Pumpkin Black Bean Soup

Looking for a taste of fall without having to work too hard? Pick up a can of pumpkin puree and everything thing else for this recipe is most likely in your cupboard already. This is a quick and tasty soup made from mostly canned goods, so if you don’t have…

Liverwurst: Stan’s Metro Deli

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…

Marcellino’s Now Serves Lunch and Pizza

It sounds like things are going really well for Sima and Marcellino Verzino at their stylish new SouthBridge location of Marcellino Ristorante Italiano. The couple recently returned from a trip to Italy and are “thriving” after five months in business, they tell me. This week, they’re amping things up with…

Hungry? Show your support for Breast Cancer Awareness Month

October is Breast Cancer Awareness month, and to help fight for the cause the foodie way, show your support by heading out to these spots around the Valley. Cupcake giant Sprinkles will be donating 100 percent of the proceeds of their Pink Ribbon cupcakes to The Entertainment Industry Foundation’s Breast…

Closed for Business: Fenix Eatery & Bar

Out with the old, in with the new? Uh huh. Along with checking its website (down) and calling its number (disconnected), I just confirmed that Fenix Eatery & Bar has officially closed — and there’s already something new in the works for the space at 40th Street and Camelback. Turns…

New in Chandler: DC Steak House

It’s surely a sign that North Scottsdale’s DC Ranch has lost its buzz when a new restaurant called DC Steak House opens in Chandler. The new eatery, which debuted last Friday, fills the void left by the short-lived Fat Cat, and before that, 98 South, in a primo spot along San Marcos Place’s…

Chow Italia: Lasagna at VinciTorio’s and Humble Pie

For some, the ultimate comfort food is fried chicken. For others, it’s meatloaf. For me, it’s lasagna — a thick, saucy, cheesy slab of Italian heaven. Of course it has to be homemade with Italian sausage like the lasagna I feasted on every holiday season growing up with Italian friends and relatives…

Chef Kazuto “Kaz” Kishino of Hana Japanese Eatery, Kitchen

Born, raised, educated and trained in Japan, Chef Kazuto “Kaz” Kishino, the man running the behind-the-scenes show in the kitchen of Hana Japanese Eatery, is about as old school as it gets in Japanese cooking. Kaz is a man of few words and little English, but Lori Hashimoto plays translator to unveil the secrets to making high-brow tempura, the reason Kaz loves his knives, and his movie-star aspirations and kitchen-cupboard realities.

Stuck at My Desk: Eating Right’s Lasagna with Meat Sauce

​Your guide to what to grab and what to skip when your lunchtime is spent at your desk. What We Ate: Eating Right’s Lasagna with Meat SauceThe Facts: 370 Calories, 8g of Fat, 630mg of SodiumWhy This One: Actually we were going for the Turkey Lasagna but someone snagged it…

Iruna: Happy Hour Report Card

The Spot: Iruña, 7217 E First Street, Scottsdale, 480-398-3020 http://www.irunaaz.com/ The Hours: La Hora Feliz is celebrated every day of the week at Iruña, from 4:30 to 6:30 pm. The Details: Sangria or a Smirnoff-based beverage will run you 3 bucks, while wine, specialty cocktails, and martinis are priced at…

Green With Envy: Key Lime Macarons

Well, here it is, folks: The new macaron flavor that Essence Bakery made us wait for. It’s organic key lime. I can only imagine how tasty these are, considering how much I dig their meyer lemon macarons. Are they like tiny bites of key lime pie? Gotta get me some…

New in Tempe: Mandalay Noodle World

Got a hankering for Burmese cuisine? If so, you’ve been out of luck for awhile, since North Scottsdale’s Little Rangoon Taste of Burma closed earlier this year. Now, there’s Mandalay Noodle World, a new spot in Tempe that calls its food “authentic Asian fusion,” with a menu that combines run-of-the-mill Chinese…

Get Ready for Cupcake Love-In Oct. 10

Ten to the third power brings Cupcake Love-In’s “peace, love, and cupcakes” to Hotel Valley Ho from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Oct. 10. Shell out $10 in advance ($15 day of), and you’ll get to scarf down cupcakes from 30 different bakeries, cupcakeries, restaurants and pastry chefs.