The Merc Bar is well known for its swanky, speak-easy vibe with lots of low light and dark wood. This destination for classy cocktails is taking after its SoHo cousin, and offering a menu of light bar bites until 10 each evening. Working behind the bar in a corner smaller…
La Tortilla Española, a seemingly simple pie of potato and egg, is a staple of tapas menus everywhere. It’s been said before, but it’s true — the trick about simple food is to start with great ingredients and not screw them up. Ingredients as basic as potatoes and eggs can either yield…
We were a little worried when the Dunkin’ Donuts on Mill Avenue abruptly closed last month after just a few months of dishing out doughy, fried goodness and damn good coffee to the college crowd. If a donut shop can’t survive situated right next to a major university filled with…
Whether it’s technically a pop-up or not, this weekend’s menu at Cycle sounds damn tasty. Strada Bella food truck — run by Pat Simeri — is just now up and running and ready to serve. Simeri is still only booking special events (you can’t find him parked any place…
Yesterday we began our conversation with Chef Jared Porter of The Parlor and today the conversation continues beginning with what pushes this chef’s buttons. An allergy to olive oil…Come on, really? What pushes my buttons? Special instructions, allergies. It sounds crass. You don’t know if it’s BS or not. Just…
Grab some sustainably-grown eco-friendly snacks and head down to Madcap Theaters in Tempe this weekend for some cool flicks about food and the environment. In celebration of Earth month, Whole Foods is holding screenings of six films in 70 cities for their Do Something Reel Film Festival. The films aim…
Hungry for your early morning serving of food news, with no preservatives or additives?Cibo’s Thursday Night SpecialTomorrow night, downtown pizza extraordinaire Cibo proudly welcomes two special guests from Boulder, Colorado’s Frasca Food & Wine. Sommelier Bobby Stucky and chef Lachlan Mackinnon-Patterson will be pairing their very own Scarpetta wine with…
Well folks, it’s finally happening. Worlds colliding. Lines blurring. Munchies are morphin’, for reals…
Chef Dan Moody is popping up — at Posh, Monday, April 25 — with his RelationChef concept. Spots are filling up fast, so we’ll make this quick and share more details as we get them. Go here to make your reservation. Follow Chow Bella on Facebook and Twitter…
From the bright green framed moss on the wall to the hot pink chairs in the bar and the tree limbs hanging from the ceiling, the new restaurant at the Westin in downtown Phoenix is downright adorable in a big-ish city hotel kinda way — but twice last week,…
D’lish might be easier to drive by than drive thru. But this is a cute, small — emphasis on the small! — restaurant redefines fast food. It’s fast, but it’s also healthy, using organic and local ingredients when possible…
Whether he’s gardening, working on his bike or in the kitchen, Chef Jared Porter of The Parlor takes a Zen like approach to everything he gets his hands on, including the pizzas, salads, sandwiches and other items on his salon-turned-restaurant’s menu. This guy is deep — and boy can he…
I must not be the only one making brisket for the first time this week. (Trial run for Passover.)A tweet from the United States Department of Agriculture’s safety unit just caught my eye — it links to a handy guide to everything you forgot to ask about how to cook…
Last week, Top of the Rock, the signature restaurant at The Buttes in Tempe, announced the appointment of Akos Szabo to the position of Chef de Cuisine. Alongside Executive Chef Gregory Wiener, Szabo will be tweaking the current menu in coming weeks to incorporate more seasonal and locally-grown ingredients. The…
Cruising by the intersection of 19th Avenue and Northern? Slow down and look around — this is Phoenix’s equivalent to Disney’s “It’s a Small World”. On the southwest side of the intersection, the Ritz Vietnamese nightclub and restaurant (fragrant Pho and curry) and The Russian Market (imported cheese, meat, and beer…
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: Carrots Easter is this month and with the bunny coming and all, we thought we’d feature the beloved carrot. Bugs…
We were bummed last year when we learned that the too-cute Chestnut Lane Cafe (adorable but a little on the expensive side) had closed its doors for good due to landlord issues. But the doors to the tiny spot on Camelback just south of 44th street didn’t stay shut for…
Hungry for your early morning serving of food news, with no preservatives or additives?Breakfast for a Good CauseBreakfast is on the house next week! Grab a couple extra cans of food at the store tonight (or clean out your pantry) and bring them down to Over Easy next Wednesday, April…
Hey, how long you get for lunch? That will become the most important question of the day in these parts beginning tomorrow, as Pizzeria Bianco begins daytime service…
Another year of Scottsdale Culinary Festival events has come and gone. We sampled the fare at the 33rd Annual Great Arizona Picnic, watched the wine flow at Cooks & Corks, and took the opportunity to Eat, Drink and Be Pretty at the Scottsdale Center for Performing Arts. Despite the sheer number…
At what point does one elevate from merely drinking beer to being a full-on beer snob? Answer: when you feel compelled to tell other people what to drink. And the inevitable result of this peculiar ailment is the beer argument. In the spirit of all great beer-related discussions, we present…
Chef Eric Gitenstein is anxious, and with good reason. It’s his first time in a truck. A food truck. The executive chef of Bliss — formerly of the now-defunct Lola Tapas — has been serving up fare on the QT for just over a year in the form of his MF…
