Even if you don’t live in Tempe, free coffee might be enough of a reason to go a little out of your way today…especially if you’re as over-caffeinated as we are. Dutch Bros. Coffee is opening a fifth location in Tempe today, at the corner of Mill Ave. and Southern…
Picture this: it’s just after noon and your tummy is rumbling. What to eat for lunch? Ah, the eternal question. These days the New Times crew is avoiding our regular haunts in search of lighter fare. Luckily for us (and you as well) we’ve got this week’s Café column to…
How do you get 500 Phoenicians to stand outside in the heat at 8 a.m.? If you’re Cityscape, you get local chef Aaron May to make them breakfast. May will be bringing an “Asian noodle house” and “Mexican style restaurant” to the 27-story office tower that will be the first,…
The idea of eating cactus — a plant covered in spikes — might cause some to laugh or grimace, or run away. But a true Southwesterner knows that’s all a ruse. Just strip off that rough exterior of certain varieties — and a tasty, okra-like veggie is waiting to be…
Dinner’s not the only thing you can whip up in the kitchen. Yeah, we all know it’s important to eat your fruits and veggies, but what if you slap them right on your skin? Does that count as a serving? I think so. With a few ingredients most folks keep…
Josh Parry is serious about drinks. He will not allow his bartenders to free-pour the sweet and sour in one of their signature cocktails, a Cucumint Martini. It must be measured with a jigger. “It’s that exact,” he says. “If you pour it perfectly, it will taste perfect.” He insists…
Summer in Phoenix is a good excuse to take a ’round-the-world tour. Sure, the cost of airfare might be prohibitive, but, hey, at least I can send my taste buds on a journey. In fact, some of my favorite dishes around town happen to be those cool, refreshing, “summery” foods…
Dinner’s not the only thing you can whip up in the kitchen. Yeah, we all know it’s important to eat your fruits and veggies, but what if you slap them right on your skin? Does that count as a serving? I think so. With a few ingredients most folks keep…
During the year and a half it took for Josh Hebert to start up his experimental, interactive restaurant, Posh, he says, “it was killing me to try to come up with ways to explain it.” His choose-your-dislikes approach and ingredient-driven non-menu proved harder than expected to put into one nice,…
Introducing a new segment today on Chow Bella: Battle of the Dishes. We try the same meal, but at two different local restaurants. It’s an eater smackdown. Los Reyes de la Torta vs. America’s Taco ShopWhen a friend suggested “tortas” as the inaugural plate for Battle of the Dishes, we…
Wishes do come true. Talk to me long enough and I’ll start talking about all the interesting businesses I think Phoenix could use. A great independently owned cheese shop is always at the top of my list. Well, it’s finally happening. The fromage gods have listened. Cheese expert Lara Hardwick…
Sigh. It’s 11 p.m. on a Tuesday night and you’re the worst kind of hungry. Stomach growling, three-course meal hungry. Unfortunately, the only restaurants still open in your neighborhood are in the vein of Taco Bell/Burger King or IHOP/Denny’s — and fast food and pancakes aren’t exactly what you’re craving…
It must be the alignment of the planets or something. Seems like all kinds of restaurants are coming out of the woodwork to offer freebies right now. From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. today, four Famous Dave’s Legendary Pit Bar-B-Que trucks will be cruising the streets of south Scottsdale, offering a…
If you understand the concept behind Posh — a first-of-its-kind, “improvisational” kitchen in Scottsdale — then you understand its chef and owner, Josh Hebert. “I can be a little frenetic sometimes, yeah,” he admits. Creative is more like it. A more traditional chef might call what Herbert does at his…
You don’t have to be French to celebrate le quatorze juillet in Phoenix — you only need a craving for French food. Cheuvront Restaurant & Wine Bar is hosting its annual Bastille Day Dinner tomorrow, with three courses that include a choice of coq au vin or boeuf bourgignon for…
It’s tough times for home-grown supermarket chain Bashas’, which is closing 10 of its 156 Arizona Bashas’ and Food City stores (seven located in the Valley) on July 21. The Chandler-based company filed for bankruptcy protection yesterday, reports the Republic. Up to 1,000 employees may be laid off as a result of…
Harira is a traditional soup in Morocco, served to break the fast during Ramadan. Soupsong, where we got this particular recipe, says it’s one of the best soups in the world and we won’t pick a fight with them over it. Their recipe isn’t perfect, but it’s close enough to…
Anybody who’s ever been to La Grande Orange Grocery in Arcadia knows that parking is pretty tight at this super hip organic grocery/deli/coffee shop, as well as the surrounding high-end hipster restaurants like Il Postino and Radio Milano. There’s sometimes even less room inside La Grande Orange, where multiple lines…
We’re beginning to count the weeks in lagers instead of days. But worry not, fellow drinkers! We shall press on in our quest to find the tastiest of Summer brews. This week: Coney Island Lager. We met up with the folks at Shmaltz Brewing to try their line of freaky…
Today I write to you a changed man. No, I have not found a beer so good that I’ve felt the touch of God. Rather, I’ve found a beer-drinking mecca. I can only apologize that it’s taken me this long to discover Sun Devil Liquor in Mesa; though I have…
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: Digestif Moving; Kasperski Selling Restaurant Spaces Maynard James Keenan…
The incessant coverage of Michael Jackson’s death and memorial service has reached new heights — now even fast-food chains are cashing in on the action. Carl’s Jr. fast food stores in Arizona are giving out free soda to Michael Jackson impersonators through tomorrow. No joke. So if you’ve been itching…
