Sophomore efforts are a tricky business, especially if you’re trying to make lightning strike twice. So when word got out early last year that the team behind Arcadia’s beloved Crudo was launching a second restaurant in Phoenix, the mounting anticipation — and high expectations — were palpable. Okra Cookhouse &…
The popular California-based burger chain In-N-Out Burger is getting ready to open a new location at the Camelback Colonnade in Central Phoenix. New Times confirmed with the general manager of the shopping complex that the fast-food burger joint will open on the east side of the mall, which is located on 20th Street…
Several years ago, a chef friend in Japan gave Mark Kondo his secret recipe for ramen. For Kondo, who had always had a passion for ramen, the gift would be life-changing. Now, he’s the owner and cook at the Valley’s first, and as far as we can tell, only ramen…
Jack Durant was a small-town gambler with loose ties to Vegas racketeers. He had a big, obstreperous personality; owned our city’s most successful restaurant; and was listed among the FBI’s most dangerous men in Phoenix. Jack liked women, eavesdropping on patrons of his restaurant bar, and golf. He might have seen…
The Guilty Pleasure: Tosti Elotes Where to Get It: La Carreta de Lily Price: $7.58 (large) What it Really Costs: A slight dip in your self-esteem because eating salty, gloppy food out of plastic bag is pretty much the opposite of sexy. Tosti Elotes probably won’t be the most elegant…
Dave Johnson, general manager and sommelier for the recently opened Ocotillo, has been in the restaurant business in the Valley for quite a while. Previously, he worked with Ocotillo co-chefs Sacha Levine and Walter Sterling at Scottsdale’s long-gone Sol Y Sombra, but his resume and reputation as a beverage expert…
Hey, Phoenix! We’re looking for talented writers to contribute to the Phoenix New Times’ food and drink section. We cover everything from restaurants and cocktails to coffee and farmers markets — and if you’re an expert in any of those areas, then we want to hear from you. Journalism experience…
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…
It’s been about a month since well-respected local mixologist Travis Nass left his post at The Last Drop bar at Lon’s at the Hermosa Inn. Now, we know where he’s taking his talents: Caskwerks, a Tempe-based craft distillery. Nass, who was inducted into the Arizona Culinary Hall of Fame last…
Three years ago, The Great Pho King Food Truck had only just gotten started. And at the time, the truck was a two man affair, brought to the Phoenix streets by owner Mike Baum and chef Eddie Pham. The food was Vietnamese with French flair — in other words, pretty traditional Viet-fusion…
Despite a rough few months for the national burrito behemoth Chipotle, metro Phoenix health inspectors think there’s nothing to worry about at local restaurants. In October, the restaurant chain sickened customers in nine states with E. coli, and though we now know the outbreak affected at least 50 people, we still…
The Guilty Pleasure: Bacon Fondue Fries Where to Get It: Wendy’s Price: $2.49 What it Really Costs: The life of all other fast food cheese fries If you’ve been following the fast food world at all over the last few months, then you know that Wendy’s has released several different…
A new a build-your-own ice cream sandwich shop is headed your way, Scottsdale. Called The Baked Bear, the made-to-order ice cream sandwich shop is expected to open in March at 7366 East Shea Boulevard, inside the the Village at Shea, just east of Scottsdale Road on Shea Boulevard. It will be the…
Restaurants adopting no-tipping policies has become about as trendy as doughnuts, with many prominent restaurants going “tip-less” over the last few months. New York restaurateur Danny Meyer announced he was getting rid of tipping at all his restaurants in October, and New York’s prominent Eleven Madison Park announced it was going…
Rejoice, Tempe ramen lovers, because Tampopo Ramen has reopened for business. The noodle spot was closed for about three weeks after a woman drove her car into the front windows of the restaurant. Tempe police tweeted out a picture of the accident, which occurred on December 22, adding that impairment…
Just beyond the gray brick student housing mega-complexes on Apache Boulevard in Tempe, past the late-night pizzerias and burrito drive-thrus, the college haunts give way to a handful of restaurants advertising flame-grilled kebabs, spitfire shawarma, and other staples of Middle Eastern cooking. Apache has been quietly cultivating something of a…
You know all those times when you’re hosting a party and everything is going great and then you run out of booze? You’re a few drinks in so you can’t run to the store to restock, and as a result, you have to shut things down just when everyone’s starting…
Alyssa and Joel Leibow’s mid-century home isn’t easy to find, tucked away in an off-the-path Central Phoenix neighborhood. They found it by chance via an Instagram post from a realtor and decided on a whim to check it out during an open house. The Leibows bought it on the spot…
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…
The Guilty Pleasure: The South by Southwest Where to Get It: Welcome Chicken + Donuts Price: $5.50 What it Really Costs: The dawning realization that the other breakfast sandwiches in your life are sad and dull. How do you get South Phoenix to become a hipster-approved breakfast and lunch destination?…
For years, husband-and-wife team Danielle Leoni and Dwayne Allen have brought a little piece of the Caribbean to downtown Phoenix at their Jamaican restaurant The Breadfruit and Rum Bar. Allen, a Jamaica native, helped introduce Leoni, who was born in Illinois, to the vibrant island cuisine, and now she says she’s ready…
Look for the single red light bulb. That’s the advice we got from someone who visited downtown Phoenix’s newest watering hole, Melinda’s Alley, during its debut on Friday, January 1. The new bar is a speakeasy in the modern sense of the word, which is to say it’s not an…
