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: The Cheesiest Food Tour We’ve Ever Seen New Restaurant…

Food Network Looking for Cupcake Reality Stars

​ ​ ​Just when you thought the cupcake thing was over, here comes a sign that it’s anything but. Last night we stumbled upon yet another cute cupcake web site — this one is called Bella Cupcake Couture — and some breaking news (something you don’t often encounter on a cupcake web…

Dip Showdown: And the Winner Is . . .

Man, oh man, was this a hard one. Toughest competition yet. I’ve been angsting all week about picking a winner for our Dip Showdown, where Chow Bella’s ambitious cooks all brought in their own tempting dip recipes, in anticipation of our country’s most dip-worthy holiday, the Super Bowl. (Yes, I…

This Weekend: Vietnamese Tet Festival at Mekong Plaza

I have a sneaking suspicion that Chow Bella readers don’t really need an excuse to eat Vietnamese cuisine, but just for fun, why not celebrate the lunar new year at Mekong Plaza’s Tet Festival this weekend? The Mesa Vietnamese shopping center (66 S. Dobson) is already home to a handful of…

Cakewrecks.com: Sperm, Cigarettes, and Other Cake Decorating Don’ts

The internet is chock full of gorgeously photographed cake blogs loaded with towering confections where every detail is executed to perfection.  And while we admire these baked beauties, we also relish the rubbernecking when the art of cake decorating goes completely off-road.  In case you’ve missed the hype on this…

New Collaborative Market Set to Open in Mesa

Ever been to Pike Place Market in Seattle or Oxbow Market in Napa Valley? Those are models for POOL, a new collaborative market that’s in the works in Mesa. It’s anticipated to open this spring.The 41,000-square-foot space at Stapley and Main Street, which used to be a Mervyn’s, has room…

Naughty Burger at Five Guys in Tempe

The urge to eat a good cheeseburger struck me like a lightning bolt the other day — funny how one’s body sneakily finds a way to get back at you for too many days of granola and salads and yogurt. I wound up at Five Guys Burger & Fries on Mill…

Cafe: Modern Steak

Many moons ago, our father took us to Ray’s the Steaks in Virginia. The wait was exceptionally long. They don’t take reservations (yes, one of those places) and once we got inside the weight for service was pretty unbearable. In fact, we were asked to come back at a later…

Dip Showdown: Gettin’ Zingy Wit It Bean Dip

The Chow Bella staff can’t stay out of the kitchen. In anticipation of the Super Bowl, we’ve used our culinary talents to compete in a showdown of dips. After Jonathan’s heart-stopping, Nothing Left to Lose Beer Cheese, Claire’s family-fancy, Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell Artichoke Dip, Claire’s flurry of Curry Some…

Coopers’town Former Business Partner Sues Alice Cooper

Today’s headlines over on our news blog, Valley Fever, are full of local restaurant news. First Heart Attack Grill, and now James King comes at us with a story about Coopers’town. Turns out, Alice Cooper’s former business partner is full of allegations of bad behavior by the Valley’s favorite ​shock rocker, in connection…

A Peek at Tammie Coe’s Improvements

I decided to swing by Tammie Coe for a latte and a treat this morning, curious to see the shop’s recent remodel. Even before I walked through the door, the changes were evident, with more umbrella tables and seating on the sidewalk. It feels a lot more like a mini-cafe…

Heart Attack Grill vs. Heart Stoppers Sports Grill

  We mentioned it briefly yesterday, but today Ray Stern takes a deeper look at the Heart Attack Grill’s lawsuit against a Florida sports bar, over on our Valley Fever blog. (For earlier coverage of the concept, go here.) True, the name “Heart Stoppers Sports Grill” is awfully similar. But who…

Nikki Buchanan Blogs on The Wild Lavender

Congrats to “food philosopher” Nikki Buchanan on her two-day-old baby, The Wild Lavender. The longtime local restaurant critic, who freelances for The Arizona Republic’s “Everyday Dining” beat and spent the better part of her career with Phoenix Magazine, just launched her own blog, where she’ll be writing about all the…

Selleck Waterfall Sandwich: Provisional Poet

Selleck, sandwich and a waterfall, that’s the site, yeah, that is all. Just Selleck, sandwich and a waterfall. Waterfalls are pretty, sandwiches chunky, add some Selleck and you’ve got hunky. Here’s the link, now get there fast, ’cause everything’s better with a Selleck mustache. http://selleckwaterfallsandwich.tumblr.com/…

Battle of the Mac ‘n’ Cheese

If you were trapped on a desert island and could only take five items with you, what couldn’t you live without? Toothbrush? Makeup? Deodorant? Teddy bear? Call us crazy, but we’d take a giant tub of mac ‘n’ cheese — our favorite comfort food. The plane could crash, the coconut…

Modern Steak Is Delicious — If You Don’t Mind the Wait

I was skeptical. By now, don’t we all have steakhouse fatigue? After three celebrity chefs opened upscale temples to premium beef over the past two years, the news that yet another high-end steakhouse was in the works invited collective head scratching. The fact that Modern Steak is located at a…

Food Critics: Outmoded or More Relevant Than Ever?

No wonder food critics are feeling introspective. Between publishing’s industrywide troubles, the ever-increasing speed (and seemingly decreased value) of online information, the mushrooming presence of food blogs, and the unexpected closure of foodie bible Gourmet Magazine, the future looks like one big question mark — or, for someone like me who’s navigating the busy intersection…

Chef Chat: Jamie Santoro’s House Lasagna

Yesterday we talked with Chef Jamie Santoro of That Italian Place. Today she gives us the rundown on her lasagna. She says the recipe has been in the family for years and it’s a popular dish with the Ahwatukee regulars. Here’s the scoop:…

Phoenix Food Tax: Will It Last?

Does the food tax leave a bad taste in your mouth? It’s not too late to do something about it. Yesterday, the Phoenix City Council voted 6-3 to approve a two percent tax on groceries, intended to raise an estimated $62 million over two years to preserve the jobs of cops, firefighters, and other city employees…