JRC, What Are You Eating?

JRC The co-owner of The Trunk Space and Art Space in downtown Phoenix runs OneWordLong, a media imprint that produces CDs and other items based on storytelling and “labors of love”. What’d you eat for dinner last night? A bowl of Shredded Wheat with raisins–I was too sick to leave…

Tonight: Mahalo Mondays Debut at Hula’s Modern Tiki

It’s hard enough to come by restaurants in CenPho that are open on Mondays, let alone ones doing special events. Hula’s Modern Tiki was, until recently, one of those places that was usually dark at the start of the week, but now it’s back open on Mondays, from 11 a.m…

Now Open in Ahwatukee: Mad Chef Gastropub

How long does it take for an international culinary trend to hit Arizona? I’m always curious about the trickle-down effect. In the case of gastropubs, the trend du jour, it’s about six years, if you consider the 2004 debut of The Spotted Pig in Manhattan’s West Village to be any major milestone…

February Restaurant Closures

Gone the way of the Dodo, we must sadly say goodbye to the following restaurants that have shut their doors during the month of February… Asia De Cuba Backstreet Wine Salon Bad to the Bone BBQ Uno’s on Mill Ave Pie Zano’s Town and Country location — Arrowhead is still…

New Restaurant Round Up for February

February brought a revamped El Chorro, a new location for Long Wongs and another America’s Taco Shop. Here is a quick look back on what’s new Cielo at the Mondrian America’s Taco Shop on 7th ave Mabel’s on Main Lobbys Beef, Burgers and Dogs Robbie Fox’s Public House Cartel Coffee…

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: Tempe Farmers’ Markets Suffering From Identity Crisis The Ritz-Carlton’s…

Top 5 Weirdest Food-Vending Machines from Around the World

5.) Pizza Vending Machine: Italy Who needs to watch a pizza being hand-tossed by a chef when they can watch Roberto the Pizza-Producing Robot slide it out of his exit chute? After choosing one of four varieties (Margherita, bacon, ham, or fresh veggies), hungry-for-crap patrons watch through a window as…

$7 Express Lunch in 10 Minutes at Regions Bistro

Lunch for less than ten bucks inevitably gets attention from us bargain-minded Chow Bella writers, but the $7 pricetag isn’t the only thing Regions Bistro’s Express Lunch has going for it. They’ll give you lunch for free if your order isn’t out of the kitchen within ten minutes. And if…

Cafe: FnB

Who would name their eatery FnB? Turns out it’s FnB owner Pavle Milic and chef-owner Charleen Badman. The name apparently doesn’t do justice to the food. Food Critic Michele Laudig on FnB: The majority of FnB’s dishes could be considered starters or sides (they’re not labeled as either), but you…

Yelp Is Guilty of “Extortion,” Says Miami Attorney Jared Beck

The proposed class-action lawsuit against Yelp we described earlier today is gonna be ugly.Beck & Lee​The guy who’s going to make it that way is Jared Beck, a Harvard grad who plans on being the bulldog here. The Miami lawyer — who also practices in California, where the suit was filed –…

Next Culinary Mischief Event Coming Up in March

Culinary Mischief, the roving secret supper club that debuted late last year, is returning on March 6 with another upscale dinner at an undisclosed location in Phoenix. This time, it’s a penthouse somewhere downtown. There are only 30 seats total for the event, which features six courses of Tuscan cuisine…

R Sauce’s Sharon Stein Makes Dinner Quick and Easy

Barbeque sauce and grilled meat go together like Tiger Woods and cocktail waitresses, it seems like you hardly ever find one without the other.  Sharon Stein says that customers of her locally made barbeque sauce, R Sauce, often mention how much they love the sauce, but don’t always have time to…

Julian Wright’s Sicily Pizza

This week, we’ve heard from Julian Wright of La Bocca Pizzeria + Wine Bar on juggling concept restaurants and his love for Desert Sweet Shrimp. Today he shares his recipe for La Bocca’s Sicily Pizza…

Yelp Slapped with Class Action Lawsuit

kaszeta/FlickrDid the S.F.-based user review site engage in practices tantamount to extortion?A year ago, the East Bay Express went public with stinging accusations that user review site Yelp engaged in shady pressure tactics to remove or bury negative reviews for businesses that advertised or coughed up sponsorships. Last May, an…

Pop Cho and Sweet Ginger at The Breadfruit

Once again, my yin and yang cravings have kicked in. To make up for a fattening food coma brought on by a cheeseburger, fries, and chocolate malt shake from Johnny Rockets (on a junkfood binge before I went to finally see Avatar at the Arizona Mills IMAX), I needed something…

Local Pastry Chef Wins American Culinary Federation Award

Life just got a little sweeter for pastry chef Tracy DeWitt. The chef-instructor at Le Cordon Bleu College of the Culinary Arts (formerly known as Scottsdale Culinary Institute) just accepted her 2010 American Culinary Federation Western Region Pastry Chef of the Year award at the ACF regional gala on Monday. DeWitt beat out…

Pitch Your Best Ideas Now for the Chow Bella Guide to Spring Training

For die-hard baseball fans, there’s no better place to watch rundowns, shoestring catches, or tape-measure blasts than in Arizona during spring training season. And with the Valley’s nine stadiums hosting 12 major league teams, baseball buffs can work up a sweat, and an appetite.That’s why The Chow Bella Guide to…