Every week, there's a cornucopia of Phoenix food news, features, and reviews to report here at Chow Bella. If you're like most people, you probably just don't have the time to get to all of it. So, here's a recap of some of the top stories from the week that you may have missed.
Arizona's First Steak 'n Shake Coming to Tempe's Mill Avenue
Steak 'n Shake, the diner-style restaurant chain located primarily in the Midwest and South and known for its Original Steakburger and hand-dipped milkshakes, is making its first foray into Arizona -- by way of Tempe's Mill Avenue.
Founded in Illinois in 1934 by Gus Belt, Steak 'n Shake will open its Tempe location at 699 South Mill Avenue (on the northeast corner of Mill and Seventh Street in the front of the former Borders) in the next few months.
See what the late Roger Ebert had to say about Steak 'n Shake.
--Laura Hahnefeld
Top 10 Picks for Arizona Restaurant Week, September 2013
In just a handful of days, Arizona Restaurant Week, the twice-a-year event put on by the Arizona Restaurant Association, will be in full swing. And this year, the nine-day fall celebration, which runs from Saturday, September 21, to Sunday, September 29, is expected to include over 150 restaurants offering discounted three-course meals, priced at $30 or $40, plus tax and tip.
That's a lot of choices to consider when deciding on where to spend your dining dollars and time.
--Laura Hahnefeld
17 Food Festivals in Metro Phoenix: Chow Bella's Fall 2013 Guide
Summer is coming to an end, and while the rest of the country is in mourning, we're celebrating. Now begins the time when the Valley of the Sun comes to life, and now that we can actually stand to be in that sunshine, our favorite season is finally kicking off.
Bring on the fall and with it a calendar full of food festivals!
--Dominique Chatterjee
Postino Owners Opening Joyride Taco House in Phoenix
Described as the "fifth and final piece to Craig DeMarco and Lauren Bailey's nucleus of restaurants," a second location of Joyride Taco House will join Postino Central, Windsor, Churn, and Federal Pizza on Central Avenue in Central Phoenix this December.
DeMarco and Bailey, the Upward Projects restaurateurs who opened the original Joyride Taco House in Gilbert in June, announced that the second location of the restaurant will be at 5202 North Central Avenue (across the street from Windsor and Churn) in a 4,200-square-foot space previously occupied by Aiello's Italian Restaurant.
Here's what diners can expect.
--Laura Hahnefeld
Spinato's vs. DeFalco's: Clash of the Calzones
For those who have seen calzones jotted on the bottom corner of your local pizza shop's menu without ever trying one -- what are you waiting for? A calzone is basically a pizza ready to devour on the go. Not to be confused with its cousin the stromboli, a calzone's outer dough is pizza dough, whereas the stromboli is made with Italian bread dough.
In the style of the great Philadelphia debate of who makes the better cheesesteak, Chow Bella now asks the question, who makes the better calzone? Clutching a calzone in each hand, this battle was one of the toughest to determine, pitting two longtime Valley pizza families against one another.
Check out who won the battle between Spinato's and DeFalco's.
--Rachel Miller
