“What’s your specialty drink?” and “What’s the most caffeinated coffee you carry?” are pretty common questions at a coffee shop. Usually, baristas will give a specific answer: at Cartel Coffee Lab in Tempe, they recommended the iced toddy. At Gold Bar Espresso in Tempe, we were encouraged to try the…
What’s better than homemade ice cream in the middle of a late August heat wave? Cheap homemade ice cream in the middle of a late August heat wave. Lucky for us, Superstition Farms is offering some sweet dairy discounts and exclusives for cow connoisseurs who join their Dairy Club, which…
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: Caffiend: Conspire’s Chai Latte Opening This Week: Two Hippies…
Get out your calendars, folks. And your credit cards. You’ve paid your dues through the most boooring part of summer, and now you can finally treat yourselves with tickets or reservations for some exciting culinary events coming up in the next month or so. It’s just the beginning of the…
If you’ve driven past Sonora Brewhouse sometime in the last month, you might’ve noticed a different name on the sign for the brewpub. Now it goes by SunUp Brewing Co. But if you’re a fan of this cozy little hangout — where you can chow down on really good burgers…
In just under five years, the Downtown Phoenix Public Market has gone from a small, plucky farmers market to a bustling, thriving food event open two days week. Saturdays at the market are so popular that they’ve spilled into the street. This fall, the market will get even bigger, with…
When we first heard that this week’s cafe column was about a pizzeria in a former beauty parlor, we could help but let our imaginations run wild. What if we could get a hair cut, beard trim, and maybe even a post-shampoo scalp massage while gorging ourselves on slice after…
It makes sense that the brand-new Total Wine store in Tempe is right next to IKEA. They’re both the kind of places where you could lose yourself wandering the aisles, browsing an overwhelming variety of products, and imagining all the possibilities. In the case of Total Wine, you can end…
After seven years in business, Old Town Scottsdale comfort food favorite Fusion has closed its doors. Owner Matt Long says he decided to quietly close in early July, blaming the opening of the W Scottsdale — and with it, fewer area parking spaces — for a decline in business. People don’t…
The Brownie Connection vs. Udder DelightsThere are hundreds of places to eat ice cream in the Phoenix area, but this week’s foodie smackdown is centered on the East Valley. We visit two cutesy spots in Gilbert that are just two miles apart from each other and compare the way they…
How would you define the quintessential Phoenix restaurant? For me, the old cliché about the mythological firebird rising from the ashes rings strangely true when it comes to some of the more distinctive neighborhood spots. We preserve our old buildings — and with them, our history — by repurposing them…
For most people I know, hot dogs are usually an occasional indulgence — maybe a dog with the works and a huge beer at a baseball game, a Nogales dog when the mood strikes, or hot dogs on the grill on a lazy Sunday by the pool. But Joe’s Farm…
After recently overhearing a few out-of-town visitors discuss their aversion to sampling fish from a “non-coastal state” (oh, the horror!), we felt compelled to shed some light on the Valley’s fine seafood offerings. In this week’s Meal Ticket dining newsletter, we’ve got a hot tip on a North Valley Japanese restaurant that offers traditional sushi, oak-grilled…
The clouds are still on the horizon, but it feels like a monsoon of restaurant closures is suddenly raining down on the Valley. In Scottsdale, Pink Pony (Old Town’s baseball memorabilia-laden institution) and Quilted Bear (the old-school American eatery founded by the late restaurateur Dale Anderson) have closed, as have Mesa’s Pizza…
What’s chef Matt McLinn been up to lately? Among other things, the former Methode Bistro owner has been working as the menu consultant for Dos Diablos Fine Mexican Food, a new upscale Southwestern restaurant that takes over the former Mancuso’s space at the Summit Shopping Center in north Scottsdale (32427 N…
Just a month after we said R.I.P. to Canal, chef Joseph Gutierrez is already up and running in that space with his second of three restaurants at Scottsdale’s turnover-prone SouthBridge development. Acua opened for dinner service last Thursday, serving an Asian-French fusion menu comprised of ten small plates, ten large…
All the time I spent studying Japanese literature was not in vain, as of this morning, when I got a look at the Eric Eats Out blog. I’m giggling as I write this. No, Eric doesn’t simply write a haiku. He actually writes a restaurant review in some approximation of a…
Andy and Jan Goldstein, the two husband-and-wife hippies behind Two Hippies, are expanding their mini-empire. By the end of this week, Andy Goldstein tells me, they’ll be opening Two Hippies Dropped Out of College and Opened a Pizzeria. Has there ever been a restaurant whose name was a full sentence?…
This week’s recipe comes from a friend who has a knack for going into the kitchen and whipping up quick little dishes that she seems to pull out of thin air. This is the same pal who was kind enough to share her recipe for cranberry sorbet. Spicy cucumber salad…
So what, exactly, is the “Coffee Conspiracy” at Conspire coffee house in downtown Phoenix? We can let you in on one thing — this offbeat mom-and-pop shop uses the house blend of Tempe’s Cartel Coffee Lab for its brews, so CenPho folks can enjoy Cartel’s heady roast blends without having…
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: Monday Night Martha: Leeks with Eggs and Cheese Foie…
Looking for something new this weekend? Chef James Porter’s new French bistro, Petite Maison, opens its doors to the public this Sunday at 5 p.m. It will be dinner-only until September 5, when breakfast, brunch, and lunch service start up. Petite Maison is located at 7216 E. Shoeman Ln. in…
