Big Brain Finalist 2012: Esther Mbaikambey

You submitted nominations for awards given to the Valley’s emerging creatives and the results are in. Introducing our Big Brain 2012 Finalists. Leading up to the Big Brain Award awards announcement and celebration on April 7, Chow Bella and Jackalope Ranch will introduce the finalists. Up today: Esther Mbaikambey Whether chef Esther Mbaikambey is serving up creations…

Vegan-Friendly Treehouse Bakery (Finally) Gets Its Storefront

Corianne Sizemore launched her vegan-friendly bakery business in 2010, but without a retail storefront, those in search of Sizemore’s “scrumptious vegan delights” — like organic, non-egg, and dairy-free vegan cupcakes, cookies, muffins, pies, and “uncheesecakes” — had to seek them out every second and fourth Saturday at the Downtown Public…

CLOSED: Joey’s of Chicago (Arcadia Location)

Joey’s of Chicago, the local chain of Chicago-style hot dogs and sandwiches whose stores are adorned with all things Windy City, has shuttered its Arcadia location at 4280 East Indian School Road. Citing poor parking and high rent in its strip mall location, the Arcadia Joey’s closed earlier this year…

5 & Diner Expanding to New Jersey

Looks like the state of New Jersey, birthplace of Bon Jovi, the light bulb, and home of the world’s largest spoon collection, is in need of some (more) burgers and shakes — stat. And who better to continue to fill the densest system of highways in the United States with…

Crescent Ballroom Now Open for Lunch

For those who can’t get enough of the urban-cool vibe at Crescent Ballroom, downtown’s mid-size live music venue that opened last October in the revamped 1917-era building formerly occupied by Bentley’s Nightclub, the venue is now open for lunch — at least its kitchen is anyway. Once open for dinner…

This Week’s Tastiest Links!

• Did you see Laurie Notaro’s Eight Food(ie) Terms Past Their Expiration Dates? Oh my, it’s a mouthfeel — and we’re just talking about the comment section. – Chow Bella • Jon Stewart gives “pink slime” the business, but in the end, delicious, mechanically separated meat pulp gets the last…

What’s the Most Expensive Ingredient You’ve Used?

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. It’s no secret that top-notch chefs and restaurants have their…

Tom’s Thumb Fresh Market: Car Wash Meets Cuisine

Care for a little wine with that wax? How about some fire-roasted Mexican corn with that fill up? For those who think they’ve seen it all, welcome to Tom’s Thumb Fresh Market. Like the love child spawned from an errand-running orgy involving a car wash, gas station, coffee shop, bistro,…

Eleven Favorite Places for Sushi in the Valley

Since coming to the United States from Tokyo in the 1960s (when the California Roll was born), sushi has been found everywhere from grocery stores and restaurants to convenience marts in all 50 states and popular culture. (Hell, even Tony and Carmela ate it in The Sopranos’ final-season opener.) And…

Food Network’s Giada De Laurentiis Coming to Sur La Table in Scottsdale

Italian American chef, writer, television personality, self-proclaimed chocoholic, and holding a #6 ranking on CafeMom’s 2010 “Sexiest Moms Alive” list, the Food Network’s Giada De Laurentiis is coming to Scottsdale. At 11:30 a.m., Sunday, April 29, De Laurentiis will be visiting Sur La Table’s Kierland Commons location in Scottsdale promoting…

Mobile Espresso Maker Is Your New Favorite Mobile Espresso Maker

Buzzing insects, varying temperatures — STRANGER DANGER — the world’s a scary place outside the soothing, controlled comforts of the inside of one’s automobile, especially when it comes to leaving it to procure an espresso. Fear not, coffee fiends and car lovers, Handpresso Auto has come up with the mobile…

Sushi Brokers to Open Second Location in Arcadia

Think the stretch of Indian School Road between 36th and 56th streets has finally run its course as one the Valley’s hottest addresses for restaurants? Think again. From current dining sites like Beckett’s Table, Cave & Ives, and Kitchen 56 to the recently opened bar called The Little Woody and…

Vegan Mexican Restaurant Coming to Downtown Phoenix

“There’s a lot of ‘berto’s’ in Mexican restaurant names, and teddy bears are disarming,” says Yin Macatabas on how she arrived at the name for her first eatery. “Plus, vegans don’t eat animals.” Called Tediberto’s, Macatabas’ restaurant will focus on vegan Mexican food, something she says is difficult to find…

CLOSED: Matador Restaurant

After 35 years, the Matador Restaurant, a downtown favorite of locals in search of Sonoran Mexican food, has shuttered. On March 12, a fire briefly closed the restaurant located at the southeast corner of First and Adams streets. Less than two weeks later, after re-opening for a few days last…

This Week’s Tastiest Links!

• RIP: Murray Lender of Lender’s Bagel’s. – USA TODAY • Cookbook ghostwriting (cookbook ghostwriting!) explained. Rachael Ray and Gwyneth Paltrow pissed. – The New York Times • And then there was one. A single Valley nominee moves on as a James Beard Award finalist. – Chow Bella • Balding?…

Oprah Gives Shout-Out to Valley Confectioner Julia Baker

How to know when you’ve arrived? It’s not Snooki following you on Twitter, your mention in a rap song/your rap song, or your video making it on Tosh.0 — it’s a shout-out from the Big O herself, Oprah Winfrey. Julia Baker, chef and owner of Julia Baker Confections, should know…

Safeway Pulls the Plug on “Pink Slime” Textured Beef

Ah, there’s nothing like ammonia-treated meat. Lovingly called “pink slime,” it’s been the recent subject of celebu-chef Jamie Oliver, fast food, school lunches, and of course, our nightmares. Apparently consumer pressure on this meat monstrosity — specifically beef with the controversial filler — has gotten the better of Safeway, America’s…