Restaurants

We’re keeping an eye out in the grocery stores to see which vegan packaged foods make a great lunch or snack, and we’ll also warn you to steer clear of the tasteless, overpriced ones.

Just barely into the New Year and pie master Chris Bianco’s Pizzeria Bianco has received a saucy seal of approval from Food Republic, the site for “men who want to eat and drink well, and to live smart.” Named as one of the 20 favorite pizza spots in the country,…

It’s a new year and we’ve made ourselves so happy and so sick on sweets and treats this holiday season — and it shows in that uncomfortable waistline snug and tug. We’ve got a remedy:…

Phantom Cocktails from Ty Migota on Vimeo. Nice to see you here! We’re out popping corks, setting off fireworks and lining up some fabulous content for Chow Bella, the 2012 edition. Wishing you and yours a happy, safe New Year’s celebration. See you next year. Follow Chow Bella on Facebook and Twitter…

Looks like we made it. 2012 is just about here.If you’re a last-minute planner, you’re in luck. Here’s Shannon Armour’s guide to New Year’s Eve dining (we’re sure there are still reservations available somewhere) and Benjamin Leatherman’s comprehensive list of where to party. Erica O’Neil found lucky black eyed peas. Don’t forget…

Just about everybody is offering up their predictions for the food trends of 2012. Trends come and go in a flash sometimes, especially in this era of social media. While no one will know for sure what will take off, Chow Bella toss out our two cents to this food…

This week in Chef Chat we’ve been chatting with Jeff Kraus of Truckin’ Good Food. As both owner and chef of TGF, Kraus has left a lasting mark on the street food scene and put an innovative spin on French cuisine that’s left many begging for more. Today, we’ve got…

Billed as “the world’s leading, largest, and longest-lived raw vegan-eco-peace celebration,” this year’s Raw Spirit Festival, running from from Friday, December 30, to Sunday, January 1, at the JW Marriott Desert Ridge, has something most “elegant, sweetly spiritual, healthful, cutting-edge, fun-loving, conscious, abundant, musical, and interconnected” events don’t: a flippin’…

For abundance, eye appeal, and ease of preparation I suggest a bounty of simple foods that I call a cheese platter on steroids.

Laurie Notaro ​Boy, are we full. 2011 was a year of great new restaurants, delicious morsels — and many new recipes to try. Here are a few of the favorites Chow Bella shared with you this last year.  10. Laurie Notaro’s Chicken Pot Pie Not only was our favorite funny lady kind enough…

​Allow me to introduce you to a new, awesome word: sabrage. It’s the name given to the practice of opening a champagne bottle with a sword. If your New Year’s resolution is to be a badass, you should learn it. I can hear your incredulousness, but trust me — sabrage…

Today we bring you the second half of our chat with Jeff Kraus of Truckin’ Good Food. Kraus, owner and chef, spoke yesterday about his take on French cuisine. Today we’ve got the scoop on his progress turning TGF from one kick-ass food truck into a brick-and-mortar restaurant. If you…

In this week’s Battle of the Dishes, we’re pitting two local breakfast giants against one another omelet-a-omelet. Matt’s Big Breakfast and Over Easy are frequently named as top breakfast joints, and both of them were featured on Food Network’s Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives.

When a new spot opens in town, I can’t wait to check it out and to let you know my initial impressions. As the name implies, First Taste is not a full-blown review, but a peek inside restaurants that have just opened, sampling a few items, sharing a few photos,…

Last week we asked you about your favorite holiday drink. This week, as you prepare for holiday celebration part two, we want to know what your least favorite holiday drink is. There are plenty of cliched New Year’s customs: resolutions, midnight kisses, champagne. But even though champagne contains alcohol, we would…

This New Year’s Eve, reserve a table at Cibo in downtown Phoenix to enjoy simple-yet-amazing Crepes Suzette in the restaurant’s romantic garden dining area. After all, dessert that’s plied with liquor and set on fire just screams New Year’s Eve.

We’re chatting in this week’s Chef Chat with Jeff Kraus, owner and chef of Truckin’ Good Food. Although the mobile version of TGF no longer roams the streets of Phoenix bringing Parisian-inspired delicacies to Valley residents, Kraus’ new endeavors are making our mouths water. We’re talking new menus and even…

Welcoming in the winter season, a new line-up of Valley chefs and taste makers has been set to host Phoenix Public Market’s Winter Chef Series, two-hour demonstrations and cooking classes featuring a variety of memorable meals and culinary personalities. Mark Tarbell, chef and owner of Tarbell’s, the award-winning neighborhood restaurant…

Lately, in this In Season series, we’re taking a look at what I take home from Crooked Sky Farms each week and see what I’ve done with my CSA share, or part share. This week I’m using Toscano/black/dinosaur/cavolo nero/lacinato kale…

Season two of Check, Please! Arizona on KPBS premieres at 7 p.m. Thursday, January 5 with Chef/Host Robert McGrath at the head of the table, once again. Read on for a sneak preview of some of the restaurants featured this season…..

We may have shown you this one before — it’s a favorite around here — but it bears re-watching, particularly if you’re stealing a few well-deserved moments to yourself this holiday. Sweet dreams from Chow Bella!Follow Chow Bella on Facebook and Twitter.   …

Our latest Chow Bella showdown: a traditional holiday cookie exchange. Today: our final entry, Amy Silverman’s “The Holidays Really Take Their Toll (House) Cookies.”   Let’s face it: You’ve made it this far in the holiday season and all you really want right now is a stiff drink (we’ve got…