As of early 2011, if you asked a Valley resident the best four-wheeled vehicle from which to score Filipino street food, freshly made crème brûlée, Cajun-Creole cooking, or a gourmet pizza, you would have been laughed right off the proverbial street food sidewalk. Not anymore. Following the popularity of mobile…
Beer: Sam Adams InfiniumBrewery: Boston Brewing Co. Style: Biere de ChampagneABV: 10.3 percent Boston Brewing Co. comes under a lot of fire from the beer community. It’s to be expected as the largest craft brewery providing for a fickle community of geeks — people will get upset and write you…
Laurie Notaro Boy, are we full. 2011 was a year of great new restaurants, delicious morsels — and many new recipes to try. Here are a few of the favorites Chow Bella shared with you this last year. 10. Laurie Notaro’s Chicken Pot Pie Not only was our favorite funny lady kind enough…
Farmers’ market junkies know all about Dr. Hummus and his array of creative hummus, tapenade, and dip options. Saunter up to the booth, snag a pita chip, and nibble your flavor of choice. Try it before you buy it. (And you’ll probably buy it, because Dr. Hummus has made his…
Allow me to introduce you to a new, awesome word: sabrage. It’s the name given to the practice of opening a champagne bottle with a sword. If your New Year’s resolution is to be a badass, you should learn it. I can hear your incredulousness, but trust me — sabrage…
Considering the bad economy continues to top the headlines, the restaurant industry in Phoenix fared pretty darn well in 2011. Some restaurant closings — like the notoriously icky Eddie’s Pizza in Tempe — were, frankly, overdue. And sure, we lost a slew of Marie Callender’s and Krispy Kremes, but that’s…
Today we bring you the second half of our chat with Jeff Kraus of Truckin’ Good Food. Kraus, owner and chef, spoke yesterday about his take on French cuisine. Today we’ve got the scoop on his progress turning TGF from one kick-ass food truck into a brick-and-mortar restaurant. If you…
In this week’s Battle of the Dishes, we’re pitting two local breakfast giants against one another omelet-a-omelet. Matt’s Big Breakfast and Over Easy are frequently named as top breakfast joints, and both of them were featured on Food Network’s Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives.
When a new spot opens in town, I can’t wait to check it out and to let you know my initial impressions. As the name implies, First Taste is not a full-blown review, but a peek inside restaurants that have just opened, sampling a few items, sharing a few photos,…
Last week we asked you about your favorite holiday drink. This week, as you prepare for holiday celebration part two, we want to know what your least favorite holiday drink is. There are plenty of cliched New Year’s customs: resolutions, midnight kisses, champagne. But even though champagne contains alcohol, we would…
J&G Steakhouse. Have a question for Amy? Leave it in the comments section. Today’s question: Can you tell me about these different kinds of flour I see on the grocery shelf? The kind of flour you choose can significantly change the result of what you’re baking. Or, it may produce…
Champagne Anyone? Need a little post-Christmas/pre-New Years pick me up? How about treating yourself to an evening of luxury tomorrow night at Lon’s Moet Wine Dinner? That should pull you out of that post Christmas funk. The evening starts in Lon’s wine cellar where Chef Jeremy Pacheco will be serving up…
The Spot: Z’Tejas Southwestern Grill, 7221 W. Ray Road, Chandler. (480) 893-7550. Other locations include Scottsdale, Tempe and Phoenix. ztejas.comThe Hours: 3:30 to 6:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, 3 to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Hours vary slightly by location, and the Scottsdale Z’Tejas includes a reverse happy hour from…
This New Year’s Eve, reserve a table at Cibo in downtown Phoenix to enjoy simple-yet-amazing Crepes Suzette in the restaurant’s romantic garden dining area. After all, dessert that’s plied with liquor and set on fire just screams New Year’s Eve.
We’re chatting in this week’s Chef Chat with Jeff Kraus, owner and chef of Truckin’ Good Food. Although the mobile version of TGF no longer roams the streets of Phoenix bringing Parisian-inspired delicacies to Valley residents, Kraus’ new endeavors are making our mouths water. We’re talking new menus and even…
Welcoming in the winter season, a new line-up of Valley chefs and taste makers has been set to host Phoenix Public Market’s Winter Chef Series, two-hour demonstrations and cooking classes featuring a variety of memorable meals and culinary personalities. Mark Tarbell, chef and owner of Tarbell’s, the award-winning neighborhood restaurant…
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 Toscano/black/dinosaur/cavolo nero/lacinato kale…
Season two of Check, Please! Arizona on KPBS premieres at 7 p.m. Thursday, January 5 with Chef/Host Robert McGrath at the head of the table, once again. Read on for a sneak preview of some of the restaurants featured this season…..
Sure the economy blew this year, but several new Valley restaurants took a chance anyway and opened their doors in 2011. From Cambodian cuisine, to Texas barbecue, to “crazy cook” Italian, here are some of the new places we’re most excited about. Sekong By Night Opened: March 2011 | Cuisine: Cambodian…
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 weekly review of local breakfast spots.This week we were craving some culture and found ourselves heading to Scratch Pastries in Scottsdale. Scratch is very…
Hungry for your early morning serving of food news, with no preservatives or additives? Magnolia Cupcakes Have you ever had a cupcake from the famous Magnolia Bakery? No? Well you are seriously missing out. The Magnolia Bakery (which originated in New York but now has four locations including a spot…
Along with her fine food writing skills, Phoenix New Times cafe critic Laura Hahnefeld has a knack for finding the oddest — and most entertaining — stories. From gruesome bread to sugary meat treats, thanks to her we saw it all in 2011. Here are some of her favorite finds…
