A few years ago, I was involved with a little Italian girl who moved all her belongings into my house. Yes, we had just taken that fabled step into co-existence/co-dependence. But I ended up essentially storing all her gypsy shit for three months while she ran to Mommy’s because she…
Recently, I was struck by some pleasant surprises at District, a downtown eatery that didn’t exactly give me high hopes from the get-go. And this week, I find myself considering the exact opposite kind of place: a restaurant where I couldn’t help but have inflated expectations. In business since late…
In his second installment of Forking, C.M. Redding explores the strong virtues of the simple garlic bulb. Appropriately, here’s his incredibly easy recipe for roasted garlic. And a slide show of him making it in his kitchen. Bon appetit! Roasted Garlic How to Prepare: Go to the store and buy…
As I’ve written before, here in Phoenix we have amazing access to Mexican sodas – not to mention a store that sells nothing but soda – making this a truly great place to explore unusual soft drinks. Peñafiel Strawberry isn’t quite an obscure soft drink, but it’s not widely available…
My significant other is a notorious grump — which has never been more evident than in his initial response to Hanny’s, Karl Kopp’s new downtown Phoenix hotspot. Here we have a gorgeous old building transformed into a stylin’ new space, courtesy of the same people behind Scottsdale’s AZ88. Here was…
Who’s hungry for some hot meat? You know you want it, and the folks at Scottsdale’s brand-new Fogo de Chao (6300 N. Scottsdale Rd.) are happy to serve it up just the way the gauchos like it in Brazil. At this traditional churrascaria, servers bring around 15 different sizzling cuts of meat and serve…
After posting about Luc’s sudden shutdown yesterday, I heard a rumor that Luc’s won’t change its concept to Bistro G after all. Apparently the landlords at El Pedregal wouldn’t approve the new concept unless the restaurant owners committed to keeping Bistro G open seven days a week, for both lunch…
Gotta love the name: Recession Proof Tuesdays at Tapino Kitchen & Wine Bar. It’s the budget-friendly new event that launches tonight, and it looks like a great excuse to knock back a few. They’re offering all of their more than 300 bottles of wine for half off, and it’s only…
I spent a few years living in Seattle, and today feels just like a typical day up there — gloomy and gray, with softly falling rain and car headlights making everything a little fuzzy and shiny. In a typical week, I’d eat Vietnamese food at least three times for lunch. So today,…
You won’t be able to resist La Grande Orange’s vegetarian sandwich. Local vegetarians have described it as “the best they’ve ever tasted.” It’s gotten lauded by gourmands across the Internet. And it’s something that we’re certain even the most die-hard of meat lovers will enjoy.And the particular “it” in question? The vegetarian…
Well-heeled, well-preserved, and ready to play, the club-crawling “cougar” has become a cultural icon. One need only survey such fertile habitats as Barcelona, Skye, Eli’s, Pane e Vino, et. al. to know the local cougar population is thriving. Good news for both predator and prey…
A big Italian feast sounds good any time of year, but somehow the chilly weather this time of year makes it so much easier to splurge on platters of prosciutto, luscious homemade pastas, and meats dressed up with pancetta or wild mushrooms or heady sauces. On that note, Sassi’s executive chef Peter…
Nope. Luc’s is no more. In a little more than a year in business, the swanky El Pedregal restaurant went through four chefs and a couple of concept switcheroos, from Asian fusion to contemporary American. Why did it close? Was it because nobody could get “Luc’s sucks” out of their head…
What would the holiday season be without a festive homemade liqueur? This limoncello recipe http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/limoncello comes from Martha herself, and it’s a very easy one — particularly when you make a few adjustments. In terms of the odder supplies, all you really need is a great big jar, a grater (a…
Socko is made right here in the Valley, at Bliss Beverages on Scottsdale Road. The company, founded five years ago by 32 year-old Jordan Harwood, has been fairly successful in its short existence, teaming up with World Wrestling Entertainment to produce the Hulk Energy drink, and raking in an estimated $4 million a year in profits. The upstart company took off so quickly that Harwood was profiled in Forbes just a year after founding it.
There’s no such thing as too much pizza. Good pizza, that is. And in this instance, I’m thinking of the crispy-chewy pies they turn out at Humble Pie, at Scottsdale’s Hilton Village. You can’t find toppings like shrimp and burrata with basil and lemon zest just anywhere. But now you lucky…
When preparing food, one must not discount the importance of presentation. Perhaps this is the thought that has compelled the artist behind “Lunch Bag Art” to present his children with stunning, hand-drawn pieces right on their brown lunch sacks. Unfortunately, we can not know for sure. The contents of his mind,…
Before I forget, I wanted to remind you to flip through that new issue of Bon Appetit that just landed in your mailbox the other day. I finally sat down to read mine, and guess what? The sidebar to the “A Chef’s Breakfast” feature lists Matt’s Big Breakfast as the…
Looking for a new breakfast option this weekend? A friend just passed along the news that La Piccola Cucina is opening in the a.m. this Saturday and Sunday. Check out the menu: La Piccola Cucina – Breakfast Menu.doc It sounds like this is on a trial basis — they’ll…
The torturous thing about watching Bravo’s Top Chef is that it tends to leave viewers with insatiable cravings for food that only exists in TV land. You watch the chefs hustle to create a dish, you cheer them on… and then, you go to bed very, very hungry. So here’s your…
College towns and coffee joints go together like peanut butter and jelly. This is good news for Jason and Amy Silberschlag, founders of Cartel Coffee Lab, whose Tempe-based roaster and coffee bar is mere meters from Mill Avenue. Open less than a year, they’ve earned legions of adoring fans,…
Alas, the G&D doesn’t have black pudding on its menu anymore. Like haggis, this is one ethnic meat dish that nobody in Phoenix seems to serve. So after perusing the “traditional fare” section of George & Dragon’s menu, we went with the Steak & Kidney Pie.
