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: Exotic Ice Cream Flavor Quest Ends with a Hot…

Date Shake: Shouldn’t a Date Shake Come With Two Straws?

With State Parks closing left and right all over the state (Twenty one are scheduled to close by June) we decide we’d better check a few out before they get padlocked. This is how we ended up on Interstate 8 between Phoenix and Yuma, headed to the Yuma Territorial Prison State…

Donna Vallone: Behind the Design of El Chorro

Donna Vallone, an Arizona native and ASU alumnus, says she wanted to get escape her hometown when she was younger, but now can’t imagine herself leaving.She’s been in the design industry for more than 30 years; her residential and commercial projects are sprinkled throughout the Valley. Last year, Vallone was…

Get 27 Can Get Bent in “FoodLab 2010” (Part 7 of 7)

Molecular gastronomy (not the after-effect of eating too many black bean, spicy sausage and cheese nachos) is a scientific discipline that studies the physical and chemical processes that occur while cooking. Wonder what it tastes like? Find out in this seven-part series. Last week’s salmon dices and eggs, dill flavoured…

Cafe: La Condesa Gourmet Taco Shop

This week The New York Times released an article about the best places in Austin, Texas for breakfast tacos. Eggs in a tortilla may be all the rage in Tejas, but around these parts, we prefer the Mexican staple with lunch and dinnertime in mind. Take La Condesa Gourmet Taco…

Gabriele Bertaccini’s Italian Panna Cotta

This week,  Gabriele Bertaccini of il Tocco and Culinary Mischief described his food philosophies and his weekly foodgasms. (We even got an exclusive behind the scenes look at Culinary Mischief.)  Today he shares his recipe for a dish he made for his first underground event: Italian Panna Cotta…

Fast Food Fish Sandwiches in Fry Girl’s Debut Column

​ ​Look, up in the sky! Er, make that behind the wheel of that car over there. It’s neither bird nor plane, and it’s certainly not that sappy-faced, beef-slinging Wendy character. No, it’s Fry Girl! A new column in Phoenix New Times’ print edition, where each week we’ll bring you reviews…

Fry Girl Versus the Top Five Fish Sandwiches

You deserve a break today. Of course you do. You want a cheeseburger. You don’t care that it’s bad for you, or that it’s 9 p.m., or that if you leave the bag in your car it’ll smell like a grease kitchen the next morning. You want that cheeseburger. So…

Battle of the Balls

No, this is not an epic battle of prairie oysters! (That’s a whole ‘nother blog.) Growing up, my parents were friends with an Italian family who would hold potlucks for every holiday meal. Long, folding tables would be stuffed with lasagna, rollatini, eggplant parmigiana and homemade veal meatballs coated in thick,…

Chef Chat: Gabriele Bertaccini of il Tocco and Culinary Mischief

“I am a chef of Toscana,” says Gabriele Bertaccini, with as much gusto as one would expect from an Italian-born foodie. The twentysomething may be new to the local culinary scene, but he says cooking plays a huge part in his oldest memories. Growing up smelling his mother’s lasagna every…

Brenna Sakas, What Are You Eating?

  Brenna SakasThe actor, model, owner of Crowning Concepts Pageant Consulting, CW6 spokesperson, Miss Arizona USA 2006 and Chaos Comedy improviser has a musical improv show this Saturday, March 13 at Arizona Virtual Studios (4614 E. McDowell Road, Phoenix). What’d you eat for dinner last night? Steamed chicken with brown…

Marcellino Ristorante Moving to SouthBridge

Last week, I reported the sudden closure of Tutto, chef Joseph Gutierrez’s Italian restaurant at SouthBridge, which took the place of Digestif last summer. At that time, there was a rumor going around that the new tenant would be Marcellino Ristorante, chef Marcellino and Sima Verzino’s award-winning north Phoenix eatery. Sima Verzino…

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: New Restaurant Round Up for February Haggis Alert: Stuffed…

Top 10 Foodie Movies: Where Film and Food Collide

The Oscars are Sunday and Meryl Streep has a nomination for Best Actress for her portrayal of Julia Child in Julie and Julia. Looking for other great films where food preparation and eating are central themes? Time to eat, drink and watch movies.  ​10. Chocolat (2000): Ok, so this one…

Now Open: Stingray Sushi at the Biltmore

The Stingray has spawned an offspring.Stingray Sushi, the hip sushi hangout on Scottsdale Road, decided to swim into Phoenix waters and bring a little bit of its bright Barbarella glam to Biltmore Fashion Park. The restaurant just opened.Stop by for Japanese snacks like lobster ceviche and hamachi kama, all kinds…

Chicken, Waffles, and Chaos at Off Da Hook

I ran into a dear friend the other day who scolded me for not visiting Off Da Hook yet. She’d discovered the soul food restaurant several weeks ago, not long after it opened, and has since become obsessed with their wings. Alright. So I made it there yesterday with a friend who…