Ring the bell, it’s time for Last Call, where JK Grence, bartender at Shady’s, serves up booze advice and recipes. Got a burning question for your bartender? Leave it in the comments and it might be answered in a future column. I’m getting a little stir crazy waiting for cold…
Once a year, New Times puts the spotlight on Scottsdale in SHINE, our annual pocket guide. As usual, the 2012 edition includes many of our favorite spots to drink, dine, shop, party, and get a culture fix. This issue features some pretty amazing food & drink. See also: – SHINE:…
Outta the way, elephants and horses, Mom’s in the kitchen now. See also: 2012 Best Thai Restaurant – Yupha’s Thai Kitchen My Mom’s Thai Kitchen, the new casual Thai eatery in Downtown Phoenix, moved into the space formerly occupied by Five R Cha Thai (R Cha means horse) and, prior…
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…
Looking for something to put in your mouth this weekend? We’ve got you covered. Check out what’s on our plate. See also: – Join Amy Binkley, Tracey Dempsey, and More Top Female Chefs at Getting Our Just Desserts – Food, Beer & Wine Samples at the 8th Annual Certified Local…
Don’t you love Thanksgiving? It’s a nationally sanctioned food marathon, and we’re all encouraged to be athletes. No silly talk of calories, carbs or the evils of sugar on this one guilt-free day. Of course, for the person(s) preparing this misty watercolor rendition of a Norman Rockwell painting, the day…
“What happens in this room will be very intense for you,” intones the narrator as he strips to his waist and begins forcefully but lovingly… trussing up a chicken. This is from the trailer for 50 Shades of Chicken a titillating parody cookbook following in the trail blazed by the…
Gin is in and rye is fly, but American cocktail enthusiasts are beginning to pay attention to lesser known spirits produced in other countries as well — say, Peru’s pisco, Brazil’s cachaca and Japan’s shochu. Although shochu, a clear spirit many people compare to vodka, has been popular in Japan…
You need pie on Thanksgiving – or at least something shaped like a pie.
The election’s over, the weather’s rub-it-in-the-faces-of-snowy-states perfect, and some Harvard dudes sent a flippin’ hamburger into space. What better way to celebrate with some wine, some walkin’, and some more wine — all urban-style, natch. See also: My Wine Cellar & Bistro Hosting 2nd Annual Wine Festival The sixth Urban…
Think there’s no such thing as starting holiday shopping too early? Stock up on local goodies this Saturday, November 10, at Local First’s 8th Annual Certified Local Fall Festival. Attendees get free access to vendors like Frances Boutique, State Bicycle Co., and Practical Art. See also: – Tour de Coops…
Bubbles, bubbles everywhere — or, at least there were up until last week. That’s when Narcisse Champagne & Tea Lounge, the luxurious, 6,000-square-foot hangout featuring over 200 kinds of bubbly, shut its doors for good. Narcisse, which opened in January 2011 in the Scottsdale Quarter, came courtesy of Tom Zummo…
Say what you will about bread pudding (a lead-heavy gut bomb of an overplayed dessert), it’s still crazy-popular for one very good reason: nobody gets tired of warm, sugary, bread-based goo. It’s been around in one form or another for over 500 years, created in most cultures as a thrifty…
“We’ll always have Paris,” said Rick (Humphrey Bogart) in the classic film, Casablanca. And thanks to Jeff Kraus, where a life-altering trip to the the City of Light inspired his award-winning mobile kitchen, Truckin’ Good Food, and currently, his months-old eatery, Crêpe Bar, in Tempe, so do we. Through crepes,…
Today from 2 to 6 p.m., participating The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf locations will be hosting a Holiday Open House. The California-based chain is launching its holiday menu of specialty drinks this week. Joining the ever-popular fall pumpkin latte are a gingerbread cookie latte and Ice Blended® drink, winter…
Ready for brand new aroma to spice up your life? How about a “pick-me-up” cologne redolent in the smells of sushi? Or more specifically, a cologne that smells like sushi rice and seaweed with a hint of lemon essence. See Also: -Lay Waste to the Forces of Hunger With the…
Jeff Kraus, owner of Crêpe Bar in Tempe, may be the closest thing to an artist the Valley food scene has today. He sprinkles bananas with sugar and molasses and brûlées them until they are sweet and smoky and tinged with a glassy gold. He griddles small, thin strands of…
If you enjoy wine tastings on a giant scale, you’ll want to attend My Wine Cellar & Bistro’s second annual wine festival. Happening November 18, the festival will feature 20 wine samples poured by four wine distributors, as well as live outdoor music. See also: – Best Place to Sniff…
Are you sick of Halloween candy yet? Before you make any drastic decisions to throw out the rest of your stash, take a look at these ideas. I went through a lot to make sure I didn’t have any extra candy left at the end of the night (lucky, lucky…
Remember when America’s Taco Shop, the casual, counter-service Mexican eatery from America Corrales and husband Terry Bortin used to be a charming little renovated house on Seventh Street in Central Phoenix? That was 2008. But times (sigh), they do have a way of a-changin’. See also: America’s Taco Shop Opening…
Now that it’s November and the election is over, one thing is on every American’s mind: Thanksgiving. This year it’s fairly early — Thursday, November 22 — so it’ll sneak up before you know it. If thinking about two weeks of planning, stocking up, and preparing to cook for a…
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. Sure, restaurants have posted hours — but, hey, when hunger…
