The Spot: The Compound Grill, 7000 E Mayo Blvd. North Scottsdale, 480-585-5483 www.thecompoundgrill.com The Hours: Monday- Friday 3-6 pm. The Details: The menu is a quirky mix of Southwestern, Asian, and Mediterranean dishes given funky names to riff on the restaurants other function as a music venue. During Happy Hour they…
The Scottsdale Culinary Festival kicks off tonight not just with a kick-off party, but also with the announcement of the winners of this year’s spots in the Arizona Culinary Hall of Fame. The nominees make for quite a power meeting, don’t you think? Stay tuned throughout the week for Chow Bella’s festival…
Christopher Gross of Christopher’s and Crush Lounge just happened to be vacationing in Japan during the Tohoku earthquake this past March. He was in Kamakura, south of where the quake and tsunami struck. While Tohoku devastated some regions of Japan, Gross said that where he was staying, you might have not…
Savvy carb-lovers in the Valley know all about the macarons and croissants that come out of Essence Bakery. Because the sugar rush is so profoundly delicious, many folks are unaware that it is possible to get lunch there for under $10. (As long as you drink water and skip dessert.) Located on…
A lucky group of Chase credit card members spent this weekend at the Marriott Camelback Inn, enjoying a personalized evening of food and wine prepared by the executive, namesake chef of BLT Steak (a.k.a. Bistro Laurent Tourondel). Late afternoon guests were treated to BLT’s Executive Chef Laurent Tourondel and Head Chef Marc Hennessy demonstration…
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: Endive You’ll find these huge heads of “lettuce” on the market tables taking up lots of space or cut from the…
One of our favorite online mags, salon.com, is having a Coffee Art contest. Check out the details — and amazing latte art creation of Stockard Channing (really!) here. Drink up the beauty of Snoopy atop your morning brew — yesterday’s selection for Daily Shot. If you enter, send us a…
Hungry for your early morning serving of food news, with no preservatives or additives?Phoenix Base CampThis week, our favorite Bend, Oregon beer brewers, Deschutes, brings Beer Fanatic Base Camp to Phoenix. Base Camp is Deschutes’ way of saying thanks to everyone who has supported their beers over the years and…
Thanks to Chef Payton Curry, life has returned to the beloved Welcome Diner, which sat sad and empty on the corner of 10th street and Roosevelt for far too long. The infamous chef kicked off the first night of his three-month pop-up project to a packed house — and a packed…
An April Fool’s Day prank by Scottsdale’s Papago Brewing backfired Friday. In fact, the situation is bad enough that the brewpub — one of the best beer bars in the country, according to several beer mags — scrubbed Facebook exchanges about incident. Not before Chow Bella recorded the drama, however. (Lucky for…
[Editor’s Note: Following publication, Cycle’s PR representative Ty Largo contacted us to clarify that Chef Dan Moody gave notification well in advance that he would not be able to attend the event.] While the Valley has an established pop-up art gallery scene, this past weekend marked the debut of anything even close to a…
We got a little wacky in the kitchen this weekend. Maybe we were recovering from Friday night’s alcohol-fueled bender. Maybe we were bored out of our skulls. In any case, we found ourselves wondering what it would be like if you treated creme eggs like real eggs. The results (evidence…
If you’re a relative novice, it can be difficult to know where to start. A quick trip to Phoenix Knife House at McDowell & Miller roads in Scottsdale and I was overwhelmed by the sheer number of choices. Santoku, bread knives, chef’s knives, boning knives… If you’ve got a ton of cash to…
Need to pair some wine with your meatless Monday dish? Not so difficult, you think — enter a wine store and read the tags with pairing recommendations and flavor descriptions and pick out a bottle. Or chat with the salesperson and let them be your guide. Sounds like a simple…
All guac is not created equal. And if you’ve ever dipped a chip into the offerings at our five favorite spots for the best use of avocado, you know what we’re talking about. 1. Barrio Cafe. Really, here in Phoenix, Silvana Salcido Esparza sets the standard with her…
We’ve tried dozens and dozens of energy drinks, and the regular Monster (green label) is still our favorite. But we can’t always handle the mass amounts of sugar and carbonation in the regular Monster, so when we saw a newer, non-carbonated drink called Monster Rehab, we figured we’d give it…
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. Coming Soon: Payton Curry’s “Curry-ousity” Food Nerd Alert! Oxford…
Several Arizonans claim to be the inventors of the Chimichanga. Was it Woody, the founder of Macayo’s? Or maybe Monica Flin of Tucson’s El Charro? I guess we will never know, but we do know where you can get an exceptionally tasty chimi filled with just the right amount of…
We knew that last year’s Big Brain award winner, Natalie Morris, was back in town but she recently shared with us a little secret that we almost couldn’t believe. After eating her way around the world — trying foods like Tibetan yak cheese and Icelandic preserved shark — she came…
Staying in? We’ve got you covered — both on the culinary and entertainment fronts. Now presenting Dinner and a Movie — a guide to a do it yourself evening of food and film. Popcorn Alternative: Miso Butter Popcorn with Black Sesame and Wasabi Peas Entrée: Udon in White Miso Soup with Egg and…
We truly live in a golden age of food awareness. Where once Americans ate whatever grew or grazed around them, we now find a nation of extra-regional culinary tribes; whole dietary religions based on what food we should or shouldn’t put in our bodies, how we prepare it, and how…
We love food festivals. Give us a good BBQ, wine, or generic culinary event every weekend and we’d never go hungry or bored. But the amount of overlap between culinary events in Phoenix is starting to be a concern. Take this weekend’s newly-christened The Original Taste festival, for example. After years of taking place…
