Craving a taste of the islands but don’t have the cash for a trip across the Pacific for an authentic plate of succulent marinated and charbroiled beef with a side of macaroni salad or a bowl of tangy stir-fried noodles? Well, you’re in luck — you need only to drive…
There are two things that every guacamole recipe needs; the first is salt and the second is some sort of acid. The salt brings out the flavor in the avocado, and the acid adds dimension and cuts the fattiness.
As holidays go, I love Thanksgiving. There are no gifts, no decorations, and unlike those Sunday holidays (thank you not, Easter), I get a day off from work. And like a lot of folks, I enjoy Thanksgiving food. So much, in fact, I find it a shame that it only…
If you have heard Korean boy-band Super Junior’s Eun Hyuk promoting japchae or Park Myeong-su and Jessica of the Korean girl group Girls’ Generation sing “Naengmyeon,” then you have a fairly good idea of how inspiring Korean food can be. And so it was with me, recently, on a trip…
May 5: Big day this year. While Cinco de Mayo — the yearly celebration of the Mexican army’s unlikely victory over French forces in 1862 — lands on the same date annually, only occasionally does it also match up with the Kentucky Derby, held the first Saturday in May. The…
What on Earth am I looking at? You’re looking at a Kracie Happy Kitchen DIY Hamburger set. From what we can tell, everything up there tastes like it’s supposed to. The drink is a fizzy cola, the burgers taste like meat, the fries like potato, etc. Terrific, but what is…
The details are fuzzy, but I believe I spent most of a recent long weekend in L.A.’s Koreatown. What I do remember, in between rock ‘n’ roll and drinking beer from a cooler, is making my way into the vibrant neighborhood near downtown Los Angeles on several occasions in search…
On Tuesday, you met Brian Reeder, co-owner of AZ Wine Merchants and one of our new wine columnists. Today, his story continues. When we left off, Pavle Milic (in the photo above, from left, it’s Reeder and Milic) had opened a little restaurant in Scottsdale and Brian had decided resort…
When pizza guru/restaurateur Chris Bianco brought chef Claudio Urciuoli onboard to run his generically named Italian Restaurant — which opened in Central Phoenix last January — the partnership promised to be interesting, at the very least. Both men have earned stellar reputations for their meticulous sourcing, and both have definite…
By nature, most spices have unique flavors that only lend well to specific styles of cuisine or types of ingredient. Take coffee, for example. When used as a seasoning, it works best with full-flavored meats like beef and pork, and it doesn’t play well with vegetables. On the other hand…
The macaron craze of 2010 may have died down — we haven’t seen quite as many photos of the colorful sandwich cookies flavored with everything from salmon to strawberry gracing the pages of our favorite food porn sites — but the Parisian treats haven’t lost their elegant appeal. And that…
Because there’s room in its push-up bra for everyone, Twin Peaks, the Dallas-based “breastaurant” chain (an actual term used to describe restaurants that employ scantily clad women as waitresses) is busting out with some news that it will put one of its franchises in Tucson. But before that happens, it…
This week in Chef Chat we’ve been talking with Chris Costantino of Costantino’s Kitchen. His line of handmade gourmet sauces and seasonings began with one recipe, a recipe for tomato basil pasta sauce he learned from his Grandma Angie. Today, you can find his line of products at farmers markets…
In 2009, National Beer Examiner writer and Brewers Association President Charlie Papazian created the BeerCity USA poll. Designed to judge the strength of a city’s beer community, the online poll drew thousands of voters to throw their support behind their hometowns and the brew culture therein. As you can imagine,…
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 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. When it comes to food, everyone has their vices. But…
The annual alcohol-fueled celebration of Cinco de Mayo takes place this coming weekend and it seems every restaurant and bar has some sort of fiesta planned for the occasion. While most Mexican joints are content to trot out the Mexican kitsch and offer cut-rate prices on whatever cerveza they have…
Kogi Korean BBQ, the Los Angeles-based Korean taco food truck, was one of the first trucks to garner national attention and helped launch the food truck craze. It is often held up as an example of what food trucks are capable of being as a culinary movement. Their chief chef,…
Editor’s note: Today, we’ll introduce you to Brian Reeder of AZ Wine Merchants, our new wine columnist and one of our Vine Geeks. Come back tomorrow for the second part of our introduction. Life has a funny way of making you think you know what you’re doing with it. I…
The Spot: San Tan Brewing Company, 8 S. San Marcos Place, Chandler. 480-917-8700. www.santanbrewing.com Hours: 2 to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday; Reverse Happy Hour is 9 p.m. to midnight Sunday through Thursday Details: They keep it simple: All San Tan pints are $3.75 each, and everything behind the bar…
Editor’s Note: We inadvertently reported that Breakfast Club hadn’t yet opened at CityScape. The error has been fixed. Chef-restaurateur Aaron May got a little surprise late last week from RED Development, the commercial real estate company behind CityScape in downtown Phoenix. The larger-than-life owner of Vitamin T, a taco shop…
On the heels of opening a new concept and acquiring a majority interest in True Food Kitchen,, Scottsdale-based P.F. Chang’s announced today it is selling more than spicy chicken and wontons…
