So I heard from Carson Quinn yesterday. He’s the owner of Camus, the scene-y bar/restaurant at the Clarendon that’s been closed since late April. Quinn couldn’t talk about the current legal troubles between Camus and the Clarendon that spawned from the incident that shut down the restaurant, but he did…
Just because Phoenix doesn’t have a Little Italy doesn’t mean there aren’t plenty of Italians here. You just have to know where to look. A few months ago, when I was researching a story about Arlecchino Gelateria (“The Big Chill,” May 3), I was pleasantly surprised to see so many…
According to Ben Bethel, the owner and general manager at the Clarendon, a new restaurant will debut at the hotel by late summer. It’ll be called C4, and the menu will feature casual Asian fusion dishes with a Southwestern touch — sunomono with chili flakes, gyoza with habanero sauce, ramen…
For me, reviewing restaurants is so personal, so subjective, that it’s hard to imagine anyone doing it with an actual checklist in hand. But for employees of AAA whose full-time job involves judging more than 60,000 dining establishments across the nation, determining a restaurant’s Diamond Rating comes with a set…
Hey, it’s nice to finally see some more action at Artisan Village — Sister’s Homestyle Cafe Express just opened for business last Friday, serving barbecue, fried chicken, jambalaya, and all those tasty-sounding sides that caught your attention in the subject line. (Sorry — I make myself hungry, too, just so…
Even though Digestif Urban Enoteca, restauranteur Peter Kasperski’s new “Cal-Ital ‘soul food'” spot at Fred Unger’s indie-glam SouthBridge development, isn’t supposed to open until this October, antsy foodies eager to sample chef Payton Curry’s creations can get in on two four-course tasting menus that will be served at Kazimierz World…
This sounds like fun: On Saturday night, from 5 to 10 p.m., the Irish Cultural Center will host the Bloomin’ Beerfest, a Bloomsday party with beer tastings from Sonoran Brewing, Oak Creek Brewing, Rock Bottom Breweries, Copper Canyon Grill & Brewpub, and other members of the Arizona Craft Brewers Guild…
People often ask me about how I decide what restaurants to review, and how I find them. Well, there’s really no formula for it. A lot of the time, I get tips from friends, I hear about new places that’ve opened, or I find a noteworthy spot that has never…
Do you love knives like a samurai loves katana, or are you just looking for a new chef uniform? Former chef Eytan Zias dropped me a line recently to tell me about his new shop, Phoenix Knife House, located at the corner of Goldwater and Indian School in Scottsdale: My…
I just got word that Counter Culture Cafe, the indie eatery and caffeine peddler to the downtown arts crowd, has closed. Originally located in a freestanding building on McDowell, the cafe reopened last year inside The Paper Heart, the Grand Avenue gallery/bar/performance venue. In a downtown that can use a…
In a recent review of Yasu Sushi Bistro, I lamented the absence of washu beef on a day I had gotten myself all excited to eat it. Chef Yasu Hashino hadn’t gotten any that week, since the quality of what was available wasn’t up to his standards. Now, Hashino’s got…
Hope you have high-definition television, because The Endless Feast is airing on PBS’ HD channel, not the regular one…
Now I’m really stumped about how those girls from Ipanema get away with wearing the scandalous scraps of spandex that pass for bikinis in Brazil. I have a sneaking suspicion that bootylicious ladies get much more appreciation in that culture than in ours, but still — while American gals are…
Have you ever wanted to take a class in something but just couldn’t find the time? Maybe an all-day Thai cooking seminar, or even a semester-long culinary class at Phoenix College? Such is the story of my life these days. There are so many things I’d love to study just…
A few months ago, I blogged about The Endless Feast, a new PBS series about organic farms and chefs around the country. One of the episodes highlights a lavish culinary display hosted by the local Slow Food chapter out in the desert, on Yavapai Nation land, and features Maya Dailey…
Aren’t those some of the cleverest cupcakes you’ve ever seen? That’s what I thought, too, when I took a look at The Confetti Cakes Cookbook, by Elisa Strauss, owner of New York City’s Confetti Cupcakes. I’ll probably never get around to attempting any of the recipes in it, but I…
I’ve always marked the official beginning of summer by the last day of Vincent’s Camelback Market. Before the heat is on, one of my favorite weekend pastimes is heading there on Saturday mornings to buy cheese, some produce, and maybe a bottle of wine. I order a crepe or a…
Groovy, baby: The downtown art crowd comes out for a beer at The Lost Leaf. Up until recently, The Lost Leaf was an eclectic, newish art gallery downtown, located just off of Roosevelt Row. (It’s two doors south of MADE Art Boutique, which is on the corner of 5th Street…
High hopes: Chef Michael DeMaria and business partner Brandon Maxwell at the future site of two new restaurants So it was true after all. A month ago, I’d gotten word that chef Michael DeMaria would be closing Michael’s at the Citadel to make way for a new restaurant venture. When…
Krimpets: Best snack ever After sending a few emails back and forth about hoagies, I found out from a fellow East Coast native that Tastykakes, some of my favorite junk food from back home, are actually available at Corleone’s cheesesteak places around here. Has anybody else spotted them lately? I…
On one of the recent nights I visited Skye, the flashy new fine-dining destination in Peoria, the place was abuzz with rumors of a celebrity in the house. One of my friends did a little reconnaissance on her smoke break. “So, I was standing there, minding my own business,” she…
I love how Changing Hands Bookstore has been doing more cookbook and food-related events lately, especially since they feed guests instead of merely making them drool over the pretty pictures. This week’s big event is a reception and dinner with chef Roberto Santibanez, a Mexico City native and culinary director…
