Rikki Cupcake’s Fudgy Agave Brownies

Can vegans even eat chocolate? You bet. And if Rikki Cupcake has anything to say about it, your everyday chocolate fix will come in the form of a dense, fudgy (vegan) brownie that just begs for a tall, cold glass of (almond) milk. Today, Rikki shares her recipe for Fudgy Agave Brownies.

Pumpkin Showdown: Pumpkin Curry

We are obsessed with pumpkin so much over here at Chow Bella that we thought it was time to take all the smack talk to task with a pumpkin showdown. All the blog contributors gathered ’round the table with their best pumpkin recipes to see whose dish gets the Great…

Chef Wade Moises Unveils New Menus at Adobe Restaurant

If you’re not a regular at the swanky Arizona Biltmore Golf Club, Adobe Restaurant probably isn’t on your radar. And even if you are, you might think of the restaurant as just a pitstop on your way to the championship courses. But that might change now that Wade Moises is in…

A Pie-Inspired Superhero Name — How Can We Resist?

Chow Bella contributor Sativa Peterson is a good writer and a good cook. Just yesterday, she retired as our Monday Night Martha — an exhausting role she recapped in some hits and misses. Sativa also has her own lovely blog — called a little bird told me — and today she happens to…

Chef Bernie Kantak Returns With Citizen Public House

​What’s next for chef Bernie Kantak, who left his longtime executive chef gig at Cowboy Ciao and Kazimierz last year?Well, Next is next. He and partner Andrew Fritz (formerly of Cowboy Ciao and Sea Saw) recently signed a lease and have begun gutting the shuttered nightclub (which was once the…

Dave Driscoll, What Are You Eating?

Dave Driscoll​Dave Driscoll The self-proclaimed designated dancer with Treasure MammaL, who also “looks a lot like Andy Denver (aka, Single Dad),” the drummer in Fathers Day, has a West coast tour kick-off show at The Trunk Space Tuesday, October 26. Treasure MammaL is throwing a CD release party at The…

“Vanishing of the Bees” Documentary Opens Saturday in Tempe

There’s actually a name (and even an acronym!) for the worldwide disappearance of the honeybee population: Colony Collapse Disorder or CCD. The problem for the honeybee and the crops we depend on the bees to pollinate (one third of all food crops globally) is the lack of answers to the cause…

Conveyor-Belt Sushi Restaurant Rolls into Downtown Phoenix

As the saying goes — good things come to those who wait. Phoenix residents and sushi lovers have been waiting for a conveyor-belt sushi restaurant to open in their neck of the woods since Sushi Eye in Motion, the state’s first conveyor-belt sushi restaurant, opened in Chandler in 2008. But…

Over Easy Reopens in New Arcadia Location

The tiny little former Taco Bell next to The Vig made a great first home for chef Aaron May’s retro breakfast joint, Over Easy, but now the restaurant is ready for more hungry diners in its expanded, newer spot.Located at 4730 E. Indian School, #123, the new Over Easy has…

The Best of Monday Night Martha

After a year of making Monday Night Martha, we’re looking back. Last week we brought you the flops, this week, as promised, here are our favorites.  What did we learn from preparing a Martha Stewart recipe each week? Well, for one, that even when the recipes turned out less-than-perfect we…

Andre Extra Dry Champagne

Anyone who has searched the couch cushions for a handful of change knows that boozing on an extreme budget can be a risky proposition. To help you decide how to spend that meager pile of pennies, we’ve scraped the Bottom of the Barrel to review some of the cheapest wines…

Pumpkin Showdown: Pumpkin Cookies with Brown Sugar Frosting

We are obsessed with pumpkin so much over here at Chow Bella that we thought it was time to take all the smack talk to task with a pumpkin showdown. All the blog contributors gathered ’round the table with their best pumpkin recipes to see whose dish gets the Great…

Seasons 52 Promises Fresh Food & Wine at Biltmore Fashion Park starting Oct. 25

Curious passersby peered in the floor to ceiling windows of Seasons 52 at Biltmore Fashion Park this past Saturday for a better look at the five-course lunch, complete with wine pairings, previewing the location’s opening a week from today, Oct. 25. The plan is to serve up tasty seasonal fare that won’t spoil your diet: No dish has more than 475 calories – desserts included.

Chef Robert McGrath Hosting New PBS Show

James Beard Award-winning chef Robert McGrath of North Scottsdale’s Renegade Canteen has just been named the host of a new television show on Eight, Arizona’s PBS channel. Check, Please! will be a half-hour restaurant review program featuring three different regular Arizonans’ takes on a different local restaurant. “All we ask is…

Rikki Cupcake of Seitanic Vegan Heathen and Pomegranate Cafe

If you think vegans can’t bake, Rikki Cupcake is going to make you think again. The vegan of two-and-half years is the mastermind behind the devious-sounding and diet-defying blog Seitanic Vegan Heathen and the vegan cupcakes at Ahwatukee’s Pomegranate Café. Go, try, become a believer.

Chef Andrea Volpi Heads Up New Local Bistro

Andrea Volpi, the Milan-born chef who impressed the Valley with his Italian cuisine at La Locanda in the ’90s, and later succeeded Claudio Urciuoli at Taggia, will be heading up the kitchen at Local Bistro, a new European eatery set to open in early November. Restaurant owner German Osio, who…

A.J.’s Pumpkin Spice Blend

​There’s a long line at the coffee counter in A.J.’s Fine Foods for a reason. Though this local grocery chain is known for its produce, meats, and wine selection, the java and pastries are tasty and fresh, too. And now that they’re serving their seasonal Pumpkin Spice blend, Saturday mornings…

Empty Bowls and Fancy Apples in Today’s Eater’s Digest

Hungry for your early morning serving of food news, with no preservatives or additives?Empty Bowls This Wednesday, October 18th, from 11 till 3 p.m. or 5 to 8 p.m. Mesa Community College will be hosting their annual Empty Bowls Charity Event. In rememberance of World Hunger Day, check out more then 3,000 hand…

This Week In Chow Bella:

Another week has come and gone leaving us to ponder the upcoming events that will shape our lives and, more importantly, our dinners out. But before we move on, let’s have one last look at the blog posts from this week: Estate House to Be Replaced By The Herb Box…

Brewed For Battle: Oktoberfest

At what point does one elevate from merely drinking beer to being a full-on beer snob? Answer: when you feel compelled to tell other people what to drink. And the inevitable result of this peculiar ailment is the beer argument. In the spirit of all great beer-related discussions, we present…