I have one sweet copy of Crescent Dragonwagon’s new cookbook, The Cornbread Gospels, and I’m willing to give it to the first person who emails me about where I can get some really good cornbread in town. (My email address is at the end of my weekly column.) The book…
Local radio just got juicier. Wine connoisseur Michael Fine — owner of Fine’s Cellar in Old Town, and former owner of Sportsman’s — is dropping some serious knowledge on listeners with his new radio show, “Off the Vine with Michael Fine.” The show airs from 4 to 5 p.m. on…
Pop culture is conspiring to give me a major flashback. From leggings to neon-colored sneakers, hipster kids are dressing like it’s the end of the Reagan era. The Police, who reunited last year, are on a world tour. Poison lead singer Bret Michaels has a hit reality show on VH1…
It sounds like a marathon of food and booze: The 30th Annual Scottsdale Culinary Festival kicks off six days and nights of eating, drinking, and schmoozing, with tonight’s Friends of James Beard benefit dinner, as well as a sold-out wine tasting at Kazimierz. But don’t worry if you didn’t get…
This morning, in an announcement by Pointe Tapatio Cliffs general manager Ron Simon, Anthony DeMuro was appointed the new executive chef at the resort’s fine dining restaurant, Different Pointe of View. This comes on the heels of chef Claudio Urciuoli’s departure last Friday. DeMuro has been with Hilton since 2005,…
In a separation finalized on Friday, Claudio Urciuoli has left his post as the executive chef at Different Pointe of View at the Pointe Hilton Tapatio Cliffs resort. He’d started the gig in late January, after a brief but buzzworthy tenure at Taggia, at the Firesky Resort. According to Teri…
When I visited Overeasy for last week’s column, I fully appreciated the homey breakfast dishes as a surefure antidote to post-party malaise. But it’s not just good hangover food, apparently — it helps you get over jetlag, too. Chef Roy Yamaguchi just dined there this morning, fresh off the red-eye…
I know some of you blog-reading peeps keep Chow Bella bookmarked and don’t see the New Times home page, so here’s a link to my feature this week on Damon Brasch, the chef-owner of Green in Tempe…
In an open letter to customers and friends, Radda Caffe-Bar owner Lori Hassler announced that her Scottsdale restaurant is “just another casualty of 2008.” Yep, Radda’s about to close, although thankfully it’s not going to be an immediate departure. “I’m calling it April 26th, and decided to tell people the…
Some of this spring’s best restaurant news came to me serendipitously. Several weeks ago, driving across a familiar stretch of Indian School Road, just west of the 51, I noticed something that hadn’t been there before: a bright purple building, spray-painted with big, sassy, graffiti-esque letters. BBQ. Errrrch! I usually…
Planning to go downtown to check out the farmer’s market on Saturday? Here’s something fun to do afterward, if you’re feeling kind of cheesy (like me, right now, apparently…) Cheuvront Restaurant & Wine Bar is hosting its first annual Wine & Cheese Festival, from noon to 4 p.m. Thirty boutique…
Spring isn’t the only thing that’s sprung at Tapino, the chic Scottsdale tapas joint. A dozen new dishes are making a menu debut, too. Among chef James Porter’s newest creations are a roasted eggplant and ricotta crepe with smoked tomato coulis; white Italian anchovies with tomato gelee, lemon oil and…
“What a draaag it is gettin’ old . . .” I can’t completely disagree with Mick Jagger on that one. Back when I was a wild young thing, I could rock ‘n’ roll ’til the wee hours, drinking with abandon, and still wake up fresh-faced the next day. The word…
According to Steve Wolff, who owns Urban Campfire, his business partner Robert Stempkowski had a conversation with a certain reporter from a certain local publication (okay, it was Howard Seftel from the Republic) about how Stempkowski was considering leaving the Tempe barbecue restaurant. It was reported today as confirmation that…
An new Italian cafe called La Piccola Cucina just opened up late last week, and let me tell you, the place is totally adorable. It’s on the east side of 7th Street, just south of Oak — basically right between Coronado Cafe and MacAlpine’s. Along with That’s a Wrap, Drip…
For awhile there, it started to look like we were going to choke on all the new restaurant openings in Scottsdale. To be sure, a ton of ’em have already opened (as you already know if you even occasionally read Chow Bella!), and plenty more are coming down the pipeline…
Spring seems to be the season of culinary festivals in these parts, but now there’s something to look forward to on the other side of summer: Eats3, a new culinary festival scheduled to debut October 23-25 in downtown Scottsdale. I expect it to be a good one, too, since it’s…
What makes a great pizza? I swear I’m not trying to start World War III by raising the question. Sure, the subject of pizza invites conversation nationwide, but here in the Valley — where there’s much to be said about Chris Bianco’s famous pies, and where legions of Chicago transplants…
Something’s up with the alignment of the planets. Lately my inbox has been flooded with emails about recipe contests, and I figured I’d compile the details for all of you fabulous, creative cooks out there. Get crack-a-lackin’ and win something, already! The idea behind CHOW.com’s “Desperation Dinners” Food Fight Challenge…
So did you make it down to West of Western over the weekend? This year it was held at the Phoenix Art Museum, which turned out to be a great venue for a culinary fest. The wine tables were set up in the Great Hall (I loved the Wend-Tyler 2003…
Check out the list of winners of the Edible Communities Local Heroes award, courtesy of Pamela Hamilton from Edible Phoenix: PHOENIX Farm/Farmer: Maya Dailey, Maya’s Farm Chef/Restaurant: Deborah Knight, Mosaic and Greg LaPrad, Quiessence Food Artisan: Rainbow Valley Nursery Beverage Artisan: Four Peaks Brewery Non-Profit Organization: Downtown Phoenix Public Market…
Are we going to start seeing more pasta instead of prime rib on menus pretty soon? An article in the Wall Street Journal this week details how restaurants are weathering the shaky economy, and it’s interesting to read about what kinds of menu changes were prompted by the increasing costs…
