Trailhead Bike Cafe Sets the Trend

Budget Travel recently listed what they consider to be the 5 hottest foodie trends right now. On the list: urban foraging, night markets, single item restaurants, bicycle cafes and rent-a-tree programs. We may not have all the items on the list, but we were trendsetters when it came to the bike…

The Sonoran Dog from Nogales Hot Dogs

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 96: The…

BLD’s Dinner Menu Gets A Makeover

Two-month old BLD in Chandler unveiled its new streamlined dinner menu today to its adoring Facebook fans. We took a look and noticed one important thing missing — the charcuterie plate. Just last week we raved about the tender meat that graced the appetizer platter and now it’s gone. “We’ve…

“Big Mac Enthusiast” Will Eat His 25,000th Big Mac Today

Thirty-nine years after 57-year-old Don Gorske bit into his first Big Mac, he’s ready to do it again — for the 25,000th time. Gannett Wisconsin Media reporter Russell Plummer says that Gorske, the “Big Mac enthusiast” who also appeared in Morgan Spurlock’s, Supersize Me, will consume his record-breaking Big Mac…

Now Open: ShinBay

Sushi lovers rejoice, Scottsdale has a brand new sushi joint open just in time for summer. Shinji Kurita, sushi chef and former owner of the now-closed Awhatukee sushi spot, ShinBay, quietly opened the doors of his latest project last Wednesday. Once again named ShinBay, the traditional-style Japanese eatery will offer…

Happy Hour Report Card: Secreto

The Spot: Secreto, 4232 E Chandler Blvd, 480-706-2220 The Hours: 3 to 7 pm Monday – Friday The Details: Happy hour is only available at the bar. Drink prices range from $2.25 for domestic bottled beer to margaritas and martinis for $5. All happy hour menu items range from three to…

Restaurant Week 2011: The Dhaba

It’s a cliché that the best ethic restaurants are the ones frequented by people of that ethnicity — but it’s also usually true. Who better to determine the quality of Japanese or Punjabi food, for example, than someone who hails from that area of the globe and grew up eating their traditional dishes?  …

Bernie Kantak of Citizen Public House

Chef Bernie Kantak began his culinary adventure at a very early age. He sampled head cheese at four years old and liked it. Shortly afterwards, instead of slapping together a messy PB&J when his mom told him to make a snack, Kantak pulled up a chair, turned on the stove and whipped up…

Cash Money Sandwich from The Main Ingredient Ale House

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 97: Cash Money…

In Season: Peaches

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: Peaches The last two weeks of May, you can hear our collective groans over the tender sweet juicy drippy peach harvest. We wanted…

Chaka Chaka at Cycle This Friday and Saturday

Charlie Blonkenfeld, owner and chef of Chaka Chaka, the downtown breakfast and lunch joint that closed its doors in March, is back this Friday and Saturday, May 20 and 21, at Cycle Restaurant & Bar, the pop-up joint hidden inside the Lexington Hotel in downtown Phoenix. Lucky for us, Blonkenfeld’s…

Cheeseburger-Themed Macarons: A Small, Sweet Take on Fast Food

Seriously. How cute are these? Obsessed with macarons and wanting to create something sweet but that looked savory, Anna at Diary of a Ladybird whipped up this adorable batch of cheeseburger-themed macarons using macaron cookies topped with sesame seeds for buns, chocolate biscuits for patties, colored fondant for the lettuce…

The Med Plate from La Bocca

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 98: The…

Restaurant Week 2011: Spasso Pizza & Mozzarella Bar

Ever since celeb chef Mario Batali opened his Osteria Mozza in LA, the international trend of mozzarella bars has been slowly spreading across America. Other notable mozz bars include New York’s Obikà (which originated in Rome) and Naples Tomato in Florida.   Spasso Pizza & Mozzarella Bar in the old Pie Zanos space…

Bitter Leafy Greens

When I first moved to the South and discovered the home style cooking of a meat and three, it cracked me up (and not in a ha-ha way) that the side vegetable choices were mac-n-cheese, creamed corn, squash casserole, mashed potatoes, and collard or turnip greens. The greens were slow…

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. Quick Guide to Cooking Beans Plastic Disposable Coffee Cup…

UN Study Says World Wastes One Billion Tons of Food a Year

Planning on tossing that slightly-bruised banana or uneaten plate of buffet goodies? You might want to think again. According to CNN Money, the United Nations says about 1.3 billion tons of food is lost or wasted every year — about roughly one third of all the food produced for human…

Barrio Cafe, La Grande Orange, Cowboy Ciao and Cartel Coffee Coming to Sky Harbor

Earlier this week, we blogged about the upcoming restaurant changes at Sky Harbor International Airport’s Terminal 4. Deliberations were underway for the initial restaurant “Master Concessionaire” recommendation, which would then be passed through several other committees before receiving final approval from the Phoenix City Council. Well, the verdict is in…

Saffron Kitchen Pops Up with a South African One-Night-Only Dinner

If you frequent local farmers’ markets, no doubt you’ve been tempted by Andrea White’s sassy, swanky, sexy (can you tell we love her names?!) Saffron Kitchen pies. Now White is presenting a one-night pop up dinner, Thursday, May 19, at Cycle, called “Ubuntu in Phoenix.” The price is $35, and the food will…