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…
By Michele Laudig When Palatte first opened its doors, it was all about quirky brunches — egg “mishmashes,” sweet potato pancakes, tarts, and frittatas du jour. But did you know they’re now part of the downtown dinner lineup? That’s right, from 5 to 10 p.m., Wednesday through Saturday, you can…
By Martin Cizmar It’s 10:45 a.m. and you’re thirsty. Do you go for a cup of coffee or a bottle soda? Either you’re drinking coffee in the middle of the say like a cop with 30 years on the force or you’re drinking soda before noon like some punk kid…
By Michele Laudig Thirsty for some beer? You’d better be if you attend the launch of DRAFT Magazine’s new festival, The Big Pour, at Mesa’s Hohokam Stadium (1235 N. Center St.) on Saturday, November 22 (sessions are noon to 4 p.m. and 5 to 9 p.m.). General admission is $35,…
“Meaty Girl” is going to be all about meat — some weeks, I’ll be reviewing a particular meat dish from a Valley restaurant or deli. Other weeks, I might be sharing beef jerky recipes or attending barbecue contests. I’m open to any and all suggestions, so if you know of some meaty goodness I might be missing, by all means, hit me up and tell me about it. I’m currently looking for a deli that has haggis, so if you know where to find this Scottish specialty, please drop me a line
By Michele Laudig The Food Network seems to do well in the Phoenix metro area, especially considering all the fun local joints that’ve been showcased on Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives, including Matt’s Big Breakfast, Aunt Lena’s Creamery, Chino Bandido Takee Outee, and Joe’s Farm Grill. Soon, there’ll be another name…
By Jonathan McNamara It was a day of firsts. We won’t lie. There are many perks to working at a newspaper, but few stack up to receiving a beer in the mail for the first time (subtle hint to other brewers). Yet not only was this our first time to…
By Michele Laudig Consider this the yin to my yang post about new restaurants yesterday. One corner of Mill Avenue is a little darker these days, since Dragonfly Vietnamese Kitchen and Coconut Club Bar & Grill both closed their doors two weeks ago. On the upside, Dragonfly’s original location in…
America’s carne asada tacos: Finely chopped everything. By Jay Bennett My new favorite place to get a cheap, quick, but good lunch is America’s Taco Shop, on Seventh Street north of McDowell. The new taquería, which has been open for about a month, joins a pretty amazing stretch along Seventh…
Early-afternoon sun shines intensely on the sleepy vineyard, where row after row of grape-laden vines run down the slope of the valley, like deep emerald waves in a leafy sea. You can’t easily see the fat clusters of ripe grapes, but they’re there, hanging on every rung in the shadows…
The irony isn’t lost on me. I make no secret of my support for downtown Phoenix. I live here because I want to be close to the action — close to nightlife, shopping, art, and, especially, cool restaurants. I want to see the place thrive. So watch me kick myself…
By Martin Cizmar Few sodas divide like Faygo. The Detroit soda is maligned by many because it’s cheap, super sweet and associated with Insane Clown Posse-loving Juggalos. On the other hand it’s beloved because it’s cheap, super sweet, and also associated with happy Midwestern childhoods spent riding bikes to the…
By Michele Laudig Economy be damned, somebody’s still got the confidence to open their doors! Now hopefully customers will keep coming out to spend some dough. (Me? I’d subsist on pretzels if it meant I could still eat foie gras.) Anyway, I just got a call from the ever-charming Maurizio…
Cyclo is so freakin’ cheery — doesn’t this wall just make you grin? By Sarah Fenske I have these fabulously cool neighbors. I know, I know, it’s Phoenix, and no one is supposed to know their neighbors. But Daniel and Bobby both moved here from farflung places (Argentina for Daniel,…
By Benjamin Leatherman The best falafel I’ve ever tasted. No seriously, this time I mean it…really. Last month I sang the praises of Phoenicia Cafe in Tempe, particularly about the joint’s falafel. After supping on its version of the Middle Eastern favorite of gound chickpeas and eggplant fashioned into silver…
By Michele Laudig Here’s a cute New York Times story I couldn’t resist sharing, about a 12-year-old who aspires to be a restaurant critic. This got me thinking about what kinds of random things in our childhoods lead us to where we are as adults. What were you doing at…
By Michele Laudig Here’s a real head-scratcher. The seemingly successful Soma Cafe, at Tatum and Shea, unexpectedly closed its doors over the weekend. According to one of my colleagues (who was a Soma regular to the point that it was like his second office), there was a note on the…
By Michele Laudig Dear Chow Bella readers, I hope you check out this week’s cover story (written by yours truly), where you’ll get to read all about the great wines that Eric Glomski and Maynard James Keenan (yes, the singer from Tool) are making up in Jerome and Cornville with…
By Eddie Matney Pumpkin Pie Cheesecake…
By Sloane Burwell Jeff Fischer isn’t your ordinary barista. After 20 years in the hospitality industry, he and his wife took ownership of Lux Coffee Bar, so that his wife could pursue her life’s dream of owning a coffee shop. Under his watchful eye and warm smile, Lux has emerged…
