Last week, culinary students from The International Culinary School at The Art Institute of Phoenix were busy preparing for the American Culinary Federation’s Southwest Regional competition.This week they returned with a third place title. A half point behind the Hawaii team (who won the national title last year), the five…
Yesterday, Chow Bella got to know Traci Wilbur and her local bakery, Pie Snob. The pie business keeps Traci hopping with deliveries to local cafes and custom orders,including a recent pie social where Traci turned out 27 pies. When asked about the logistics of making so many pies at once, Traci explains…
Dip and Squeeze (Heinz Ketchup) Dip and squeeze, dip and squeeze, Heinz’s new package, is the bees knees. Well it took forty years, but common sense is finally here, with a dip and squeeze for you and me. Dip and squeeze, dip and squeeze, with three times the ketchup, the…
Last fall, when Lisa G Cafe Wine Bar owner Lisa Giungo told me she was selling her business to take a break from the hectic pace of entrepreneurship, it initially struck me as gloomy news, especially considering the work she’d put into transforming the Seventh Street bungalow into a cozy…
Yesterday Christopher Mayo of Metro Brasserie dished on Scottsdale cuisine, his hopes for rabbit and his various kitchen gigs. Today he shares his Croque Monsieur recipe. A classic french lunch dish, the Croque Monsieur (pronounced “krohk muh-syuh”) dates back to a Parisian cafe menu in 1910. While it is not…
Could any restaurant in the Valley possibly be generating more excitement right now than tiny FnB, the cozy, convivial spot that ever-gracious front-of-the-house multitasker Pavle Milic opened late last year with chef Charleen Badman? Not in my book. Local food fanatics are raving about this place, where something as humble as braised…
After skipping out on both the Jell-O and dip showdowns recently, I decided to whip something up to show the Chow Bella staff some love, in honor of the season. Almonds seemed like the perfect treat — healthy (pretend healthy, at least) and tasty, particularly with a few sweet additions…
Just got a last-minute copy of St. Francis’ menu for tonight’s farm and blessing dinner, with organic produce provided by Duncan Trading Co. — pan-roasted sea scallops with lincoln leek puree, beets, and citrus is calling my name . . . FarmBlessing_1Up.pdf…
What a major, major coup for downtown Phoenix. Bob Lynn, the creator of La Grande Orange Grocery — which brought new life to east Phoenix and spawned a busy hub of eateries at 40th Street and Campbell — will be launching a new gastropub by the end of the year…
When we went to Society Café in Las Vegas a few months ago, we were totally impressed with the American restaurant’s innovative takes on classics–pasta drenched in truffle cream, egg-topped ham-and-cheese sandwiches and mouthwatering cocktails. Lucky for us, the former chef of that restaurant, Jeremy Pacheco, is now back in…
With Valentine’s Day around the corner, we thought we’d get you in the mood with a little friendly competition of gooey, rich and chocolatey desserts. We have two serious competitors: a deep, dark chocolate cake and a brownie-like dessert served with a side of warm chocolate sauce. So light some candles…
Christopher Mayo may be a fresh face at Metro Brasserie (he was named executive chef when Matt Taylor left in November), but he’s certainly no food-scene virgin. At the tender age of 20, Mayo opened Grilled Expedition at Desert Ridge. Later he split for culinary school in New York, then to the kitchens of Daniel…
If rock ‘n roll had an official drink, what would it be? I’ve had countless beer-drenched nights in the more than two decades I’ve been going to rock shows, but these days, a little vino with my music suits me just fine (even if I can’t take a wine glass…
Arizonans have an understandable affinity for all things cold and sweet — hello, that’s a survival mechanism most of the year! — so it’s no surprise that ice cream giant Haagen-Dazs is focusing on our state (along with California, Florida, and New York) to test out a new line called…
We were delighted to see something new (to us, at least) in the Valentine aisle at Walgreen’s — conversation hearts in Spanish, alongside the traditional English variety. Sadly, when we ripped into the bag, we couldn’t help but notice how piss-poor the quality was…
How well do you know your favorite cookhouse contraptions? See if you can guess today’s gadget and check back next week for the answer. Here are a few of our guesses, add yours to the comment box below: – Karl Malden spittoon. – Renaissance-Fair-Ready earthenware glug-chugger. – “Mr. Saddy” suicide…
Eli KlugerThe video producer of Phoenix Rising has a slew of other films at www.youtube.com/beatfilms What’d you eat for dinner last night? I ate a granola bar.Favorite food: My favorite food has to be pizza, or Peter Piper Pizza buffet, more specifically. I can’t resist all-you-can-eat deliciousness at a reasonable…
St. Francis chef-owner Aaron Chamberlin is hosting a special event on Wednesday, and he doesn’t even know what’s on the menu yet. That’s because he’s waiting to see what kinds of exotic organic produce farmer Patrick Duncan will drop off for his Brophy Farm to Table Dinner. Chamberlin will cook…
OK, so you’ve got those Valentine treats baked, and they’re too cute for a Ziploc. No worries. The blog Twig & Thistle has an adorable goody bag for you — and all you have to do is download the design and print it on bags. No charge. T&T has created a…
The evolution of Mill Avenue continues. While retailers might’ve taken the biggest economic hit along downtown Tempe’s walkable stretch (witness the sad row of empty storefronts just north of P.F. Chang’s), the restaurant scene is burgeoning. Open since Friday, Robbie Fox’s Public House is the newest addition to the mix, giving Rula…
From high-end burgers at swanky steakhouses to chains like Smashburger and Five Guys making their way into the local market, the lust for hamburgers shows no sign of ending. That’s what restaurateur Lobby Syregelas is betting on with his new concept, Lobbys Beef, Burgers, Dogs, which opened late last year…
