Last night we got a taste of the latest venture from Tommy Plato, who owns the four-store mini-chain of Gelato Spots in the Valley. Above the Old Town Scottsdale location of Gelato Spot, Plato’s built an intimate restaurant with a cool retro vibe. Plato describes this new spot as “Mad…
Want to get involved with the Scottsdale Culinary Festival? Well, the Scottsdale League for the Arts is looking for volunteers to help out at the 36th annual Scottsdale Culinary Festival Great Arizona Picnic on Saturday, April 12, and Sunday, April 13. Volunteers not only will get to feel good about…
Since last summer French Grocery has been serving up a taste of the Big Easy here in Phoenix. Owner Kevin Lentz was inspired to open the little French-Creole market and restaurant while living New Orleans. The original idea was to open a “cottage bistro” but things developed differently and what…
When a new spot opens in town, we can’t wait to check it out — and let you know our initial impressions, share a few photos, and dish about some menu items. First Taste, as the name implies, is not a full-blown review, but instead a peek inside restaurants that…
In about a week basketball fans will begin obsessing over their March Madness brackets, trying to predict which college teams have the talent and luck to take the NCAA Men’s Division I Basketball Championship. And here at Chow Bella we’re kicking off a tournament of our own: an Ultimate Battle…
If you’re visiting local nurseries in hopes of picking up new starter plants for your garden, you’re typically confronted with an array of tomatoes, peppers, and basil. But this spring, follow our lead and try planting something new and different. We love rosemary, lavender, and zucchini as much as the…
As of last week downtown Scottsdale has a stylish, new hangout for coffee and craft beer fans. Sip Coffee and Beer House, located at 3617 North Goldwater Road, is now open and serving a small menu of breakfast and lunch items, caffeinated drinks from Cartel coffee, craft beer, wine, and…
Finally, science has started asking the important questions — like, if I drop the only piece of cold pizza left in the fridge on the floor after a long night of drinking (we swear this hasn’t happened to us), is it okay to eat it if I follow the five-second…
Many of our life experiences have been enhanced by the internet. Just think about the days prior to Facebook when all we got were a few birthday cards and now we awake on our birthday to several dozen birthday wishes. Our wine experience is no different, the wealth of content…
For years, Kitchen Switchin’ in north Central Phoenix was a go-to place to discover gently used kitchenware treasures at deep discounts. And that’s still the case — sort of. The shop closed recently, but as of this month, it’s back under a new name and new owners, Terri Mainwaring and…
It’s hard to see the logic in the name Pallets Food and Bar until you go there. By name alone, it would seem to make more sense that the name be “Palates,” a reference to the sense of taste. Or even “Palettes,” a potential reference to the fact that the…
St. Patrick’s Day Parade and Faire Saturday, March 15 Phoenix’s 31st annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade and Faire will kick off this Saturday at 10 a.m. with a parade and faire at the Irish Cultural Center on the west side of Hance Park. The faire will include three stages with…
Leading up to this year’s Big Brain Awards, we’re checking in with past winners. Up today: Natalie Morris. Natalie Morris won her Big Brain award in 2010, before we had a culinary category. As our “wild card” category pick, her dedication to quality and sustainability of food, combined with her…
With St. Patrick’s Day landing on a Monday, this year the celebration starts on Friday and goes for a long four-day weekend. That means there’s every reason to partake in a little Irish culture with traditional food and all varieties of imbibing, whether you prefer after-work drinks on Friday, singing…
With all the Layover-esque planning guides for trips to Phoenix coming out, it seems our metropolitan region is finally getting some national love. The most recent list comes from USA Today and supposedly guides you on a hipster’s trip around the city. Unfortunately, in our humble opinion, someone was trying…
Just months after opening Ingo’s Tasty Food across from La Grande Orange Grocery, LGO Hospitality has announced plans to open another restaurant in the Arcadia neighborhood. The new restaurant will be located at 4225 East Camelback Road, currently the home of a small complex called Camelback Court. That building –…
Like a boozy BirchBox, Kat Rudberg’s brand-new subscription service, Crafted Taste, will send craft liquors, fresh ingredients, bar tools, and recipes direct to your door every month. With recipes from top bartenders all across the country and specialized liqueurs, syrups, and bitters, Rudberg has combined her love of travel and…
Today’s the day, Phoenix. We’re announcing the finalists for the 2014 Big Brain Awards. Each spring, we recognize emerging Phoenix creatives — and over the past 10 days, we’ve narrowed down our long list of nominations to 15 finalists in five categories…
“Would you like to create a masterpiece?” are likely to be the first very enthusiastic words you’ll hear upon dropping into Pizza Studio, the new fast-casual pizza restaurant that opened Monday, March 10, at CityScape in downtown Phoenix. The Los Angeles-based chain is one of a handful of fast-casual Subway…
This is part two of our interview with Perry Rea, owner of Queen Creek Olive Mill. Today, the certified olive oil sommelier explains the differences between good and bad extra virgin olive oil and gives us advice on how pick good oil. If you missed part one, in which we…
Like burgers? So do we — particularly when they feature ingredients like white truffle aioli, homemade falafel, and applewood bacon onion jam. And the best part is that you don’t have to head to a sit-down restaurant to get these kinds of gourmet burgers anymore. A new food truck, Aioli…
St. Patrick’s Day is just around the corner. Which means this weekend, you and a gazillion of your closest corned beef and Guinness loving friends will be looking for the perfect place to post up and slam car bombs all day. Luckily for those who are unfamiliar with our local…
