Sentimentalists and fans of really great ice cream are about to receive an impossibly happy holiday gift: Mary Coyle Ol’ Fashion Ice Cream is almost ready to reopen. The venerable 64-year-old Phoenix favorite shut down last year in October, not long after local businessman Mike Stoffey purchased the ice cream…
There has never been a better time to be a seafood lover in Phoenix than the present. From East Coast-style fish houses to fancy oyster bars, a new wave of fish-obsessed Valley restaurants is helping make top-quality seafood as easy to find in Phoenix as your neighborhood Starbucks. Well, almost…
Buckle up, Biltmore, because The Camby Hotel, located in the space previously occupied by The Ritz-Carlton Phoenix, is set to open doors to guests December 21 — and the new hotel will have plenty of food and drink to offer. The Camby will feature three distinctive dining areas inside the hotel,…
Six years ago if you had told Ryan Probst that he’d open up a bagel and coffee shop where he made every single bagel by hand, he would have said, “You’re crazy.” But that doesn’t change the fact that on a recent afternoon, when we stopped by Odelay Bagel Co…
Since 2012, knowing you could find well-known local mixologist Travis Nass and his signature handlebar mustache — not to mention his excellent craft cocktails — at Lon’s at the Hermosa Inn has as much of a draw as the resort’s impressive desert landscapes and vistas. But as of last week,…
It’s been almost a year since chef Chris Curtiss, former (and original) executive chef at Noca, left the Valley to take a job in Northern California. But now the chef, who’s resume also includes opening Sam Fox’s North Italia in Arcadia and serving as executive chef of Michael Mina’s Bourbon…
When a new spot opens in town, we can’t wait to check it out — and let you know our initial impressions, share a few photos, and dish about some menu items. First Taste, as the name implies, is not a full-blown review, but instead a peek inside restaurants that…
The holidays revolve around many things, and food is chief among them. From stuffing to pie, different dishes can trigger all sorts of memories. And food memories are particularly important to chefs. We asked Phoenix chefs to share their favorite memories from the most wonderful time of the year. From…
Ultimate Tacky Christmas Party at DeSoto Central Market Today Get ready to party at DeSoto Central Market’s Ultimate Tacky Christmas Party. Beginning at 6 p.m., the market will be full of tinsel, ugly sweaters, hot toddies, eggnog, and a cappella carols. A performance by ASU’s a cappella group, Priority Male,…
Heads up, Tempe! You’re the lucky winners of the fourth location of Matt’s Big Breakfast. According to owner Matt Pool, the new restaurant is expected to open in late 2016 inside the Marina Heights development in Tempe. “The chance to be in Tempe is such a big deal to us,”…
Where: La Grande Orange Grocery When: 6:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily Dish: Sophie’s Chicken Hash Price: $11.75 (including tax and tip) The Setting: La Grande Orange, or LGO if you’re in the know, is part pizzeria, part boutique grocery, and part restaurant located at the corner of 40th Street and Campbell…
If you’ve been paying attention to the East Valley, then you already know that downtown Gilbert has exploded with restaurants over the past year. But the suburb’s historic downtown isn’t the only place to find new eateries. Located just off Cooper Road and Warner Road, Yanagi Sushi opened a few months…
The Guilty Pleasure: “Dragon” Dumpling Burger Where to Get It: Bitter & Twisted Cocktail Parlour Price: $12.50 What it Really Costs: Some unavoidable arterial blockage. But if you’re going to block an artery, this is the way to do it. Since opening its doors last year, Bitter & Twisted Cocktail Parlour has become the…
Fans of Gilbert’s Arizona Wilderness Brewing Company have some big news to look forward to in the New Year. According to a post on the brewery’s Facebook, Arizona Wilderness will begin offering cans of its signature West Coast-style IPA, Refuge IPA, on January 1, 2016. “Like many of you, we…
It’s tempting to bemoan the lack of diversity in the Valley restaurant scene; ours is still a culinary landscape overpopulated with meat-and-potato chain restaurants and 24-hour burrito joints. But every now and then, a new spot turns up brimming with far-flung flavors, and the Valley becomes a more interesting place…
According to a post on the Umami Facebook page, the Tempe ramen restaurant will close its doors on Thursday. “It’s with a heavy heart, that we have to announce that Umami will no longer be open at our current location off of Mill,” the post reads. ” We are an…
My friend Leslie is a lousy tipper. In her defense—I guess—she’s from England, where tipping is more of a nod than a commentary on the level of service. In the UK, as in many foreign countries, one leaves a pittance, and not, say, twenty percent of what one has spent…
As of this week, Buck &Rider, the seafood restaurant from LGO Hospitality, is open for lunch at 11 a.m. daily. The restaurant, which opened in mid-October, serves fresh seafood, rolled seafood, salads, and more. The lunch menu includes a few new options not found on the dinner menu: New England…
Bare hands, food temperature issues, organic matter, and more — it’s time to check out which restaurants in the Valley didn’t do so well in inspections by the county health department. This month saw a lot of chain restaurants including Zipp’s, El Pollo Loco, and Village Inn earn a “D”…
The Guilty Pleasure: Wapanada Where to Get It: Greater Than Coffee Price: $6.50 What it Really Costs: Your daily recommended allowance of carbs. But it’s worth it. New York gave the world the Cronut™. Los Angeles fired back with the brookie (brownie + cookie). But downtown Phoenix, dare we say, is the birthplace of…
The Spot: Icehouse Tavern 3855 E. Thomas Road, 602-244-1179 The Icehouse Tavern is a bar that feels like a desert mirage, housed inside the Arcadia Ice Arena on Thomas — and no, there’s no mistake in that sentence. A banner posted outside declares it as “Phoenix’s best hockey bar.” But it’s…
Nestled in the hills of the Phoenix Mountain Preserve, the Pointe Hilton Tapatio Cliffs resort offers an impressive view of the Phoenix area sprawled out below. At the top of the hill sits the resort’s crown jewel, Different Pointe of View, a fine-dining restaurant led by executive chef Anthony DeMuro…
