If you’re gonna strike a pose, it’ll more likely be in Scottsdale, not Surprise. But hey, Scottsdale can’t have all the style. Vogue Bistro and Bar, a new chef-owned eatery that debuts soon, will give West Siders a new dining destination. Chef-owner Aurore de Beauduy, the former executive chef at…
These days, Scottsdale has no shortage of Asian restaurants, but back when Roy’s Scottsdale opened, it wasn’t nearly as ubiquitous. Now the place is a local institution, and believe it or not, it’s celebrating its tenth anniversary. Founder and James Beard award-winning chef Roy Yamaguchi will be in town tomorrow,…
The first time I visited Radio Milano, the newest eatery from the folks behind La Grande Orange and Postino (across the street), it struck me as a great place for cocktails and nibbles — partly because you had to order a lot of small plates to assemble a filling meal…
Following in the footsteps of Oprah, Martha Stewart just featured Phoenix pizza guru Chris Bianco, who shared his recipe for lemon foccacia. I doubt my ancient oven can approximate anything out of Chris’ wood-fired one, but it’ll be fun to try. Next up on my DVR scheduled recordings is the…
Bryan Chittenden and Greg Donnally, the guys behind two of Scottsdale’s most pop-tastic hangouts — Stingray Sushi and Drift Polynesian Restaurant — are opening a new place tomorrow night, and it just screams Japanophile. It’s called Geisha A Go Go, and I can’t wait to go-go get my drink on…
Indian cuisine equals food coma, right? Not anymore. Until recently, I couldn’t think of setting foot in an Indian restaurant and not gorging on overly rich, snooze-inducing dishes — that was entirely the point. I usually go for butter-slicked garlic naan, a plateful of creamy saag paneer (or a little…
Binkley’s Restaurant in Cave Creek is one of this area’s hottest culinary tickets, and it’s no wonder — chef-owner Kevin Binkley crafts his ever-evolving menu with obsessively sourced top ingredients, graces customers with a flurry of exquisite amuses-bouches between courses, and oversees a doting, well-trained staff. Indeed, Binkley’s is the…
I just got a spontaneous protein craving courtesy of chef Aaron May, who confirmed the delicious rumor that he’s collaborating with chef Robert McGrath on a new barbecue concept. They’re working on securing a location as we speak. Chalk it up to one more exciting project from May, who seems…
Hell, it’s already last week’s news, but last week I was among the legions of the severely flu-stricken (ack!), so here’s the belated skinny on the latest high-profile restaurant opening: Chef Payton Curry is already cooking up a storm at Digestif, a new “Cal-Ital” eatery at Scottsdale’s SouthBridge that comes…
I love a good mystery. There’s a tiny, vintage strip mall at 56th Street and Thomas that’s seen a slew of restaurants come and go over the years, and I’ve often wondered why such a seemingly good location — not far from well-heeled Arcadia, convenient to Scottsdale — couldn’t hang…
Chefs and samurai have something in common: their blades. Samurai might have lost their right to carry swords in the mid-19th century, but that doesn’t mean that the sword-making tradition disappeared in Japan. In the case of the Kikuichi swordsmiths, who used to produce swords for the Emperor, their craft…
What, you didn’t make Valentine’s Day dinner reservations yet? Me neither. We’d both better get crack-a-lackin’, because there’s only a week left. Here’s the lowdown on several restaurants featuring special multi-course meals… Canal Restaurant: Four-course dinner, $75 per person ($105 with wine pairings). Highlights: Chicken samosas; gorgonzola stuffed filet mignon;…
If they can make it there, they’ll make it anywhere. I can’t get Frank Sinatra’s voice out of my head as I think about Joe and Myrah Aiello, who woke up one day in the city that never sleeps and decided to leave Manhattan for Arizona. In my version of…
Yeah, yeah, I’ve blogged plenty about stuff that’s in the works for the local dining scene, but unfortunately I can’t always be the bearer of good news. Today’s latest tidbit is a total downer: Union Wine Bar & Grill, one of 2007’s most-anticipated new restaurants, has closed its doors for…
Unless you attended the Taste of the NFL culinary event last weekend, or unless you’re a member of the ritzy Golf Club Scottsdale, you probably haven’t had a taste of chef Eddie Matney’s cooking lately. There’s nothing wrong with big-ticket parties and private clubs, but let’s face it — Matney’s…
Alto, at the Hyatt Regency, is one of many new high-end eateries on the local foodie radar If you love going to restaurants, this is a really good time to be hungry. The new year has already brought a flurry of new places to eat, drink, and be merry, and…
Maybe I should’ve wished for a million dollars. Instead, I wished for more Asian food downtown. And while I’m still waiting for the pho and sushi gods to hear my pleas, I clearly got through to some higher powers in the Thai department. Not one, but two new Thai restaurants…
I’m not sure what appeals to me more — the fact that Paradise Valley Community College’s spring film festival is full of food-obsessed flicks, or that they’re all free. Dinner Rush (2001), set in an Italian restaurant, kicks off the lineup tomorrow at 6:30 p.m. Coming up, see what the…
One of my good friends just got back from a fabulous vacay in Buenos Aires, “The Paris of South America,” where he had all the great food and wine he could handle. Argentina might be the one place left in the world where the currency exchange rate doesn’t suck for…
Here’s my dining advice for the week: Don’t knock a “30 Dollar Sandwich” ’til you’ve tried it. It certainly helps to have a sense of humor when you dine at Canal, a trendy, three-month-old restaurant tucked away on the second floor of the SouthBridge complex in Old Town. No sense…
This morning’s batch of email came with a press release for caffeinated, B vitamin- and taurine-enhanced Snickers bars. What the… ??! “To meet consumer needs and help millions of Americans take back their energy-zapped afternoons, SNICKERS® Brand is proclaiming the post-lunch, pre-dinner hour between two and three p.m. the SNICKERS…
I enjoyed being a fly on the wall for a friend’s dinner at Moto in Chicago, courtesy of YouTube. The video is dark and doesn’t go all the way to the end of the meal, but it still gives you a sense of what the night was like. Fun! More…
