At 3015 East Thomas Road, the sounds of smashing plates, rousing “opas!,” and festive music and belly dancing is no more. Bacchanal Greek Restaurant in Central Phoenix has shuttered. At the corner of a strip mall, the good-time Greek eatery was established in 1989 and operated by the Gicoudis family…
Beer is a big deal in the Valley. From tastings and tappings to pairing dinners and more, there’s a different beer event to attend pretty much every night. Every week, we curate upcoming brew-related goings-on and lay them out for you here. Your calendar will be as full of beer…
Larry White, Jr. Lo-Lo’s Fried Chicken & Waffles 10 W. Yuma Street, Phoenix 602-340-1304 and 2765 N. Scottsdale Road, Scottsdale 480-945-1920 www.loloschickenandwaffles.com This is part one of my interview with Larry White, Jr. (Lo-Lo), the owner of Lo-Lo’s Chicken & Waffles. You can read part two of the interview here…
Those who may have heard (and believed) people who say, “You can’t get decent seafood in the Valley ’cause we live in a desert,” might also want to keep an eye out for while-you-were-sleeping organ harvesters and tendon-slashing gang members who wait under cars at the gas pump. It is…
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…
Popcorn is delicious and provided you don’t slather it in faux butter, it’s reasonably healthy for you too. But have you ever wondered what popcorn looks like when it actually pops? Have you never been dumb enough to open a pot coated in boiling oil and look for yourself? Do…
Every week, there’s a cornucopia of new 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…
Two weeks ago, a great deal of people put on extravagant hats, got together to watch a horse race, and proceeded to get inebriated on mint juleps. Since the second leg of the Triple Crown is tomorrow, it’s a good reason to throw another get-together in case you didn’t get…
“Shel Bourdon is the ‘ying’ to my ‘yang’,” says Stephen Jones, the 32-year-old executive chef of Blue Hound Kitchen & Cocktails of his lead bartender. “She has a complex understanding of flavors and can identify the different layers within each dish.” The 24-year old Bourdon, who moved to the Valley…
In an announcement that must have caused a collective gasp from restaurants in Arizona cities like Yuma, Show Low, and Flagstaff, Check, Please! Arizona, PBS’s popular restaurant review series where Arizonans share dining-out experiences roundtable-style with James Beard Award-winning chef and host Robert McGrath, has announced the program will expand…
Dessert isn’t supposed to be healthy, but that doesn’t mean that it has to be entirely bad for you, either. Pomegranate Café’s large selection of pastries and desserts expertly toes this line, bringing the best of both worlds: indulgence and health-consciousness. All desserts are made in-house from organic ingredients, all-natural…
Despite chef and restaurateur Aaron May’s contention that there had been a miscommunication when he was locked out of his taco shop in downtown’s Cityscape at the end of April after a landlord-tenant dispute regarding back rents, his restaurant, Vitamin T, opened for nearly a year and a half, has…
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…
BBQ, beer, peaches — sounds like the makings of a spectacular time! This weekend is packed full of fun outdoor food events and you better get outside and take advantage of ’em before even just the though of stepping one foot outside gives you a sunburn. Here’s what’s on our…
You might be under the assumption that when the summer heat arrives, the farmers markets shut down. You’d only be partially right. Some crazy folks keep the veggies coming all summer long. Lucky us. Here are six spots in the Valley. Know of others? Please leave word in the comments…
The food science news has been pretty dire the past couple of months. Our fancy beef isn’t what it claims, the tacocopter was a hoax, red meat will probably kill you in your sleep, etc. The Good News: This week, researchers at the National Cancer Institute released a study peeking…
Last time we talked with Micah Olson, he was mixing drinks and running the wine program at Jade Bar, Sanctuary on Camelback’s acclaimed cocktail lounge. He’s now part-owner of the new Italian eatery Crudo. What’s different about this place? Well, I’m the owner, so there’s that. Compared to Sanctuary and…
It’s time to build up an arsenal of tasty beverages to help get us through the summer. Horchata should definitely be on the list. Making your own horchata is the best way to go because you can tailor the drink just to your likings. Every recipe is different. Most use…
Chili. Cheddar. Chicken. Alone, these words are commonplace, but together they make a simple yet delicious sandwich that’s a bit of a tongue twister: the green chili cheddar chicken melt. We’re not talking fancy here, just good eats and great ingredients. Plus, roasted green chilis — is there anything they…
Of all the regions who have their own names for the Alsatian dish flammekueche, I enjoy the rest of France’s best: tarte flambée, which translates as “pie baked in the flames.” Mm, no wonder it’s so famous. Not flambéed, as the translation would suggest, it is cooked in an oven,…
Larry White Jr. (better known as Lo-Lo) has big plans for the original Lo-Lo’s Chicken & Waffles, the hugely successful business he opened in a tiny house in downtown Phoenix 10 years ago. By Labor Day weekend, the fried chicken king will have moved the original operation to a larger…
