Lebanese Chicken from Middle Eastern Bakery and Deli

Last year we marked the hundred day countdown to Best of Phoenix by sharing our 100 Favorite Dishes with you. Now we’re back – with the 2011 edition. Have a suggestion for a dish you’d like us to try? Leave it in the comments section or email laura.hahnefeld@newtimes.com. 67: Lebanese…

Sam Murillo’s Award Winning Southwestern Paella

This week we caught up with Chef Sam Murillo of Orange Sky over at Talking Stick Resort. As you may recall, he will be heading to the national paella cook-off in Dallas hosted by the American Culinary Federation on July 24th. Now, you can get a taste of the recipe…

Phoenix Woman Wins Rudi’s Gluten-Free Bakery Contest

Last Friday, Annalyn Varalla Wills, a Valley resident won Rudi’s Gluten-Free Bakery’s Unbelievably Good Gluten-Free Recipe Contest, with her “Prickly Pear Rudi-fied Goat and Rhubarb Treat” recipe. Wills, who lives with Celiac Disease and gluten sensitivity, hopes her recipes will help show people that it’s easy to cook and eat…

Oreos Get Cameo-Rific

Somerville, Massachusetts, artist Judith G. Klausner likes to play with her food. And unlike many of us, when she does, it’s an art form. As part of her food art project, “From Scratch,” where Victorian handicraft processes are used to transform packaged foods, Klausner carved beautiful classic-style cameos from Oreo…

Samuel Murillo of Orange Sky, Part 2

Yesterday we got to know Executive Sous Chef Sam Murillo  from Orange Sky at the Talking Stick Resort.  Today, Chef Sam tells us more of his story. You started working young, did you think you’d end up in the food business?I didn’t know it was gonna be food…. Being Hispanic and…

In Season: Cucumbers

Whether you’re a CSA devotee, a farmers’ market weekender or consider ketchup a veg, we’ll bring you fresh inspiration for how to prepare our local produce.This week’s harvest: Cucumbers Cucumbers are not just for slicing and lightly placing over your tired eyes after a long night. They are a very…

Roast Beef Sandwich from Hanny’s

Last year we marked the hundred day countdown to Best of Phoenix by sharing our 100 Favorite Dishes with you. Now we’re back – with the 2011 edition. Have a suggestion for a dish you’d like us to try? Leave it in the comments section or email laura.hahnefeld@newtimes.com. 68: Roast…

Five Red, White and Blue Cocktails for the Fourth of July

Celebrate in style this Fourth of July with your very own red, white and blue cocktails. Not only will you impress your friends with your expert bartending skills, these cocktails contain enough booze to make you forget the fact that you are sitting outside next to a hot grill in…

FnB Goes BYOB For the Summer: Whoops!

Does FnB still mean food and beverage? Not for now. This summer, FnB stands for food and BYOB. Curiously, after I attempted to contact FnB owner Pavle Milic this morning in regards to a rumor I’d heard about the award-winning restaurant in Scottsdale having problems with its liquor license (he said…

The Ritz-Carlton Names Stephen Toevs as New Executive Chef

One of chef Stephen Toevs’ fondest memories of food is shelling fish with his father and grandfather off the coast of Rhode Island for his mother’s capellini pasta with white clam sauce. That experience led him on a journey to create meals that make memories, eventually landing him the position…

Cheesy Grits: Trendy and Delicious

When I lived in Tennessee I learned quite a few quaint Southern colloquialisms, got used to being called “Ma’am”, and that there are grits and G.R.I.T.S. (Girls Raised in the South). Outside of the South, I rarely found grits featured on a menu except at a breakfast joint or restaurant…

Samuel Murillo of Orange Sky

This week we chat with Samuel Murillo, Executive Sous Chef at Orange Sky at the Talking Stick Resort and Casino. Chef Murillo recently won a regional paella competition hosted by the American Culinary Federation and will go on to represent the West in the national paella cook-off in Dallas on…

Paprika Schnitzel from Haus Murphy’s

Last year we marked the hundred day countdown to Best of Phoenix by sharing our 100 Favorite Dishes with you. Now we’re back – with the 2011 edition. Have a suggestion for a dish you’d like us to try? Leave it in the comments section or email laura.hahnefeld@newtimes.com. 69: Paprika…

Executive Chef Chris Curtiss Leaves Noca Tonight

Here’s some big breaking news. Chris Curtiss, executive chef at the contemporary American Central Phoenix dining establishment Noca, is leaving the restaurant after almost three years, a source at the restaurant told me. His last dinner service is tonight, the employee said. Curtiss was unavailable for comment. The employee told…

This Week In Chow Bella

Another week has come and gone leaving us to ponder the upcoming events that will shape our lives and, more importantly, our dinners out. But before we move on, let’s have one last look at the blog posts from this week. Ncounter To Open in Tempe in July Deep-Fried Kool-Aid…

Now Open: Genghis Grill, Glendale

The national Mongolian stir-fry chain Genghis Grill has made its way to the Valley. First stop — Glendale. (okay, there is one at Tempe Marketplace but it’s owned by different folks)  The Dallas-based chain is a lot like locally owned Y.C.’s Mongolian Grill — just a bit bigger, a bit brighter,…

Horchata From La Condesa

Last year we marked the hundred day countdown to Best of Phoenix by sharing our 100 Favorite Dishes with you. Now we’re back – with the 2011 edition. Have a suggestion for a dish you’d like us to try? Leave it in the comments section or email laura.hahnefeld@newtimes.com. 70: Horchata…

Cafe: Citizen Public House

We can’t remember the last time a salad (much less the description of a salad) got us this excited. Yet, hearing about the neatly-presented rows of smoked salmon, couscous, Asiago cheese and currants in the chopped salad at Citizen Public House has us clamoring for a trip to Scottsdale in…

Now Open: Humble Pie

That was quick.    Last week, we tried to pay the Living Room on 7th Street a visit for lunch. That’s when we found out that they were about to morph into a Humble Pie.  The transformation is now complete.  Whether you like it or not (we received a mixed response when we announced the…

Clea Senneville of Beet StrEAT

The business: Beet StrEAT What they’re packin’: Fresh, hearty dishes created with no meat or meat-based products; almost everything can also be ordered vegan. Order a mozzarella sandwich with tomatoes and basil pesto; juicy salads with quinoa, kale or, of course, beets; and sides like veggies and jalapeno-yogurt dip, or…