This Week In Chow Bella

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: Organic Yerba Mate Tea Never Too Much Bacon…

Budget Beat: TexAZ’s Dow Burger

The good people behind TexAZ must be feeling a bit of schadenfreude during the economic downturn, and now they’ve got a deal that lets you, the hungry but budget-minded diner, join in the fun. The popular Texas-themed steak-ribs-and-burger joint on the northeast corner of Bethany Home Road and 16th Street has…

Phoenix Phoodies: Carolina’s

There are a few things that are certain in Phoenix: Summers will be hot, politics will be messy, and Carolina’s tortillas are delicious. For 40 years, this family restaurant has been making enchilada sauce so luscious you can drink it, machacha so silky it melts in your mouth, and tortillas…

Cafe: Heirloom

How far will you drive for food? Certainly there are some tasty treats that no distance could separate a hungry enough mouth from. Unfortunately, Chef Michael DeMaria’s latest venture, Heirloom, is not one of them. According to Food Critic Michele Laudig, driving all the way out to Heirloom’s North Scottsdale…

Ice Tango Files For Bankruptcy

Isn’t this supposed to be fro-yo season? Ice Tango, LLC filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy (which prevents creditors from collecting on any debts) on Tuesday, for the Frank Lloyd Wright Boulevard location that closed at the end of January. According to David Cha, general manager of Ice Tango’s other two locations –…

Take Home Chef Curtis Stone Makes an Appearance

Curtis Stone, from TLC’s popular Take Home Chef series, will be hitting up Sur La Table at Kierland Commons on Friday, and I wouldn’t be surprised if the photogenic Aussie surfer has to fight off groupies. After all, he got “Sexiest Man Alive” props from People a few years back…

Cooking School Secrets: A Few More Changes

Life’s full of changes. I get that, but this class seems to be morphing at warp speed. And I’m talking major life changes. One of my classmates took a several month leave of absence to have back surgery. We lost one to excessive absence. Another asked me to recommend a…

Chef Michael DeMaria’s Heirloom Is Tasty but Not Worth the Trek

You have to hand it to Heirloom’s chef-owner, Michael DeMaria — the guy knows how to keep his momentum, even if he’s not always in the spotlight. In 2007, when he closed his award-winning restaurant Michael’s at the Citadel, he and business partner Brandon Maxwell channeled their energies into Trattoria…

Art Burn: Satay and Mandalas at Malee’s

With Southwest tourists galore and more art galleries per square foot than even most Manhattan suburbs, Old Town Scottsdale is a big draw for local artists seeking fame — or just seeking to draw attention to their works. It’s also a hotspot for national artists, whose works can be found…

Pop Culture: Vimto

We’ve tried a lot of sodas here on Pop Culture, but I think this is the first time we’ve had a British soda. Vimto, an old-timey British pop with a “mixed fruit” flavor. Those crazy limeys love it so much they freeze this stuff in to ice pops and cook…

Thursday: Dining Out For Life

Undecided about where to go to dinner tomorrow? Let Dining Out For Life help you figure out a place to dine for a good cause. The annual event, which happens all across the country on Thursday, April 30, benefits the fight against HIV and AIDS. In Arizona, Southwest Center for…

Dogfish Head Founder In Town This Week

There are plenty of nameless, unsung brewmasters out there, and Sam Calagione is definitely not one of them. The founder and president of Delaware’s cult hit Dogfish Head brewery is one of the best-known leaders of the extreme beer trend, and was profiled in entertaining detail in last fall’s food…

Geisha A Go Go Goes For the Sushi Crowd

Sushi is what sells in Scottsdale. That’s what the folks at Geisha A Go Go have figured out. Even though their sister restaurant, Stingray Sushi, is right across the street, that hasn’t stopped the Geisha folks from adding a brand-new eight-seat sushi bar and a new sushi menu, filled with…

Happy Hour Deals: Padre Murphy’s

With baseball season underway, you might be looking for a good happy hour perch from which to catch a game or two. Try Padre Murphy’s. From 4 to 6 Monday through Friday, Padre Murphy’s offers $3.50 small pitchers of domestic drafts (bar talk for 32 ounces) while cutting $1 off…

Waiter Confidential: Endless Summer

When you till the soil in local food and beverage, you learn certain almanac-like lessons in eking out a living. Working in an industry where warm winters mark tourism’s high tide and torrid summers slow income streams to trickle, one keeps an eye on the ebb and flow. As for…

Meal Ticket Helps You Get Your Drink On

Not sure where to go for Cinco de Drinko? In this week’s Meal Ticket newsletter, find out which local places are sporting the best margarita and Mexican food specials on May 5. We’ll also highlight Corbin’s Bar & Grill in Glendale, where you can load up on eggs and crepes…

Free Pasta, Cheap Ice Cream Tomorrow

Payday can’t come soon enough, right? Well, we’re looking out for you. Wednesday, April 29, happens to have two different free and nearly-free events where you can get your grub on. From 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., carry-out customers at any Phoenix-area Domino’s pizza will get a free order of…

Never Too Much Bacon

Seems like the whole world is pigging out. Bacon is a must-have on burgers. Sonoran hot dogs are such a hit that even The Mission is serving them. And snout-to-tail pig dinners are all the rage at places like Noca and Digestif. Now there’s even a new breakfast restaurant called Bacon,…

I Heart Ruth Reichl

This new video of the famous former food critic and current Gourmet editor just gave me a good laugh — like a mid-afternoon shot of espresso. On a related note, her new book, Not Becoming My Mother, just came out last week, and I’m anxious to devour it…