Two weeks ago, the prized Phoenix BBQ shack, Stacy’s Smokehouse, opened its second location on Shea just west of Scottsdale Road in Scottsdale. The original Stacy’s Smokehouse has received tons of national praise including making Bon Appetit’s list of top ten new BBQ joints in ’09 and was referred to as “the fourth best BBQ…
Payton Curry, step it up. Bernie Kantak, I’m callin’ you out. Silvana Salcido Esparza, time to kick some ass. Seems as if the producers of the Emmy award-winning Top Chef are putting together a potential new cooking-related series for Bravo — and they need new blood. With qualifications that include…
Last year we marked the hundred day countdown to Best of Phoenix by sharing our 100 Favorite Dishes with you. Now we’re back – with the 2011 edition. Have a suggestion for a dish you’d like us to try? Leave it in the comments section or email laura.hahnefeld@newtimes.com. 53: Chocolate…
A regular coffee shop spot is a sacred (and often secret) thing. All-too-often the lighting is bad, the music is loud, and the a/c vent seems to be at just the right angle to totally freeze the table — and you. We’ve spent our fair share of time in local…
Whether you’re a CSA devotee, a farmers’ market weekender or consider ketchup a veg, we’ll bring you fresh inspiration for how to prepare our local produce. This week’s harvest: Sweet Onions They are sweet enough to be eaten like an apple – it’s the fresh or “sweet onion.” They might…
Hungry for your early morning serving of food news, with no preservatives or additives? Spinatos at Home Guess what, Spinato’s pizza lovers — the family-owned pizza joint is now putting their coveted sauce in jars. That’s right, as of this week you have the ability to make your own pizza…
Last week we met Brian Ramsay, bartender at Murphy’s Law in Chandler. Today he shares with us the recipe for Pimp Juice, a drink with seemingly magical properties. “It was established for my buddy Brian — very shy guy,” Ramsay says. “He was working there, really shy, never talked to girls,…
Last week, The Cooking Virgin whipped up a tasty batch of frothy, alcoholic Butterbeer in celebration of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part Two. But the Potter endgame isn’t the only geek-flick to hit the big screen this summer. Comic book fans are equally stoked for the release of Marvel’s Captain America: The First…
Looks like Sweet Republic, the artisan ice cream haven in Scottsdale, has caught the attention of the national media — and it hasn’t been the first time. Prior to celebrating their third birthday last month, Jan Wichayanuparp and Helen Yung’s cool labor of love was listed as one of the…
The beer: Fretzy’s Unfiltered AleThe brewery: Phoenix Ale BreweryStyle: English Pale AleABV: 5 percent Imagine there’s a new restaurant in town. The owners and chefs are well-respected in the industry, so you’re excited to visit. You sit down at a table, open the menu, and find the only dish they…
Stephen Toevs (pronounced tay-vz) is the new Executive Chef at Bistro 24 at the Ritz-Carlton. Originally from Bristol, Rhode Island, from an ethnically Portuguese family, Toevs cycled through a variety of jobs and career prospects from petroleum to construction before he set his sights definitively on the world of professional…
How many enticing recipes do you save — then skip — because the instructions for ingredient preparation seem to involve more time than you are willing to spend at the kitchen counter? Every cook, even the pros, are looking for ways to save time while adding a variety of fresh…
Look, I’m no expert when it comes to real estate for restaurants (my idea for a neighborhood bar next to a Mormon temple failed miserably), but when I walked out of Over Easy in Arcadia a few days ago and walked past a “coming soon” new coffee shop just one…
Last year we marked the hundred day countdown to Best of Phoenix by sharing our 100 Favorite Dishes with you. Now we’re back – with the 2011 edition. Have a suggestion for a dish you’d like us to try? Leave it in the comments section or email laura.hahnefeld@newtimes.com. 54: Chicken…
There must be some sort of burger vortex in this town, since three of the four spots chosen by Chow Bella contributors as serving our favorite burgers in metro PHX are located within a few blocks of one another. No matter where you’re at, these are burgers worth the trip…
The NRA (not that NRA), the National Restaurant Association, is rolling out a new initiative to encourage restaurants to offer something different from cheezburgers, grilled cheeze, nugget shapes, fried potatoes and a “juice” on kids’ menus. It’s called “Kids EatWell.” The focus is on “increasing consumption of fruit and vegetables, lean…
Hungry for your early morning serving of food news, with no preservatives or additives?Arizona Wine & TapasThis Friday, Mesa’s Il Vinaio will be hosting a wine & tapas dinner featuring four great Arizona wines paired with four great tapas plates. Apple honey bruschetta with brie and almonds will be paired…
Another week has come and gone leaving us to ponder the upcoming events that will shape our lives and, more importantly, our dinners out. But before we move on, let’s have one last look at the blog posts from this week. Five Favorite Frozen Treats in Phoenix and Where to…
The tender: Brian Ramsay The bar: Murphy’s Law (58 S. San Marcos Place, Chandler, 480-812-1588) The pedigree: Ramsay started young, barbacking at Native New Yorker at the tender age of 15. After a short stint in the military (dude did aviation ordinance during Desert Storm) he returned to Phoenix, where…
Sunday mornings will never be the same now that I have discovered this Phoenix gem. Not only do they have killer sandwiches like this Turkey Club Panini — they have carafes of breakfast cocktails for $3. The sandwich was tasty with soft ciabatta and tangy cheddar but it was my…
Cue squeaky German accent): “As you know, in fashion cocktail culture, one day you’re in. And the next day, you’re out.”So, if cocktail trends are like fashion trends, consider artificially flavored vodka beyond over, St. Germain so last season and botanical infused booze, such as Hum Botanical Spirit, totally hot…
My first thought when I saw the “Coming Soon” sign for the new Red Mango location on Mill Avenue in Tempe: Are you kidding?Ever since the fro-yo craze revived a few years back, along with cupcakes and bacon (and bacon cupcakes, shudder), self-serve yogurt shops have been popping up in…
