Thanks to hundreds of new restaurants opening in the Valley this year — including a cozy artisan pizza shop in Scottsdale, a vegan bakery downtown, and a trio of cuisines in East Phoenix — there was plenty to chew on when it came to First Tastes, our column of initial…
Welcome to Chow Bella’s Bites & Dishes, where Valley chefs and restaurateurs respond to a question New Times food critic Laura Hahnefeld has on her mind. Have a question you’d like to ask? E-mail laura.hahnefeld@newtimes.com. Miss a question? Go here. Holiday cooking catastrophes are nothing new, but when you’re in…
Sal and Dina Zappone moved to Gilbert in 2007, took jobs in corporate America, and waited until the perfect opportunity came along to open a restaurant. See also: – New Restaurant and Wine Bar, Nosh Arizona, to Open This Month in Chandler – LongHorn Steakhouse Tries Arizona (Again): This Time…
When a new spot opens in town, we can’t wait to check it out — and let you know our initial impressions, share a few photos, and dish about some menu items. First Taste, as the name implies, is not a full-blown review, but instead a peek inside restaurants that…
To be closer to their daughter, Denis and Catherine Michel moved to the Valley in 2006 from their hometown of Strasbourg, the capital of Alsace, where the couple operated several restaurants for more than 20 years. In 2010, they opened their French bistro in the Scottsdale Seville Shopping Center and…
There’s nothing like an unexpected gift for the holidays. But for 167 people at the end of last week, that gift came in the form of food poisoning from a Wyoming Golden Corral, the budget buffet and family-style steakhouse restaurant chain. “Oh, a norovirus! Golden Corral, you shouldn’t have!” Possibly…
Calistro California Bistro chef and owner Devin Walsh has made the decision to shutter the DC Ranch Crossing location of his farm-to-table Mediterranean restaurant. See also: Owner of Stacy’s Pit Stop BBQ Buying Circle H Barbecue in Phoenix and CLOSED: Nimbus American Bistro & Brewery in Scottsdale Walsh opened the…
This year, the variety of new restaurants in the Valley has more breadth and depth than ever before: comfort-food-meets-gourmet in Scottsdale; artisan pizzas by a legendary baker in Central Phoenix; and knockout Italian eats in east Mesa. When I made this list, I wanted a selection of restaurants offering distinctive…
When a new spot opens in town, we can’t wait to check it out — and let you know our initial impressions, share a few photos, and dish about some menu items. First Taste, as the name implies, is not a full-blown review, but instead a peek inside restaurants that…
Open Table, the online restaurant reservations provider, has released its 2012 Diners Choice Award winners for the Top 100 best restaurants in the United States. And while its thumbs up for four Arizona venues, one of the country’s top food cities, Chicago, doesn’t get a single restaurant mention. See also:…
The deal is going down over the next few days, but Stacy Phipps, owner and pit master of Stacy’s Smokehouse (now closed) and Stacy’s Pit Stop in Sunnyslope, is planning on turning Circle H Barbecue, in Central Phoenix, into his own ‘cue joint by the first part of next year…
Some might say “Merry Christmas,” others say “Feliz Navidad,” and still others simply say “Happy holidays,” but whatever you call this time of year, there’s only one word for the drinking event whose timing (thankfully) corresponds with the hectic season: tequila. See also: Best Tequila 2012 – 3 Amigos Tequila…
This fall, Eytan Zias, ex-New York restaurant chef and owner of Phoenix Knife House, moved his specialty cutlery shop from Scottsdale to a bigger space in Arcadia. Now, a few months later, he’s ready to celebrate. See also: Chow Bella’s Gift Guide for the Foodie and Tastemakers 2012: Eytan Zias…
If a restaurateur could be likened to a music genre, then chef Aaron May is punk rock. The well-known Valley chef and restaurateur does what he wants, the way he wants to, and with zero apologies. And his newest venture, Praying Monk, in Old Town Scottsdale, plays out like a…
Since chefs Keenan Bosworth and Joshua Riesner announced they were leaving Atlas Bistro, the sophisticated BYOB in Scottsdale, to start their own restaurant, Pig & Pickle, about a mile and a half away, managing partner Todd Sawyer has been on the hunt to fill the gap left by the culinary…
When a new spot opens in town, we can’t wait to check it out — and let you know our initial impressions, share a few photos, and dish about some menu items. First Taste, as the name implies, is not a full-blown review, but instead a peek inside restaurants that…
Welcome to Chow Bella’s Bites & Dishes, where Valley chefs and restaurateurs respond to a question New Times food critic Laura Hahnefeld has on her mind. Have a question you’d like to ask? E-mail laura.hahnefeld@newtimes.com. Miss a question? Go here. When Valley chefs size up, shake, and inspect their wrapped…
If a restaurateur could be likened to a music genre, then chef Aaron May is punk rock. The student of France’s L’Ecole Ritz Escoffier, recipient of the 2010 Arizona Culinary Hall of Fame “Chef Extraordinaire” award, and chef-owner of a string of Valley restaurants and bars does what he wants,…
Darden Restaurants, Inc., the same company who owns and operates Red Lobster, Olive Garden, The Capital Grille, Seasons 52, and Eddie V’s, is playing Santa this year in the form of steakhouse chain, LongHorn. See also: New Steakhouse Coming to Chandler Today, the casual American steakhouse that operates more than…
When a new spot opens in town, we can’t wait to check it out — and let you know our initial impressions, share a few photos, and dish about some menu items. First Taste, as the name implies, is not a full-blown review, but instead a peek inside restaurants that…
Yelpers went nuts over the weekend — and guess who was the topic? Amy Bouzaglo of Amy’s Baking Company in Scottsdale, who apparently cooked up a storm on Saturday. In fact, I reached out to one diner who was at Saturday night’s taping of Kitchen Nightmares at Amy’s. He got…
If anyone could have seen this coming, it would have been Wes Pallin. The fourth-generation medium and member of Spiritwalker Enterprises, the business listed as the owner of White Sage Espresso, is the man behind (most likely) the only coffee shop in the Valley to boast its own in-house psychic…
