Cafe: Cave & Ives

Sometimes less is more. A supreme pizza can be be a mouth-watering exercise in sensory overload, but does it stack up to a classic slice of pepperoni and extra cheese? There’s a reason we put yellow mustard on hot dogs and not basil foam. Reading this week’s Cafe column, it…

Three Favorite Phoenix Rum Cocktails

Crisp, citrus-y and mixed liberally with ice, a nice tropical tipple is the perfect late-summer cooler. Here are three Valley bars serving up great rum cocktails. 1. The Dark & Stormy at the J&G Steakhouse at The Phoenician J&G’s serves up a delectable Dark & Stormy made with Goslings Black Seal…

Oaxaca Went Through Trustee Sale; Sky Harbor Location Also Closed, Will Re-Open “As Soon as We Can,” Says Lender

On Tuesday, Oaxaca Restaurant and Cantina, the downtown Phoenix eatery and 30-year-plus landmark near the state Capitol, closed amid a hubbub of activity involving the police and an ominous sign on door stating “closed for plumbing repairs.” “The police aren’t usually involved in these situations,” said Edmundo Hidalgo, President and CEO…

Pozole Blanco from Taco Nazo

Tacos may very well be the perfect food, but let’s face it, the standard Meximerican fare can get a bit stale after a while. Taco the Town is here to highlight some of the more unusual Mexican finds in the Valley. This week: Pozole Blanco served up by Taco Nazo…

Solar Cooking: How to DIY

This week we’re taking a (hot) look at solar cooking. Today: what you need to get into solar cooking.​ So where do you start with solar cooking? Yesterday, we talked to David Wells, co-organizer of the Great Solar Cookout. According to him getting into solar cooking depends largely on how…

Say Cheese: Inside Ahwatukee’s Wedge & Bottle Cheese Shop

On a late afternoon at Wedge & Bottle Cheese Shop, owners Troy and Krista Daily are serving up samples of a traditional Cyprus cheese called Halloumi. Recommended by a regular, this cheese looks like a breadstick and tastes like a salt lick…in a very good way. The cheeses here run…

Champs d’Elysee Sandwich from The Paisley Violin

Last year we marked the hundred day countdown to Best of Phoenix by sharing our 100 Favorite Dishes with you. Now we’re back – with the 2011 edition. Have a suggestion for a dish you’d like us to try? Leave it in the comments section or email laura.hahnefeld@newtimes.com. 21: Champs…

Joe’s Farm Grill Does Dogs All Month Long

If you’ve taken a peek outside lately, you know that summer is showing zero signs of going away anytime soon. (Sigh.) Swelter not, fans of fall. To get us through the last big push of the season, Joe’s Farm Grill, the converted farm home turned eatery in Gilbert, will be…

Caves & Ives Satisfies Simply

Grandiose décor, beautiful-people servers rattling off flavor-of-the-day food themes, a big-name chef, the environmental sustainability of the chair your ass is currently occupying — it’s all about concepts these days. How about this for a concept: no concept. Flickering candlelight, the perfume of baking bread, the laughs of good friends,…

Four Fantastic Rums and Why They’re So Good

Welcome back to our rum-soaked pleasure cruise as we seek out the Valley’s best sugarcane-based spirits. Last week, Dwayne Allen, co-owner of the Rum Bar in downtown Phoenix, introduced us to the joys of fine sipping rums. And now he’s back to break down the literally hundreds of varieties of…

Coming Soon: Vintage 95

​Editor’s Note: This post has changed since it was originally published. The southeast corner of Boston and Oregon streets n downtown Chandler has had many faces. In 1926 it was the town’s first post office. More recently it has been the home of Siracha, KiZake and even a boutique clothing…

Oatmeal Throw Down: Burger King vs. McDonald’s

As much as we love the hand-crafted croissants from Essence or the crepes and coffee from Jobot, these one-of-a-kind breakfast joints tend to be few and far between. Sometimes we have to slum it at the mega chains.   Unfortunately, those deep-fried dens generally do better at scrambling rubbery eggs…

Cinnamon Buns in the Solar Oven

This week we’re taking a (hot) look at solar cooking. Today: a conversation with David Wells of the Great Solar Cookout.​Solar cooking has intrigued Arizona State University political science Professor David Wells for years. He is interested in all things sustainable, going so far as to bike to work whenever…

Dominic Fasano’s Mimosa Pancakes

For the last two days we’ve talked with Jobot Coffee Shop’s crepe master, Dominic Fasano. Today, he’ll share one of his favorite recipes from the popular (and soon to return!) Sunday Beats-n-Brunch. “I just tried to covert the mimosa drink that we all know, champagne and orange juice, into a…

Gyro Feta Pita from Crazy Jim’s

Last year we marked the hundred day countdown to Best of Phoenix by sharing our 100 Favorite Dishes with you. Now we’re back – with the 2011 edition. Have a suggestion for a dish you’d like us to try? Leave it in the comments section or email laura.hahnefeld@newtimes.com. 22: Gyro…

Bye Bye Sola Coffee Bar, Hello Cartel Coffee Lab Scottsdale

Rumors were confirmed yesterday with a phone call to Sola Coffee Bar on 5th Street in Scottsdale — a recording immediately picks up and states they are no longer Sola, they are now Cartel Coffee Lab. We briefly spoke with Cartel Coffee owner Jason Silberschlag, who confirmed the takeover. According to Silberschlag, Sola no…