One dilemma I face as a restaurant reviewer is how long of a grace period I should allow an infant establishment before writing about its fare. Some of my pals in the eatin' biz assert that a newbie grub shack should be ready from jump, while others say that the...
Every afternoon, a whirlwind kicks up inside Pete Deise's studio. It's not just the metal sculptor at work. The artist has considered that he might have a roommate or two of the paranormal variety, someone who playfully blows dust around on a daily basis. "It's kind of weird, and the...
CLUBS ACME Roadhouse: In its original Scottsdale location, ACME catered to Harley-Davidson weekend warriors. In its new Tempe incarnation, it entertains the college set with dancing and, on Sundays, local rock bands. Dance space is at a minimum, but there's plenty of room for other social rites. Sun: Live music...
You could be the lucky winner of a pair of tickets to the Dave Matthews Band concert at Cricket Pavilion on August 24. Count the number of silver 1800 bottles that appear in this Cinco de Mayo Guide and e-mail your guess to tickets@newtimes.com. Winners must be 21 or older...
The following is a select listing of music, restaurant and bar activities planned at various Valley venues on Wednesday, March 17, unless otherwise stated. Call the telephone numbers listed for details. Special Events Family Fun Night, March 12 Fountain of Life International 1055 E. Hearn Rd. No cover. Entertainment by...
CLUBS ACME Roadhouse: In its original Scottsdale location, ACME catered to Harley-Davidson weekend warriors. In its new Tempe incarnation, it entertains the college set with dancing and, on Sundays, local rock bands. Dance space is at a minimum, but there's plenty of room for other social rites. Sun: Live music...
The good news first: I've recently had the pleasure of eating at the hippest new sushi joint in the Valley, with maki rolls so innovative, and yet professionally prepared, that I'd almost be willing to move upstairs from the place so that I could get my daily fix. Now the...
Dora Schriro lives in a parallel universe, a place where teenage thugs sit on Santa's lap and Girl Scouts visit penitentiaries. In Schriro's world, parolees are called "clients," not criminals. It's a land of jailhouse picnics, where inmates raise money for charity -- when they're not busy doing arts and...
The corporate big wheels are putting the screws to downtown Phoenix. Each twist brings us inexorably closer to obliterating a rare and fragile opportunity to create an urban center unique to our corner of the world. Anyone who thinks a corporate-dominated glitter mall with chain eateries and high-end housing isn't...
CLUBS ACME Roadhouse: In its original Scottsdale location, ACME catered to Harley-Davidson weekend warriors. In its new Tempe incarnation, it entertains the college set with dancing and, on Saturdays, local rock bands. Dance space is at a minimum, but there's plenty of room for other social rites. Sun: Live music...
1. Mars Volta, De-Loused in the Comatorium (Universal): A redefinition of prog rock that pries the scene from the death grip of pasty dudes in Rush shirts, De-Loused adds swing to the most stilted of subgenres and gets it laid for the first time. Santana, King Crimson, and Fugazi all...
11/22-11/23 "It's like taking a vacation and being a dictator for two days," says Mimi Altree, the actress playing Queen Elizabeth in the 21st annual Devonshire Renaissance Faire. "But it's good to be the queen, even if it's for only a few days." Altree has played Elizabeth I at the...
Not much happens in Litchfield Park. A community of just 3.1 acres and 3,800 residents, this place's only appeal to "outsiders" has always been the Wigwam Resort. The Wigwam is a gorgeous luxury property, a historic jewel, and home of the national-award-winning restaurant the Arizona Kitchen. The resort is a...
As soon as the Suns game wraps up, they come busting out of the north doors of the America West Arena like a pack of hungry wolves. "The party's in there," declares a young black woman in micro-braids and a form-fitting blue dress, checking out the long line that has...
Downtown Deluge Artistic statement: Thank you very much for the in-depth articles on downtown Phoenix. ("Exploding Downtown," October 2 and "Jerry's World," October 16) Your special project deserves kudos for bringing to light the many opportunities that the Phoenix metropolitan area has to create a vibrant, creative, and "live-able" downtown...
Letters, I get letters. Usually, if a reader takes the time to write or call, he's pretty passionate about his food. It's impressive how worked up some folks get over a taco or a burger. Sometimes, these readers are almost scary in their pleas. I have here in my hand...
"People accuse me of being a pussy. But that's cool. I don't care. " Shawn Harrington sits quietly on the patio of the crowded sports bar McDuffy's in Tempe, nursing a Corona. He squirms as he searches for the right words to describe his songwriting process, which has enabled him...
Once upon a time, in restaurants far and wide, food was food. There was Italian, Chinese, Mexican . . . but we pretty much always knew what we were getting when we ordered. Spaghetti, chow mein, a burrito. There was high-end cuisine -- but the genteel recipes were protected by...
Thursday, September 25 The Phoenix Symphony toasts its new season on Thursday, September 25, with champagne, a gala atmosphere and a rare appearance by the legendary pianist Van Cliburn, who hasn't visited the Valley in nearly 30 years. Among other works, he performs Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto No. 1, the piece...
Fibber Magees, see, is an Irish restaurant and pub. It celebrates the Celtic concept of "craic" (pronounced "crack"), meaning a fun, down-to-earth experience. Like any proper pub, it's smoky and loud, thundering with live music on weekends, and pouring huge amounts of draught beer, like Harp, Guinness and Bass. It's...
8/7, 8/9 Last year, with her debut book The Idiot Girls' Action-Adventure Club, Valley humorist Laurie Notaro hit the New York Times best-seller list right about the same time her long-running column for the Arizona Republic was unceremoniously canceled. Much of the book, and its just-released follow-up, Autobiography of a...
Arizona's prison system is in crisis. The state's prisons are built to hold 26,000 inmates. They now hold more than 30,000. Under Arizona's current sentencing laws, the state's prison population is expected to continue exploding with more than 1,000 additional inmates every year. By next summer, Arizona prisons are estimated...
