You say pakora, I say samosa — and this time, I’m right. by Sarah Fenske My dearest pal in the whole world is Indian — she grew up in Mumbai, only coming to the U.S. for college. So I know a bit more about Indian food than, say, Thai or…
The thought of eating at Matt’s Big Breakfast is motivation not to sleep in, but The Roosevelt gives us plenty of reasons to stay up late. And just think — the mastermind behind it Matt Pool, burns the candle at both ends every day. How does downtown’s breakfast and bar…
By Wynter Holden I’ve always wondered what happens to imperfect foods. You know, like the accidental square Cheerio. I mean, we live in such a perfectionist society. Studies show that attractive people get more attention and earn more than average-looking people. So it’s only natural that better-looking foods end up…
By Michele Laudig Light rail construction has been a real asskicker for restaurants in the Central corridor, particularly those situated right along the future train route. Every time I drive past Fez and Durant’s and Pane Bianco, I cringe at the thought of how many potential customers may have been…
By Megan Irwin Fate’s House Dynamite dish with tofu — and in the way back, more tofu. I really love the tofu here. I love Fate for several reasons. I love that it serves Republic of Tea iced tea. I love that it played a huge role in making the…
by Amy Silverman The other day, I got upset with my mother because I found a can of diet Dr. Pepper in her fridge that had expired in 2005. “Look,” she said. “Your father and I grew up in the bomb shelter era — you know, back in the day…
By Wynter Holden Unlike the infamous “mouse shit chili” incident I blogged about in the inaugural What the Fork, sometimes I just get plain lucky when ordering an unidentifiable item at a restaurant. One case is Kataifi, an item I discovered on the menu at Razz’s Restaurant in North Scottsdale…
By Michele Laudig Do you remember what you were doing 15 years ago? Or, more precisely, do you remember what you were eating? Buca di Beppo, the Italian restaurant chain, is hoping to use nostalgia — for cheap prices, anyway — to spark customers’ interest in its 15th anniversary. The…
by Robrt L. Pela Do people use cookie cutters anymore? I have a big round box of them in my kitchen cupboard, but I never use the fucking things. I like to bake, but I don’t know that I’ve ever read a cookie recipe that included the direction, “Using a…
By Steve Jansen I risked my life for this. There was a point during yesterday’s monsoon that I thought my four-door sedan and I were about to be splattered on the median wall of the U.S. 60. During that moment, I wondered what would be written in my obit…
There’s so much wrong about this recipe, I hardly know where to begin. It’s from The Mike Douglas Cookbook, which in itself is enough to give one pause. I have a lot of peculiar celebrity cookbooks in my collection (my favorite: Candy Hits by ZaSu Pitts, which includes cookie recipes…
By Wynter Holden 38-year-old bar manager Amy Ziegler is a tall, slender, no-nonsense blonde who looks like she could do some serious damage to any boozehound who treats her like a Coyote Ugly babe. As a kid she dreamed of being a ballet dancer, but as she cockily points out…
By Jonathan McNamara I’ve been betrayed. Past experience and a few bumper stickers have lead me to believe that beer is liquid proof that the gods want us to be happy. Oh, how I have been living in naivety! I took a chance on a beer labeled with a chili…
By Michele Laudig burrata , that super creamy cheese that’s been cropping up all across town: Fine’s Cellar. It’s featured in a “burrata and tuna carpaccio caprese salad,” part of the “apertivo menu” (a.k.a. bar menu). The menu’s only available from 4 to 7 p.m., but it looks like it’ll…
By Jay Bennett On Saturday mornings, I like to head downtown to what is casually referred to as the farmers market, at Second and McKinley streets. It’s really called the Downtown Phoenix Public Market, a more suitable name than “farmers market” because, in my opinion, it’s way short on farmers…
By Wynter Holden In my notebook of odd dieting theories, I have one that’s completely ridiculous. Not that the idea is bad, mind you. Just that executing this particular plan requires that I look like a complete fool in front of dozens of strangers. I knew I was going to…
Somebody at Roka Akor really did their homework. When I heard that this spin-off of Roka, a London-based Japanese restaurant, was coming to Scottsdale, I felt ambivalent. On one hand, the menu looked mouthwatering. But I wondered whether we really needed one more trendy Japanese joint — especially one imported…
By Michele Laudig You have to hand it to the Spaniards — they’ve come up with one of the world’s most, uh, unique ways to work up an appetite: running their asses off as ornery bulls chase them down the street. That’s their idea of a party. Sol y Sombra’s…
Mmm … good! by Sarah Fenske I’m starting to think I’ve got a problem. I was on a ship for seven days eating some of the best food known to man: wild Alaskan salmon, pecan-crusted trout in beurre blanc sauce, prime rib and giant prawns stuffed with crab. Every meal…
By Michele Laudig In a small pond like Phoenix, there are only so many places for the big fish to swim. The news of former Phoenix Magazine restaurant reviewer Nikki Buchanan landing at the Arizona Republic is an interesting study in the feng shui of local food critics. As you…
By Wynter Holden I’ve seen canned aloe vera at the Phoenix Ranch Market, but I can’t imagine how that’s appetizing. In college, I had an aloe plant named Fanny. If I burned myself on a candle (which I did often, since I was totally goth and had a candelabra in…
By Megan Irwin I was particularly amused by the tiny pickle used as garnish for my sandwich at Lisa G’s. Ahh the “Veggie Sandwich.” The staple of cafe/bistro menus that cater mostly to meat eaters, but don’t want to exclude us veggies. Veggie sandwiches all share key characteristics: fancy bread…
