Restaurants

​                           Oh no. Sunnyslope can’t take a blow like this. And neither can we. You’ll have have to excuse now — we need a drink. Better get one at Bomberos while you still can…

  Our chat with Matt Carter ended yesterday with him explaining a little about why The Mission is different from other Latin restaurants in the area. The proof may not be in the pudding, but in the black cod dish that he will show us how to prepare today.  …

Hummus is the glue — sometimes almost literally — that holds a Middle Eastern/Mediterranean meal together. Do it wrong, and indeed, it’s a little like cement. And not in a good way.But do it well and some of us will fill up on the chickpea dip long before the gyro…

A little birdie (okay, Facebook) told us that our new favorite lunch spots, Chaka Chaka, added a few more items to their already fabulous, yet small, menu. We paid our favorite chef/comedian, Charlie Blonkenfeld, a visit this week to try out the new eats. Just as we suspected — soooo good.The hardest…

Taco Bell: Hey, remember that lawsuit filed against us a few weeks ago saying that we use a “meat mixture” containing less than 35 percent meat? Fast Food Nation: Um, sort of. Taco Bell: Well, check this out, it’s our new Quad Steak Burrito and Quesadilla, made with real USDA…

Our Virgin Cook, Wynter Holden, refers to the Valentine dinner menu as a competition! In spite of the size your knife (is that from the tool shed?) Wynter, game on! And no apologies, Cyndi Coon, Thrifty Cook, we planned our menu to celebrate with a little extravagance for the night…

Where am I again? To set foot in The Duce — a quirky mix of retail and dining in a cavernous, circa 1928 brick warehouse at Central and Lincoln south of downtown — is to experience a delighted sort of bewilderment, as if you’d stumbled into a funhouse-meets-time-machine, or at…

Taco Bell: Hey, you. Wanna free taco? We’re giving away 10 million of them on Facebook. Fast Food Nation: Hey, thanks. Wait a minute, this wouldn’t have to do with that lawsuit claiming your “meat filling” only contains 36 percent beef, would it? Weren’t your snarky newspaper ads enough to…

Keyon Fareghi Yesterday we spoke with Chef Matt Carter of The Mission and Zinc Bistro about some of what he loves about the culinary industry. Today he enlightens us about foie gras and lets us in on one of his biggest indulgences. What is the worst experience you have ever…

Chipotle is the new black…er, ingredient in the barbecue sauce for McDonald’s latest versions of their Angus Third Pounders and Snack Wraps. Hey, remember when McDonald’s owned Chipotle? Good times. The Angus Chipotle BBQ Bacon & Cheese Burger is a third-pound Angus beef patty, topped with American cheese, bacon, pickles,…

hef Matt Carter, a trip across Scottsdale means a journey from France to Spain — and back again. Now, that’s a worldly guy. The Mission  in Old Town Scottsdale offers margaritas and twinkly lights alongside the Spanish cuisine, while Kierland Commons’ Zinc Bistro is tres Francais from soup to nuts. Chef at both, Carter moves from one to the…

Following nearly everyone else in fast-food land, Carl’s Jr. has finally come out with its own chicken wrap. Called Hand-Breaded Chicken Tender Wrappers, each one features one of CJ’s chicken tenders rolled up in a flour tortilla with shredded lettuce, cheese and choice of buttermilk ranch, honey mustard, or barbecue…

The Arizona Republic is reporting this morning that LGO Public House has pulled out of the CityScape project in downtown Phoenix.  Are you surprised? According to Howie Seftel, LGO is claiming “ventilation” problems in the space they were to occupy.  In any case, we bet the folks who run La…

Thinking about whipping up a batch of candy for Caramelpalooza 2011? Better think quick: The deadline for entering our sweet contest is today, Tuesday, February 8. Chow Bella and our friends at Smeeks candy store are at it again, co-sponsoring a fun, free, filling-defying evening of caramel tasting: Friday, March…

We typically delete the emails that land in our box every day from cooking.com without even opening them, but today we clicked with abandon.Look! One of our favorite Starbucks drinks is now available to DIY. This is great news, as we’ve noticed that salted caramel hot cocoa has fallen off…

​I like to think I’m a girl who’s willing to try anything once. So when our boss suggested a little friendly Valentine’s Day competition between Ask the Chef’s Carol Blonder, Thrifty Cook Cyndi Coon (their recipes will appear tomorrow and Thursday) and yours truly, I accepted the challenge — and…

Leave it to Kate Benjamin — you know, the woman who’s turned midcentury modern furnishings for your cat (no, really!) into a sleek cottage industry– to find The Nogg, a new, mod kind of chicken coop. We suppose chickens deserve to strut in mod style, too. Check it out. Now we’re off…

​Colin Chillag The painter is currently showing his work in a group show at 5 and 6 Gallery in Scottsdale. He also has a solo exhibition planned for April at the same space. What’d you eat for dinner last night? Last night for dinner, it was linguini with sauteed eggplant,…

It’s being billed as “one of the most comprehensive series of grand opening events in Valley restaurant history,” but to be honest, the line-up for Sam Fox’s Arrogant Butcher is giving us a serious case of heartburn. Jason Rose — the public relations poobah who brought Phoenix pink tacos and too-saucy…

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: Radishes Here’s a vegetable appropriate for Valentine’s Day. These blushing fireballs are cute and sassy, come in lots of shades of…

Many savory recipes — whether vegetarian or with meat — call for the use of stock or water as a liquid ingredient. Adding stock contributes more flavor to the final dish than adding water. Choose stock to add that extra layer of flavor and deliver a more complex and tasty final…

There’s a lot of chatter out there about conversation hearts — cute plays on the iconic candy hearts stamped with messages, waiting in tiny boxes to win your heart and break your teeth. We’ve seen cookies, cuddlies, holiday lights, tee shirts, soap, even felted soap, all designed to look like…