It was a heat-seeking mission — and a dangerous one. Chow Bella’s contributors dispersed through the Valley, in search of the hottest, tastiest, and most creative culinary offerings. Read on at your risk. Desert Tears at Carefree Station: “Do you like spicy food?” This will be the (seemingly) innocent question…
Who doesn’t love seafood in the summer? Especially if you have a summer love to share it with. We’re pretty sure that same thought crossed the minds of Peruvians when they started serving up Jalea (a seafood platter commonly meant to serve two). There are several Peruvian places in Mesa…
In a case of one Valley legend aiding another, Christopher Gross, the James Beard Award-winning chef and owner of Christopher’s and Crush Lounge in Central Phoenix, is helping to overhaul the Wrigley Mansion, the 1930s-vintage manse that overlooks the area surrounding the Arizona Biltmore. “We’re going through everything top to…
Bacchus Wine Made Simple, the locally owned wine store and bar at Kierland Commons specializing in small boutique wines from around the world, is closing its doors on Friday, September 30, after ten years in the business. “We say this with a heavy heart as we must close our doors…
Yesterday we shared the first half of our talk with Chef James Fox of Big Earl’s BBQ in Old Town Scottsdale. Today, we’re talking smoke and the importance of a little salt and pepper. What changes have you made since being at Big Earl’s? We used to have sausage balls,…
It started innocently enough. Last week, St. Francis, the stunningly cool bastion of contemporary American cuisine in Central Phoenix, posted a lunch menu for kids on their Facebook page and ended up with a discussion — pro and con — about children in restaurants. We go there to escape, relax…not a Chucky [sic] Cheese…
Last year we marked the hundred day countdown to Best of Phoenix by sharing our 100 Favorite Dishes with you. Now we’re back – with the 2011 edition. Have a suggestion for a dish you’d like us to try? Leave it in the comments section or email laura.hahnefeld@newtimes.com. 17: Steak…
Later, August. You were hot and humid but at least you left us with a heaping handful of new places to eat and drink. Unfortunately, a couple of our ol’ restaurant buddies had to say goodbye. Restaurants (and other Food-Related Establishments) That Opened in August 2011 Grilled Ave, Tempe 21 Cakes,…
So my baseball card enthusiast husband tosses me an Iron Chef “Marc Forgione” baseball card the other night. “Hey, you should write about this for Chow Bella, I wonder if anyone knows that they’re putting chefs on baseball cards.” And so here we are. If you notice on the card, it says…
Hey, that’s not burnt popcorn I smell — it’s a trend! On the heels of the AMC Esplanade 14 Dine-In Theater opening on Wednesday, September 7, in Central Phoenix, comes the announcement that Studio Movie Grill (SMG), pioneer of the first-run, in-theatre dining concept, is coming to Scottsdale in early…
Chef Chat this week takes us to Old Town Scottsdale where we’ll be chatting with James Fox from Big Earl’s BBQ. If you don’t already know, Big Earl’s BBQ is Chef James Porter’s way of satisfying ourneed for down-home cooking. Fox joined Big Earl’s team just a few months ago…
They’re baaaaaaack! FnB, the Scottsdale eatery of eclectic American comfort food courtesy of front-of-the-house pro Pavle Milic and chef Charleen Badman, is back from summer break and will be open for business tomorrow — Wednesday, September 7 — with a new menu to share. Think manti, hand-pulled mozzarella, and grilled corn…
Last year we marked the hundred day countdown to Best of Phoenix by sharing our 100 Favorite Dishes with you. Now we’re back – with the 2011 edition. Have a suggestion for a dish you’d like us to try? Leave it in the comments section or email laura.hahnefeld@newtimes.com. 18: #1…
Whether you’re a CSA devotee, a farmers’ market weekender or consider ketchup a veg, we’ll bring you fresh inspiration for how to prepare our local produce. This week’s harvest: Eggs Ok, so eggs are “in season” most all of the time — though production varies throught the year. We might…
EAT from Rick Mereki on Vimeo. Hey, pal — didn’t you know? It’s Labor Day. You shouldn’t pick up a finger today, even to, er, finger your mouse. But since you’re here, check this out. Then go back to bed. See you tomorrow.Follow Chow Bella on Facebook and Twitter…
Last year we marked the hundred day countdown to Best of Phoenix by sharing our 100 Favorite Dishes with you. Now we’re back – with the 2011 edition. Have a suggestion for a dish you’d like us to try? Leave it in the comments section or email laura.hahnefeld@newtimes.com. 19: The…
Another week has come and gone leaving us to ponder the upcoming events that will shape our lives and, more importantly, our dinners out. But before we move on, let’s have one last look at the blog posts from this week. Five Favorite Sushi Experiences in Metro Phoenix Spicy Tofu…
Heaven knows we get enough crap sent to us via e-mail (did we really sign up for fingernail tattoos?), making enlisting in any new adventures a cautious exercise akin to Seinfeld “sponge-worthiness.” Lucky for us, Foodiacs, a free, email-based service tailored specifically for folks interested in food-related products and events,…
Tired of the same old tired orange chicken and California rolls? Want to venture beyond the standard suburbian-stale take-out? Here comes Chop PHX, with the Valley’s rarer Asian offerings. This Week: Pho Ga (Vietnamese Rice Noodle Chicken Soup) from Da Vang (4538 N. 19th Ave. Phoenix) The Basics: Pho Ga…
You know that jerk as in soda jerk refers to the young soda fountain operators of yesteryear. We’re not being negative, we think Soda Craft is really onto something special. This San Francisco-based company creates some special so-dey pops using local sustainable ingredients. Trendy food words aside, this sounds like…
Last year we marked the hundred day countdown to Best of Phoenix by sharing our 100 Favorite Dishes with you. Now we’re back – with the 2011 edition. Have a suggestion for a dish you’d like us to try? Leave it in the comments section or email laura.hahnefeld@newtimes.com. 20: Osaka…
Slow Food USA is encouraging you to eat fruit, not Froot Loops in a $5 challenge taking place all over the country on Saturday, September 17th. The premise is that it shouldn’t cost more to eat slow than it does to eat fast food. So, Slow Food is challenging you to…
