Wild Mushroom Ravioli from Merc Bar

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 85: Mushroom…

Michele Laudig Debuts New Blog on Valley’s Food and Culture Scene

Yesterday, Michele Laudig, ex-restaurant critic and food blogger for Phoenix New Times, launched her own blog. And it looks amazing. With an orange banner reading Michele Laudig, Agent of Secrets – Eater of Culture, Laudig’s blog (once you get past the beautiful photography) tells tales of the high-tech new Macallan ice…

Cafe: Kitchen 56

If there’s one food item that can turn us into machines of unbridled consumption, it’s bread. So this week’s “Cafe” column had us eagerly anticipating a trip to Kitchen 56 in Arcadia right from the mere mention of pan borracho. Food Critic Laura Hahnefeld on Kitchen 56: There’s much to…

New Summer Schedules at Valley Farmers’ Markets

Summer in the Valley means wearing more sunscreen, drinking extra water and wide-brimmed hats. It also means tomatoes, corn, cukes and summer squash — all the luscious summer vegetables we dream about all winter as we down those roots and greens. Those farmers are our there bustin’ their butts in…

New Xtreme Grind Java Joint Opens in Chandler

This Saturday, June 4 marks the Grand Opening of Xtreme Air Jump n’ Skate Park, a new 34,000-square-foot indoor skateboarding and parkour venue at Pecos & McQueen in Chandler. To give parents something to do while their kids are thrashing and grinding the rails, the owners opted to include a…

The Mondrian Cake: Damn You, San Francisco.

Oh, San Francisco. Isn’t it enough you have beautiful weather, cutting edge music, emerging restaurants, and Fisherman’s Wharf (okay, not Fisherman’s Wharf, that place is gross.) Now you come along with this kick-ass cake at the rooftop coffee bar of the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. Called the “Mondrian…

Barra Vieja Shrimp from Mucho Gusto

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. 86: Barra…

Fattoush Fight: Windsor vs Phoenicia Cafe

What the fattoush is a fattoush salad?! In the simplest of terms, traditionally it’s a salad made to utilize pita bread that is going stale. It doesn’t sound so appetizing in those words, but that’s why the pita bread for the fattoush salad is traditionally fried. We all know most…

Now Open: Brugos Pizza Co.

Northern Nevada’s award-winning pizza has made its way to The Valley of the Sun just in time for summer. The family owned and operated Brugos Pizza Co. recently opened its first Arizona location in the upscale digs of the Esplanade business and retail complex. Christina and Troy McDonald opened their…

Mary Coyle’s Will Stay Open

Okay, you can uncross your fingers now. Mary Coyle, the landmark Phoenix ice cream parlor, is staying open. Two weeks ago, I reported that an employee of the 60-year-old establishment told me Mary Coyle’s did have a buyer and, barring any paperwork snags, they hoped to be back in business…

Spicy Grilled Broccoli from FnB

  courtesy of FnB 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…

Closed: Plaza Bonita

Looks like a fresh coat of pale yellow paint wasn’t enough to lure customers into the seemingly cursed building of Rural just north of Broadway. Plaza Bonita opened its eighth Arizona location just five short months ago in the old pink Tres Margarita’s building (a daring move after a man was…

Closed: Kanpai Sushi

Looks like Mill Ave. is back to having just one sushi joint again. Open for just under a year, Kanpai closed its doors last week — or, according to sources, had their doors closed for them after they couldn’t make rent. Who would have guessed that  a sushi bar with…

Stacy’s Smokehouse to Open a Second Location in Scottsdale

Sounds as if Scottsdale residents will soon be getting a taste of their own drool-worthy ‘cue from Stacy’s Smokehouse, the tiny, no-frills purple building on Indian School Road and 16th Street. Between bites of rib tips smoked over almond and hickory wood and doused in Stacy’s sugary-sweet sauce, I recently…

Black Chile Mexican Grill Flaunts It All

How many Mexican food restaurants can you fit into one city? Not enough, in our opinion. Which is why we’re welcoming Black Chile Mexican Grill, another multi-unit concept to recently join the Biltmore Fashion Park restaurant repertoire of chains. The original Black Chile branch is located in Minnesota, and now the owners…

In Season: Zucchini

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: Zucchini These mild-tasting, phallic summertime beauties are ready for harvest now. We’ve been enjoying gazing at their pretty yellow flowers and now…