As a pop-head, I’m not exaggerating when I say that one my favorite things about living in Phoenix is the availability of Mexican sodas. Mexicans are the only people who drink more soda per capita than Americans, and they have a truly amazing array of flavors: usually fruity, a little…
To raise money for the Chaparral High School Band, the three-day-old Scottsdale location of Jersey Mike’s is offering free regular subs to customers who donate $1, from December 3 through 7. Located at 10392 N. Scottsdale Road in Scottsdale (480-992-6493), it’s the third Arizona location for the East Coast-style sandwich…
They had me at “country-fried” steak. A friend tipped me off to The Breakfast Joynt, a new, independently owned restaurant that just opened two weeks ago in north Scottsdale, and the menu of made-from-scratch fare looks tasty. Along with country-fried steak and eggs, there’s biscuits and gravy, stuffed apple pancakes…
Amy Silverman and I wondered that as we tried to figure out a time to hang out and catch up amid the stress of work, personal obligations, and the holidays. Then we realized that if we tag-teamed some holiday cooking — over Thai takeout and drinks, chez Amy — we’d get our…
Don’t worry, Canal still has its 30 Dollar Sandwich, comically priced at 29.99. The SouthBridge restaurant continues to dish up crispy parmesan fries, and you dirty-minded people can still have ahi three ways, too. But there are plenty of new dishes to check out on executive chef Justin Beckett’s new…
I’ve never been a huge fan of Sobe’s juice drinks, but the Sobe Adrenaline Rush energy drink is by far my favorite of all energy drinks (and I’ve tried tons). It’s delicious and loaded with caffeine, and a 16 oz. can of AR contains less sugar than a 12 oz. can of Mountain Dew.
By Eddie Matney Pecan Pie Martini…
Heading off into the great unknown world outside my office window glass on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving, one thing was clearly set in my mind: beer. I needed one and a good one at that. I joined forces with my comrades from New Times at the local pub where we…
Eliot Wexler and chef Chris Curtiss have never explicitly told me that they’re trying to turn us all into NOCA addicts, but I’m convinced this is their grand plan. And you know what? It seems to be working. At a birthday party last weekend, I danced my ass off in a friend’s…
In less than five years, Matt’s Big Breakfast has become a downtown Phoenix institution. Every day but Sunday, the diner cooks up dozens of pieces of thick peppered bacon and pounds of olive-oil crisped potatoes in a kitchen smaller than an ASU dorm room. The teeny restaurant’s signature day-glow citrus…
one can only handle turkey served so many ways, and one can only stay awake for so long after ingesting so much tryptophan (the amino acid in turkey that makes ya sleepy). So I decided to mix up the excess poultry with some tasty pork – namely, the “Pratt’s” Pulled Pork BBQ Sandwich from Alice Cooper’stown, the “rock and jock” restaurant on 1st street and Jackson owned by namesake shock rocker Alice Cooper.
Log on to YouTube right now, and you’ll be bombarded with several Thanksgiving videos. We’ve got people cooking, people crafting and even people crafting cookies. Wait a minute…I thought Thanksgiving was about football and drinking brews. Our favorite comes from Spatulatta which features two junior cooks making pilgrim hats with…
Spooning? What the hell is this guy up to? Is this new column going to be a cooking column or a sex column? Well, dear reader, it will be both. After all, what is cooking if it isn’t a way to someone’s heart? A way into someone’s pants, I say…
The Valley is big, but when it comes to good restaurants, sometimes it doesn’t feel quite big enough. Between newspapers, magazines, TV, the blogosphere, message boards, and just the foodie grapevine, in general, decent eateries can get barraged with buzz from all directions, all at once. And then, when the…
A true feast … If there is anything worse than moving — and I’m not certain there is — it may well be attempting to move in that frantic time between Thanksgiving and Christmas. But I’m nothing if not stupid, so my movers are scheduled to arrive bright and early December 3. In the…
By Michele Laudig I’ve hosted vegetarian guests for Thanksgiving before, and let me tell you — it is a challenge to come up with something tasty that isn’t just a meatless side dish like green beans or mashed potatoes. Sadly, there’s no room for tofurky in my oven when I’m…
This week we are proud to present our new column, Forking, by C.M. Redding, the writer formerly known as Booze Pig. Redding has a way in the kitchen — and the bedroom. (We’ll take his word for it on the latter.) And he’s promised to share. Each time we publish…
By Jonathan McNamara See more shots from Blanco in our slide show.There’s no shortage of Mexican places in Phoenix. Whether you’re jonesing for a quick stop at the Taqueria or just looking for the best glass of horchata, you’re almost never more than five minutes away. Amidst this plethora of…
By Benjamin Leatherman A spectacular view of the crystal blue Caribbean Sea from Tulum on the Yucatan Peninsula (photo by Jenna Leatherman). Despite having an ultra-hectic schedule these days, I was fortunate enough to be able to slip off to Cancun with friends and family a few weeks ago for…
By Michele Laudig The Scottsdale Civic Plaza Mall already has a nice variety of restaurants — The Orange Table, Jewel of the Crown, AZ88, Asia de Cuba — but now there’s yet another reason to hit up the area when you’re hungry. Last week, Pure Sushi opened its doors there,…
My caffeine addiction has lead me to try all manner of caffeinated drinks, and I’ll be reviewing many of them for you here in “Caffiend” every week. And as fate would have it, the first drink I’m reviewing is a real ass-kicker that I’d never tried before: the Starbucks Venti Double Shot on ice (with added energy pack).
By Eddie Matney Cowboy Ciao. Grab little burgers from Stax (4400 N. Scottsdale Rd.) or Canal. Check out the bottle rockets from Drift – they pair quite nicely with cold beer. Or grab a few rolls from Ra or Stingray. Your guests (and your local restaurants) will appreciate it. Chef…
