Oh, admit it — you were expecting some foodie bloopers resulting from two soon-to-open upscale Japanese restaurants whose names were uncannily similar. I know I was. No offense to either Roka or Sushi Roku, but those names were a little too close for comfort. Now the pressure’s off, since Roka…
So the big adventure of the weekend, aside from getting a long-overdue Lola Tapas fix (I loved the two specials, a melt-in-your-mouth braised pork dish, plus velvety mocha flan), was my visit to the brand-new Whole Foods at the 101 and Ray Road. One of my favorite local restaurateurs raved…
Scottsdale can’t have all the fun. Sometimes it feels as though that city has a monopoly on dining hotspots, from the action around the canal, to the stuff around Shea, to the northern outposts at DC Ranch. But while Scottsdale Road might be a main artery for the metro Phoenix…
Talk about a fresh start. The Four Seasons Scottsdale at Troon North will usher in 2008 with a whole new look — and a whole new restaurant. Renovations have been ongoing at the resort since July. A few months back, I’d gotten word from Kim Cole, the Four Seasons’ director…
I spent Thanksgiving Eve giving thanks to the beer gods for sending me a bottle of an incredibly elusive, expensive beer that I never thought I’d get a chance to taste in my lifetime. It’s called Sam Adams Utopias, and among beer geeks, it’s got a sort of holy grail…
I love the Food Network as much as anybody, but it’s nice to know that this weekend, there’s another entertainment option beyond the TV: the movie theater. Starting tonight, Harkins Valley Art will be screening the new documentary, How to Cook Your Life, featuring San Francisco-based Zen teacher/cookbook author/restaurant founder…
Considering our location here in Phoenix, I’m sure I’d benefit from a few Spanish lessons. But I’m not always a practical person. Lately, I’ve been thinking it’d be cool to learn some Korean. Blame it on a friend of mine who visited South Korea earlier this year. She loved the…
Circa 1900 lost its mojo, chef Chris Curtiss got outta there a few months ago (he’s currently in the kitchen at Binkley’s), and rumors have been floating around that the restaurant’s owners, who also own the wonderful Coronado Cafe, would unload the joint. More recently, I’d also heard that the…
You know it’s time to blog again when somebody drops a line to ask if the food world has stopped! Thankfully, the answer is no. I was just out of town last week for a way overdue visit with my family back in Pennsylvania. It was sort of my early…
In the three years since City Bakery opened its doors to the hungry hipsters of downtown Phoenix, the whole area has undergone a whirlwind of change. First, the mood was pure excitement and optimism. Suddenly, people became interested in downtown revitalization, and places like City Bakery — an outpost of…
Don’t worry, I’m not going to bitch about the summer anymore. But I can’t promise I won’t talk about heat. That’s because my tongue’s still tingling (in a good way) from repeat visits to the south Central outpost of Los Dos Molinos, where New Mexican red chiles and Hatch Valley…
Last year, Wright’s at the Biltmore unveiled a newly remodeled dining room, and with it, a brand-new menu, whose boutiquey American dishes were dubbed “American Lodge Cuisine.” Apparently, things have been quiet at the lodge — at least until recently. Executive chef Michael Cairns left in September, and chef de…
Anybody up for a field trip? Until 3 p.m. today, and then again from 4 to 8 p.m., Joe’s Farm Grill owner Joe Johnston is hosting a “Free Day” in honor of the restaurant’s first anniversary, as a way of thanking customers who’ve fallen in love with Joe’s fabulous food…
If you’re a fan of Maya Dailey’s awesome produce from the Farm at South Mountain, check out the Farm’s first annual Harvest Festival, this Sunday afternoon. The feast not only features a mouthwatering menu, but a portion of the proceeds will directly benefit Maya’s Farm. Check out the goods: housemade…
The days are getting shorter, nighttime temperatures have “cooled down” into the 60s, and I’ve been hungry for cozy comfort food like mashed potatoes and pot roast. It’s crazy, isn’t it? I’ll bet that you, too, have felt a chill in the air one of these recent October evenings and,…
Still no signs of Pinkberry in these parts, but there is a Scottsdale frozen yogurt spot that opened last week where they serve something quite similar to it, according to owner Charles Cha. The place is called Ice Tango, and the house specialty is the kind of tangy-sweet frozen yogurt…
What a random morning yesterday. I attempted to go to Tempe, and didn’t realize I should’ve gotten off the 202 at Priest — Rural was closed, and McClintock basically was, too. There was some major bicycling event going on, and all cars were forced down Rio Salado and back across…
I just got word that the Willow House, the popular McDowell coffeehouse hangout, will be closing on Sunday night, following a farewell bash with live music performances organized by DJentrification. Supposedly the poor Willow House employees found out about the closing from a customer, not from the owners. Why are…
You’ve gotta hand it to restaurateurs Robert Stempkowski and Stephen Wolff — they came up with a really clever concept when they decided to open a down-home barbecue joint in Tempe. In a city with plenty of pizza, Asian food, and Middle Eastern cuisine, Urban Campfire offers some welcome alternatives,…
I mentioned this stuff in earlier blog postings, but here’s a friendly reminder of two groovy goings-on this afternoon: First, starting at 1 p.m., Chatham’s Fine Chocolates hosts its official grand opening at its new Central Phoenix digs, at 114 W. Camelback. After a ribbon cutting by the mayor and…
Does the name Jessica Florez-Lieb ring a bell? If you follow local politics, you might remember her stint as a Phoenix City Councilwoman, back in 2003. Or, if you pay attention to publishing, you’d know her from Latino Future magazine, which she co-founded in 2001. Although Florez-Lieb and her partner,…
Things have been crazy around here and I didn’t get a chance to attend the First Press Gourmet Sessions Food Fight the other night, but I got the inside dish from an acquaintance who was there to watch the drama unfold. In an hour-long, Iron Chef-style cookoff between chefs Aaron…
