A few months ago, owners Marcellino and Sima Verzino of Marcellino Ristorante announced that they were leaving their longtime home on Northern Ave. in Phoenix for classier digs in Scottsdale’s SouthBridge plaza. Regulars — and believe us, there were plenty of em’! — worried that a Scottsdale Marcellino’s would lose…
Salsa fundamentals=tomatoes, peppers (hot or not), onion, garlic, salt and lime juice. We love it to drape, drizzle or dip. The mood and the accompanying food encourage enhancements to salsa fundamentals. This time it was a little sweet (the mango), and a little heat (chipotle and adobo). The avocado snuck…
In honor of Mother’s Day — and stove-slaving moms everywhere — this week we will present What Mom Made, Q&As with some Valley sons and daughters, who dish about their home-cooked favorites (as well as some flops). First up, Ty Largo, a 20-something marketing/PR firm owner in Tempe who writes…
Napoleon Dynamite: This is pretty much the worst video ever made. Kip: Napoleon, like anyone can even know that. Kip’s right. How can anyone know what’s the worst (or the best) of anything? TLC’s hoping we’ll trust their judgment with its new show, Best Food Ever, narrated by Treme star John…
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: Green Pork Chili – Monday Night Martha Local Breeze:…
There is a fairy godmother at work in Phoenix, and like all fairy godmothers she often works behind the scenes and outside of the spotlight. Yet her presence can be felt by the sparkle she adds to the places she goes, or in this case, by the bundt cakes she…
Spring is one of the best times of the year for the culinary arts. Veggies are ripening, farmers’ markets are stocked and it’s perfect patio weather. It’s also a great time for local restaurants to change up their seasonal menus and prepare for summer. On May 1, J&G Steakhouse at the Phoenician is rolling…
Real cooks can’t stay out of the kitchen. That’s why four of Chow Bella’s regular contributors have concocted four different types of salsa just in time for Cinco de Mayo. Check in next week to see who won the showdown. Now, someone pass the chips. Today’s salsa: Pretty Simple Pico…
An Italian farm boy leaves his home and family behind for the hot sun and his heart’s true love in Phoenix, Arizona, where he opens a prosperous pizza joint and lives the American dream. A Lifetime original movie? Hardly, but a delicious story like this one needs to be told…
Real cooks can’t stay out of the kitchen. That’s why four of Chow Bella’s regular contributors have concocted four different types of salsa just in time for Cinco de Mayo. Check in next week to see who won the showdown. Now, someone pass the chips. Today’s Salsa: Mom’s Extra Hot…
Burgers? Yes, have some. It’s pretty much that simple when it comes to pleasing a pedestrian palette. Yet having a professional food critic recommend a particular burger joint doesn’t hurt either. Food Critic Michele Laudig on The Grind: Truly, from my experience, the best cure for burger fatigue happens to…
Courtesy of Modern Steak Modern Steak’s new sommelier is a real winner. A few years ago at a food festival, I overheard a so-called wine expert ranting about how women were lousy sommeliers. “It’s not their fault of course,” he drawled. “It’s all of those hormones! A woman’s ability to gauge the taste…
We just got word that Verde — contrary to what we said earlier this week — will be opening for breakfast this Saturday morning, May 1st…
It’s sad when independent shops close and leave, but not when they move next door and become something more. Such is the case with the old Drip, now the new Toast on 7th Street. Snuggled into a third the space of Drip, Toast has actually expanded its menu by two thirds…
Waiting an hour and a half at Pizzeria Bianco for a pie (albeit phenomenal) doesn’t make the cut for the Fry Girl All-Star Pizza-On-the-Go team. And with Phoenix’s car culture making walk-up slice sellers non-existent, the question of where to find a piece of scrumptious ‘za between forever and immediately…
Thousand-degree coal-fired ovens — supposedly the only ones of their kind in the U.S. — are a unique kitchen feature at The Grind, a new gourmet burger spot/watering hole at 40th Street and Camelback. But you know what would really set this place apart from the pack? Consistency. These days,…
Real cooks can’t stay out of the kitchen. That’s why four of Chow Bella’s regular contributors have concocted four different types of salsa just in time for Cinco de Mayo. Check in next week to see who won the showdown. Now, someone pass the chips. Today’s salsa: Breakfast Taco Salsa…
Music editor Martin Cizmar’s recent blog on his exploits at the Arizona Barbecue Festival left me craving some rib stickin’, finger lickin’ good food. Whether you prefer your ‘cue dry-rubbed Texas style or coated in sticky sweet sauce like they do it in Kansas City, somewhere in Phoenix they’ve got your fave. My…
It’s nice to see Arizona in the news for good reasons these days. Alice Cooper’stown, the downtown rock n’ roll restaurant slash sports bar owned by legendary shock rocker Alice Cooper, has been named one of the Top 10 Celebrity-Owned restaurants by TripAdvisor.com. Cooper’stown comes in at #8 on the list, which also…
Gretchen Gerber Larsen The improviser performs regularly with Valley Fever Improv and has a show with the Improvised Book Club Sunday, May 23 at 7 p.m. at Space 55 What’d you eat for dinner last night? Carne asada tacos, homemade by my coworker’s wife. Favorite food: Navajo tacos Least favorite…
How well do you know your favorite cookhouse contraptions? See if you can guess today’s gadget and check back next week for the answer, and to see if you’ve won a most-awesome prize. Here are a few shots at this week’s trickster, add yours to the comment box below: -…
Like everyone else on the planet, I can’t wait for Iron Man 2. Every day that goes by without seeing Mickey Rourke cracking electro-whips, portable suitcase Iron Man suits, and Monaco sports car racing is like watching an eternity of The Back-Up Plan trailers. What better way to ease my…
