Egg Toss: The Rose and Crown vs. D’Arcy McGee’s

Ah, the Scotch Egg. While the origin of this British picnic or pub staple has been contested, it was often served as a portable snack to Coach travelers in the 1700’s. Whether cold in a picnic basket or warm in a pub, a Scotch Egg is a hardboiled egg with…

Christopher Gross in Japan, Part Two

Yesterday we started our conversation with Christopher Gross of Christopher’s and Crush Lounge about his recent time spent in Japan. Today we continue. Drinking tea may never be the same for Gross. The Tohoku earthquake struck while he was disrobing to be dressed in his kimono for a tea service in…

Outstanding in the Field 2011 Tour Stopping in AZ

Did you think it couldn’t get more creative than a pop-up? Think outside the box. Literally. Outstanding in the Field is like the original pop-up restaurant but outdoors. Founder Jim Denevan grew up surfing in Santa Cruz and while he started in the kitchen as a dishwasher, he didn’t get…

Arizona Culinary Hall of Fame Winners to be Announced Tonight

  The Scottsdale Culinary Festival kicks off tonight not just with a kick-off party, but also with the announcement of the winners of this year’s spots in the Arizona Culinary Hall of Fame. The nominees make for quite a power meeting, don’t you think?   Stay tuned throughout the week for Chow Bella’s festival…

In Season: Endive

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: Endive You’ll find these huge heads of “lettuce” on the market tables taking up lots of space or cut from the…

Payton Curry Pops Up at the Welcome Diner

Thanks to Chef Payton Curry, life has returned to the beloved Welcome Diner, which sat sad and empty on the corner of 10th street and Roosevelt for far too long. The infamous chef kicked off the first night of his three-month pop-up project to a packed house — and a packed…

Papago Brewing’s ‘Pliny On Tap’ April Fool’s Day Prank Backfires

​An April Fool’s Day prank by Scottsdale’s Papago Brewing backfired Friday. In fact, the situation is bad enough that the brewpub — one of the best beer bars in the country, according to several beer mags — scrubbed Facebook exchanges about incident. Not before Chow Bella recorded the drama, however. (Lucky for…

Cycle at the Lexington Hotel Successfully Reinvents the Restaurant

[Editor’s Note: Following publication, Cycle’s PR representative Ty Largo contacted us to clarify that Chef Dan Moody gave notification well in advance that he would not be able to attend the event.] While the Valley has an established pop-up art gallery scene, this past weekend marked the debut of anything even close to a…

Pairing a Wine for Meatless Monday

Need to pair some wine with your meatless Monday dish? Not so difficult, you think — enter a wine store and read the tags with pairing recommendations and flavor descriptions and pick out a bottle. Or chat with the salesperson and let them be your guide. Sounds like a simple…

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. Coming Soon: Payton Curry’s “Curry-ousity” Food Nerd Alert! Oxford…

How Natalie Morris Went to Italy and Came Back a Vegetarian

We knew that last year’s Big Brain award winner, Natalie Morris, was back in town but she recently shared with us a little secret that we almost couldn’t believe. After eating her way around the world — trying foods like Tibetan yak cheese and Icelandic preserved shark — she came…

Dreamy Udon: Dinner and a Movie

​Staying in? We’ve got you covered — both on the culinary and entertainment fronts. Now presenting Dinner and a Movie — a guide to a do it yourself evening of food and film. Popcorn Alternative: Miso Butter Popcorn with Black Sesame and Wasabi Peas Entrée: Udon in White Miso Soup with Egg and…

March Restaurant Round-Up

Later  March, it was nice to see you again. Thank you for leaving us with so many new restaurants and not taking very many away. We appreciate it! Restaurants That Opened in March 2011Smok’n Joe’s Roadhouse, ScottsdaleMajerle’s Sports Grill, Scottsdale Province @ The Westin Phoenix Downtown Hotel, PhoenixThirteen North Grille,…

April Food Festival Frenzy in Phoenix

Good lord, there are a lot of festivals going on. Last week we had competing barbecue festivals and this week we have everything else. Our poor little foodie heads are about to explode! To be sure you don’t miss anything, here is a quick run down of the April food…

Ribs and a Gin & Tonic at Hillstone

Introducing Food & Ink — a new feature on Chow Bella, cataloguing Cyndi Coon’s weekly consumption. Stay tuned for more. Follow Chow Bella on Facebook and Twitter.  …

Cafe: The Arrogant Butcher

CityScape is a double-edged sword. Sure, we’re stoked there’s a bit more to do and see and eat downtown, but a lot of these joints aren’t exactly destinations worth a drive from Tempe or Scottsdale. Enter Sam Fox’s latest eatery The Arrogant Butcher. Is the latest Fox concept restaurant worth…

New Restaurant Cycle: Trendy Pop-Up or Something Else?

Hey Phoenix, welcome to the pop-up restaurant party. Fashionable late as always, Phoenix is about to get its first taste of the foodie trend that has already hit major cities like San Fransisco, New York and Bozeman, Montana. The new restaurant project Cycle, which opens its doors this Friday in…