Frozen Desserts are Taking Over Mill Avenue

If the world doesn’t decide to come to an end this year, I’m predicting that Mill Avenue will be nothing but ridiculous college bars, sandwich stations and frozen dessert shops by 2015. Okay, the Starbucks will probably stick around and maybe the bank, but other then that every other store…

Travis Nass’ Oaxacan Punch

​Yesterday we discussed a law before the Mexican congress that could affect farmers and distillers of artisanal tequila and mescal, as well as the bottles you can find on the shelf. Today, Rancho Pinot bartender Travis Nass shares with us a recipe that makes use of just such an endangered…

Guess Where I’m Eating and Win a Prize!

​It’s an easy one this week — if you guys don’t know where I’m eating then you might as well crawl back under that rock that you call home and stay there until next week when I tell you where this bruschetta is from. I’m not even going to give you guys…

Brats and Brews Coming to Old Town Scottsdale

For those full-up with new wine bar announcements in Old Town Scottsdale, there’s a new spot coming this summer that’s more interested in sausage than Sauvignon. Brat Haus, an artisan sausage and craft beer concept, will be taking over the Oregano’s at 3622 North Scottsdale Road in Old Town Scottsdale…

Devoured Culinary Classic Tickets Now On Sale

Whoa, where did the month of January go? Blink again and it could be the end of February, which would mean the third annual Devoured Culinary Classic — the Valley’s most popular culinary event featuring Arizona’s finest local restaurants, chefs, and wineries — would be right around the corner. Might…

Three Things to Eat, Drink, and Bake this Weekend

There’s no rest for the wicked — or the hungry. This weekend is a busy one for me (work, work ,school, work, work, and then work some more) which won’t leave much time for eating out, partying, or really much of anything. BUT if someone hadn’t already planned my weekend…

Alegría: Honey-Spun Popped Amaranth Candy

Tacos may very well be the perfect food, but let’s face it, the standard Meximerican fare can get a bit stale after a while. Taco the Town is here to highlight some of the more unusual Mexican finds in the valley. This week: Alegría from the good old fashioned Park…

Chef Robert McGrath Leaves Spotted Donkey Cantina

Less than three months into his new stint as executive chef at Spotted Donkey Cantina, the upscale Southwestern and Mexican restaurant at Hayden Village in Scottsdale, ​Robert McGrath, the James Beard Award-winning chef and former owner of Roaring Fork, is gone. McGrath took the Spotted Donkey gig last October, after…

Big Earl’s BBQ Fans Pay the Ultimate Homage: Permanent Tattoos

In what may be a Valley first, two fans of Big Earl’s BBQ, chef James Porter’s home of “old school ‘Q” in Old Town Scottsdale, have paid the ultimate tribute to the restaurant by having themselves tattooed with the restaurant’s logo. Kyle Ohland and Ike Conrsolle, both visiting from Minnesota,…

Tacos Atoyac: Street-Style Oaxacan Eats

The abundance of Sonoran-style Mexican food in the Valley is so great, it’s almost taken for granted. On the other hand, Oaxacan food, from the state of Oaxaca in southwestern Mexico, is something you have to look a little harder for. And for those looking for Oaxacan eats, served up…

Bill Before Mexican Congress Could Harm Tequila, Mezcal Makers

​American drinkers don’t often trouble themselves with Mexican affairs, but with the future of agave-based spirits suddenly unsure, perhaps they should. Trouble is brewing in our neighbor to the south, where legislators have proposed a bill that could harm the variety and quality of the agave-based spirits we enjoy, as…

Tacos Atoyac: Street-Style Oaxacan Eats

The abundance of Sonoran-style Mexican food in the Valley is so great, it almost is taken for granted. For most of us, it’s like chicken soup when we’re unwell, an obvious go-to. Oddly enough, it was the familiarity of chicken soup that led to a spot serving less commonly found…