If you decided to quit your job and leap into a whole new career, what would it be? The question has always fascinated me. One of my friends is a fitness club manager who dreams of going into interior design. Another is an IT whiz who’d love to start a…
She is pure evil. Her words are biting, her stare pure ice. Her shrill voice will melt the paint off your walls. Your house is never clean enough for her. Your parenting skills and your appearance provoke her barbed tongue to lacerate every inch of your self-worth. And if you…
By Michele Laudig Seeing that the sold-out round three of Locavore, Tapino’s successful AZ-centric wine dinner, takes place tonight and tomorrow (with 120 people each night), it’s probably a good time to announce the details of Locavore 4: Cultivation, which takes place October 7 and 8. Obviously reservations are essential…
By Michele Laudig Huh. So Tony Bourdain finally comes to Phoenix, and the only thing that merits attention to this city — or hell, this state — is a two-foot chili dog from Cooperstown? I still don’t know if the brief AZ segment pissed me off, made me sad, or…
by Wynter Holden I do love a good fennel sausage. They had a mean spiced sausage with sweet, licorice-y fennel at my local organic market back in Portland, where I spent the past year and change. I sautéed it with apples and pasta in a light olive oil and garlic…
By Michele Laudig I’m starting to think it’s a bad idea to drink Diet Coke while reading emails, because I never know when I might get something so funny that I risk said soda spurting from my nostrils. !!! The latest unassuming correspondence to take me off guard? A simple…
by Robrt L. Pela She rested on the kitchen windowsill of my childhood home all through the Sixties, dressed in a little ceramic dress, standing next to a giant ear of corn. In the parlance of the day, she was what was called “Colored.” And then one day, when I…
By Steve Jansen I wasn’t too concerned with how the man behind the bakery counter at the Paradise Valley Mall Chompie’s would think of me for ordering a “Froggy Cake.” But I did brace myself to get made fun of. Instead, my girlfriend, who stood behind me, took all of…
By Michele Laudig A month ago, I reported on the imminent opening of Noca, the new “modern American” restaurant from Phoenix’s most obsessed gourmet, Eliot Wexler, and chef Chris Curtiss. To the best of his knowledge, Eliot had predicted July 8 as the opening date, but his crystal ball was…
by Robrt L. Pela I know—it’s too easy, right? Pulling a recipe from an old Jell-O cookbook is like shooting fish in a barrel. I figured I’d open to any page and just start transcribing, but the page I opened to first was this double-truck of a Jell-O party, circa…
By Wynter Holden Everyone’s always trying to find out what’s under 21-year-old bartender Naomii Musial’s skirt. That’s because the slender, tanned brunette works at Tilted Kilt, the South Tempe bar that combines Hooter-licious hotties in teeny plaid minis with the perks of an Irish pub and sports bar. Outside of…
By Michele Laudig Konnichiwa, Phoenix! Ohisashiburi! (It’s been a long time!) I’m writing to you through the haze of jetlag after spending the last couple of weeks in Tokyo — just got home about 24 hours ago, and I’m trying to convince my body that it’s Thursday afternoon instead of…
By Jonathan McNamara Before we get on to the brew, I’d like to ask you to read past the jump to learn about the first (potentially of many depending on how this one goes) Brew Review contest. Please read to the end! Carling is a familiar beer brand to anyone…
For this week’s Cafe column New Times visited Eddie’s House in Old Town Scottsdale and Christopher’s Restaurant and Crush Lounge situated next to Saks at Biltmore Fashion Park to photograph the atmosphere of the two restaurants. From the stacks of plates waiting for their destinies in Eddie’s House’s dining room…
By Jay Bennett Since being turned on to Paisley Violin by a co-worker a couple of weeks ago, I’ve been raving about the place to just about anybody who will listen. I know I’m a latecomer to its greatness, but better late than never, right? Situated in an old, standalone…
By Wynter Holden Yes, you read the title right. If you haven’t already heard of Chino Bandido — or seen their mustachioed, sombrero-wearing panda mascot — you might be a bit shocked, even offended. In this age of political correctness it’s a miracle that such a place exists. That being…
Let’s hear it for the home team. Eddie Matney and Christopher Gross are two of the area’s best-known celebrity chefs, and each opened his own namesake restaurant — Eddie’s House and Christopher’s — in May. Each has had a namesake place before, but because other cities’ celebrity chefs are breaking…
He’s monstrously large and covered in hops. Luckily for you, he only exists on a label…or so we hope. Hopsquatch, a frighteningly powerful Barleywine from Four Peaks, is currently available for those lucky enough to make it to the Four Peaks brewery before the keg runs out. The stuff is…
Macaroni and cheese, plus the deep fat fryer … by Sarah Fenske Macaroni-and-cheese is one of God’s perfect foods. Whether it’s a high-end version with lobster over at The Capital Grille, the kind your mother made with potato chips on top, or even the kind you make just by adding…
By Wynter Holden There are a few horrible fads that I wish I could erase from my memory. Like those singing fish plaques. Furbies. Parachute pants. And this: Somewhere along the line between Survivor, Fear Factor and the Travel Channel’s Bizarre Foods, watching other people eat disgusting, scary food became…
By Jonathan McNamara I walked up to the two hostesses with bleach-blonde hair wearing mint green dresses. Earlier, they’d ushered me into this Bacardi-sponsored “Mojito Masterclass” at Sanctuary on Camelback Mountain with a smile at the door and a quick check on the guest list. Now, they were mingling with…
By Amy Silverman This one makes me sad. I love Cyclo, the innovative, funky Vietnamese restaurant in Chandler. Apparently the Maricopa County restaurant inspectors didn’t love it so much, during their most recent inspection, July 17. (It should be noted that this was the only “no award” inspection online for…
