A friend just told me about a pleasant surprise she got when she stopped by St. Francis to pick up a few gift cards to give out as Christmas presents. (Who wouldn’t want one of those? It’s a pretty easy way to check a bunch of people off your shopping…
Call it jealousy over decorated pine trees or disappointment at the lack of a Jewish equivalent of that creepy Elf on the Shelf, but over the decades Jews have created their own non-commercial, non-religious tradition of dining out in the spirit of A Christmas Story. Because nothing beats kvetching about holiday commercialism over plate of…
Three months ago, the board of directors for the Crave AZ Culinary Festival announced that they were postponing the Scottsdale event lineup from late October to late January 2011. At that time, the date change was attributed to some “new, large sponsors” who were about to get involved, as well…
Even if your oven sits cold all year, chances are you’re considering firing it up, right about now. As a holiday twist on our “What Are You Eating?” feature on Chow Bella and “What Are You Wearing?” on Jackalope Ranch, for the next few weeks we’ll be bringing you “What…
Hungry for your early morning serving of food news, with no preservatives or additives?New Year’s EveWith so much going on for New Year’s Eve, there is no way we could cram it all into one Eater’s Digest. Here s our second round of fancy dinner events going on around town…
As we bid farewell to the year and look ahead to 2011, for the next two weeks Chow Bella contributors will bring you some greatest hits from 2010. We’ve already highlighted Carol Blonder’s most memorable food-related books. Today, we’re looking at Wynter Holden’s top Battle of the Dishes moments. A…
You’re out of luck on Sunday and Monday, but there’s now a stretch of five consecutive nights where hip local restaurants roll out specials for the late-night crowd. Noca is the newest of the bunch, with a Wednesday night shindig from 10 p.m. to midnight that debuts tomorrow. The special…
The Spot: Arriba Mexican Grill,1812 E Camelback, Phoenix, with 5 other locations across the Valley, 602-265-9112, www.arribamexicangrill.com. The Hours: Monday through Friday from 3 pm to 6 pm, with a reverse happy hour every day of the week from 9 pm to close. The Details: Arriba offers a 99 cent…
Even if your oven sits cold all year, chances are you’re considering firing it up, right about now. As a holiday twist on our “What Are You Eating?” feature on Chow Bella and “What Are You Wearing?” on Jackalope Ranch, for the next few weeks we’ll be bringing you “What…
Wild holiday parties are great, unless you’re the one sober person watching everyone else prance around with gift wrap bows on their heads, slurring mangled X-rated versions of “Jingle Bells.” Sucks for you! The least we can do to ease your pain is to provide a few holiday “Mocktail” recipes that taste…
The Chow Bella team came out in force for our latest food showdown, this time a battle of holiday cookie recipes. Thank goodness somebody showed up with a gallon of milk! I had an entire plate filled with all kinds of baked treats, and somehow I had to taste through them…
Courtesy of Local Bistro Milan-born chef Andrea Volpi fancies himself a gypsy. After learning to cook in his mother’s kitchen, Volpi enrolled in a top Italian culinary school; then traveled through Italy and Spain for several years before crossing the ocean and settling in Chicago in 1989. He later moved to Arizona, where he…
It’s all about the lard, baby.”Fat is your friend,” said Barrio Cafe chef Silvana Salcido Esparza at her recent tamale making class (read about it here). “Once a year, go for a walk!”Well, there’s also salt, liquid, and ground corn that’s been dried and boiled in lye, but making the…
Cranberry is good for more the just a string of garland on your Christmas tree and it is a holiday treat long after Thanksgiving. During this Christmas week cranberry is popping up on menus all around the Valley. Find out where to get your cranberry fix after the jump…
Seems like every restaurant in town is doing special holiday prix fixe menus, and going all-out with luxury ingredients and prices to match. Looking for a special-occasion meal with family or your sweetheart? Take your pick — there are some amazing options. It’s to be expected this time of year…
Charles “In Check” Eis The guitarist for The Rails is gearing up for the band’s upcoming album release in February. What’d you eat for dinner last night? Buffalo Burger at Native New Yorker. Favorite food: Enchiladas Least favorite food: Anything that’s even been in the same room with onions. Favorite…
Hungry for your early morning serving of food news, with no preservatives or additives?NYE 2010The clock is ticking to make those oh so important New Years Eve Plans. The one day of the year you must have fun whether you like it or not. End 2010 right with a fancy…
With spots like Lemongrass Thai, Thai Rama, Thai Basil, and Thai Elephant, Tempe is already jam-packed with a lot of Thai dining options, but hey — wouldn’t you just say, “The more, the merrier” if the food is good? Oh, yeah. So welcome Tasty Thai, another place to get your…
Carol Blonder Walnut Spritz CookieCookie exchanges are a staple at every holiday office party, including the offices of Chow Bella. But the contributors to this blog are a cutthroat bunch, and with an inordinate amount of trash talk thrown about, our cookie exchange quickly became a cookie showdown. Today’s our…
Making a list of picks for the top 5 books on food published in 2010 forced us to consider criteria for adding a book to our shelves. With apps for our smart phones in the addition to blogs and Internet sites devoted to cooking, it’s easy to conclude we don’t…
Last week I met up with three girlfriends for a fabulous early Christmas treat: a tamale-making class at Barrio Cafe. Chef-owner Silvana Salcido Esparza led a full house through a step-by-step tutorial on creating these scrumptious, bite-sized versions of the traditional Mexican holiday food, and she was a real hoot –…
The beer geek is a simple creature, really. Plop a few bottles in front of him this holiday season and he’ll call it good. But when the holiday five-pack just won’t cut it, here are some gift ideas that’ll make your beer geek piss-drunk — with happiness…
