It’s all about doing things right for Matt Taylor. In the kitchen of Metro Brasserie & Bar in Old Town Scottsdale, his staff of 12 guys is loose and laid-back during the day. But, in the kitchen, things change. “When we’re actually cooking, there’s a set way we do things,”…
This is the time of year when folks in Phoenix head for cooler pastures, and it’s time to travel the world if you can. But, if your vacation this summer is a staycation, you can still feed your inner globetrotter by heading to India, Africa, and Russia — via several…
A traditionalist and an up-and-comer at once, 25-year-old Matt Taylor is probably the youngest executive chef around, and he’s one of the most well known. Taylor is a curious combination of discipline and ease, both a risk-taker and a culinary purist. Maybe that’s how he got to be the head…
He’s already hit a home run with Postino Central, the just-north-of-Camelback eatery that’s a spinoff of his ultra-popular Arcadia wine bar. Now restaurateur Craig DeMarco has his sights on something practically across the street. DeMarco is excited about the circa 1940 building at Central Avenue and Oregon, a small strip…
Do you like things hot — we’re talking eye-watering, tongue-tingling, sear-the-roof-of-your-mouth spicy? In this week’s Meal Ticket dining newsletter, find out which Valley restaurant offers a muy caliente Inferno burrito, plus mouthwatering 99-cent margarita specials. We’ve also got the scoop on a “magical” and very romantic Valley restaurant that’s reopening next week after a…
Yes, Phoenix — this city will come back to life pretty soon. Things feel slow right now, but at least there’s a big culinary event right around the corner, ushering a whole season of activities for food fanatics. Phoenix Cooks! is the shindig to put on your calendar. Scheduled for…
This is the time of year when folks in Phoenix head for cooler pastures, and it’s time to travel the world if you can. But, if your vacation this summer is a staycation, you can still feed your inner globetrotter by heading to India, Africa, and Russia — via several…
After a few months’ hiatus, popular Mill Avenue coffeehouse Three Roots is back in business, under new ownership (it didn’t go co-op after all). Besides a fresh coat of paint, new flooring, and other repairs, the bohemian spirit of the place remains the same. Even many of the same vegan…
Not sure how you feel about Food Network stars but we’re big fans of Giada De Laurentiis. We received two cookbooks when we got married, Mark Bittman’s How to Cook Everything and Giada’s Everyday Italian: 125 Simple and Delicious Recipes. The Bittman bible is dog-eared and beet-stained and we dip…
Mama Java’s has the good fortune of being close to several other cool businesses. It’s across the street from Hazelwood’s, should patrons decide they’d like to sing karaoke and get drunk after coffee, and it’s in the same strip mall as the Book Gallery, should patrons decide they’d like to…
This really puts the “welcome” in Welcome Diner. James Beard Award-winning chef Nobuo Fukuda is testing out dishes for his in-the-works restaurant this coming Saturday (August 8) at Welcome Diner (924 E. Roosevelt). It’s the second such night he’s hosted since closing Sea Saw in early June. Although Fukuda’s new izakaya…
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: Summer Beer Quest Week Nine Local Lyricist Maja Rapping…
Whether you agree with his decisions or not, there can be no doubt that President Obama has already accomplished many things since entering office in January of 2009. He has closed Guantanamo Bay. He has supported stem cell research. But it is one of his most recent decisions that has…
Oh Mickey, what a pity. It’s the end of an era for Scottsdale nightlife, as Mickey’s Hangover has closed its doors, according to the Trib. In case you’ve never knocked back a beer while hanging out on one of its thrift store couches, Mickey’s was sort of a tongue-in-cheek place to…
Some people have problems with commitment. People do change after all and the person you love today may turn into a psycho hose beast tomorrow. But through the assistance of close friends or the sage advice of one’s elders we work through commitment issues and find deeper connections than we…
If you’ve been at a farmers market in the Valley lately, you’ve probably run into a booth with a rather odd name and a Nebraska Huskers bumper sticker on the cooler: Pork on a Fork. The name, we’re not sure about, but the Huskers sticker is there because the company’s…
When J.K. Grence is working behind the bar at Trader Vic’s at the Hotel Valley Ho in Scottsdale, he imagines himself to be playing Penn to the other bartender’s Teller. “I’m standing there talking constantly,” he laughs, “while he’s just standing there silently making drinks.” He’s busy telling you stories…
It’s too hot to cook, so just skip to dessert. That’s our philosophy, anyway. Besides, most summertime desserts have the added benefit of being cold, and anything that helps beat the heat is a winner. This week we offer you a daily guide to the sweet treats of summer, from…
Here’s a juicy summer read we can’t wait to dig into: Cooking Dirty by Jason Sheehan. Sheehan happens to be the food critic at Westword, New Times’ sister paper in Denver, but long before he launched his award-winning career as a food scribe, he worked his way through kitchens across…
If you drink China Mist bottled tea and want tickets to the Arizona Diamondbacks game on September 9, this is for you. Twitter was designed to answer the question “what are you doing,” but local promoters Activating Word of Mouth are using the social media site to create a stir…
Some people are born lactose-intolerant. Not us! No, we earned it. Maybe it’s the companion splash of milk in every cup of coffee that keeps our journalistic fingers hard at work that has trained our body to associate mammalian lactation with stress. Either way, we can’t handle milk products when…
OK, folks. So, yesterday, when we announced National Lasagna Day deals at Buca di Beppo, we said, it seems like every day on the calendar is the National Day of Something. As it turns out, we were right. Today is National Cheesecake Day! You know what that means: cheesecake deals…
