They had me at “country-fried” steak. A friend tipped me off to The Breakfast Joynt, a new, independently owned restaurant that just opened two weeks ago in north Scottsdale, and the menu of made-from-scratch fare looks tasty. Along with country-fried steak and eggs, there’s biscuits and gravy, stuffed apple pancakes…
Don’t worry, Canal still has its 30 Dollar Sandwich, comically priced at 29.99. The SouthBridge restaurant continues to dish up crispy parmesan fries, and you dirty-minded people can still have ahi three ways, too. But there are plenty of new dishes to check out on executive chef Justin Beckett’s new…
Eliot Wexler and chef Chris Curtiss have never explicitly told me that they’re trying to turn us all into NOCA addicts, but I’m convinced this is their grand plan. And you know what? It seems to be working. At a birthday party last weekend, I danced my ass off in a friend’s…
Log on to YouTube right now, and you’ll be bombarded with several Thanksgiving videos. We’ve got people cooking, people crafting and even people crafting cookies. Wait a minute…I thought Thanksgiving was about football and drinking brews. Our favorite comes from Spatulatta which features two junior cooks making pilgrim hats with…
The Valley is big, but when it comes to good restaurants, sometimes it doesn’t feel quite big enough. Between newspapers, magazines, TV, the blogosphere, message boards, and just the foodie grapevine, in general, decent eateries can get barraged with buzz from all directions, all at once. And then, when the…
By Michele Laudig I’ve hosted vegetarian guests for Thanksgiving before, and let me tell you — it is a challenge to come up with something tasty that isn’t just a meatless side dish like green beans or mashed potatoes. Sadly, there’s no room for tofurky in my oven when I’m…
By Jonathan McNamara See more shots from Blanco in our slide show.There’s no shortage of Mexican places in Phoenix. Whether you’re jonesing for a quick stop at the Taqueria or just looking for the best glass of horchata, you’re almost never more than five minutes away. Amidst this plethora of…
By Michele Laudig The Scottsdale Civic Plaza Mall already has a nice variety of restaurants — The Orange Table, Jewel of the Crown, AZ88, Asia de Cuba — but now there’s yet another reason to hit up the area when you’re hungry. Last week, Pure Sushi opened its doors there,…
By Michele Laudig When Palatte first opened its doors, it was all about quirky brunches — egg “mishmashes,” sweet potato pancakes, tarts, and frittatas du jour. But did you know they’re now part of the downtown dinner lineup? That’s right, from 5 to 10 p.m., Wednesday through Saturday, you can…
By Martin Cizmar It’s 10:45 a.m. and you’re thirsty. Do you go for a cup of coffee or a bottle soda? Either you’re drinking coffee in the middle of the say like a cop with 30 years on the force or you’re drinking soda before noon like some punk kid…
By Michele Laudig Thirsty for some beer? You’d better be if you attend the launch of DRAFT Magazine’s new festival, The Big Pour, at Mesa’s Hohokam Stadium (1235 N. Center St.) on Saturday, November 22 (sessions are noon to 4 p.m. and 5 to 9 p.m.). General admission is $35,…
By Michele Laudig The Food Network seems to do well in the Phoenix metro area, especially considering all the fun local joints that’ve been showcased on Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives, including Matt’s Big Breakfast, Aunt Lena’s Creamery, Chino Bandido Takee Outee, and Joe’s Farm Grill. Soon, there’ll be another name…
By Michele Laudig Consider this the yin to my yang post about new restaurants yesterday. One corner of Mill Avenue is a little darker these days, since Dragonfly Vietnamese Kitchen and Coconut Club Bar & Grill both closed their doors two weeks ago. On the upside, Dragonfly’s original location in…
Early-afternoon sun shines intensely on the sleepy vineyard, where row after row of grape-laden vines run down the slope of the valley, like deep emerald waves in a leafy sea. You can’t easily see the fat clusters of ripe grapes, but they’re there, hanging on every rung in the shadows…
The irony isn’t lost on me. I make no secret of my support for downtown Phoenix. I live here because I want to be close to the action — close to nightlife, shopping, art, and, especially, cool restaurants. I want to see the place thrive. So watch me kick myself…
By Martin Cizmar Few sodas divide like Faygo. The Detroit soda is maligned by many because it’s cheap, super sweet and associated with Insane Clown Posse-loving Juggalos. On the other hand it’s beloved because it’s cheap, super sweet, and also associated with happy Midwestern childhoods spent riding bikes to the…
By Michele Laudig Economy be damned, somebody’s still got the confidence to open their doors! Now hopefully customers will keep coming out to spend some dough. (Me? I’d subsist on pretzels if it meant I could still eat foie gras.) Anyway, I just got a call from the ever-charming Maurizio…
By Michele Laudig Here’s a cute New York Times story I couldn’t resist sharing, about a 12-year-old who aspires to be a restaurant critic. This got me thinking about what kinds of random things in our childhoods lead us to where we are as adults. What were you doing at…
By Michele Laudig Here’s a real head-scratcher. The seemingly successful Soma Cafe, at Tatum and Shea, unexpectedly closed its doors over the weekend. According to one of my colleagues (who was a Soma regular to the point that it was like his second office), there was a note on the…
By Michele Laudig Dear Chow Bella readers, I hope you check out this week’s cover story (written by yours truly), where you’ll get to read all about the great wines that Eric Glomski and Maynard James Keenan (yes, the singer from Tool) are making up in Jerome and Cornville with…
There are plenty of places to get a gorgeous piece of USDA Prime meat in this town, but BLT Steak at Camelback Inn satisfies more than just carnivorous cravings. And for that, it really raises the bar. I won’t name names, but at some of Phoenix’s other high-end steakhouses —…
By Amy Silverman A bottle of Excedrin was improperly stored at Sluggo’s Sports Grill in Mesa — one of many things the restaurant inspectors noted after a recent visit. I’m guessing Sluggo had some headache when he read the inspection report. The raw eggs were stored above the watermelon. Dishwashing…
