Back in May – just as school was about to let out for summer vacation – we headed over to Schnepf Farms in Queen Creek for their annual Peach Festival. In the late spring sunshine, as the days in the desert were just starting to get robustly hot we picked a…
Anyone who has searched the couch cushions for a handful of change knows that boozing on an extreme budget can be a risky proposition. To help you decide how to spend that meager pile of pennies, we’ve scraped the Bottom of the Barrel to review some of the cheapest, most…
After keeping Phoenix guessing about his strategy to take over the universe (or at least the Valley), local food marketing/PR whiz, blogger (a.k.a. JuxtaPalate) and man-about-town Ty Largo announced his new agency today, and former Arizona Republic food critic Nikki Buchanan has officially come out as a member of his…
Yesterday was the last day of business for the short-lived Toast Breakfast Boutique. Our lease was up and it’s time for something new,” says owner Vine Saccento. “(We’re) also very busy with v100modbox (Saccento’s prefab housing structures) — we will be putting them on the lot this month behind the Bentley Projects.”Saccento and co-owner Gina…
Tomorrow is the season finale of Hell’s Kitchen and, in true Fox form, the drama has escalated (WHAT!?). Last week, Gordon Ramsay cut Autumn Lewis and Benjamin Knack (see ya, misogynist!), leaving Jay Santos (Chef Smurf) and Holli Ugalde (what’s up with the baby-daddy sitch?) as the final two competing…
Echo Coffee isn’t that different from most other coffee shops. The interior décor is like a mom-and-pop Starbucks, decorated with plush chairs and spacious tables, over which hang red ceiling lamps. Hipster jazz usually plays softly through the speakers, and the scent of coffee grounds fills the air. The coffee…
Hungry for your early morning serving of food news, with no preservatives or additives?Dinner with “X” WineryWednesday night Tommy Bahamas Restaurant and Bar in Scottsdale will be hosting a special wine dinner with “X” wine maker and president Reed Renaudin. The four course meal will feature savory dishes starting with…
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: Food Network’s 24 Hour Restaurant Battle Is an Eternity…
Our mission to scope out First Friday hot spots left us all hot and hungry. It was time for a break. Thankfully these guys know how to put together a mean tarte. Soon enough, we were satisfied with our portions of spinach, mushrooms and leeks, topped with Fossil Creek Goat…
The average person’s stomach can hold about a liter of food, or close to two pounds’ worth. But who wants to be average? All over town, restaurants are offering up contests of confection, defying brave eaters to ingest more food than they should eat in a week — daily recommended…
It’s springtime in Tempe, so to speak.The restaurant scene in ASU’s neck of the woods felt pretty dead there for awhile, with too many closings and not much in the way of novelty. Now, with the fall semester already looming (I still can’t get used to the idea of “back…
It was an idea whose time hadn’t come, despite repeated attempts.Regions Bistro in Scottsdale closed this past Monday.The restaurant first opened in early 2009, followed soon after by the launch of a sister location in Tempe (that one is already long gone, and soon, it’ll be up and running as…
Yesterday we met Steve Douds, Renegade Canteen’s head bartender, who loves tequila and hates flavored vodka. Today he shares with us the recipe for the Shandygrath, a cocktail he concocted for Renegade’s drink menu and named for Renegade’s chef, Robert McGrath. Made with Grand Canyon Pilsner, Cock n’ Bull Ginger…
Bryan’s Black Mountain Barbecue turns to the open range for autumn inspiration and brings home tasty Bison Ribs and Artichoke Po’Boys starting September 1. Chef Bryan Dooley broke out the recipes a little early to give New Times a taste of what’s coming to Cave Creek this fall, and we’re telling you now: plan a trip.
Hungry for your early morning serving of food news, with no preservatives or additives?Dog’s Day OutDo you frequently find yourself at the bar on Sunday afternoons, talking the closest stranger’s ear off about how awesome your dog is? Wish you could hang out with people who didn’t view you as…
Small plates means you get to try more things. That’s why we’re practically drooling at the thought of munching tapas at Chef Aaron May’s Iruña. Food Critic Michele Laudig on Iruña: Let’s start with the highlights, like succulent, perfectly seasoned filet mignon grilled with sherry and onions. The meat was…
If his snowy beard is any indication, Steve Douds has been in the bartending business for a long time. But with the years comes experience, which Douds uses to great effect, competing in — and winning — national bartending competitions. Douds now employs his wisdom at Scottsdale’s Renegade Canteen (9343 E. Shea…
Barbecue master sounds like the perfect second career for a former pro athlete.Bryan Proby, chef-owner of the month-old Big Bellys BBQ in Tempe, used to play defensive end for the Kansas City Chiefs. But nowadays, he feeds hungry customers his own “unorthodox,” secret-recipe barbecue — ribs, brisket, pulled pork, smoked…
Most of Tracy DeWitt’s desserts are insanely complex dishes with layers of flavor that she’s cooked up for pastry competitions. We’re talking desserts with more than 16 recipes per plate. Not something you’d want to try at home. “Lava Rock Sugar is the coolest recipe experiment anyone could try,” DeWitt says. “It probably gets the most ‘ooh’s and ‘ahh’s from my students.”
Hungry yet?We’re working up our appetites for our huge Best of Phoenix issue, out September 30, with daily servings of Chow Bella’s 100 Favorite Dishes from across the Valley — in no particular orderLeave your suggestions for upcoming favorites in the comments section.Visit our sister blog, Jackalope Ranch, for a companion series on 100 Creatives who make…
The Chuckbox? Yeah, good stuff — duh, right? Whether you’re a seasoned burger-bitin’ veteran of the 38-year-old Tempe joint (which once was a Chinese/Italian drive-thru) or a first-time Chuckbox chower, you may want a bit more meat behind what the place is all about. Hey, a lot can happen in…
How could Mill Avenue have gone so long without a Jewish deli? It boggles the mind that thousands of college students (and the rest of us) have been deprived of good pastrami sandwiches for years, at least in that hood.Well, tomorrow marks the soft opening of an old favorite from…
