Scottsdale’s Petite Maison restaurant celebrated the spooky season last weekend with the fourth annual Halloween Offal Dinner. The four course meal has been a tradition since 2010, when chef James Porter was inspired to create a menu that brought attention to just how sophisticated offal can be. Sure, chicken feet…
Another month checked off in the culinary datebook of 2013, another month when I look back on the best things I ate. From dishes like my new favorite macaron of the moment to sophisticated nachos and a tough-to-find street snack, here are 10 of the best things I ate this…
The chimichanga, a crispy, deep-fried burrito filled with rice, meat, and beans topped with cheese, lettuce and sour cream has long been a popular Mexican dish. The origins of the dish have been hotly debated — Phoenix or Tucson? — but one thing that most everyone can agree on is…
This month, the openings far outnumbered the closings as we saw several Valley dining outlets re-open and we welcomed a whole slew of new food trucks to the scene. We’re waving goodbye to Aaron May’s beer-centric Scottsdale restaurant, Praying Monk, but don’t fret, there’s something else exciting on the horizon…
You’ve never had to look much farther than your favorite authentic Mexican or Chinese restaurant to find examples of how delicious offal can be. These cuts of meat are unfamiliar to most American palates but with proper execution can be some of the most flavorful parts of an animal. Though…
If there is something you can’t get on the Internet these days, we sure haven’t seen it yet and a recent trend in that ever-expanding marketplace is subscription boxes. From samplings of healthy snacks to cosmetics, you can get monthly packages filled with a selection of items in the vein…
We’ve already showed you where you can find some of the most delicious offal in metro Phoenix, but don’t worry, the fun doesn’t stop there. This week Chow Bella ventured into the kitchen with chef James Porter of Scottsdale’s Petite Maison restaurant as they gear up for their annual Halloween…
I’m not a big spinach or kale eater. I mean, I’ll eat it, but not if instead I could have a burger or pasta or a baked potato or chicken tacos or ice cream or, well, almost anything else. So on a recent vacation, when my nephew Ian offered me…
Flanny’s 3rd Anniversary Featuring Arizona on Tap Saturday, November 2 Flanny’s has been one of many go-to beer spots in the Valley for years — three years, to be exact. And this weekend, the Tempe bar is raising a glass to three years of success and the rise of craft…
By now, pretty much everyone knows about the anti-wheat/anti-gluten “movement,” but not too many people know about a new “local food movement” that values the craft processes, ingredients, artisanal practices, and people involved with heirloom grains. Rise of the Grains is a documentary inspired by the Native Seeds SEARCH/Hayden Flour…
For fans of Barrio Cafe, chef Silvana Salcido Esparza’s home of modern Mexican eats, Saturdays just got a lot more lively. After 12 years, Esparza’s restaurant will open on Saturday afternoons — starting at 11 a.m. Saturday, November 2 — for brunch, happy hour, and live music. Here’s what to…
From time to time, Chow Bella’s contributors challenge one another to a showdown: Make the best dish you can, using one common ingredient. This time (naturally), it was pumpkin. For the next few weeks, we’ll be sharing the results, and at the end, we’ll let you know who won. Today:…
Over the past few years, the dine-in theater concept of combining restaurant-style cuisine with first-run movies has gained popularity. With just the push of a button, moviegoers can enjoy tableside food service and cocktails from luxurious leather seats while watching the latest blockbuster. In 2011, two dine-in theaters, Studio Movie…
After six years, Cadillac Ranch, the little bit country, little bit rock ‘n’ roll bar and restaurant in the District at Tempe Marketplace, is shuttering this weekend. And as you might expect, the hangout for ASU students and general party hounds into Southwestern pub grub, endless drink specials, and entertainment…
After nearly two decades in central Scottsdale, Los Sombreros, chef-owner Azucena Tovar’s restaurant of well-crafted Mexican cuisine, is expanding. The new location, a remodeled space at 14795 North Northsight Boulevard (formerly Javinos restaurant) in North Scottsdale, will open at 11 a.m. Friday, November 1. Here’s what’s in store…
They may make gourmet food for a living, but that doesn’t mean chefs don’t have a sweet spot for Halloween candy. So what treats are Valley chefs planning to pass out for this Hallow’s Eve assemblage of ghosts and goblins? Whether they’re the same ones they enjoyed as kids or…
The Guilty Pleasure: Raspberry Rose Macaron Where to Get It: Essence Bakery, Tempe or Arcadia Price: $1.40 for the small, $3.25 for the large What it Really Costs: There are nuts in the shell, and raspberries in the filling. Convince yourself it’s good for you. It’s hardly a secret that…
Offal often gets a bad rap for being the odds and ends of animals that no one wants to eat. The term, used more frequently in British English, refers to non-muscle parts of a butchered animal. It covers all sorts of tasty bits like intestine, liver, kidneys, feet, head, brain,…
My nightmares are filled with the drunken faces of American college kids smeared with paint depicting garish skulls, twisted toothy grins, hollow cheekbones, black pools of pain for eyes . . . Death isn’t the scary part here, it’s the ever increasing popularity of the Day of the Dead and…
This week we’re chatting with chef Jay Bogsinke of St. Francis, who’s taking some of pressure off chef/owner Aaron Chamberlin at the restaurant as he deals with his second spot, the Phoenix Public Market Cafe. On Monday, we found out what brought Bogsinke to this farm-to-table haven. If you missed…
On the heels of opening North Scottsdale’s Renegade by MOD in May, ex-Kai chef Michael O’Dowd and partners Ed Leclere and Don Misheff of Vivid Lifestyle Concepts have opened their second restaurant — this one tucked into a golf club in Fountain Hills. Called Wicked Six Bar and Grill by…
Heads up, burger-and-beer hounds: Hopdoddy Burger Bar, the Austin-based counter-service eatery from the owners of Roaring Fork and Salty Sow, is opening its doors in Scottsdale tomorrow. Listed as one of 33 best burgers in the United States by men’s digital lifestyle brand Thrillist.com, Hopdoddy has two restaurants in Austin,…
