The Spot in Gilbert, where owner Brian Kingdeski talks family values and bringing homemade classics, at an affordable price. Although an undeniably Google-unfriendly name, “The Spot” fits this restaurant like a glove. With dexterity that reveals Kingdeski’s decades of experience in the restaurant biz,a 13-foot-wide retail space has been transformed…
Lately, in this In Season/Meatless Monday series, we’re taking a look at what I take home from Crooked Sky Farms each week and see what I’ve done with my CSA share, or part share. This week I’m using butternut squash but you could use another squash or even sweet potatoes,…
For those full-up with fast food, pizza, or a weekend’s worth of cheap beer, a new healthy eats spot coming to Tempe aims to provide a bit of balance. D’Lish Kitchen and Coffee House, a health-conscious eatery complete with a drive-thru for good food on the go, is opening its…
Hey Chandler, ready for some BBQ? Texas style or Mountain style? You now have both! Texas barbecue franchise Rudy’s Country Store and BBQ opened earlier in April and are dishing out Texas style brisket, ribs, chicken and smoked sausage. And right across the street, New Mexico’s Can’t Stop Smokin’ is…
Pizzeria Bianco, celebrated pie master Chris Bianco’s award-winning Heritage Square eatery, continues to secure its place in history as a pilgrimage-worthy destination with a nod from Food & Wine magazine as one of its 25 best pizza spots in the U.S. Chosen from new and established pizza places from all…
Just utter (or type) the words food and truck in close proximity, and some people freak out — while others drool. It’s the same among Chow Bella’s staff, which is why when we decided to unveil our first “Point-Counterpoint” (with thanks/apologies to our sister blog in Houston, Eating Our Words)…
Last month we noted that celebrated Momofuku chef David Chang would be squaring off in a fried chicken competition against musician and neophyte food entrepreneur Questlove. Good natured smack talk was traded via twitter and terms were agreed upon. In the event of Chang’s loss, Chang would put Questlove’s chicken…
Phoenix isn’t exactly a culinary hub, and the Valley’s restaurants don’t always get the kind of attention as those in New York, L.A., and Seattle. But we have our fair share of star chefs, and if there was a leader of the pack, it might just have to be Chef…
• Hey, nice kitchen! St. Francis chef and owner, Aaron Chamberlin lets us into his pad and cooks up some tasty fare. We even manage not to lift his Picasso cookbook. – Chow Bella • Please shut-up about this crazy expensive and seriously slow chocolate printer. – Time • Think…
Yesterday we told you about our experiences with coconut shampoo rum and the surprisingly similar Malibu Red, a blend of coconut rum and tequila. Dedicated tasters that we are, we tried the drink in many forms: neat, on the rocks, mixed with coke, and in the many cocktails posted on…
Sometimes a girl needs a steak sandwich and a big bowl of fries to make the day amazing. My lunch companion and I hit one of Phoenix’s slightly older hot spots for a late afternoon beer lunch. I ventured past my lunchtime salad realm and ordered the Bistro Steak Sandwich…
Are you the kind of person who rushes home from the grocery store to eat a tiny nibble of every single thing you bought? It’s okay; I’m like that too. If you are, you might think a tasting event featuring lots of bites from many restaurants is for you. But…
For those in Old Town Scottsdale in search of cheesesteaks, meatball sandwiches, and cold hoagies — especially in the late evening hours — and who might not have heard the news that the Philadelphia Sandwich Company has moved (and re-opened) to a larger space at 4225 North Craftsman Court, not…
Out with the doughnuts, in with the pizza. As of this week, East Coast Italian-style pie lovers in Tempe can hit up Paisan’s Pizza & Italian Kitchen, at 425 South Mill Avenue (5th Street and Mill and in the former home of Dunkin’ Donuts), to test run a new favorite…
It’s another beautiful Phoenix weekend! Better get outside and enjoy it while you can. This weekend, I’ll be trading in the super nice Phoenix weather for the smog and traffic of Los Angeles. I plan on hunting down the infamous mac & cheese with BBQ pork grilled cheese sandwich from…
The Market: The Roadrunner Park Farmers Market is a weekly slice of American suburbia right here in north Phoenix. As early as the sun rises, youth baseball teams are rounding the bases and girls’ soccer teams are busy at practice. Later on families sit down to picnic tables for lunch,…
First cupcake ATMs, now a small army of sushi making machines? If the retro “News of the World” style music doesn’t get you then just wait until the 0:40 mark, whoever edited this video wasn’t afraid to lay down some funky beats. The sushi making machines featured in this video…
Years ago, I went on a spring break cruise with a group of my hard-drinking friends and, broke college kids that we were, we dedicated the days leading up to the vacation to finding every possible method of smuggling booze aboard. Clear plastic water jugs, giant blue containers of Listerine,…
To eat at Fu-Fu Cuisine on Phoenix’s west side, is a journey far from the sprawling Arizona desert. The new restaurant owned by Esther Mbaikambey, who was born in Nigeria and spent her high school years in Jamaica, offers a culinary journey to Africa and Caribbean…
It turns out people get pissed when you call them out for acting elitist for something they have to do or they die. We all have to eat; but when you start acting kinda Big Ike about it, you ruin it for everybody. Thus, here are six more terms plus…
There’s nothing like the searing heat of a Valley summer to watch some of our favorite (and not so favorite) chef-testants from Bravo’s popular reality competition show Top Chef fulfill their contractual obligations strut their stuff for the fifth annual Top Chef mobile tour…
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…
