Restaurants

A Caprese Salad is as classic and iconic as a blue blazer or a little black dress. All three invite personalization according to taste. In other words the salad is capricious.

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…

See also: Tastemakers 2012: Duc Liao See also: Heavenly: Salted Caramel Macarons at Scratch Pastries When you’re cooking, it’s all about a dash of this and a splash of that. But baking is another matter, an exact science. In this series, we’re going behind the bakery case and into the…

Fans of the Daily Dose, the locally owned restaurant of American comfort food with a twist in Old Town Scottsdale, will soon have a second location of the stylish yet cheerful restaurant to visit for cinnamon apple crunch pancakes, stacked turkey melts, or happy hour sliders on pretzel baguettes. And…

See also: Kevin Binkley on Loving In-N-Out Burger See also: Noca Owner Eliot Wexler on Chef Claudio Urciuoli Restaurant Week begins September 15 and runs through September 23. And while it smacks of Black Friday, Christmas in July and all the other bargain bonanzas that attract the great unwashed, I…

The paella valenciana at Mimita’s Cuban Café in Chandler may be one of the Valley’s best edible outcomes of the saying “Good things come to those who wait.” As long as it’s understood that the wait is two hours and that it’s best to call in the order. After that,…

In today’s example of “shit people actually pay money to own” comes the high-priced, deep-fried lady box that’s all yours — if you can cough up the cash. The Vagina Onion Ring, now up for bid on eBay, is not only a sure sign of the end of times, but…

From now ’til we publish the 2012 edition of Best of Phoenix, New Times and Chow Bella present 100 Tastemakers — Valley residents who make the cut in our culinary scene. Some you’ll know; for others, it’ll be a first introduction (but likely not the last). While you’re here, check…

See also: Chef Robert McGrath Leaves Renegade Canteen See also: Aaron May’s Praying Monk Opens as Vitamin T Closes When Robert McGrath flew the coop at Renegade Canteen last fall, he left a celebrity chef void in the kitchen. But that’s been filled in recent weeks by Chef Aaron May,…

The Guilty Pleasure: Wingless Buffalo Dip Where To Get It: Maizie’s Cafe & Bistro Price: $9.50 ($5 during happy hour) What It Really Costs: Your whole day’s allotment of carbs and fat… and that’s when you split one. See Also: Ten Favorite Spots for (Actual) Wings in Metro Phoenix There’s…

See also: Matt’s Big Breakfast: New, Bigger Location Now Open Chef and restaurateur Matt Pool’s been a busy man lately. Last week, the chef-owner of Matt’s Big Breakfast, the popular breakfast and lunch spot in Central Phoenix, opened the restaurant’s new and bigger location a few doors north of the…

See also: Three Egg-cellent Kitchen Science Experiments See also: DIY Bread and Butter Jalapeno Pickles I’m embarrassed to say that I haven’t actually tried any of these projects, yet. I too fall guilty to collecting things on Pinterest for “future reference.” But I’m hoping to get my act together soon!…

Welcome to Chow Bella’s Bites & Dishes, where Valley chefs and restaurateurs respond to a question New Times food critic Laura Hahnefeld has on her mind. Have a question you’d like to ask? E-mail laura.hahnefeld@newtimes.com. Miss a question? Go here. The long, hell-hot summer may have many of us feeling…

See Also: America’s Largest Cupcake Franchise Expands to Arizona Because Cupcakes, Chains We’ve all seen Food Network’s Cupcake Wars, right? It’s the show that puts four bakers up against one another to see who can make a few batches of cupcakes worthy enough for the queen of cupcakes herself, Miss…

August was a busy month for new restaurants. Peoria got a couple new spots and Matt’s Big Breakfast finally moved to news digs with an actual bathroom. At the same time we lost a sushi-go-round and Chandler and bid adieu to Migo’s…

“We apologize for any inconvenience. Please feel free to visit Szechwan Palace as well as Hong Kong Express in the market.” That’s part of a sign on the door of the Golden Buddha at the Chinese Cultural Center in Phoenix. The restaurant, which served a Cantonese and Mandarian menu and…

See also: St. Francis: Happy Hour Report Card See also: Richardson’s: Happy Hour Report Card The Spot: Arrowhead Grill, 8280 W. Union Hills Drive, Glendale, 623-566-2224, www.arrowheadgrill.com The Hours: Happy Hour is offered from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. every day…

From now ’til we publish the 2012 edition of Best of Phoenix, New Times and Chow Bella present 100 Tastemakers — Valley residents who make the cut in our culinary scene. Some you’ll know; for others, it’ll be a first introduction (but likely not the last). While you’re here, check…

In what may be the biggest and brunch-iest news of the year, celebu-chefs Matt Carter (Zinc Bistro and The Mission), Beau MacMillan (Elements at Sanctuary), and Aaron May (Praying Monk, Over Easy, and Renegade Tap & Kitchen) are joining forces to whip up a four-course brunch for hungry guests at…

Hey, readers, get ready. We’re putting new meaning into the term “street food.” For Chow Bella’s latest mission — “Eating 16th Street” — we’ve employed a young woman who’s literally eaten her way around the world. Alex Rodriguez has eaten borscht in Moscow, steak in Buenos Aires and a “life-changing…

The Shops at Gainey Ranch will soon be getting a taste of Northern Italian fine dining with La Prima Donna, a new restaurant scheduled to open in early September. From restaurateur Giovanni Leonel, whose resume includes positions at Tomaso’s, Eli’s American Grill, and Gianfranco Ristorante, the 120-seat La Prima Donna,…

See also: Silvana Salcido Esparza Explains What Mexican Food is Not and Discusses the Food Term That Makes Her Skin Crawl This is part two of my interview with Justin Beckett, chef and co-owner of Beckett’s Table. If you missed part one, read it here. If your cooking were a…