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…
Happy Weekend Chow Bella Friends! This weekend, we’ll be pulling out our Hawaiian shirts, attempting to stay cool with vegan smoothies, and getting spicy with a batch of rooster sauce lollipops. Check out what’s on our plate…
A friend and I met for lunch at Chris Bianco’s Italian Restaurant the other day and I was so pleased to find an independent serving lunch (in the summer no less!), especially when it’s a restaurant wedded to local and seasonal ingredients. Flooded with natural light and hung with a…
The cephalopod specialist over at the “Squid a Day” blog has pointed at the unusual case of a 63-year-old Korean woman who came to an emergency room complaining of “severe pain” and “a pricking and foreign-body sensation” in her mouth. These symptoms emerged immediately after attempting to consume an intact…
Here’s the thing about Ladies’ Night: It’s not for the ladies. Sure, they enjoy the tangible benefits — no cover, discounted or free drinks, the occasional clothing/salon/massage giveaway — but the real genius of a night for ladies is that it draws in men. Bar owners know as well as…
If there were a year for husband-and-wife team and ex-Manhattanites Joe and Myrah Aiello, 2012 may be it. In addition to recently closing their namesake restaurant, Aiello’s East Coast Italian Dining, and searching for a new spot in which to re-open it (possibly the One Lexington building in midtown), the…
Anyone with a can of Reddi-Whip and some berries can cobble together a dessert that looks like an American flag. Though that’s not a bad tradition for a Fourth of July picnic, I like to celebrate Independence Day by being a little more decadent and a little less dependent on…
Stacy Phipps is having a tough year. The owner and pit master of Stacy’s Smokehouse says the second location of his barbecue joint in Scottsdale, which closed at the beginning of the year and was only open for around six months, cost him around $120,000. “I had customers, but I…
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…
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…
I have to begin with a confession. I’ve been hiding something important from you and it’s time to come clean . . . I’m sort of a health food fanatic. All the crazy ingredients for this cake were ones I had in my pantry. When you see what those are,…
It’s easy to forget just how complicated the modern world is — how the conveniences we enjoy are the result of a vast interlocking network of systems that create ease, comfort, and survival for us everyday. So it’s nice that PBS put out an entire series devoted to showing us…
The first time I met Joe Aiello, he was singing. It was about four years ago at Aiello’s on Central Avenue, the namesake Italian restaurant he owned with wife Myrah for nearly five years until the restaurant shuttered in early June. I was having dinner with my husband and some…
Ever since Fred and Jennifer Unger breathed life into the quietly crumbling Hermosa Inn in 1992, the property has been beloved for many reasons, including its ’30s-era architecture, rich history, splendid dining patio, and modern American food. Now it’s poised to be the city’s number-one destination for cocktail culturists, as…
The Chef: Cullen Campbell The Restaurant: Crudo The Animal: Pig The Dish: Pig Ears Most of us think of pig ears as leathery chewables for the dog, not something we’d ever dream of eating ourselves. But they’re showing up on local menus as bar snacks, and you know what? They’re…
Humble Pie, the locally owned casual pizza chain with four locations, has announced it will open a fifth restaurant in July with three more to follow, bringing its total number of pizza joints in the Valley to eight. Humble Pie’s most recent opening was at Scottsdale’s Kierland Village in February…
Barbecue is taking over Chandler almost as quickly as craft beer is taking over Tempe (seriously, there are at least a half-dozen new bars/breweries in the works). You can’t throw an imaginary rock without hitting a smoked brisket or full-on festival in this particular part of the Southeast Valley. Let’s…
Oh my, the name of the new pizza restaurant coming to Scottsdale is a bit odd indeed. True, it does not sound as lewd as the former Chewy Balls in Houston or as disgusting as The Golden Stool in London or even as outright offensive as Hitler’s Cross in India,…
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. Miss a question? Go here. Whether it’s for education, entertainment, or a dose of “reality,”…
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…
Sure, lots of people say they ascribe to the farm-to-table movement, and why wouldn’t they? It’s become a journalistic catchphrase, as well as a PR and marketing tool. Then again, some chefs — Aaron Chamberlin of St. Francis, for one — actually walk the talk, buying local, seasonal, and organic…
Phoenix Public Market will, in addition to its normal lineup, host refugee farmers, businesses, and artists from 4 to 8 p.m. today at its open-air market. Today is World Refugee Day, and this event is intended not only to highlight the difficulties faced by refugees but also celebrate the good…
