Once again we’ve ventured directly into a bottle to bring you a couple more beers to consider for that top spot as the kings of summer beer enjoyment. This week we skulked around Lost Leaf in Downtown Phoenix until they gave us some recommendations. Check out what we found in the…
A friend passed along a tip on a new restaurant in North Phoenix that just had its grand opening. It’s called Rustic Cafe, and is located on Cave Creek Road, north of the 101 (20811 N. Cave Creek Rd.). Open daily from 6 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., the place serves…
For about a year and a half, Cartel Coffee Lab in Tempe has been slinging some great java. They definitely have put a premium on serving up quality coffee out of their funky strip mall home. They’re so crazy about coffee that they host occasional latte art showdowns between valley…
We’re experimenting here at Monday Night Martha by cooking from recipes downloaded to the Amazon Kindle. We received a free copy of The Cook’s Illustrated How-To Cook Library as part of a short promotion offered this spring. It’s slightly odd trying to cook from an electronic reading device because when…
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…
So, you’ve read Julie & Julia and all of Ruth Reichl’s books, but you’re hungry for more? Fear not, summer reader. We’ve got a week’s worth of book recommendations for you, all food-related in one way or another, starting today with The Fortune Cookie Chronicles by Jennifer 8. Lee. Speaking of…
If you can drive just 20 feet past the Starbucks in the Basha’s Plaza on the northeast corner of Southern and McClintock in Tempe, you’ll find another gem of a coffee house in the same shopping center: Gold Bar Espresso. This cozy little corner shop touts itself as “simply the…
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: Copper Star Coffee’s Coconut Mocha Richardson’s, RIP Chef…
Why Chuck Norris? I love a good Chuck Norris “fact” as much as the next guy, but why make a martial arts star who went from getting his ass kicked by Bruce Lee to selling gym equipment on infomercials the subject of an internet phenomenon? Isn’t there a better, larger-than-life…
Looks like the jury’s still out on what caused the Richardson’s fire two weeks ago, though investigators are getting closer to finding the cause, according to spokesperson Frank Salomon. Phoenix Fire Department Investigator Marika McCue has teamed up with three insurance companies, and expect to issue a report on what…
When brands go bust, local franchises suffer. In 2008 alone, seven of America’s best-known brands in the food industry have filed for bankruptcy in reaction to the slowing economy — leaving their local franchises fighting to stay afloat. In a new report from CNN, the pattern is clear. From the…
Another local gem has shut its doors recently: Second Line Creole Caribbean Cuisine. At least, we can probably assume that from the “closed” sign in the window during its usual business hours, and the disconnected phone number. New Orleans native Duma Shange had opened the south Phoenix restaurant back in…
When Barry Solomon was 12 years old, he got a job in a restaurant. Apparently, they let you do things a little prematurely in small towns like the one he came from in northern California. “I didn’t want to be a shop rat the rest of my life,” he says,…
Barry Solomon is a lot like the bar he works behind: Cool. Merc Bar is so cool, in fact, there’s barely a sign marking its existence outside the door. “It’s sort of — you either know we’re here or you don’t,” Solomon says. That message of exclusivity resonates inside as…
Family-style Italian chain Buca di Beppo is launching an eClub — and they want you to join. What’s in it for you? Free stuff, of course! They’re offering a free appetizer just for joining, plus free desserts or appetizers on your birthdays or anniversaries until you’re…well, really old. Discounts total…
We’ll admit it. A childhood built on eating Mexican food from the unending selection of generic joints strewn about Houston, Texas suburbia did not prepare us for the glory of New Mexican…er…Mexican. That’s why we’re looking forward to filling our mouths with chilies courtesy of Si Señor Restaurant as featured in…
It’s not over ’til it’s over. An earlier report by the Republic was premature; Canal at SouthBridge hasn’t closed quite yet. It will continue dinner service today through Saturday. Chef Justin Beckett will be offering the regular menu as well as a special $25 prix fixe menu…
In this week’s Forking column, Colin Redding extols the benefits of being romantically involved with a “healthy, freaky chick.” The relationship eventually fizzled out, but the sautéed spinach recipe he picked up before he was sent packing continues to sizzle in Redding’s kitchen. Simple Sautéed Spinach One bag baby spinach…
We really should have started a restaurant death pool this summer. If only I’d been so organized, I would’ve put Canal at the top of the list — based on all the rumors of the SouthBridge restaurant’s excruciatingly sloooooow business. The place just closed, reports the Republic, likely soon to…
Toot, toot! It’s summertime in Phoenix, meaning the streets are as deserted as a Wisconsin cul-de-sac in December. We’re all inside, watching TV. I’ve been watching a lot of animated movies — my Blockbuster account is full of them: Madagascar, Chicken Run, Monsters, Inc. I’ve also settled into watching a…
You’d think that my recent run-in with a jalapeño at a central Phoenix hole-in-the-wall Mexican joint would’ve killed my appetite for the spicy stuff. It did. That hideously hot little bugger brought me down within 15 minutes of eating it and wrecked me for a day. To be sure, I…
There’s been a lot of talking and tweeting today about yesterday’s blog post on the return of Counter Culture, this time, we’ve heard, to a prime location on Mill Avenue. Andres Yuhnke, co-founder of Counter Culture, told Chow Bella earlier this week that his business was a lock to reemerge on Mill. While…
