bit of barbecue at one of Phoenix’s newest restaurants, then we’re popping over to Tempe to check out their newest beer bar, and wrapping things…
See also: Tastemakers 2012: Tracy Dempsey See also: Tracy Dempsey’s Caneles See also: Tracy Dempsey’s Perfect Food Day When you’re cooking, it’s all about a dash of this and a splash of that. But baking is another matter, an exact science. In this series, we’re going behind the bakery case…
Welcome to that weird part of the internet where you see things you wish you could unsee. In this edition of Twilight Zone YouTube we present for your consideration the strange tale of autocannibalism in the pursuit of ice cream sales. Our subject? Little Baby’s Ice Cream, a Pennsylvania based…
Listen up, lousy tippers. Yeah, you. You know who you are: stiffing your restaurant server, leaving him or her less than what they’re owed after you’ve filled your face, and especially the guy in Grand Rapids, Michigan, who, after having dinner with his family of five, left me the “tip”…
See also: Laurie Notaro’s Recipe for Haboob Brownies If New Orleans can have The Hurricane (a cocktail typically mixed with rum and fruit juice or grenadine), we figure it’s high time someone invented The Haboob. And so for the past few weeks, we’ve scoured the streets of Phoenix in search…
From now ’til we publish the 2012 edition of Best of Phoenix, New Times and Chow Bella present 100 Tastemakers — Valley residents who make the cut in our culinary scene. Some you’ll know; for others, it’ll be a first introduction (but likely not the last). While you’re here, check…
See Also: AndyTalk: Sushi for Dessert – See Also: AndyTalk: Why You Should Make Pizza From Scratch When you do a job and don’t care, everyone knows. The lackluster appearance of halfheartedly prepared food foreshadows the ho-hum flavors to come. The art of cooking goes hand-in-hand with the concept of…
A hustle and bustle breakfast or lunch in this heat? Not for this lady of leisure. Lately, I’ve been taking my meals at Astor House. Run by architect DJ Fernandes, who also owns Tuck Shop, the adjacent Coronado neighborhood restaurant, and Vovomeena, a breakfast spot slated to open in September…
See also: Humble Pie Slowly Taking Over the Valley With Four More Locations See also: Humble Pie: Happy Hour Report Card Humble Pie, the locally owned casual pizza chain with four locations, has opened its fifth restaurant at 15703 North 83rd Avenue in Peoria (near the Peoria Sports Complex and…
See also: Vincent Guerithault: Tastemaker #53 Like hairstyles and handbags, desserts go in and out of fashion. When’s the last time you saw Crepes Suzette, Bananas Foster or Baked Alaska on a restaurant menu? And rightly so. You’d probably hoot at the very notion. But there’s one old school dessert…
See also: Sacha Levine: Tastemaker #74 If you keep abreast of culinary up-and-comers, then you already know about Sacha Levine. She works for Chrysa Robertson at Rancho Pinot and puts in prep time for Charleen Badman at FnB — which is to say, she’s been mentored by two of the…
Not to be outdone by NASA and its sexy mohawked engineers, the owners of Zog’s Dogs have struck back with a bold video showing the first… hot dog in space (sorta). Actually it has two distinctions. The first unprotected hot dog to visit the upper atmosphere and the first hot…
Astor House is so easygoing it seems less a restaurant and more the home of a friend who doesn’t mind the unexpected pop-in. Outside the tiny teal dwelling, a bike leans lazily against a tree. Inside, you’ll find wicker-backed chairs, petite flower vases and — if you’re lucky — a…
From now ’til we publish the 2012 edition of Best of Phoenix, New Times and Chow Bella present 100 Tastemakers — Valley residents who make the cut in our culinary scene. Some you’ll know; for others, it’ll be a first introduction (but likely not the last). While you’re here, check…
See also: DIY Cheez-Its See also: Making Homemade Nutella, With a Little Help From Pinterest Pinterest can really be like a fairy tale sometimes. Only the most beautiful things abound, it’s all staged, and it makes you long for a different life. But everyone knows fairy tales are full of…
See Also: Top Ten Hot Dogs in Greater Phoenix Oh Onion Rings — so unhealthy but so delicious. The golden fried rings are one of our biggest guilty pleasures. This week, we’re pitting the onion rings from two of our old school favorites — Ted’s Hot Dogs in Tempe and…
See also: Is the Foie Gras Controversy Justified? See also: Angry Geese and the Ongoing Debate on the Ethics of Foie Gras It looks as if Cork, the wine bar and restaurant of inventive New American Cuisine in Chandler, has come back from its summer hiatus with a vengeance. In…
Strong words of warning from John Schnatter, founder and CEO of Papa John’s to those who love themselves a slice of chain-store pizza. Last week, Schnatter (a Mitt Romney backer) said during a phone call with shareholders that if Obamacare is passed, the new healthcare law (set to go into…
