I love a good mystery. There’s a tiny, vintage strip mall at 56th Street and Thomas that’s seen a slew of restaurants come and go over the years, and I’ve often wondered why such a seemingly good location — not far from well-heeled Arcadia, convenient to Scottsdale — couldn’t hang…
Chefs and samurai have something in common: their blades. Samurai might have lost their right to carry swords in the mid-19th century, but that doesn’t mean that the sword-making tradition disappeared in Japan. In the case of the Kikuichi swordsmiths, who used to produce swords for the Emperor, their craft…
What, you didn’t make Valentine’s Day dinner reservations yet? Me neither. We’d both better get crack-a-lackin’, because there’s only a week left. Here’s the lowdown on several restaurants featuring special multi-course meals… Canal Restaurant: Four-course dinner, $75 per person ($105 with wine pairings). Highlights: Chicken samosas; gorgonzola stuffed filet mignon;…
If they can make it there, they’ll make it anywhere. I can’t get Frank Sinatra’s voice out of my head as I think about Joe and Myrah Aiello, who woke up one day in the city that never sleeps and decided to leave Manhattan for Arizona. In my version of…
Yeah, yeah, I’ve blogged plenty about stuff that’s in the works for the local dining scene, but unfortunately I can’t always be the bearer of good news. Today’s latest tidbit is a total downer: Union Wine Bar & Grill, one of 2007’s most-anticipated new restaurants, has closed its doors for…
Unless you attended the Taste of the NFL culinary event last weekend, or unless you’re a member of the ritzy Golf Club Scottsdale, you probably haven’t had a taste of chef Eddie Matney’s cooking lately. There’s nothing wrong with big-ticket parties and private clubs, but let’s face it — Matney’s…
Alto, at the Hyatt Regency, is one of many new high-end eateries on the local foodie radar If you love going to restaurants, this is a really good time to be hungry. The new year has already brought a flurry of new places to eat, drink, and be merry, and…
Maybe I should’ve wished for a million dollars. Instead, I wished for more Asian food downtown. And while I’m still waiting for the pho and sushi gods to hear my pleas, I clearly got through to some higher powers in the Thai department. Not one, but two new Thai restaurants…
I’m not sure what appeals to me more — the fact that Paradise Valley Community College’s spring film festival is full of food-obsessed flicks, or that they’re all free. Dinner Rush (2001), set in an Italian restaurant, kicks off the lineup tomorrow at 6:30 p.m. Coming up, see what the…
One of my good friends just got back from a fabulous vacay in Buenos Aires, “The Paris of South America,” where he had all the great food and wine he could handle. Argentina might be the one place left in the world where the currency exchange rate doesn’t suck for…
Here’s my dining advice for the week: Don’t knock a “30 Dollar Sandwich” ’til you’ve tried it. It certainly helps to have a sense of humor when you dine at Canal, a trendy, three-month-old restaurant tucked away on the second floor of the SouthBridge complex in Old Town. No sense…
This morning’s batch of email came with a press release for caffeinated, B vitamin- and taurine-enhanced Snickers bars. What the… ??! “To meet consumer needs and help millions of Americans take back their energy-zapped afternoons, SNICKERS® Brand is proclaiming the post-lunch, pre-dinner hour between two and three p.m. the SNICKERS…
I enjoyed being a fly on the wall for a friend’s dinner at Moto in Chicago, courtesy of YouTube. The video is dark and doesn’t go all the way to the end of the meal, but it still gives you a sense of what the night was like. Fun! More…
Come January 30, Michael Savoie will have plenty to celebrate. That date will mark the first anniversary of GrainBelt GrillHouse, his comfortable, upscale-casual eatery in downtown Gilbert. And to anyone familiar with the building that houses the restaurant, that’s surely no small achievement. Over the past several years, 302 North…
I doubt you’ve ever questioned how seriously the Japanese take their fake food, but just in case you have, check out this Iron Chef-style fake food contest. From the glistening plastic meat for a mock shabu-shabu display, to the faux piece of ebi tempura that’s actually a computer flash drive…
Restaurateur Tom Kaufman, the wine expert behind two Valley favorites — Rancho Pinot and Union Wine Bar & Grill — says he’s shooting to open his newest operation this Thursday, the 17th, at the Hilton Village (6149 N. Scottsdale Rd.). It’s called Humble Pie, and although the menu’s not available…
Leccabaffi chef-owner Michael Lepore has teamed up with vocalist Khani Cole (who’s been a featured performer at the Pointe Hilton Tapatio Cliffs Resort for more than a decade) and her husband Mike Florio to turn the restaurant into a swanky jazz venue called Voce Ristorante & Lounge. They expanded into…
It’s not a big stretch to compare restaurants to relationships. Finding a great new place is like having a crush. You notice an intriguing stranger, flirt with the idea of stopping by, get seduced by the food, and end up craving more. You might keep it secret for a while,…
Here’s a link to a great interview with my favorite globe-trotting, smart-assed, chef/author/TV star. I never get sick of this guy. In the middle of reading this, I laughed so loudly that I’m sure my coworkers think I’m a freak. Enjoy…..
Ooh, my teeth are turning purple just thinking about Old Town Scottsdale’s newest eatery, a wine-centric boutiquey bistro called Fine’s Cellar that debuted last Wednesday. It looks promising — not only because of the menu, but also because of its pedrigree. Proprietor Michael Fine is the founder and former owner…
As of yesterday afternoon, representatives from the Phoenician said they had no information that Mary Elaine’s, finally, would close after months of rumors that the resort’s legendary upscale dining establishment would become a new concept from celebrity chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten, who has a partnership with Starwood Hotels. But now they…
Word was getting around that Welcome Diner, one of downtown’s grooviest little eateries — and I really do mean little — was closed. And as it turns out, owner Peter Hearn was planning on closing at the current Roosevelt Street location (a cute metal Valentine diner from the early 20th…
