If making flour tortillas is all about the rolling pin, corn tortillas are all about the press. No flour dusting, no endless rolling, no lard-lubricated hands. Not to imply that corn tortillas are a walk in the park; the difficulty here isn’t in the pressing, but in variable nature of…
Chef Payton Curry (Digestif, Caffe Boa) and restaurateur Dave Andrea are teaming up again. And this time, they’re focusing on tacos. The owners of Brat Haüs, the German beer-hall-style restaurant in Old Town Scottsdale, are opening a new Mexican-style concept, aptly named Taco Haus, in North Scottsdale early next year…
This is part two of our interview with Eugenia Theodosopoulos, owner and chef of Essence Bakery Cafe. Last month, she opened a second location of the popular Tempe eatery and yesterday we learned a little more about the building she and her husband and business partner, Gilles Combes, bought in…
Preparation is a big part of being able to handle 350 strangers wandering into your backyard. It’s also a big part of being a stop of the Tour de Coops on Saturday, November 16. The tour is pretty much exactly what it sounds like: Guests purchase a ticket and take…
Eugenia Theodosopoulos Owner/chef Essence Bakery and Café www.essencebakery.com It’s been a busy few weeks for Essence Bakery owner and chef Eugenia Theodosopoulos as she’s opened her bakery’s second location, in Central Phoenix. Known for making delicate French-style pastries and light breakfast and lunch fare, Essence Bakery has been a Francophile’s…
Since the short-lived Cask 63 closed this May (co-owner and chef Brian Feirstein is now heading up the coming-soon new Salty Señorita in Old Town), the Shops at Gainey Village has been short a restaurant for its North Scottsdale diners. But in a few weeks, the space at 8877 North…
From time to time, Chow Bella’s contributors challenge one another to a showdown: Make the best dish you can, using one common ingredient. This time (naturally), it was pumpkin. For the next few weeks, we’ll be sharing the results, and at the end, we’ll let you know who won. Today:…
Central Phoenix’s Melrose District just got a lot more cozy and roast-y with the addition of The Refuge, a combination coffee shop, restaurant, and wine bar that manages to balance and blend all three components nicely — no identity crisis here. What’s extra nice about this homey spot on Seventh…
After 10 years, Old Town’s Salty Señorita is ready for a makeover. And she’s getting one in spades. On Sunday, November 17, the good-time cantina will host a final celebration before closing its doors to move up the street. Salty’s new location will be at 3748 North Scottsdale Road (in…
Okay. I’ve become the annoying convert everyone avoids. I make visitors to my house taste my latest green smoothie, even though they look like deer in the headlights as they stare at the liquid that is not the color of anything you would willingly drink. I describe my lunch items…
Singh Farms Saturday, November 9 Located just off Loop 101 at Thomas Road, Singh Farms opens up its 20 acres of farmland every Saturday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. The weekly farmers market offers a selection of organic produce and artisan food products. With great values on items like…
Does a loud and lively Mexican beach party sound tempting? If so, then Mariscos Altata on the city’s west side is probably going to be a place you’ll enjoy. But if your feelings about parties (and noise) don’t include an ever-present blasting of banda beats from a jukebox, squawks from…
A seafood restaurant with modern Italian flair is coming to Scottsdale, and its arriving courtesy of a well-known family of restaurateurs. Set to open in late November at the Shops at Gainey Village, Cuttlefish Ocean Kitchen is the concept of Joey Maggiore, son of Tomaso Maggiore, who has owned Tomaso’s…
This week, we’re talking to Eddie Hantas, owner and chef at Tempe’s relatively new Mediterranean restaurant Hummus Xpress. Here, Hantas does street food-style eats with a serious chef’s attention to detail. You’ll find roasted, sauteed seasonal vegetables as well a rotating array of colorful hummus varieties. Yesterday, we got the…
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…
In the aftermath of radiation spills from Japan’s Fukushima nuclear reactor in the 2011 earthquake, one question remains regarding its effect on our seafood: Is it safe to eat? In a recent article, the Los Angeles Times reports that, “according to the scientists who are studying the issue, the short…
The (Sort Of) Guilty Pleasure: Satisfries Where To Get It: Burger King, locations Valleywide Price: $1.49 and up; 20 to 30 cents more than the regular fries depending on size. What It Really Costs: Less damage than your average fry. Don’t eat more to compensate. If there’s one practically universal…
When it comes to Mariscos Altata on the city’s west side, your feelings about it likely will depend, for the most part, on what you think about noise. The place never quiets. Under a sky-painted ceiling, the modest room packed with family-size tables and booths acts as a kind of…
The culinary world lost one of its titans today when famed chef Charlie Trotter, whose eponymous Chicago restaurant was regarded as one of the country’s finest, was found dead in his apartment. Trotter was 54 years old. A self-taught chef, Trotter opened his Armitage Avenue restaurant, Charlie Trotter’s, in 1987…
Eddie Hantas Chef/Owner Hummus Xpress www.hummusxpress.com Since January, Eddie Hantas has been serving healthy, fresh Mediterranean food in a fast-casual atmosphere at Hummus Xpress in Tempe. The Subway- (or if you prefer, Chipotle-) style restaurant is his second venture, opened about year after he shuttered his first place, a pizza…
For a twice-yearly tour that focuses on edible gardens, the Arcadia Edible Garden Tour happening November 23 also includes a heck of a lot of animals. This tour offers a variety of examples of sustainable living in Phoenix with orchards, front-yard gardens, large properties, small properties and animals; from chickens…
After over two years at The Ritz-Carlton Phoenix, executive chef Stephen Toevs is moving on to warmer waters — so to speak. Toevs will continue with the property as an executive chef, but this time at The Ritz-Carlton Aruba, which is set to open on November 22. Who next to…
