Just a second — Catherine Hayes is fluffing the decorative pillows in the outside dining area. She comes here, to Modern Steak, nearly every day. Hayes and her team at Hayes inc. were behind the architecture and design of the recent addition to the Fox Concepts empire. Hayes’ Phoenix-based firm is…
Seems everyone’s getting into the alcohol business these days, from Olivia Newton-John and Dan Aykroyd to Ludacris and Tool frontman Maynard James Keenan. The difference is that Keenan is actually hands-on with his winery, while we’re guessing the Grease and Ghostbusters celebs aren’t getting their manicured nails dirty trimming vines or mashing grains. Filmmakers Ryan Page and Christopher…
Looking for the latest in tasty television? Need to know the need-to-watch episodes of your favorite foodie shows? Chow Bella is here to help. We’re reviewing the most delectable and dreadful with a handy, must-see schedule so you won’t miss a thing. Well, once again, the commercials during the Super…
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: The Cheesiest Food Tour We’ve Ever Seen New Restaurant…
Just when you thought the cupcake thing was over, here comes a sign that it’s anything but. Last night we stumbled upon yet another cute cupcake web site — this one is called Bella Cupcake Couture — and some breaking news (something you don’t often encounter on a cupcake web…
Man, oh man, was this a hard one. Toughest competition yet. I’ve been angsting all week about picking a winner for our Dip Showdown, where Chow Bella’s ambitious cooks all brought in their own tempting dip recipes, in anticipation of our country’s most dip-worthy holiday, the Super Bowl. (Yes, I…
I have a sneaking suspicion that Chow Bella readers don’t really need an excuse to eat Vietnamese cuisine, but just for fun, why not celebrate the lunar new year at Mekong Plaza’s Tet Festival this weekend? The Mesa Vietnamese shopping center (66 S. Dobson) is already home to a handful of…
The internet is chock full of gorgeously photographed cake blogs loaded with towering confections where every detail is executed to perfection. And while we admire these baked beauties, we also relish the rubbernecking when the art of cake decorating goes completely off-road. In case you’ve missed the hype on this…
Ever been to Pike Place Market in Seattle or Oxbow Market in Napa Valley? Those are models for POOL, a new collaborative market that’s in the works in Mesa. It’s anticipated to open this spring.The 41,000-square-foot space at Stapley and Main Street, which used to be a Mervyn’s, has room…
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. In this seven-part series, we’re using our love of food and Carl Sagan to create molecular masterpieces of deliciousness…
The urge to eat a good cheeseburger struck me like a lightning bolt the other day — funny how one’s body sneakily finds a way to get back at you for too many days of granola and salads and yogurt. I wound up at Five Guys Burger & Fries on Mill…
Looking for the latest in tasty television? Need to know the need-to-watch episodes of your favorite foodie shows? Chow Bella is here to help. We’re reviewing the most delectable and dreadful with a handy, must-see schedule so you won’t miss a thing. Are you ready for some football? KISS is…
Many moons ago, our father took us to Ray’s the Steaks in Virginia. The wait was exceptionally long. They don’t take reservations (yes, one of those places) and once we got inside the weight for service was pretty unbearable. In fact, we were asked to come back at a later…
The Chow Bella staff can’t stay out of the kitchen. In anticipation of the Super Bowl, we’ve used our culinary talents to compete in a showdown of dips. After Jonathan’s heart-stopping, Nothing Left to Lose Beer Cheese, Claire’s family-fancy, Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell Artichoke Dip, Claire’s flurry of Curry Some…
Today’s headlines over on our news blog, Valley Fever, are full of local restaurant news. First Heart Attack Grill, and now James King comes at us with a story about Coopers’town. Turns out, Alice Cooper’s former business partner is full of allegations of bad behavior by the Valley’s favorite shock rocker, in connection…
I decided to swing by Tammie Coe for a latte and a treat this morning, curious to see the shop’s recent remodel. Even before I walked through the door, the changes were evident, with more umbrella tables and seating on the sidewalk. It feels a lot more like a mini-cafe…
We mentioned it briefly yesterday, but today Ray Stern takes a deeper look at the Heart Attack Grill’s lawsuit against a Florida sports bar, over on our Valley Fever blog. (For earlier coverage of the concept, go here.) True, the name “Heart Stoppers Sports Grill” is awfully similar. But who…
Congrats to “food philosopher” Nikki Buchanan on her two-day-old baby, The Wild Lavender. The longtime local restaurant critic, who freelances for The Arizona Republic’s “Everyday Dining” beat and spent the better part of her career with Phoenix Magazine, just launched her own blog, where she’ll be writing about all the…
Selleck, sandwich and a waterfall, that’s the site, yeah, that is all. Just Selleck, sandwich and a waterfall. Waterfalls are pretty, sandwiches chunky, add some Selleck and you’ve got hunky. Here’s the link, now get there fast, ’cause everything’s better with a Selleck mustache. http://selleckwaterfallsandwich.tumblr.com/…
If you were trapped on a desert island and could only take five items with you, what couldn’t you live without? Toothbrush? Makeup? Deodorant? Teddy bear? Call us crazy, but we’d take a giant tub of mac ‘n’ cheese — our favorite comfort food. The plane could crash, the coconut…
I was skeptical. By now, don’t we all have steakhouse fatigue? After three celebrity chefs opened upscale temples to premium beef over the past two years, the news that yet another high-end steakhouse was in the works invited collective head scratching. The fact that Modern Steak is located at a…
No wonder food critics are feeling introspective. Between publishing’s industrywide troubles, the ever-increasing speed (and seemingly decreased value) of online information, the mushrooming presence of food blogs, and the unexpected closure of foodie bible Gourmet Magazine, the future looks like one big question mark — or, for someone like me who’s navigating the busy intersection…
