Paradise Melts Food Truck Is Up and Running: Where to Find It

Earlier this month, we shared the news that the Valley’s homegrown grilled cheese mobile was under new ownership and getting geared up to hit the road again. And it didn’t take long — lucky for those melted-cheese fanatics out there — for the new owners to get things ready to…

Use Salt to Clean and Restore Your Cast Iron Skillet

I’ve been a very bad cast iron skillet owner. Without getting into too many details, I’m putting it out there that this classic piece of kitchen equipment has been left in the oven while cookies were baking, washed in soapy water, and just left to rot and rust for who…

The Joy Bus Brings Quality Meals to Cancer Patients

Anyone who’s had cancer touch their lives knows firsthand the day-to-day struggles that come with the disease. After watching a good friend fight cancer, Jennifer Caraway founded a nonprofit organization to help homebound Valley cancer patients by delivering meals. Two local chefs, Tracy Dempsey and Bernie Kantak, sit on the…

Todd Sicolo Leaves Royal Palms; New Menu Stays in Place

Just this week, T. Cook’s at the Royal Palms launched new dining menus, courtesy of Todd Sicolo, the executive chef hired last fall to fill Lee Hillson’s shoes. And just this morning, the Royal Palms announced that Sicolo, who was on board three months, is leaving the Royal Palms mid-March…

Five Things to Eat and Drink this Weekend in Metro Phoenix

Looking for something to put in your mouth this weekend? We’ve got you covered. Check out what’s on our plate. See Also: 24 Food and Drink Festivals in Metro Phoenix Celebrity Chef Charity Dinner at Praying Monk in Scottsdale on March 10 Spring Training Menu at Roka Akor Now that…

Eight Ways to Use Blood Oranges

See Also: AndyTalk: Four Riffs on Caprese Salad AndyTalk: Not All Bananas Are Created Equal … Take the Plantain My favorite way to make food look good isn’t with a garnish. I like to bring eye appeal to food with the ingredients in the recipe. Hands-down, blood oranges are the…

One Mom’s “Pinch of Cumin”

Chow Bella has a valentine for you. For the rest of February, we’re handing out Candy Hearts — stories of food and love from some of our favorite writers. Enjoy. From the moment her child is conceived, a mother’s love flows in the form of food. In the womb, it…

Aaron Chamberlin’s Phoenix Public Market Café to Open Late Spring

It’s been nearly 10 months since the Urban Grocery and Wine Bar at Phoenix Public Market permanently closed its doors, and although St. Francis chef-owner Aaron Chamberlin acquired the building within a matter of days, he’s had to do a bit of wrangling/finessing since then with Community Food Connections (the…

At La Merced in Mesa, Bigger Is Better

Is bigger truly better? If you’re talking about La Merced in Mesa, then the answer is yes. And the locals know this to be true. See also: – Federal Pizza: Empire-Building on Central Avenue – Suds (Mostly) Trump the Grub at Scottsdale’s Brat Haus The six-year-old restaurant takes its name…

Falafel Fracas: Haji-Baba vs. Al-Hana at Baiz Market

Anyone who’s had a foray into vegetarianism or traveled around Europe on a budget has made fast friends with the falafel sandwich. It’s cheap, filling, and easy to eat on the go, with a pita outside to hold the lightly fried chickpea goodness on the inside. Other famous falafel companions…

Of Guitars, Metaphors, and Chocolate Haupia Pie

Chow Bella has a valentine for you. For the rest of February, we’re handing out Candy Hearts — stories of food and love from some of our favorite writers. Enjoy. He had a guitar and too many pretty metaphors, and he loved chocolate haupia pie. He also loved me –…

Everyone Knows About This 24-Hour Doughnut Shop in Tempe, Right?

Doughnuts sold during regular hours are community doughnuts. (Kids, step right up.) Doughnuts sold in the off-hours are strictly adult-only eats. (Drunk girl, third-shift guy, creature of the night, step right up.) This post is dedicated to the latter. See also: – Everyone Knows About This Late-Night Doughnut Shop in…

What’s the Most Traumatizing Experience You’ve Had With Food?

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. It’s happened to all of us at one time or another: an incident with food…

Muy Gigante: La Merced Supersizes It in Mesa

To understand La Merced, a Mexico City-style restaurant in Mesa, you could start with its flautas, a dish that challenges the notion that good things have to come in small packages. Nearly double the size of those you might find elsewhere in the Valley, the flour tortillas, full of moist…

Great Shakes at Bertie’s in Arcadia: Get. In. The Car. Now.

The Guilty Pleasure: The entire store. But mostly the milkshakes. Where To Get It: Bertie’s Vintage, 4041 East Thomas Road (at 40th Street) The Price: $5.25 What It Really Costs: Just went up a size from all the decadence? You’re in luck: They have swell clothes for sale, too. I…

Beer Stew and Gluten-Free Love

Chow Bella has a valentine for you. For the rest of February, we’re handing out Candy Hearts — stories of food and love from some of our favorite writers. Enjoy. When I met my husband, Tom, in grad school in Tucson, he was cooking on a two-burner hotplate in his…

Second Location of Essence Bakery Coming to Phoenix This Summer

What’s going on in East Phoenix these days? A better question might be: What isn’t? See also: – Sam Fox Wants Us to Start Preparing for a “Life-Changing Food Experience” – New Restaurants in the Works for Arcadia’s La Grande Orange From sushi to two new La Grande Orange concepts…