Chef and restaurateur Aaron Chamberlin already has two well-loved Central Phoenix restaurants, St. Francis and the Phoenix Public Market Cafe. But the success of both eateries isn’t slowing him down. This spring, Chamberlin launched a new wholesale bakery division of his downtown eatery, making Phoenix Public Market Cafe the largest…
I bet you thought there’s no way metro Phoenix can support another fast-casual pizza restaurant where diners can — gasp! — customize their own pizza pies by selecting ingredients from a list before sending their creation through a super-sized, really hot Easy Bake oven. “We’ve already got plenty of places…
We’ve got bad news for sports fans and trivia lovers. Next month, Arcadia’s well-loved sports bar Hazelwoods First Place Sports Grill will close its doors to the public and shut off its many flat-screen TVs. The bar and restaurant, located at 3626 East Indian School Road, has been sold to new…
Unless you happen to live or work nearby, it’s unlikely that your first visit to Cafe Agit will happen by accident. Most likely, you’ll be drawn to this nondescript Korean bar and grill in Mesa, which resembles any other number of aging strip mall bars from the outside, on the…
Todd and Kelly Bostock, winemakers and co-owners of Dos Cabezas WineWorks, live deep in Arizona wine country, in a tiny corner of the small town of Elgin. Their property is adjacent to an old cemetery, a relic left over from when the Southern Pacific Railroad traveled through town, and a…
In February, we told you about chef Kevin Binkley’s plans to close his award-winning namesake restaurant and relocate to midtown Phoenix. The James Beard award-nominated chef told us he’ll reopen Binkley’s restaurant in the current Bink’s Midtown space after closing that restaurant and renovating the space. Now we know when…
More than a dozen restaurants in Maricopa County didn’t do so well during health inspections last month. We noticed quite a few chain restaurants including Denny’s, Domino’s, and Sonic made the list — plus an appearance by Smoke Dem Bones Barbecue on Indian School Road in Phoenix. Check this list…
Since 2012, NCounter has been a popular destination for breakfast and lunch on Mill Avenue in Tempe. The fast-casual restaurant, founded by Thom and Kathy Coker (also the folks behind TC Eggington’s in Mesa), is known for its energetic atmosphere and menu of classics fare including waffles, omelettes, sandwiches, and…
There are plenty of coffee shops in downtown Phoenix. There are coffee shops for coffee nerds, a coffee shop for bikers, coffee shops for creative types, and even a coffee shop with a menu entirely en español. Basically, there’s a coffee shop for pretty much every kind of coffee drinker, not…
Sure, we all ask for a menu adjustment here and there. Maybe sauce on the side. Or sausage instead of bacon. But when you work in the restaurant industry, you’ve probably heard far stranger requests than the average diner can even imagine. From customers who asked for raw meat to…
Don’t freak out, but we have good news. New York City’s famed The Halal Guys are expanding to Arizona, according to a press release. The restaurant (originally a cart on 53rd Street and Sixth Avenue in Manhattan) serves gyro meat, falafel, and chicken either in a platter or wrapped up in…
Every year the Arizona Restaurant Association recognizes some of the Valley’s top culinary talent with the Foodist Awards. This year, the association named three finalists in 13 categories that range from Top Chef to Premier Beer Program with finalists running the gamut from a longstanding local steakhouse to the Kitchen…
It’s been two years since the Valley said goodbye to Karsh’s Bakery, which was widely recognized as the best Jewish bakery in metro Phoenix before it closed. At that time, Karsh’s fans mourned the loss of the bakery’s famous challah, babka, and rye bread, decrying the lack of other good Jewish bakeries…
As a genre of cooking, New American — sometimes also called Modern American, among other names — is about as impossible to define as the American character itself. Nobody, it seems, can agree on exactly what it is, although you’ll often see the label applied to a certain kind of…
It’s been months since Okra, the second restaurant from the Crudo team, opened its doors at The Crown on Seventh in Central Phoenix. But since then, there hasn’t been much action when it comes to restaurants opening in adaptive re-use projects. Next month, however, that will change. The Phoenix Ale…
When a new spot opens in town, we can’t wait to check it out — and let you know our initial impressions, share a few photos, and dish about some menu items. First Taste, as the name implies, is not a full-blown review, but instead a peek inside restaurants that have…
The Guilty Pleasure: Breakfast nachos Where to Get It: Daily Dose Price: $10.50 What it Really Costs: The disturbing realization that you have just consumed a full day’s worth of calories before 10 a.m. You know nachos. It’s the snack you impulsively consume at baseball games, bowling alleys, after-work happy hours, fast-food…
Betty Capaldi Phillips once taught rats how to like cinnamon. Now, she’s out to teach Arizonans how to like broccoli. Phillips is the host of a new Arizona PBS series, Eating Psychology with Betty. In the show, the professor of psychology and Provost Emerita at Arizona State University explains the…
James Beard award-nominated chef Gio Osso is getting ready to open his second restaurant, Nico Heirloom Kitchen (366 North Gilbert Road), and needs about 100 new employees for the casual dining spot. During the next two weeks, Osso and partner Brad Kircher will host two job fairs, hiring for positions ranging from…
Seafood, Mexican, coffee — it was a banner month for metro Phoenix restaurant openings, with new spots spread all over the Valley, from a tea cafe in downtown Phoenix to a distillery in Cave Creek. We’re also saying goodbye to an option for comfort food in Chandler. Oh, and Shake…
There’s already been a lot of buzz surrounding The Colony, a soon-to-be-completed mixed-use development located on the northwest corner of Seventh Street and Missouri Avenue in midtown Phoenix. Earlier this month, we told you about plans for a restaurant and speakeasy-style bar that will occupy two spaces within the converted office…
Opening day at Chase Field is just around the corner, and if you’re planning on heading to an Arizona Diamondbacks game this season, know you have some interesting new eats to try. Earlier this week, the Arizona Diamondbacks and Levy Restaurants announced a handful of new menu items available at Chase Field…
