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. Anthony Bourdain supports it, Wolfgang Puck’s against it, and on…
Chicago Hamburger Company, the popular Arcadia eatery from ex-Chicagoan Bob Pappanduros, may be most known for its Windy City sliders, Chicago hot dogs, and thick banana shakes, but last Friday, it added something a bit bigger to its menu — big-ass burger bigger…
Today, the James Beard Foundation, the New York-based national nonprofit organization and undisputed standard of excellence when it comes to giving props to the culinary world, announced Fry Bread House as one of five winners of its 2012 America’s Classics award, which honors legendary family-owned restaurants across the country. Fry…
A new Whole Foods Market, the world’s largest retailer of natural and organic foods, is being built at The Shops at Town & Country, the shopping center (and home of Chris Bianco’s newest venture, Italian Restaurant) on the corner of Camelback Road and 20th Street in Central Phoenix. Set to…
The saying, “sex is like pizza — even when it’s bad, it’s still pretty good,” may not necessarily apply when it comes to Pizza Roulette — in fact, it could be downright painful. From the New Zealand-based pizza chain Hell Pizza, the company’s latest promotion features a regular pizza, but…
It should be noted that ostriches scare the hell out of me. My first up-close encounter with the large flightless birds from Africa happened, oddly enough, at a petting farm in Park Rapids, Minnesota. As soon as I approached the enclosure, where about 20 or so of them were clustered,…
On the heels of the news that Sprouts Farmers Market will merge with competitor Sunflower Farmers Market, a new grocery store is preparing to further shake up the Valley’s competitive supermarket scene. WinCo, the employee-owned, no-frills discount supermarket based in Boise, Idaho, has announced that it will open two locations…
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…
Looks like natural food nuptials are underway for two farmers market store chains. In a move that translates to 139 stores, 10,000 employees, and two billion dollars, Phoenix-based Sprouts Farmers Market has announced it will merge with competitor Sunflower Farmers Market, who has corporate offices in Boulder, Colorado, and Phoenix,…
On the heels of Chicago-based Italian chain Mia Francesca opening last month, Scottsdale’s Market Street in DC Ranch is announcing another new restaurant tenant set to open this summer: Market Street Kitchen. A dining experience of “rustic, urban American fare,” Market Street Kitchen will feature small-bite appetizers, natural-wood grilled meats,…
It was mixologist mayhem this Wednesday night at The Vig Uptown, where, among a packed house of more than 150 spectators, 11 bartenders went head to head for prizes and bragging rights at the 3rd Annual Devoured Cocktail Competition. Matty Helland of Windsor, restaurateurs Craig DeMarco and Lauren Bailey’s cool…
• Things got sticky last weekend — as in Caramelpalooza sticky. Here’s who took home the ribbons. – Chow Bella • My Drunk Diet is a great name for a book, plus the author is Lady Ga-Ga’s ex-boyfriend. – New York Times • Whoops! Paula Deen’s in trouble again –…
It seems as if we’ve been waiting for Chick Rotisserie & Wine Bar in Arcadia to open for, well, almost forever. From Allen and Traci Thompson, owners of next-door neighbor The Grind, and headed up by its chef, Bevin O’Neil, Chick’s been “coming soon” for so long that Sam Fox…
When a new spot opens in town, we can’t wait to check it out — and let you know our initial impressions while sharing a few photos and some menu items. First Taste, as the name implies, is not a full-blown review, but instead a peek inside restaurants that have…
Fuego Tacos is one of the last restaurants standing at the Camelback Esplanade — at least for now. Flavorwise, this casual spinoff to Fuego Bistro, the tiny Latin-inspired eatery in north Central Phoenix, is a far cry from its sister restaurant. But that doesn’t mean one can’t find a few…
Fuego Tacos is one of the last restaurants standing at the Camelback Esplanade — at least for now. The mixed-use development on the southeast corner of Camelback Road and 24th Street, across from Biltmore Fashion Park (home of Christopher’s Restaurant and Crush Lounge, Seasons 52, and True Food), hasn’t had…
Hold on to your curdles of milk, cheese fans, the latest report from the field is that pepper jack, the spicy subordinate of Monterey Jack, is the hottest new menu trend in consumer grub consumption. A recent USA Today article says that Datassential, a restaurant market-research firm, reports that the…
Cereal Milk Ice Cream, Crack Pie, the Compost Cookie — for fans of foods like potato chips, marshmallows, and corn flakes, Christina Tosi’s desserts are a highly creative and sugary godsend. The current pastry chef of David Chang’s Momofuku Milk Bar in New York who’s responsible for creating all of…
Calling itself, “the premium olive oil experience,” Oliv, a new boutique and tasting room featuring over sixty flavors of olive oils and balsamic vinegars, is now open at the Biltmore Fashion Park. Open since late December and founded by Awie and Isabeau du Toit, who own a olive farm in…
Where should you go when you’re looking for the most authentic Chinese food in America? According to Clarissa Wei, a freelance journalist for CNNGo, a travel and lifestyle website independent of the 24-hour cable news channel, if you’re in Arizona, you should go to China Magic Noodle House in Chandler…
If you saw him at TEDxPhoenix last November, are planning to hear him speak at Ignite Food in March, or are simply a fan of his seasonal American fare at his restaurant, Beckett’s Table, in Central Phoenix, then chef Justin Beckett is a familiar name — and one that’s just…
Today, the cookie sandwich known as the Oreo turns one-hundred years old, and for the millions who routinely enjoy its near-perfect and seemingly un-screw-upable taste (I prefer the Double Stuf variety straight from my freezer), it’s just as awesome today as it was on March 6, 1912, when the company…
