After a few months’ hiatus, popular Mill Avenue coffeehouse Three Roots is back in business, under new ownership (it didn’t go co-op after all). Besides a fresh coat of paint, new flooring, and other repairs, the bohemian spirit of the place remains the same. Even many of the same vegan…
Not sure how you feel about Food Network stars but we’re big fans of Giada De Laurentiis. We received two cookbooks when we got married, Mark Bittman’s How to Cook Everything and Giada’s Everyday Italian: 125 Simple and Delicious Recipes. The Bittman bible is dog-eared and beet-stained and we dip…
Mama Java’s has the good fortune of being close to several other cool businesses. It’s across the street from Hazelwood’s, should patrons decide they’d like to sing karaoke and get drunk after coffee, and it’s in the same strip mall as the Book Gallery, should patrons decide they’d like to…
This really puts the “welcome” in Welcome Diner. James Beard Award-winning chef Nobuo Fukuda is testing out dishes for his in-the-works restaurant this coming Saturday (August 8) at Welcome Diner (924 E. Roosevelt). It’s the second such night he’s hosted since closing Sea Saw in early June. Although Fukuda’s new izakaya…
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: Summer Beer Quest Week Nine Local Lyricist Maja Rapping…
Whether you agree with his decisions or not, there can be no doubt that President Obama has already accomplished many things since entering office in January of 2009. He has closed Guantanamo Bay. He has supported stem cell research. But it is one of his most recent decisions that has…
Oh Mickey, what a pity. It’s the end of an era for Scottsdale nightlife, as Mickey’s Hangover has closed its doors, according to the Trib. In case you’ve never knocked back a beer while hanging out on one of its thrift store couches, Mickey’s was sort of a tongue-in-cheek place to…
Some people have problems with commitment. People do change after all and the person you love today may turn into a psycho hose beast tomorrow. But through the assistance of close friends or the sage advice of one’s elders we work through commitment issues and find deeper connections than we…
If you’ve been at a farmers market in the Valley lately, you’ve probably run into a booth with a rather odd name and a Nebraska Huskers bumper sticker on the cooler: Pork on a Fork. The name, we’re not sure about, but the Huskers sticker is there because the company’s…
When J.K. Grence is working behind the bar at Trader Vic’s at the Hotel Valley Ho in Scottsdale, he imagines himself to be playing Penn to the other bartender’s Teller. “I’m standing there talking constantly,” he laughs, “while he’s just standing there silently making drinks.” He’s busy telling you stories…
It’s too hot to cook, so just skip to dessert. That’s our philosophy, anyway. Besides, most summertime desserts have the added benefit of being cold, and anything that helps beat the heat is a winner. This week we offer you a daily guide to the sweet treats of summer, from…
Here’s a juicy summer read we can’t wait to dig into: Cooking Dirty by Jason Sheehan. Sheehan happens to be the food critic at Westword, New Times’ sister paper in Denver, but long before he launched his award-winning career as a food scribe, he worked his way through kitchens across…
If you drink China Mist bottled tea and want tickets to the Arizona Diamondbacks game on September 9, this is for you. Twitter was designed to answer the question “what are you doing,” but local promoters Activating Word of Mouth are using the social media site to create a stir…
Some people are born lactose-intolerant. Not us! No, we earned it. Maybe it’s the companion splash of milk in every cup of coffee that keeps our journalistic fingers hard at work that has trained our body to associate mammalian lactation with stress. Either way, we can’t handle milk products when…
OK, folks. So, yesterday, when we announced National Lasagna Day deals at Buca di Beppo, we said, it seems like every day on the calendar is the National Day of Something. As it turns out, we were right. Today is National Cheesecake Day! You know what that means: cheesecake deals…
J.K. Grence has big dreams. He’s planned out the ideal bar — the one he would like to open one day in the distant, fuzzy future. “I’d want it to be some tropical hideaway,” he says. “You just sink into the atmosphere of it and have nice people bring you…
It’s too hot to cook, so just skip to dessert. That’s our philosophy, anyway. Besides, most summertime desserts have the added benefit of being cold, and anything that helps beat the heat is a winner. This week we offer you a daily guide to the sweet treats of summer, from…
Thank you, Chipotle — and not just for your giant burritos. The chain is sponsoring a free screening, tonight at 7:30 p.m., of the newest watchdog documentary, Food, Inc. at the Harkins Camelview theater in Scottsdale. It’s first-come, first-served, so get there early. The film comes from co-producer Eric Schlosser,…
Heads up, uptown Phoenix. You’re about to get another hot spot in your backyard. The Vig, the Arcadia restaurant with the best bocce ball in the city, is opening a second location, on 16th St. and Bethany Home in north Phoenix, according to General Manager Pam Vincent. Yes, that’s just…
When I was pregnant with my first daughter four years ago, a craving for chocolate milkshakes grabbed hold of me. I blissfully spent my pregnancy drinking shake after shake. When I was in the hospital for the delivery, a nurse asked whether I had tried milkshakes all around town and…
Some like it hot. This time of year, though, there’s a huge difference between a hot kitchen and a hot beach. Somehow the latter inevitably wins out. But that doesn’t mean you can’t plot your future kitchen adventures while soaking up some rays. In fact, the new Martha Stewart’s Cupcakes book…
Pita Jungle vs. DeluxGazpacho is a cold soup, originally from Spain, and is the perfect antidote to these hellacious summer days. There are so many variations on gazpacho (chunky or pureed, spicy or mild) but they’re all tomato-based and raw, making them vegetarian and, more often than not, vegan-friendly.In One…
