Top 5 Things to Eat and Drink This Weekend in Metro Phoenix

Cave Creek Balloon Festival Saturday, January 4 The fifth-annual Cave Creek Balloon Festival will bring glowing hot air balloons to the Rancho Mañana Golf Course. The event, organized in part by Tonto Bar and Grill, will include live music, food, cocktails, beer, and wine. Food vendors will include The Buffalo…

2013 Restaurant Openings and Closings in Metro Phoenix

If you were just thinking to yourself how fast the past year flew by, wait until you check out our list of the year’s restaurant openings and closings. Can you believe it’s been 10 months since we welcomed Doug Robson’s Otro Cafe onto the scene? And a whole year since…

15 Pieces of Advice Valley Chefs Would Give to Their Younger Selves

Welcome to Chow Bella’s Bites & Dishes, where Valley chefs and restaurateurs respond to a question New Times food critic Laura Hahnefeld has on her mind. Have a question you’d like to ask? E-mail laura.hahnefeld@newtimes.com. With the New Year now officially underway, it’s tough not to reflect on life lessons…

Thai Boat Noodle Soup Is the New Pho

Welcome to “Schaefer,” in which Eric Schaefer — a local guy with a big (but discerning) appetite and a sense of humor to match — takes on the Phoenix food scene. For my last column of 2013, I’m sharing with you a secret. No, it’s nothing terribly earth-shattering or lascivious,…

Tasting Carl’s Jr.’s New Fresh-Baked Buns

The Guilty Pleasure: Fresh-Baked Buns on Six Dollar Thickburgers Where To Get It: Carl’s Jr. locations Valleywide Price: Five or six bucks What It Really Costs: These burgers hover around a thousand calories each. Good grief. Over the past year or two, the brass at Carl’s Jr. has made some…

Chow Bella’s 10 Biggest Food News Stories of 2013

What were we doing a year ago? We were waiting on news about that second restaurant from Citizen Public House owners Bernie Kantak, Andrew Fritz, and mixologist Richie Moe. And we didn’t know it yet, but were headed for a cold snap that would cost local farmers and restaurants thousands…

Closed: Renegade in North Scottsdale

Just over a month following the split between ex-Kai chef Michael O’Dowd and partner Ed Leclere of Vivid Lifestyle Concepts (VLC), Renegade in North Scottsdale has shuttered. First opened in May under the moniker Renegade by MOD, O’Dowd and Leclere’s restaurant featured an eclectic menu of re-invented foods from around…

Giant Rustic Pizza Opening in Arcadia on Monday

Where will folks in Arcadia go for 20- and 14-inch pizzas made in a hearth-stone oven? Giant Rustic Pizza hopes it will be 3945 East Camelback Road (formerly Taco del Mar) in the Arcadia Village Shopping Center. The second location of the takeout and delivery restaurant from John Wunder, owner…

Phoenix Burrito House Opens in Melrose District

For those who may be wondering about the fate of the little building at 4140 North Seventh Avenue in Central Phoenix’s Melrose District, here’s your answer: burritos. As of this week, Phoenix Burrito House has opened its doors in the former space of The Fry Bread House, the 2012 winner…

Wendy’s New Bacon Portabella Melt on Brioche

The Guilty Pleasure: Bacon Portabella Melt on Brioche Where to Get It: Wendy’s, locations Valleywide Price: $4.69, give or take What It Really Costs: Welcome to Sodium City. Population: you. It’s a little odd to watch major food outlets synch up with each other. Quick-service restaurants don’t do anything on…

Ollie Vaughn’s Blends Fresh Comfort Food with a Quaint Atmosphere

Phoenix folk have been buzzin’ since hearing former Lux baker Lindsay Magee would be opening her own little sandwich shop featuring her fresh-baked bread. We’ve even spotted some people peeking in the windows of the shop-in-progress off McDowell Road just west of 16th Street trying to catch any glimpse of…