After leaving PastaBar, the now-defunct downtown eatery that he founded two years ago, onetime Mario Batali protege and former Sassi chef Wade Moises headed to Adobe Restaurant at the Arizona Biltmore Golf Club with the goal of revamping the off-the-radar eatery’s breakfast and lunch menus. He hoped to eventually launch dinner…
Hungry for your early morning serving of food news, with no preservatives or additives?Happy Chinese New Year! Happy New Year and welcome to the Year of the Rabbit. To celebrate the first day of the 15 day celebration, Panda Express is giving away a free single serving of its special…
The new year often inspires reinvention, even in the restaurant world. Among a slew of recent openings and closings was the December shuttering of Houston’s, a longtime staple at the Esplanade at Camelback and 24th Street. It was a routine lunch spot for countless office workers in the area and…
Goodbye January, Hello February! The Valley was busy this past month with the opening of 15 brand new eating and drinking spots. Unfortunately, we had to say goodbye to a few places as well. C’est la vie. RESTAURANTS OPENING IN JANUARY Fuego Tacos, 2501 E. Camelback Rd.Citizens Public House, 7111 E…
When it opened back in 2008, Cork Restaurant was a breath of fresh air in the Southeast Valley, a sophisticated fine dining destination that would’ve fit right in among Scottsdale’s top eateries but was designed to be enjoyed by folks right in its own South Chandler neighborhood. Sure enough, those of…
“Who can take a rainbow, wrap it in a sigh, soak it in the sun and make a groovy lemon pie?” Up until two years ago when Georganne Bryant opened her colorful retro candy boutique, Smeeks, no one in Phoenix could. Seems Bryant started a trend. Up popped Sweets and Beats (now…
Despite what the supermarket aisle may lead you to believe, there’s more to an animal than neatly wrapped styrofoam trays of meat. From tongue to tail, offal (pronounced awful) encompasses all those taboo edibles that don’t make the cut at your local grocer. Just Offal is here to explore these…
Even though I suspect that the folks at Cheba Hut have “420” on their minds, tomorrow they’re taking advantage of the date (“2/03”) to celebrate the passage of the Medical Marijuana Initiative, Proposition 203, with an all-day deal on munchies, plus free entertainment. All five Arizona Cheba Hut locations will have…
Cut out of work early and head over to Arcadia Fine Wine this and every Thursday for Decanted Thursdays from 4 to 6 p.m. when the Arcadia Wine Goddesses serve wine by the glass for $11 or less and flights of three wines for $10 with a side of wine knowledge. Bonus: On the first Thursday of each month, i.e. this Thursday, wines by the glass are two-for-one. Cue us scrambling up to Arcadia tomorrow…
Back in early November, Fuego Bistro owner Jeff Ward told me he was about to demolish the old Nixon’s space at the Esplanade and begin work on creating Fuego Tacos, a casual spinoff of his Latin-inspired eatery at 7th Street and Bethany Home. The renovations are finally finished, and the…
Yesterday we spoke with Alex Padilla of Taberna Mexicana and today our conversation continues… Honduran-born Padilla is notably health-conscious — nothing on Taberna’s menu is smothered in cheese and rice and beans are not automatic. Padilla tells us he is appreciative of all different types of cuisine and it is reflected in his…
Leave it to Americans to come up with yet one more day that allows gluttony to prevail over common sense, class, and dignity. Yes folks, we are talking about the Super Bowl. What was once just a simple day to watch a championship game has been turned into to a…
Hungry for your early morning serving of food news, with no preservatives or additives?Cupcake ClassSkip the fancy dinner this year and give your valentine the gift that keeps on giving….Cupcakes! AndyFood Culinary Studio is offer a Valentines Cupcake Workshop from 10:30 to 1:30 p.m. Saturday February 12. Learn to make…
The Spot : Picazzo’s Organic Kitchen, 440 W. Warner Rd., Tempe, AZ 85284. 480-831-5823 www.picazzos.com Picazzo’s has four other valley locations: The Esplanade; North Scottsdale; Paradise Valley; and Goodyear. Check each location for variations in menu and prices. Other AZ locations include: Casa Grande, Tucson, Sedona, Flagstaff, and Surprise. The…
The Valley’s hot ticket is chef Bernie Kantak’s brand-new gastropub Citizen Public House, which just opened its doors two weeks ago and specializes in bar snacks with a gourmet spin and contemporary American cuisine tinged with Eastern European influences (think pork belly pastrami with spaetzle and brusssels sprouts sauerkraut). It’s all meant to pair…
Phoenix doesn’t have the best track record when it comes to preserving its own history, but some folks here really do care about our past. How about saving a business that goes back to 1929? In this city of tear-downs and makeovers, that’s epic. As of last week, the Bidwill family,…
From marijuana-infused vodka to good old-fashioned pot brownies, people are coming up with all kinds of smokeless THC delivery methods now that medical marijuana’s picking up momentum. Almost makes you wonder if rolling papers will become extinct . . . The latest to bubble up is Canna Cola, a new line…
I walked in the door of Chompie’s in Tempe the week I first arrived in Phoenix. I’d driven cross-country from New York in a giant moving van, and frankly after a week of eating greasy truck stop food and seeing nothing but dead grass and desert, I was homesick. Then I met Chompie’s. It…
Yesterday in Sweet Talk, Executive Pastry Chef Travis Watson described his philosophy on the discipline and art of pastry creation and the important elements of any carefully crafted dessert. Chef Watson favors desserts that are refined and include only deliberate elements (flavor, texture, and presentation). Chef Watson reminded us there…
Chef Alex Padilla may be new to the Valley, but not to the kitchen; he’s currently donning his apron at Taberna Mexicana in Scottsdale. Padilla recently moved here from Houston, where he was raised, to open Ninfa’s Mexican Kitchen, in Glendale, and now Taberna (in Scottsdale Seville, Roy’s former spot). The menu…
Has it really been almost a year since we stood in the parking lot of Smeeks — sticky and sweaty from a night of caramel tasting/swooning — and swore we’d never eat sugar again? Indeed it has. And we have one thing to say, Phoenix: Bring it. Get the date and…
Find out more about country/pop band Arrowheart here.Sara Robinson What’d you eat for dinner last night? I had a 6-inch turkey sub from Subway, Sara-style! Favorite food: During the week, I eat healthy, but on weekends I eat my favorite food, which is the breadsticks from Olive Garden and Orange…
