Fleming’s Hosts $10 Cooking Seminars

Unless you happen to catch a free demo at a culinary festival, it doesn’t get much cheaper than ten bucks for a cooking seminar. Sounds too good to be true, but believe it. Fleming’s Peoria is offering the irresistible price for 90 minutes of instruction from chef Jeff Fearing, who’ll be giving guests…

Tomorrow: Third Friday Preview of Giant Coffee

Matt and Ernie Pool haven’t opened their new spot, Giant Coffee, but I just got word that they’ll be hosting another soft opening event tomorrow, in conjunction with the Third Friday gallery reception for the New Times Best of Phoenix “Wonderland” exhibition. Stop by for some coffee and a glimpse of downtown’s…

Folks in the Food Biz Are Going Pink in October

RSVP Public Relations ​Chompie’s just announced that they are selling pink bagels from now until October 30, donating some of the proceeds to the Susan G. Komen fund. Besides Chompie’s, we have noticed a lot of other products turning pink for the month of October, so we decided to see…

Now Open in Glendale: BiCE Bistro

Founded in Milan in 1926, the first BiCE Bistro to hit the States opened in New York in 1987. Now the Italian restaurant has a new Arizona location in its lineup. BiCE Bistro’s Glendale home debuted last week in the Westgate City Center (6751 N. Sunset Blvd.), with a modern, 80-seat dining room, a…

Booksigning Tonight: Clean Food Author Terry Walters

Want to learn more about eating a sustainable diet? Stop by Changing Hands Bookstore in Tempe tonight for a signing event with author Terry Walters, whose book Clean Food has a subtitle that explains it all: “A Seasonal Guide for Eating Close to the Source With More Than 200 Recipes…

Battle of the Raspados

Realeza Michoacana vs. La Reina MichoacanaRaspados are basically Mexican snow cones, but they’re better than their US counterparts because real fruit juice is drizzled on top of the ice, instead of the sugary syrup most of us are used to. This gives you the feeling that what you’re eating is…

Behind the Bar: Brian Barnes at The Turf Restaurant & Pub

There are people who tend bar, and then there are bartenders. Both can mix you a drink and take your money, but a true bartender wears more hats than a balding boy band. One must learn to be drink-maker, host, counselor, server, cashier, bouncer, manager, custodian, concierge and friend (often…

Three Valley BBQs Compete in Jack Daniel’s Competition

Three Valley-area barbecue teams have been selected to compete in the “prestigious” 21st Annual Jack Daniel’s World Championship Invitational Barbecue.Barbecue pros from Blake’s BBQ in Gilbert, Otis and the Bird in Mesa and Rhythm ‘n QUE in Phoenix will duke it out against sixty other teams from all over the…

Birds of a Feather Fork Together – At Least for a While

Maybe it’s because I’m turning 40 this year, but I’ve been spending a lot of time thinking about decisions I’ve made in the past. I mean, really, it takes only one or two bad decisions to change your life. Let me rephrase that: It takes being caught only once or…

Empty Bowl Event Helps Feed the Needy

How can the purchase of one clay bowl nutritiously feed 75 hungry people? Waste Not’s 19th Annual Empty Bowl Event aims to do just that. The handcrafted bowls for sale at the event are made and donated to Waste Not from the Arizona Clay Association. The empty bowls have a…

Recipe: Goat Cheese Medallions at Lola Tapas

Chef Felicia Ruiz loves using fresh, often locally grown ingredients to create her dishes at Lola Tapas. One ingredient that remains a constant on the Lola menu is honey. Ruiz explains that she loves honey so much because each area has its own flavor.”People don’t realize that local honey actually…

Chef Doug Robson Plans New Market/Restaurant

It doesn’t have a name yet. But a new market-meets-restaurant that Gallo Blanco chef Doug Robson is working on may be open as early as December. Robson’s renovating a former Coffee Plantation at 48th Street and Warner in Ahwatukee. The freestanding building is in a neighborhood packed with chains, so…

Meal Ticket: Culinary Voyeurism and a Fishy New Date Spot

Admit it: You love to watch. But that’s okay, so do we.   In this week’s Meal Ticket dining newsletter, find out which local restaurant lets guests interact with the chefs and watch as they slice, dice and prepare a gourmet meal. We’ll also have info on offerings at the new Bluewater Grill,…

Two New Places Serving Pasta in the Valley

Can’t get enough pasta? Bol Italia and Loughlin’s Bistro just opened their doors, and the Italian staple looms large on both restaurants’ menus. Bol Italia, located in Chandler at Alma School and Queen Creek, offers pasta, salad, and rice bowls quickly and inexpensively. Chef Philip Occhipinti combined his love of…

Chef Chat: Felicia Ruiz, Lola Tapas

Chef Felicia Ruiz is totally adorable. Okay, we don’t mean to gush, but she’s that special kind of person that makes you feel automatically welcome and at ease, especially in what she calls her second home, Lola Tapas.We guess her relaxed attitude might stem from her culinary education. Ruiz never…

Beer Cooking Class at BLT Steak

Forget the wine, we want to cook with beer. Not just any beer, mind you, but beer of the tasty locally microbrewed Four Peaks variety. Lucky for us and other amateur foodies, Chef Marc Hennessy from BLT Steak is offering to show everyone how on Saturday.That’s right. From noon to…

Tempe Farmer’s Market In Photos

It seems that Tempe is hopping these days. First we announced a new bar, then a new burger joint and now a brand-new, daily farmer’s market. We poked our noses in and checked the market out. What did we find? A lot of organic produce, fresh-baked bread, hummus, fresh sandwiches and…

Monday Night Martha: Pumpkin Pie

Is it ever too early for pie? Yes, it’s barely October but some Valley stores already have Christmas decorations up, which means like it or not, the holiday season is here. We happen to love the period between October and January and will take any excuse under the sun to…

Metro’s Matt Taylor Heading to Vegas

After a few weeks of speculation that Metro Brasserie chef Matt Taylor was heading to glitzier pastures — Vegas, baby — word is out that he’s given notice with restaurant owner Fred Unger and will soon be heading to Sin City to head the kitchen at Michael Mina at the…

Caffiend: Bawls G33K B33R

Anybody who ever attended a LAN party has seen Bawls, the Guarana-based drink of choice for geeks. This is a reputation Bawls clearly embraces, as they named one of their concoctions “G33K B33R.”G33K B33R is a high-octane root beer that tastes great, like old time Sarsparilla. And the energy rush…

Chef Payton Curry to Leave Digestif for Expanding Caffe Boa

The imminent departure of chef Payton Curry from Digestif is the big news from this weekend.After cooking at the restaurant through the Crave Arizona weekend (October 22 to 24), he’ll join Caffe Boa, restaurateur Jay Wisniewski’s popular restaurant just off Mill Avenue in Tempe. (Another Caffe Boa, in Ahwatukee, is unaffiliated.)Wisniewski also plans…