If you ballpark the number of coffee roasters in the United States who are seasonally finding the tastiest coffees from around the world and roasting them to perfection, you really only have more than a few dozen. Tops. It’s a cozy group, but even if each of these roasters carries…
If you haven’t seen this picture already, it’s your (un)lucky day. It’s the dreaded “Pink Slime” — mechanically separated chicken cleaned with ammonia hydroxide, And according to Internet reports early last year, your McDonald’s chicken nuggets were made out of the pink paste. It turns out that McDonald’s nuggets have actually been…
The Spot: Hillside Spot Café & Market, 4740 E. Warner Road, Phoenix, (480) 705-7768. hillsidespot.com The Hours: 3 to 6 p.m., Monday through Friday The Details: Both draft beers – including Arizona favorites like the Oak Creek Heifeweizen and Four Peaks Hop Knot – and bottles are down to $3…
Lately, in this In Season series, we’re taking a look at what I take home from Crooked Sky Farms each week and see what I’ve done with my CSA share, or part share. This week I’m using cabbage, carrots and i’itoi onions…
We got a chance this weekend to chat by phone with chef and author Blood, Bones and Butter. She’d just touched down in Louisville, Kentucky, in the middle of both the country and her book tour for the recently released paperback version of the book. This Thursday she’ll be in…
The Spot, a new, family-owned neighborhood hangout of fresh, fast, and affordable fare, opens today at 1493 South Higley Road in Gilbert (Higley Road and Ray Road.) The eatery occupies a tall and narrow space with an an interior mezzanine where diners can munch on salads, sandwiches, flatbreads, and home…
Yesterday we shared the first part of our talk with vegan chef and owner of Green, Damon Brasch who shared the story behind the century-year-old buildings that now house his most recent culinary endeavors in the middle of downtown Phoenix. Today Brasch, known also for his mad music skills (he’s…
It’s no secret that Camelback Esplanade, the mixed-use development on the southeast corner of Camelback Road and 24th Street, hasn’t exactly been the most successful place to put a restaurant. Tough to see from Camelback Road, parking hassles (you’re either walking from across the street or have to remember to…
Spring will be here before we know it (Yer outta here, chilly, low seventy-degree days!) and that means celebrations-a-go-go for the Valley, including one of the biggest and most popular: The Scottsdale Culinary Festival. Featuring six days of events, restaurants and chefs, wine and spirits, and chic soirees with proceeds…
Caneles were one of our picks as a food trends in 2012. Naturally, we’ve been wanting to try one. Taking one for the team (ha ha), we followed Tracy Dempsey on Monday afternoon into the commissary kitchen of Arcadia Farms in Old Town Scottsdale, where she makes her many Tracy…
Phoenix isn’t exactly known for vegetarian food, but the Valley has several unique, passionate vegetarian-friendly restaurants. Don’t worry, you won’t find any salads or veggie burgers on this list.
In early 2011, filmmaker David Lynch (you know, the dude behind the cult classic television show Twin Peaks, the terribly confusing movie Lost Highway, and my favorite, Blue Velvet) dove into a new venture — coffee. We’ve heard it’s pretty tasty stuff (you can learn more about it and buy it…
Chef Matt Carvalho used to use Queen Creek Olive Oil in his kitchen at RnR Restaurant and Bar in Scottsdale. Now, del Piero, the in-house cafe of Tuscan-inspired cuisine at Queen Creek Olive Mill, is using Carvalho in theirs. Carvalho, who started with RnR as executive sous chef when it…
Beer: Fireside Ale Brewery: Lumberyard Brewing Co. Style: Imperial Red Ale ABV: 9.5 percent Do you feel that? The building giddiness in the soul of every local beer lover. The faint smell of hops and sweet wort in the air. My beer sense is tingling. Arizona Beer Week is almost…
After over forty years in the restaurant business, Frances Lee Hamby (a.k.a. Tiny) and her family are calling it quits. For many, Hambry’s last venture, Tiny’s Country Cafe, the small, cash-only, home-style breakfast and lunch spot near the corner of Greenway and 19th Avenue, has been a go-to spot for…
The name of Chakra 4 Herb & Tea House is somewhat misleading in that it offers so much more than dried leaves. While you’re there, stay and have a healthy, flavor-packed lunch or dinner.
And the new restaurant openings this month just keep on comin,’ folks. Zen’s Cafe, the locally owned, small casual eatery chain from owners Adrian Yap and son Steven, opened its newest location last week at 19 East Broadway Road (Broadway and Mill Avenue) in Tempe. In the former spot of…
China is a nation with a multitude of culinary traditions stretching back thousands of years. In comparison, Phoenix has been around since last Tuesday and we should all be thankful that some of what’s good over there can be found over. here. A word of advice: If you want to…
At the second location of the vegan bistro, Green, we met up with owner and chef Damon Brasch for this week’s Chef Chat. Next door at the also new-to-town snack shop, Nami, we chatted over a cup of coffee (with soy milk, of course) about the history behind the recently…
Mild weather of a Valley winter got you down? Get ready for seven days of shaking, stirring, and smashing — spirit-style — courtesy of Arizona Cocktail Week. Taking place Sunday, February 19, through Saturday, February 25, the first Arizona Cocktail Week invites folks 21 and over to imbibe in a…
Susie Timm of Girl Meets Fork and Kirti Dwivedi from Diya Marketing have been busy ladies! Earlier this month, they brought us the Pancake Quest and next month it’s the Grilled Cheese Throwndown. Join Timm, Dwiveti, and the American Cheese Society February 26 from 4 to 7 p.m. at the Scottsdale…
In an effort to make Mom proud, Chow Bella’s taking a good, hard look at the most important meal of the day in the form of Scrambled, a mashup of breakfast recipes, news and reviews of local restaurants serving the a.m. crowd. We were eager to jump on the breakfast…
