We credit everything from Food Network to the national attention drawn by celeb chefs Beau Mac Millan and Chris Bianco to new restaurant concepts such as Cycle for the upswing in local culinary interest. Still, we were surprised when a new Penzeys Spices location popped up at the still-trendy Tempe…
The Scottsdale Culinary Festival kicks off tonight not just with a kick-off party, but also with the announcement of the winners of this year’s spots in the Arizona Culinary Hall of Fame. The nominees make for quite a power meeting, don’t you think? Stay tuned throughout the week for Chow Bella’s festival…
Christopher Gross of Christopher’s and Crush Lounge just happened to be vacationing in Japan during the Tohoku earthquake this past March. He was in Kamakura, south of where the quake and tsunami struck. While Tohoku devastated some regions of Japan, Gross said that where he was staying, you might have not…
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: Endive You’ll find these huge heads of “lettuce” on the market tables taking up lots of space or cut from the…
Thanks to Chef Payton Curry, life has returned to the beloved Welcome Diner, which sat sad and empty on the corner of 10th street and Roosevelt for far too long. The infamous chef kicked off the first night of his three-month pop-up project to a packed house — and a packed…
An April Fool’s Day prank by Scottsdale’s Papago Brewing backfired Friday. In fact, the situation is bad enough that the brewpub — one of the best beer bars in the country, according to several beer mags — scrubbed Facebook exchanges about incident. Not before Chow Bella recorded the drama, however. (Lucky for…
[Editor’s Note: Following publication, Cycle’s PR representative Ty Largo contacted us to clarify that Chef Dan Moody gave notification well in advance that he would not be able to attend the event.] While the Valley has an established pop-up art gallery scene, this past weekend marked the debut of anything even close to a…
We got a little wacky in the kitchen this weekend. Maybe we were recovering from Friday night’s alcohol-fueled bender. Maybe we were bored out of our skulls. In any case, we found ourselves wondering what it would be like if you treated creme eggs like real eggs. The results (evidence…
Need to pair some wine with your meatless Monday dish? Not so difficult, you think — enter a wine store and read the tags with pairing recommendations and flavor descriptions and pick out a bottle. Or chat with the salesperson and let them be your guide. Sounds like a simple…
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. Coming Soon: Payton Curry’s “Curry-ousity” Food Nerd Alert! Oxford…
We knew that last year’s Big Brain award winner, Natalie Morris, was back in town but she recently shared with us a little secret that we almost couldn’t believe. After eating her way around the world — trying foods like Tibetan yak cheese and Icelandic preserved shark — she came…
Staying in? We’ve got you covered — both on the culinary and entertainment fronts. Now presenting Dinner and a Movie — a guide to a do it yourself evening of food and film. Popcorn Alternative: Miso Butter Popcorn with Black Sesame and Wasabi Peas Entrée: Udon in White Miso Soup with Egg and…
Later March, it was nice to see you again. Thank you for leaving us with so many new restaurants and not taking very many away. We appreciate it! Restaurants That Opened in March 2011Smok’n Joe’s Roadhouse, ScottsdaleMajerle’s Sports Grill, Scottsdale Province @ The Westin Phoenix Downtown Hotel, PhoenixThirteen North Grille,…
Good lord, there are a lot of festivals going on. Last week we had competing barbecue festivals and this week we have everything else. Our poor little foodie heads are about to explode! To be sure you don’t miss anything, here is a quick run down of the April food…
Introducing Food & Ink — a new feature on Chow Bella, cataloguing Cyndi Coon’s weekly consumption. Stay tuned for more. Follow Chow Bella on Facebook and Twitter. …
CityScape is a double-edged sword. Sure, we’re stoked there’s a bit more to do and see and eat downtown, but a lot of these joints aren’t exactly destinations worth a drive from Tempe or Scottsdale. Enter Sam Fox’s latest eatery The Arrogant Butcher. Is the latest Fox concept restaurant worth…
Hey Phoenix, welcome to the pop-up restaurant party. Fashionable late as always, Phoenix is about to get its first taste of the foodie trend that has already hit major cities like San Fransisco, New York and Bozeman, Montana. The new restaurant project Cycle, which opens its doors this Friday in…
We finished up our conversation with Anthony Redendo of Sofrita and Redendo’s Pizzeria yesterday. Today he shares a recipe for a tropical ceviche representative of some of the Latin American tapas over at Sofrita. This is light enough to where you could pair it with a margarita and still go…
Kitchen 56, formerly Vatra Grill, opened back in February but decided to work out all the kinks before rolling out an official preview. Last night they featured a variety of appetizers, highlighting their new menu of upscale comfort food in the Arcadia corridor. The Asian flair on some dishes was pleasantly surprising,…
There’s a new boss in town, located on Saddlebag Trail in Scottsdale near Axis/Radius and Suede. El Hefe, a play on the Spanish word for boss, opened its massive garage doors to the public on March 23, though the official grand opening wasn’t until yesterday. The “super macho taqueria,” run…
One good thing I can say right off the bat about The Arrogant Butcher, the latest “concept” eatery from restaurant guru Sam Fox, located in CitySpace, kitty-corner to US Airways Center in downtown Phoenix: It’s convenient. And though it’s always great to see another downtown restaurant open its doors to…
When New Times received a press release from Mont’s indicating celebrity chef Beau MacMillan would be participating in Monti’s La Casa Vieja’s “Culinary Masters” guest chef series we couldn’t help wondering, What the hell? This is Beau MacMillan we’re talking about. The same Beau MacMillan who has reigned supreme among a…
