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…
Chef Payton Curry of Brat Haus and Taco Haus isn’t playing nicely. The chef, clearly unhappy about a recent review of his restaurant Taco Haus written by local food writer Gwen Ashley Walters, outed the undercover restaurant reviewer on Twitter on Monday. Walters, who writes reviews for Phoenix Magazine and…
The Guilty Pleasure: Specialty Chicken Where to Get It: Domino’s Pizza. Locations everywhere, but you were getting delivery anyway. Price: $5.99 when you buy another item from their mix-and-match menu What it Really Costs: [opens box] Jeez, that’s it for six bucks? Domino’s Pizza has me scratching my head lately…
James Fox Executive Chef Bootleggers (Phoenix, Scottsdale) www.bootleggersaz.com It’s taken a while, but if you’re a fan of slow-smoked barbecue, then you’re probably already aware that we have a solid selection of ‘cue joints in this town. There are the standby options like Bryan’s Black Mountain BBQ in Cave Creek,…
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…
Things are getting down to the wire for this ramen battle bracket. There have been some upsets, like Republic Ramen beating out fan favorite Umami, and there’s also been a disqualification due to T.Spot closing shortly before it was set to battle against Posh’s ramen. This week Posh will try…
I’ve fallen in love. The waitress rolls a gray, plastic cart up to my table and holds up an egg. As I nod approvingly, she casually cracks the egg into a black earthen bowl of simmering, bright red, spicy soup, in which the egg poaches perfectly in a matter of…
Crispy fried tortilla strips smothered in sauce that makes the nose run, covered with cheese, a fried egg and chicken. We’re talking chilaquiles. The Mexican breakfast dish — which is perfect for any time of day — makes us want to rewind our meal just to savor the flavors once…
Since 2012 chef Jeff Kraus has been creating some of the Valley’s most imaginative cuisine at Crepe Bar in Tempe. Kraus fills the delicate pancakes with everything from local chorizo to apple coconut chutney to offer diners unique creations like the popular Papa K, which combines local ham, mushroom ragout,…
The number of food (and drink) festivals in this city has exploded in recent years. Phoenix is a bona fide food town. It’s exciting. It’s also daunting. If you’re a food lover, you’ve probably spent many weekends over the past few months stuffing your face with BBQ samples and dessert…
Considering that “joyride” is defined as “a fast and dangerous ride, especially one in a stolen vehicle,” it would make sense to assume that Joyride Taco House delivers a pretty exciting meal. Unfortunately that doesn’t exactly hold true, particularly when it comes to the menu of modern Mexican eats. The…
Justin Pfeilsticker, executive sous chef at ZuZu at Hotel Valley Ho, has an enviable garden. He has passion for taking care of his produce and uses unusual (and often discarded) parts of the plant in his dishes. Lucky for you, Pfeilsticker gave us a sneak peek into his garden and…
No, your eyes don’t deceive you. According to Jeff Benkel, one of the owners of The Arizona Bread Company in Scottsdale, the bakery is making and selling Karsh’s rye bread. “It’s the real deal,” Benkle says. “I’m really happy with it.” The Arizona Bread Company, on the northeast corner of…
We’ve got some good news for fans of Classic Italian Pizza, the restaurant owned by chef Azhar Began that closed its doors last year. The pizzeria was a staple in south Tempe, famous for its wood-fired pizzas made with housemade mozzarella. It closed in January 2013 when Began realized his…
Wingstock 2014 Saturday, April 19 The “hottest festival in the Valley” is going down Saturday at the Mesa Amphitheatre. At Wingstock Arizona 2014, Valley restaurants (including House of Brews in Gilbert and The Vine Tavern & Eatery in Tempe) will compete for the title of “Wingstock King of Wings.” Entertainment…
The Guilty Pleasure: Three certain pizza toppings. Where to Get It: Your favorite pizza joint. Take your pick. Price: How much does a three-topping pizza run at your favorite pizza joint? What It Really Costs: If your friends aren’t open-minded, nobody’s splitting this pie with you. Everyone has his or…
If you’ve got a bit of room in your yard and a hose or water source, you can compost and possibly save hundreds of dollars a year on soil and garden soil enhancers. “Composting is a pretty easy sell to anyone who is actively gardening. If someone is spending money…
There are plenty of reasons for hungry or thirsty shoppers to stop by Union at Biltmore Fashion Park these days. For one, there’s Short Leash Short Lease, the months-long pop-up from local food truck Short Leash Hot Dogs. Plus, there’s Juicd Life, the relatively new juice bar that serves cold-pressed…
We love all our local food trucks, but when it comes to fresh seafood options of the mobile variety, there’s really nothing better than the Maine Lobster Lady. The only problem? She skips town when things get hot (smart woman) and therefore cuts off our supply of super-fresh lobster rolls…
Remember when salt first started upstaging sugar during dessert, to the shock of mainstream diners everywhere? (Sea salt on chocolate chip cookies? Shut the front door!) These days you’d be hard pressed to find a hip restaurant that doesn’t give salt top billing on at least one post-dinner dish; what…
There must be something in the air this month because in just the last few weeks we’ve had to say goodbye to quite a few classic Valley restaurants. The most recent casualty: La Fontanella, the more than three decades-old Italian restaurant that served solid, old-school Tuscan cuisine in the Arcadia…
Get excited, beer and cocktail lovers, because O.H.S.O. owner Jon Lane is getting ready to open a second location in Scottsdale within the next few months. Lane says the second O.H.S.O. will be at 15681 North Hayden Road in Scottsdale, inside a shopping center located south of Frank Lloyd Wright…
