Downtown’s Pie Social (A Field Guide)

There’s going to be a lot to see and do at the Chow Bella/Roosevelt Row Pie Social today. But more important, there are going to be people on the same mission: Drop off the pies (optional), get the tasting tickets, find the best pies, taste, and repeat. Note: Winners of the celebrity pie…

“Magnetic Tongue” Developed to Taste Differences in Canned Tomatoes

Canned tomato producers are outsourcing our taste buds to robots. We spotted a New Scientist article via The Food Section and were completely fascinated that researchers from the University of Copenhagen have come up with a “magnetic tongue” that mimics a human’s ability to taste different flavors using a sensor…

Matthew Wohleb’s Amaro Old Fashioned

​Yesterday we met Matt Wohleb, sommelier and bar manager at Cave Creek restaurant Amaro Pizzeria and Vino Lounge. Today he shares with us the recipe for one the Amaro Old Fashioned, an Italian twist on a cocktail classic made using Amaro Montenegro, a brand of bitters made using more than…

Murg Makhani, or Butter Chicken to You and Me

Tired of the same old tired orange chicken and California rolls? Want to venture beyond the standard suburban-stale take-out? Here comes Chop PHX, with the Valley’s rarer Asian offerings. This Week: Murg Makhani from India Oven (1315 S. Gilbert Rd., Mesa) The Basics: Murg makhani (aka butter chicken) is the…

CLOSED: Two Hippies Magic Mushroom Burgers

Did the recession finally get to Two Hippies Magic Mushroom Burgers and their $5 burger deals? Part of the Phoenix-based Two Hippies chain, the psychedelic burger shack, on Indian School Road in Central Phoenix, opened in 2008 by husband-and-wife team Andy and Jan Goldstein (Andy’s brother Ron founded Long Wong’s…

Studio Movie Grill Dine-In Theater Opens in North Scottsdale

Thai salad and the Twilight saga? Following the September opening of the AMC Esplanade 14 Dine-In Theater in Central Phoenix, the Studio Movie Grill, pioneer of the in-theatre dining concept, opens in North Scottsdale today. The anchor of the Sonora Village at 15515 North Hayden Road, just south of Frank…

Virginia Senior is Betting on Pie Over Donuts

We’re counting down the days to Pie Social 2011 — 2 p.m. on Saturday, November 12 at 408 E. Roosevelt in downtown Phoenix. You can get in on the action yourself. Here are details for community bakers. And don’t forget about our celebrity bakers — today we’re introducing the final name…

Matthew Wohleb at Amaro

​The tender: Matthew WohlebThe bar: Amaro Pizzeria and Vino Lounge (28234 N. Tatum Blvd, Cave Creek, 480-502-1920)The pedigree: Wohleb began working at age 20 at Kazimierz World Wine Bar. The place’s vast wine cellar spurred an interest in the beverage, so he moved on to other wine-centric spots– Cowboy Ciao…

Caldo de Albondigas, Meatball Soup from Comedor Guadalajara

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: Caldo de Albondigas from Comedor Guadalajara ¿Como…

AndyTalk: A Sweet Potato Pie Primer

Sweet potatoes have a number of innate qualities that make them wonderfully pie-worthy. They have an abundance of natural sugar, which, although not essential, is good for starters. When baked, the sugar in the sweet potatoes caramelizes, becoming deeper, richer, and more complex (the way caramel is richer and more complex than granulated sugar).

True Blood Drink Brings the Show About the Undead to, Er, Life

Want to enjoy a warm, faux-blood libation with lunch? Yes, we know Halloween is over, but for fans of the HBO series True Blood the chance to sip on a perfectly replicated bottle of Tru Blood drink would be like dying and not going to heaven–because, of course, vampires are…

Pie Snob Traci Wilbur Is Serious About Pie

We’re counting down the days to Pie Social 2011 — 2 p.m. on Saturday, November 12 at 408 E. Roosevelt in downtown Phoenix. You can get in on the action yourself. Here are details for community bakers. And don’t forget about our celebrity bakers — every day we’ll introduce you…

The Return of Mr. Pholtosa and His Northeastern Thai Cuisine

If you have been to Siam in Glendale or, more recently, Thai E-San in Central Phoenix, then chances are, you have tasted Pete (or, in Thai, Tossapis) Pholtosa’s offerings of classic Thai cuisine as well as specific dishes from his home in northeastern Thailand. Now, Pholtosa’s resurfaced with Pete’s Thai…