Chow Bella’s Top Phoenix Food Stories of the Week

Every week, there’s a cornucopia of Phoenix food news, features, and reviews to report here at Chow Bella. If you’re like most people, you probably just don’t have the time to get to all of it. It’s kind of like those burgers at Old Town Whiskey; it just won’t all…

After Only Six Months, Scottsdale’s Prime Provisions to Close on Sunday

Prime Provisions, we hardly knew ye. Opened in May, the locavore-loving deli, on the southwestern corner of Frank Lloyd Wright Boulevard and Scottsdale Road, is shuttering on Sunday afternoon. Owned by Rick Fredrickson (and his first restaurant), Prime Provisions featured a breakfast and lunch menu of salads, sandwiches (including a…

Sophie’s Bistro Closing Saturday

On the heels of yesterday’s news that James Beard Award finalist Kevin Binkley, chef and owner of Binkley’s Restaurant and Café Bink, is opening a new restaurant in the spot currently occupied by Sophie’s Bistro, comes the news that Sophie’s will be closing its doors after dinner service this Saturday…

Five Things to Eat and Drink This Weekend

Looking for something to put in your mouth this weekend? We’ve got you covered. Check out what’s on our plate. See also: – 10 Metro Phoenix Desserts to Pre-Order for Thanksgiving – Happy Hour Report Card: Davanti Enoteca NovemBEER at World of Beer This month World of Beer in Tempe…

Braised Leeks Back on the Menu at FnB

If you think leeks could never be special enough to win an award, you’re wrong. And you’ve clearly never tasted the braised leeks at FnB. Not only did the dish receive the New Times’ Best Way to Eat your Veggies in 2011, but in 2010, it was named one of…

Fate Brewing Company Announces Grand Opening Date

Just as the year’s bounty of sweet and savory Thanksgiving delights becomes all but a memory in our gastronomic scrapbooks (we have those, right?), Steve McFate will offer something else to stuff your belly with: beer and pizza. See also: Best Brewpub 2012 – Angels Trumpet Ale House The owner…

Polish Goodies: Pierogi, Sausages, and Sauerkraut (Oh, My!)

Danuta and Richard Zablocki are starting over. And they’re starting over in Sunnyslope. Both originally from cities in southwestern Poland, the couple hit hard times in 2010 with their first restaurant, a sandwich shop, in the Scottsdale Airpark. But looking back, Danuta tells me, she wouldn’t change a thing. Polish…

8 Best Neighborhood Breakfast Spots: Best of Phoenix 2012

We’ve spent the last year in the laboratory putting Phoenix under the microscope to reveal hundreds of specimens of the best culture, outdoor adventures, shopping, dining, and nightlife the city has to offer. And we’re finally ready to publish our results. Nerd alert! Now presenting Scientific Phoenix. See Also: -…

Posh is Hosting a F(oie)-in Turducken Dinner Tonight (Nov. 15)

Thanksgiving is coming early this year at Posh in Scottsdale. The high-end improvisational restaurant is holding a F(oie)-in Turducken dinner tonight, Nov. 15, from 5:30-9. See Also: Chow Bella’s Thanksgiving Dining Guide: Where to Dine Out in Metro Phoenix (Make Your Reservations Now!) Chow Bella’s Thanksgiving Dining Guide Pt. 2:…

Polish Goodies Like Grandma Used to Make

It is said that pierogi, the filled dumplings of Poland, may be the country’s one dish that has its own patron saint. And Danuta Zablocki’s pierogi are indeed heavenly enough to be worthy of evoking the name of St. Hyacinth — or perhaps a more familiar religious figure — when…

CLOSED: Cookiez on Mill

Cookiez on Mill, one of Mill Avenue’s few remaining independently owned businesses, has shuttered. The family-owned treat shop, which for years was the go-to place in Tempe to score one of the best ice cream sandwiches in the Valley (think: your choice of premium ice cream squished between two, made-from-scratch…

This Year, Ditch the Thanksgiving Pie and Make Doughnuts Instead!

Hey, I just met you — and this is crazy — but this year I’m proposing you ditch the pie(!) and make doughnuts for Thanksgiving instead. So maybe it’s a little too crazy — sacrilege even — but if you’ve ever had a handmade doughnut, you understand. While Pinterest is…

Urban Beans to Open Tertio Wine Bar This Friday

First it was coffee, then pie. And now, Virginia Senior, owner of Midtown’s Urban Beans, has decided her next stop will be wine, wine, wine. See also: 10 Favorite Spots for Pie & Coffee in Greater Phoenix A Humbling (Pie) Experience: Judging the Third Annual Pie Social Virginia Senior Makes…

Central Bistro Starts Off Right Down the Middle

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…

Downtown Phoenix Public Market’s Phoestivus Ale Sticker Contest

Beer fanatics, graphic designers, and artists — this contest is for you. In collaboration with Phoenix Public Market’s Phoestivus holiday fundraiser, taking place Wednesdays December 5th and 12th from 4 to 8 p.m., Phoenix Ale Brewery is concocting a special seasonal ale. The limited-time offering, aptly named Phoestivus Ale, will…

What Valley Chef Deserves a Comedy Roast?

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. Miss a question? Go here. Comedy roasts, first made popular by The Friars Club in…