Chef Robert McGrath Leaves Renegade Canteen

James Beard award-winning chef and former owner of Roaring Fork Robert McGrath has left Renegade Canteen, the upscale North Scottsdale restaurant where he served up his American West-influenced creations. According to the Arizona Republic, McGrath’s leaving resulted as a dispute with owners John Rosso and Steven Goodhue. McGrath tells the…

Rich Heider’s Japanese Revival

​Yesterday we met Rich Heider, the wealth of knowledge working behind the bar at the new Casablance Lounge in Old Town Scottsdale. Today he shares with us the recipe for the Japanese Revival, a drink Heider says is a good jumping-off point for the different things he does there. “We…

Chop PHX: Banh Xeo

​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: Banh Xeo The Basics: Authentic Vietnamese restaurants tend to have menus that can best be described as intimidating. Pho…

Where Am I Eating?

Patio dining season is here, hooray! I took advantage of the cooler weather the other day and had a nice lunch on the beautiful patio of a favorite Phoenix restaurant. Normally I go for the chicken but this time the tuna sashimi salad seemed to be calling my name. It was phenomenal…

Nachobot Opens Tonight

If hunger strikes while you’re out at First Friday this evening, Jobot’s John Sagasta will be serving up something to satisfy your cravings (and we ain’t talking about those tasty crepes). He’s launching his new venture Nachobot tonight a few doors down from Jobot, offering chips covered with gooey cheese and…

Rich Heider II at Casablanca Lounge

​The tender: Rich Heider IIThe bar: The Casablanca Lounge (7134 E. Stetson Dr., 480-970-7888) The pedigree: Heider was once a corporate bar trainer for Dave & Buster’s, opening locations in Maple Grove, Minn., Times Square and Tempe. He helped open J&G Steakhouse, then became GM at a few Scottsdale nightclubs, then…

Closed: Camarones Mexican Grill

Well, that does it for local restaurant chain, Camarones Mexican Grill.  According to their Facebook page, Twitter, and website, the Mexican restaurant, previous know as Gardunos, has shut the doors for good on their final location at Glendale’s Westgate Center. The Chandler and Scottsdale locations had closed down back in…

Dominick’s Steakhouse in Scottsdale Quarter Opens Today — Extends Middle Finger to Recession With Six-Foot Chandeliers, Poolside Dining, and Complimentary Organic Cosmetics

Mohair-upholstered ceilings, a 3,000-bottle wine cellar, two pianos — with the opening of Dominick’s Steakhouse today in the Scottsdale Quarter, it’s like the slumping economy ISN’T EVEN HAPPENING! Courtesy of the Mastro group, the 10,500 square foot, 350-seat, two-level luxury dining destination, hopes to “fill a void in the market…

Mexican Chocolate Cake from Blanco

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: Mexican Chocolate Cake served up by Blanco…

AndyTalk: Sugar Plumps Cellulose

Welcome to AndyTalk — where Scottsdale-based chef and cooking instructor Andy Broder will share kitchen tips, recipes and musings on food and life. This week: “sugar plumps cellulose.”   Sugar   plumps cellulose. (FYI this is a cellulose molecule)I say the words “sugar plumps cellulose” with the same rhythm as “rocks…

Spotted Donkey Cantina Concocts “The Cauldron” for Halloween

Not to be outdone by “The Undead” and “Brain Dead,” two Halloween hooches offered up by Hula’s Modern Tiki in Central Phoenix, the Spotted Donkey Cantina at el Pedregal, the North Scottsdale spot of Southwest-Mexican cuisine, has created a scary cocktail of their own, and they’re calling it, “The Cauldron.”…

New Food Truck Alert: Shine Coffee

The business: Shine Coffee  What you need to know: Coffee, espresso, tea and kid-friendly flavored milks served out of a stylishly retro 1957 “Flying Cloud” Airstream retrofitted into a mobile java machine. Shine gathers their coffee grounds from local favorites such as Lux and Cartel. Chef Allan Schanbacher of Posh…

Belva Davis at Artist in Residence Dinner at Lon’s, Southwestern Caramel Apples with Crushed Pinyon Nuts, and Vanilla Chai Tea Hot Toddy Recipe

A round-up of tasty morsels from Valley food blogs. DineOutPhoenix.com announced details of this year’s first dinner of the annual artist in residence dinner series at Lon’s. Eight-time Emmy award-winning journalist, Belva Davis, begins the series on Wednesday, October 12, 2011 at 6:30 p.m.. She’ll be signing her bestselling memoir,…

Poblano May Have Difficulty Competing with Neighborhood Staples

Dishes are pretty at Poblano. So pretty that even as you are deciding from the menu, your server may direct your attention to the wall, where photographs feature larger-than life images of poblano chiles dripping with cheese, and just-so arrangements of parrillada meats. “They will look like that,” your server…

Mrs. White’s Recipe for Success

This week we’ve been shooting the breeze with Phoenix’s queen of down-home country cooking: Mrs. Elizabeth White of Mrs. White’s Golden Rule Cafe. Since Mrs. White doesn’t use recipes in the kitchen, for the last part of this Chef Chat we’re bringing you the kind of advice you can only…

Closing Soon: Downtown’s Thai Elephant

ooks like you are going to have to get your Thai fix from somewhere else — and if you have been to the competition, then this isn’t good news. Thai Elephant, located in a prime downtown spot off Central and Adams will be shutting its doors as of October 25th. This…