Ah, the holidays. Christmas is all about love, sharing, sweetness and light — and keeping the antacids handy. In keeping with the spirit of the season, Chow Bella presents “Eating Christmas,” in which some of our favorite writers nosh on the real lessons we learn this time of year. Today,…
Eating challenges fall into two basic categories: Those that look unpleasant but doable and those that look like they stand a good chance of killing you. The UK’s Daily Mail has reported on one of the later examples. See Also: -Top Ten Burgers in Greater Phoenix -Limelight’s >YOUR NAME HERE…
Khyber Halal Restaurant is a culinary crossroads of sorts — a blending of foods from Pakistan, Afghanistan, and India, where each nation’s cuisine is as diverse as the restaurant’s staff of family members. Here, flavorful bowls of rusty red chicken tikka masala and plates of rich goat biryani sit alongside…
Thinking of starting 2013 with a wine club membership for yourself or as a gift for a fellow wine lover? Afraid of commitment? Looking for special access to members only wines? Discounts? Today, we compare some online and local options, all of which have free membership. See also: – Shit…
The Association of Arizona Food Banks, a non-profit that supplies five regional food banks, has teamed up with businesses in the area to help hungry families this holiday season. We don’t normally get too sappy, but here at Chow Bella firmly believe no one should go hungry –especially not at…
What? Not done with your holiday shopping? Yeah, neither are we. But we’ve been making lists — and checking them twice — and we’ve got some suggestions for the nice people on your list. Today, Chow Bella’s Gift Guide for the Vegetarian. The Grinch isn’t the only who’s gone green…
Chilaquiles — a starchy, spicy, comforting dish of quartered and fried corn tortillas, ladled with or simmered in chile sauce — are one of Mexico’s favorite hangover cures. They’re also the go-to for thrifty Mexican mamas who want to whip up a quick breakfast and get rid of going-stale tortillas…
Not that Valley chefs Christopher Gross (Christopher’s & Crush Lounge) and James Porter (Petite Maison) need another reason to stay up late and have some fun, but Hanukkah, the eight-day Jewish Festival of Lights, seems like a good reason to mix the late-night revelry with a bit of holiday spirit…
See also: Chow Bella’s Gift Guide for the Aspiring Bartender See also: Make Puerto Rican Egg Nog Now, Enjoy It Later I’m officially committed to making all of my gifts this year. I blame Pinterest. And while I don’t expect you to make everything yourself too, I do urge you…
Welcome to Chow Bella’s Bites & Dishes, where Valley chefs and restaurateurs respond to a question New Times food critic Laura Hahnefeld has on her mind. Have a question you’d like to ask? E-mail laura.hahnefeld@newtimes.com. Miss a question? Go here. The arrival of cold season (See: bleh) means suggestions of…
For food lovers, offerings of fine cheese are as fun to give as to receive. And who better to help you select one than Lara Mulchay, founder of WedgeFestUSA, owner of the defunct Petite Fromage, and advocate for American artisan and craft cheese. See also: Tastemakers 2012 – Lara Mulchay…
What? Not done with your holiday shopping? Yeah, neither are we. But we’ve been making lists — and checking them twice — and we’ve got some suggestions for the nice people on your list. Today, Chow Bella’s Gift Guide for the Dessert Lover. See also: – Chow Bella’s Gift Guide…
Actually, the most shocking bit of info in this graphic isn’t that Americans eat the yearly GDP of North Korea in pizza or that the average American consumes 11 pounds of cheese a year, but that CiCi’s Pizza is the most popular brand of pizza in the country. Apparently “pizza…
The Spot: The Handlebar and Grill, 680 South Mill Avenue Tempe, 480-474-4888, www.handlebaraz.com. See Also: – Boulders on Broadway: Happy Hour Report Card – (More) Craft Beer on Mill Ave. at the Handlebar and Grill, Open to the Public Today The Hours: Happy Hour is offered daily from 3 to…
The Guilty Pleasure: Combo Sandwich Where To Get It: Chicago’s Taylor Street Deli, Scottsdale Road north of Loop 202 Price: $6 ($7 with peppers, highly recommended) What It Really Costs: You might want to get your shirt dry-cleaned after eating. One of my favorite regional guilty pleasures that has found…
What? Not done with your holiday shopping? Yeah, neither are we. But we’ve been making lists — and checking them twice — and we’ve got some suggestions for the nice people on your list. Today, Chow Bella’s Gift Guide for the home gardener. Raised bed garden kit, $159 and irrigation,…
We love to buy local for Christmas. So naturally we were giddy to hear the news that it’s one stop shopping for us again this year at the third annual Phoestivus Open-Air Market on December 5 and 12. In addition to more than 50 local handicrafts and bric-a-brac vendors, there’s…
When grocery stores started their own prescription services, they looked a little more like pharmacies. And now, the pharmacies, specifically, Illinois-based Walgreens, are looking a little more like grocery stores — and food trucks. See also: 10 Corporate Food Trucks Totally Bogarting the Mobile Kitchen Scene, Man It’s true. The…
Local fooditarians who keep a culinary Who’s Who in their heads surely remember Patrick Boll as the right hand man to James Beard Award-winner Robert McGrath at Roaring Fork in its heyday. Boll eventually left his longtime mentor to take chef gigs at Il Vinaio, El Chorro and the now…
What? Not done with your holiday shopping? Yeah, neither are we. But we’ve been making lists — and checking them twice — and we’ve got some suggestions for the nice people on your list. Today, Chow Bella’s Gift Guide for the Foodie. They’ve been to all the new restaurants, know…
Another busy month of openings and closings with a number of late month shockers like the closing of Nimbus Bistro and Sophie’s French Bistro. However, Phoenix also welcomed some interesting newcomers like a southern cooking food truck and a new brewing company. See Also: –October Openings and Closings…
This is part two of our interview with MJ Coe, the bread and butter behind MJ Bread and creative genius behind the wood-fired creations at Federal Pizza. To find out the weirdest thing that MJ ate (or rather, couldn’t eat) and where his hatred of Cupcake Wars stems from, check…
