Philthy Phil’s (2939 N. 16th St., 602-279-4339) isn’t exactly philthy, but the place is pretty phunky. The lighting is dark, almost cave-like, while the wood-panel walls emit old aromas of beer and cigarettes. A pair shoots pool in the back while the sweet sounds of Boston play over the speakers…
Leave it to chef Patrick Boll of The Spotted Donkey Cantina II to create a tribute to the Valley’s most iconic hunk o’ beef, Roaring Fork’s Big Ass Burger. Given all the years he worked at Roaring Fork during the Robert McGrath era, I’d say Boll’s earned the right to tweak…
How much are Rep. Dennis Kucinich’s teeth worth? A cool $150K, perhaps. That’s how much the Ohio Congressman is seeking in damages in a lawsuit against a Capitol Hill cafeteria where he suffered “permanent dental and oral injuries” and “loss of enjoyment” in 2008. He bit into a sandwich wrap and unfortunately crunched into an…
As long as people keep making cupcakes this damn adorable, I will always be interested. Sure, there’s plenty of cupcake fatigue as far as food trends go. Cupcakes have beyond jumped the shark. They’ve been done to death. Who cares? Creative pastry chefs are still using the tiny confections as…
Folks in north Scottsdale have a new breakfast and lunch spot, family-owned Perk Eatery, which opened in December. Owner Pauline Thomas Martinez tells me that everything’s made from scratch and sourced from as many local, organic purveyors as possible, including grass-fed Arizona beef for what she calls “a heck of a burger.” It’s…
What We Ate: Lean Pockets Pretzel Bread SandwichGrilled Chicken Jalapeno Cheddar The Facts: 280 calories, 9g fat (4g saturated fat), 890g sodium and 35g of carbs Why This One: We must have been high. Not really but we honestly have no other explanation as to why we thought this was a good…
This week, common post-holiday-cooking-frenzy questions: Where do I place a meat thermometer in my turkey? And how do I use a meat thermometer? Use a meat thermometer to test cooked food for doneness. The FDA guidelines for cooking temperature are listed to keep food safe from bacteria. The thermometer, used…
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…
Hungry for your early morning serving of food news, with no preservatives or additives?Valentine’s Day Dinner SpecialsValentines day is right around the corner, do you know where you are taking your date to dinner? You better figure it out quick or else you will be stuck dining at Micky D’s…
China’s on the rise, and I’m not talking about the global economy. In Old Town Scottsdale, two Chinese restaurants opened within a month of each other late last year, and it’s easy to predict that they’re both gunning for a chunk of business from P.F. Chang’s, a behemoth founded in…
Hawaiians call it manapua. The Chinese call them char siu bao. We’re not talking about mythical creatures or ancient gods here. These exotic sounding terms boil down to something the modern American palate is familiar with: BBQ pork buns. . …
After a delicious introduction to locally-made Fleurt Butter, this Thrifty Cook wondered — can anyone make flavored butter at home? The answer is yes. It can be fun to mess around with flavors to infuse your butter with, too. For this recipe a traditional breakfast option was used: butter, maple syrup and…
Hi. I’d like an order of deep-fried pickles with blue cheese, some fried sweetbreads with green goddess dressing, a Texas beef brisket combo, and a side of cornbread with molasses. However, as much as the brazen phallic reference cracks me up, I’m not sure I want to order The Johnson (a…
The restaurant space on the northeast corner of Mill and University must’ve been built over an Indian burial ground, because the spot is cursed. Once upon a time, Ruby Tuesday stood there, but its reign didn’t last. Soon after its demise, the diner Sucker Punch Sally’s took over — but…
If seafood is an aphrodisiac, then Eddie V’s CEO Jim VanDercook announced an excellent date for the new location at Scottsdale Quarter to open to the public: Valentine’s Day. “There’s a seductive quality to the new Eddie V’s,” he said. The 8,800-square-foot eatery seats 275 guests and features an oyster bar, wine…
Hungry for your early morning serving of food news, with no preservatives or additives?Saucy Cooking Class This Thursday join Maggiano’s Little Italy from 6 to 9 p.m. for an evening of wine, cooking and good company. Chef Jeff Berglund will teach you how to make crab and shrimp fondue, Piccata…
Tucson’s Boca Tacos y Tequila made national news last week when owner Bryan Mazon announced his plans to serve lion meat street tacos by pre-paid order on February 16. Now, he’s called off his plans after the restaurant, his family members, customers, and vendors received “many threats.” Earlier installments of…
The Spot: The Kitchen Bar at Christopher’s Restaurant and Crush Lounge, 2502 E Camelback, Phoenix, 602-522-2344, www.christophersaz.com The Hours: Happy Hour prices are available daily from 3 to 6 pm at the Kitchen Bar and in Crush Lounge. The Details: A wide selection of items including wood fired pizzas, gourmet…
Last week, a California woman brought a false-advertising lawsuit against Taco Bell claiming that their products contain very little meat. And for those of us who have eaten their Cantina Tacos, this should resonate like the sun exploding. The class-action suit, which does not ask for money, objects to TB’s…
For anyone who scratches their head at the thought of relaxed fine dining spot Noca going all casual and sandwich-centric for its new lunch service, I have two words for you: Lobster roll. It makes perfect sense, actually. The eatery has been doing a clever, upscale version of the classic…
Yesterday, in Sweet Talk, Shannon Dufresne, chef-owner of Crave Artisan Ice Cream gave us the scoop on her sweet tooth, creating a co-op kitchen, and why cooking from scratch inspires her. Shannon, known as the “ice cream chick” in her culinary program, likes to combine flavors and textures in her…
FnB chef Charleen Badman has nothing against mac ‘n cheese. In fact, she claims to make a pretty killer version herself. But when she found out that the gooey comfort food was often the lone “vegetarian” option at a local school cafeteria (or, perhaps, a bagel with cream cheese), she got…
