Although Alexa “Pixie” Bowler began her career in culinary school, she found a love for mixology when she realized that it combines the creativity of the kitchen with the guest interaction of the front of the house. She’s a “cook by trade” but brings her love of balance, flavor and…
From time to time, Chow Bella’s contributors challenge one another to a showdown: Make the best dish you can, using one common ingredient. This time (naturally), it was pumpkin. For the next few weeks, we’ll be sharing the results, and at the end, we’ll let you know who won. Today:…
Over the past few years, the dine-in theater concept of combining restaurant-style cuisine with first-run movies has gained popularity. With just the push of a button, moviegoers can enjoy tableside food service and cocktails from luxurious leather seats while watching the latest blockbuster. In 2011, two dine-in theaters, Studio Movie…
After six years, Cadillac Ranch, the little bit country, little bit rock ‘n’ roll bar and restaurant in the District at Tempe Marketplace, is shuttering this weekend. And as you might expect, the hangout for ASU students and general party hounds into Southwestern pub grub, endless drink specials, and entertainment…
After nearly two decades in central Scottsdale, Los Sombreros, chef-owner Azucena Tovar’s restaurant of well-crafted Mexican cuisine, is expanding. The new location, a remodeled space at 14795 North Northsight Boulevard (formerly Javinos restaurant) in North Scottsdale, will open at 11 a.m. Friday, November 1. Here’s what’s in store…
They may make gourmet food for a living, but that doesn’t mean chefs don’t have a sweet spot for Halloween candy. So what treats are Valley chefs planning to pass out for this Hallow’s Eve assemblage of ghosts and goblins? Whether they’re the same ones they enjoyed as kids or…
If you ask grill master Steven Raichlen of PBS’ Primal Grill, he’ll tell you there are plenty of reasons it makes sense to choose Phoenix as the place to bring together national and local grill experts for a celebration of all things cooked over a flame. For starters, he says,…
The Guilty Pleasure: Raspberry Rose Macaron Where to Get It: Essence Bakery, Tempe or Arcadia Price: $1.40 for the small, $3.25 for the large What it Really Costs: There are nuts in the shell, and raspberries in the filling. Convince yourself it’s good for you. It’s hardly a secret that…
Forks up, Phoenix! Chow Bella and Roosevelt Row present the fourth annual Pie Social Saturday, November 16, from 2 to 5 p.m. at the “What Should Go Here” Pop Up Park at Second and Roosevelt streets. We’ve got an all-star lineup of bakers making pies for you to taste, and…
When you think about the long hours and financial hardship it takes to own and operate a successful restaurant, you can’t help looking at those who do it and wonder: “Why?” Sometimes it’s because of a true, artistic passion for the culinary arts. Sometimes the alternative is foreclosure. Joseph Levy’s…
Offal often gets a bad rap for being the odds and ends of animals that no one wants to eat. The term, used more frequently in British English, refers to non-muscle parts of a butchered animal. It covers all sorts of tasty bits like intestine, liver, kidneys, feet, head, brain,…
My nightmares are filled with the drunken faces of American college kids smeared with paint depicting garish skulls, twisted toothy grins, hollow cheekbones, black pools of pain for eyes . . . Death isn’t the scary part here, it’s the ever increasing popularity of the Day of the Dead and…
The Spot: Welcome Diner 924 E. Roosevelt St. 602-495-1111 www.marthaandmary.net/welcomediner…
This week we’re chatting with chef Jay Bogsinke of St. Francis, who’s taking some of pressure off chef/owner Aaron Chamberlin at the restaurant as he deals with his second spot, the Phoenix Public Market Cafe. On Monday, we found out what brought Bogsinke to this farm-to-table haven. If you missed…
On the heels of opening North Scottsdale’s Renegade by MOD in May, ex-Kai chef Michael O’Dowd and partners Ed Leclere and Don Misheff of Vivid Lifestyle Concepts have opened their second restaurant — this one tucked into a golf club in Fountain Hills. Called Wicked Six Bar and Grill by…
Heads up, burger-and-beer hounds: Hopdoddy Burger Bar, the Austin-based counter-service eatery from the owners of Roaring Fork and Salty Sow, is opening its doors in Scottsdale tomorrow. Listed as one of 33 best burgers in the United States by men’s digital lifestyle brand Thrillist.com, Hopdoddy has two restaurants in Austin,…
For the past two years, Sacha Levine has been at Scottsdale’s Rancho Pinot working with chef Chrysa Robertson. But now the up-and-coming Levine is headed to Quiessence at the Farm at South Mountain to be sous chef with chef Dustin Christofolo, who took over this fall after the restaurant’s chef…
Real party hosts know that the holiday season is just around the corner. Take note, rookie reception planners: Hosting holiday affair requires planning, patience, and first and foremost, a reservation. Here to get your gathering off to the right start is Chow Bella’s list of seven places to host your…
Whether you think offal is awful or awesome, there’s a good chance you’ll at least be intrigued by chef James Porter’s Fourth Annual Halloween Offal Dinner. If you’re unfamiliar with this genre of food, offal (pronounced just like “awful”) means the bits of animals — like organs, odd parts, skin,…
Welcome to “Schaefer,” in which Eric Schaefer — a local guy with a big (but discerning) appetite and a sense of humor to match — takes on the Phoenix food scene. What would you do if you were responsible for the long-awaited expansion of a Midwestern legend into a city…
Forks up, Phoenix! Chow Bella and Roosevelt Row present the fourth annual Pie Social Saturday, November 16, from 2 to 5 p.m. at the “What Should Go Here” Pop Up Park at Second and Roosevelt streets. We’ve got an all-star lineup of bakers making pies for you to taste, and…
The two guys from Scottish brewery Brewmeister have unveiled their newest creation, Snake Vemon. The brew apparently is the world’s strongest beer, with a ridiculously high alcohol content of 65.7 percent ABV. In case you were wondering, that means this beer is stronger than most liquors and most definitely should…
