By Michele Laudig Megan Irwin’s weekly installments of Veggie Girl were an instant hit on Chow Bella when they started earlier this summer — readers gave lots of feedback, and Megan was enthused about covering vegetarian dining. And alas, just when it seemed she was on a roll, Veggie Girl…
by Robrt L. Pela I keep getting up from where I’m sitting to go look at the tablecloth our friend Ruth Beautmont brought over last night. Ruth (a former Floradora girl) knows that Mr. Grossman has a thing for old linens, and when I phoned last night to say, “We’re…
By Steve Jansen It’s alive! My only two regrets from visiting the Mill Avenue My Big Fat Greek Restaurant and ordering this custard piled high with vanilla ice cream and caramel? That I didn’t get a photo of dude setting this dish (and almost himself) on fire with flambed brandy,…
By Michele Laudig Gio Osso is already gone from Luc’s, the luxury El Pedregal restaurant, barely more than three months after taking the executive chef post. According to owner Robert Hall, the change-up happened about a week ago. As I reported in May, Osso was chef number three for the…
By Michele Laudig One of the most high-profile restaurant developments of 2008 also happens to be a home-grown Arizona original. Prado is the name of the new Spanish-style signature restaurant at the soon-to-open InterContinental Montelucia Resort & Spa, and unlike some of the other high-profile eateries anticipated for 2008, it’s…
By Michele Laudig If you’re craving Thai food for dinner tonight, I have a tasty suggestion: Yupha’s Thai Kitchen. Yupha Dequenne says it’s a little bit bigger now — about 100 seats instead of 77 — but feels quite a bit bigger, thanks to a new layout. The scrumptious Thai…
by Robrt L. Pela There’s plenty to love about this one: Its diminutive size; the fact that it’s a hardcover (rare in small, old cookbooks); its great cover graphic, which carries over to the back cover; and, of course, its concept. I love, too, how it opens with a rather…
By Wynter Holden 34-year-old Mesa native Jenifer Stern is the kind of woman who can’t sit still for long – so it’s no surprise that she works at a coffee shop. Before settling into life as a barista, Stern did stints as a corporate buyer, photographer, theatrical prop maker, security…
By Jonathan McNamara Here on Brew Review we’ve analyzed beer from a religious perspective; we’ve looked at it in terms of refreshment; we’ve criticized certain bottles for their blatant novelty and more. Today we’ll be looking at beer as a mood enhancer. I’d just popped in to Casey Moore’s Oyster…
By Jay Bennett Hummus, kebabs, falafel — just say the word and I’m there. So when a Budget Beat reader named Natalie said the word, I was more than willing to oblige. She suggested I hit up one of her favorite Middle Eastern spots, Ararat. So the missus and I…
By Wynter Holden The first rule to dieting and still living in the real world (you know, where you actually go out to eat without your kitchen scale in tow) is to learn the “safe” hotspots in town and memorize them. That way, when your co-workers suggest lunch at Black…
In rural India, a dhaba is a roadside pit stop where truckers can fill their tummies after they’ve filled their tanks at the petrol station next door. It’s a place for a cheap, filling meal of Northern Indian food, and maybe even a quick snooze on a charpoy, a squat,…
By Jonathan McNamara What’s better than room service? What if you could get it in your own home? What if your kitchen was manned by celebrity chef Michael DeMaria? That may not be so far-fetched when Centerpoint Condominums opens its two towers and retail space on Fifth Street in Tempe…
By Michele Laudig After a jaunt to the downtown farmer’s market on Saturday morning, I decided to join a couple of friends for breakfast at the new-ish Maizie’s Cafe & Bistro (after stashing my veggies in my fridge at home, of course). It turned out to be a worthwhile destination,…
They call it “fish candy” … by Sarah Fenske It was Jill’s birthday, and Mari’s birthday, and Kendall’s birthday — or, at least, it was a date close enough to all three to have a celebratory Girls Night Out. So we headed to the Malee’s Thai Bistro at Desert Ridge…
By Wynter Holden My husband had a field day with this one. On a recent trip to score a bottle of Stone Brewing Co.’s new 8-8-08 lager at AJ’s Fine Foods in Phoenix, he spotted this in the soup aisle and felt compelled to point it out. Ha ha. I…
By Michele Laudig On the heels of last week’s news that AAA Four Diamond-rated La Hacienda closed at the Fairmont Scottsdale, now there’s word that another restaurant at the resort has received the same noteworthy award: Bourbon Steak. When I reviewed celebrity chef Michael Mina’s swanky new Arizona outpost a…
By Michele Laudig This is a pretty sweet nod to one of downtown’s tastiest haunts: Sweet Pea Bakery gets a mention in the September issue of Bon Appetit magazine. The noteworthy item? Brownie-chunk cookies, recipe included. Yum! I’m sure I’ll still end up buying them from Sweet Pea instead of…
By Michele Laudig It just might be impossible to stifle a smile when an ethereal pink ball of cotton candy appears at the dinner table. Nope, you won’t find it on the dessert menu at Noca, but don’t be surprised if you find yourself nibbling on pieces of the fluffy…
by Robrt L. Pela This just in from the Snooty Boots Dept.: Mr. Grossman and I only consume olive oil imported from France. I know, I know. I’m pretentious. But the trouble is we bought some of this stuff from a moulin in Callas, a Provencal village known for its…
By Steve Jansen Papaya on the left, Thai tea boba on the right I remember the first time I had bubble/boba tea. Those tapioca balls tasted as good as the first time my lips met a piss-quality brewski, which is to say that it was a baaddd experience. But now,…
By Michele Laudig Us New Times folks are always kinda-sorta on the job. (I actually dream about work, and sadly don’t get overtime for it.) That’s why Benjamin Leatherman, in the middle of his Friday night, took the time to report on the latest downtown dish about the Willow House…
