If you order the chile relleno at Los Jarritos and an omelet arrives, do not send it back. And, by all means, avoid any temptation to pick up a fork. Simply lift and place the soft yellow mass, topped with splotches of melted cheddar cheese and bright red salsa, onto…
Pete DeRuvo — the peripatetic chef who made a name for himself at Sassi, then moved to Prado and later left Cuoco Pazzo in a huff — has landed a new executive chef position he’s pretty psyched about. He has signed on with the Chicago-based Francesca’s Restaurants Group, which will…
Welcome to Vine Geeks, where Brian Reeder and Pavle Milic of AZ Wine Merchants take the drinking game quite seriously. Pay attention — you might just learn something. You may have heard of this ‘decanting’ business. In fact, you may have seen it at a restaurant and wondered why someone…
My husband loves Cheez-Its. I can’t stand it. They’re overly processed and you can’t buy them at Trader Joe’s. So when I recently came across this on Pinterest, I immediately knew what my next blog post would be about. Making these at home eliminated about 15 unnecessary ingredients, including MSG…
Beer: Hopsauce Brewery: Rubicon Brewing Co. Style: American Double IPA ABV: 8.2 percent Though few things in the world are completely black and white, the spectrum of beer lovers can pretty much be broken up that way. On one side you have the grainiacs, who seek out the darkness of…
For most restaurateurs, it’s simply about gluttony. But James and Wendy Porter of Petite Maison in Scottsdale are gluttons for punishment. There’s no other explanation for why they would invite Chow Bella contributors to work both the front of the house and the kitchen on a weekend, and during Arizona…
If you’ve felt an icy wind coming from Tempe’s Mill Avenue lately, it’s not from the glare of that coed you just totally checked out (c’mon, man, look at her face) — it’s ice cream. More specifically, ice cream shops. And lots of ’em — everywhere. Look to the left:…
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…
Bill and Lillian Buitenhuys aren’t bitter people. They’re bitters people, ardent food lovers whose interests have broadened from food-and-wine pairings to food-and-cocktail pairings to the distinctive components, such as bitters, that go into both classic and craft cocktails. Although the Buitenhuys hold down 9-to-5 managerial jobs, they spend most of…
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…
The implied meaning of a signature menu item is that it doesn’t change. And for restaurants who offer them, the message to customers is simple: If you come here, you can have this special item. But what if the customer wants a signature dish with alterations? I asked Valley chefs…
Kevin Binkley Binkley’s Restaurant 6920 E. Cave Creek Road, Cave Creek 480-437-1072 www.binkleysrestaurant.com Cafe Bink 36889 N. Tom Darlington Drive, Carefree 480-488-9796 www.cafebink.com This is part two of my interview with Kevin Binkley, chef-owner of Binkley’s Restaurant and Café Bink. Read part one of the interview with chef Kevin Binkley…
If you’ve been following the news out of Florida these last couple of weeks, you might be kicking yourself for not sauntering down to the survivalist expo earlier this month. In that spirit, let’s talk about what is possibly the most impractical awesome drinking vessel ever milled out of a…
The Spot: Astor House, 2243 N. 12th St. 602-687-9775. facebook.com/astorhouse The Hours: 3 to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday The Details: All beer is $3 and cocktails are $5. As for wine, it depends on when you get there: From 3 to 4 p.m., all glasses of wine are only…
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…
In the wake of the recent shuttering of the Downtown Phoenix Public Market Urban Grocery & Wine Bar comes Bodega 420, a new market and convenience store in the Roosevelt Arts District. The two aren’t the same concept — Bodega 420 balances local items with non-local ones to keep prices…
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…
It is said that on Le Jour des Crepes (National Crepe Day), held on February 2 in France, if you can catch a crepe with a frying pan after tossing it in the air with your right hand and holding a gold coin in your left, you will become rich…
From time to time, Zach Fowle will provide a visual guide to every day and extraordinary situations … and (because he has bad handwriting) Claire Lawton will illustrate them. Welcome to Charted Territory: The world of a food snob is an often-confusing world of trends, vocabulary and kitchen appliances. Here…
Kevin Binkley Binkley’s Restaurant 6920 E. Cave Creek Road, Cave Creek 480-437-1072 www.binkleysrestaurant.com Cafe Bink 36889 N. Tom Darlington Drive, Carefree 480-488-9796 www.cafebink.com This is part one of my interview with Kevin Binkley, chef-owner of Binkley’s Restaurant and Café Bink. You can read part two of the interview with Kevin…
Japanese illustrator Mao Sugiyama had his genitals removed on his birthday, March 31. A couple of weeks later, he served those genitals — scrotum, testicles and penis — at a special dinner where six “lucky” individuals paid the equivalent of $250 to consume them. Sugiyama advertised this unique meal via…
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…
