Heads up, Hahnefeld and other local restaurant critics: You may as well turn in your badges right now. The self-proclaimed “food expert in this town” is one Maxwell Jeffries, a 6-foot-4, 72-year-old ex-New Yorker with a shaved head who’s made three rave video reviews of Ray’s Pizza, Taste of India…
Since he was a finalist on Bravo’s Top Chef Miami in 2009, Brian Malarkey has gone on to host TLC’s Mega Bites, made appearances on The Today Show, and opened five restaurants in San Diego (Searsucker, Burlap, Gingham, Gabardine, and Herringbone) as executive chef and partner. And now, a second…
From now ’til we publish the 2012 edition of Best of Phoenix, New Times and Chow Bella present 100 Tastemakers — Valley residents who make the cut in our culinary scene. Some you’ll know; for others, it’ll be a first introduction (but likely not the last). While you’re here, check…
Those who enjoy an island-style eat or rum-filled tropical cocktail at Hula’s Modern Tiki, the restaurant just a few city blocks from the light-rail stop at Central Avenue and Camelback Road, now have a new way to get cool besides striking a pose on Hula’s inviting patio. Twirl Frozen Yogurt,…
This is part one of my interview with Payton Curry, chef and co-owner of Brat Haus, scheduled to open July 2. Come back on Tuesday for part two. Payton Curry Brat Haus 3622 N. Scottsdale Road, Scottsdale 602-738-1274 With his tousled curls, blue eyes, and rosy complexion, Payton Curry looks…
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…
Since opening last October, Timo Wine Bar has become known as a hip yet understated place to relax and enjoy an outstanding wine list along with fabulous wood-fired foods – and preferably a hot date. Along with Spanish-style tapas and farm fresh salads, the restaurant serves a wide variety of…
First, it was Stacy’s Smokehouse earlier this year, and now, a second barbecue joint has closed its doors in Scottsdale. Texas BBQ House, the second location of true Texas barbecue from owner and Texas expat Mike Pitt, located at 3748 North Scottsdale Road (Scottsdale Road and Second Street), has shuttered…
Got a fabulously creative idea that brings the culinary arts and science together? If so, Justin Beckett and the Arizona Science Center have a hefty chunk of change waiting for you. Inspired by his restaurant’s upcoming two-year anniversary and strong support from his Arcadia community, the chef and co-owner of…
Slow-cooked meats went fast at Chef Jose Garces’ Distrito Barbacoa Tasting Dinner Thursday night. The dinner, which was led by Chef Michael Fiorello, Culinary Director for the Garces’ Restaurant Group, served as both a barbacoa how-to as well as a preview for the restaurant’s upcoming prix fixe dinner menu…
From now ’til we publish the 2012 edition of Best of Phoenix, New Times and Chow Bella present 100 Tastemakers — Valley residents who make the cut in our culinary scene. Some you’ll know; for others, it’ll be a first introduction (but likely not the last). While you’re here, check…
Happy Weekend Chow Bella Friends! This weekend, we’ll be pulling out our Hawaiian shirts, attempting to stay cool with vegan smoothies, and getting spicy with a batch of rooster sauce lollipops. Check out what’s on our plate…
A friend and I met for lunch at Chris Bianco’s Italian Restaurant the other day and I was so pleased to find an independent serving lunch (in the summer no less!), especially when it’s a restaurant wedded to local and seasonal ingredients. Flooded with natural light and hung with a…
Here’s the thing about Ladies’ Night: It’s not for the ladies. Sure, they enjoy the tangible benefits — no cover, discounted or free drinks, the occasional clothing/salon/massage giveaway — but the real genius of a night for ladies is that it draws in men. Bar owners know as well as…
If there were a year for husband-and-wife team and ex-Manhattanites Joe and Myrah Aiello, 2012 may be it. In addition to recently closing their namesake restaurant, Aiello’s East Coast Italian Dining, and searching for a new spot in which to re-open it (possibly the One Lexington building in midtown), the…
Anyone with a can of Reddi-Whip and some berries can cobble together a dessert that looks like an American flag. Though that’s not a bad tradition for a Fourth of July picnic, I like to celebrate Independence Day by being a little more decadent and a little less dependent on…
Stacy Phipps is having a tough year. The owner and pit master of Stacy’s Smokehouse says the second location of his barbecue joint in Scottsdale, which closed at the beginning of the year and was only open for around six months, cost him around $120,000. “I had customers, but I…
From now ’til we publish the 2012 edition of Best of Phoenix, New Times and Chow Bella present 100 Tastemakers — Valley residents who make the cut in our culinary scene. Some you’ll know; for others, it’ll be a first introduction (but likely not the last). While you’re here, check…
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…
I have to begin with a confession. I’ve been hiding something important from you and it’s time to come clean . . . I’m sort of a health food fanatic. All the crazy ingredients for this cake were ones I had in my pantry. When you see what those are,…
The first time I met Joe Aiello, he was singing. It was about four years ago at Aiello’s on Central Avenue, the namesake Italian restaurant he owned with wife Myrah for nearly five years until the restaurant shuttered in early June. I was having dinner with my husband and some…
Ever since Fred and Jennifer Unger breathed life into the quietly crumbling Hermosa Inn in 1992, the property has been beloved for many reasons, including its ’30s-era architecture, rich history, splendid dining patio, and modern American food. Now it’s poised to be the city’s number-one destination for cocktail culturists, as…
