This Week In Chow Bella

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. Seven Spots on Chow Bella’s Mill Avenue Wish List…

New Froyo Spot Coming to Camelback East Area

Heads up, froyo freaks! The Chill Frozen Yogurt is moving into the space of the former Tall Girl Shop (a moment of silence, please, for inseams of 34″ and over), in the strip mall at North 16th Street and East Bethany Home Road (next to Fleur de Teas and Phoenix…

Raspberry Puffs from Jimmy Woo’s

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. 25: Raspberry…

New AZ Law Brings Home-Baked Goods to a Restaurant Near You

Thanks to the newly passed Arizona Cottage Food Law, restaurants will now be able to serve homemade baked goods for profit — provided bakers follow a pretty specific set of government guidelines. With this new law Arizona joins a growing number of states legalizing home-based baking as a for-profit enterprise…

Cafe: Texas BBQ House

In this week’s “Cafe” column, Food Critic Laura Hahnefeld accurately describes what happens when you ask a Texan about Texas BBQ. You get several mouthfuls of discourse. Of course, if you have some brisket to chomp while the Texan in question takes you through the unwritten rules and regulations that…

Your New Favorite Food App: Forkly

Tired of the photo-heavy focus of Foodspotting? Is Nosh just not doin’ it for you? Frustrate not, food app fans, Forkly has arrived on the scene. Launched on Tuesday, Forkly is a new iPhone app with a focus on ratings. “Like” an item? Was it “just okay?” Based on your…

Pollo Lombardo from Pizza A Metro

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. 26: Pollo…

Texas BBQ House Does Lone Star ‘Cue in Phoenix

Talk to a Texan about barbecue and the discussion gets serious — fast. The eyes squint ever so slightly, the arms fold, and short nuggets about smoking with oak, dry rub, and the quality of meat are spoken of in a slow, matter-of-fact tone that sounds both polite yet final…

Truckin’ Good Food’s Jeff Kraus Launches New Concept

Last week, Jeff Kraus, owner and chef of Truckin’ Good Food (named one of the nation’s “Top 10 Most Influential Food Trucks” by the Huffington Post) launched a new concept that will bring his culinary know-how right to your front door. Called Experience Gastro, Kraus describes it as, “a multi-sensory…

Ice Cream Sandwich Showdown: Sweet Republic vs. Churn

As we find ourselves trapped in the dog days of summer, we once again turn to our good friend ice cream for solace during these humid times. But we don’t want just any ol’ ice cream piled into a lackluster bowl. We want our cold friend sandwiched between two chocolaty homemade…

Jeff Smedstad’s Wild Himalayan Blackberry Ice Cream

Chef Jeff Smedstad of Elote Cafe was cooking with foraged foods long before it was trendy. We asked him about that yesterday. Today we’re talking about blackberries. Last week he needed to get fresh foraged blackberries to the table fast. Foraged foods tend to have a “thin” shelf-life, meaning that their…

Grown-Up Applesauce with Caroline Van Slyke

​In the kitchen with: Caroline Van Slyke Making: Home-canned applesauce Caroline Van Slyke greeted us from her Phoenix ranch-style home on a humid Saturday morning with bright red lips and the kind of ruffled polka-dotted apron that makes you think of what your grandmother might have looked like had you…

Lee’s Combination Sandwich from Lee’s Sandwiches

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. 27: Lee’s…

In Season: Pinto Beans

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: Pinto Beans Speckled “painted” pinto beans are a staple in kitchens of the Southwest. Did you know that you don’t have…

Closed: Eddie’s Pizza

Uh-oh it looks like it’s back to Gus’ for late night/early morning pizza delivery. Eddie’s Pizza, the pizza/gyro/hooka lounge that stayed open till 5 a.m. has been shut down due to non-payment of rent.  No big loss, if you ask us. If any of you happened to have had the…

New Mexican Potstickers from Carlsbad Tavern

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. 28: New…

Jeff Smedstad Isn’t Afraid Of Foraged Flavor

Like canning, foraging is making a comeback in popular culture and in the rarified airs of gourmet cooking. Urban foragers, such as those featured last week in this New York Times article, are driven to use food that’s going to waste in foreclosed property. But here in Arizona, traditional foragers have been…