Since Peter DeRuvo left Prado, the Andalusian-inspired fine-dining spot at the Montelucia Resort & Spa, last September, the Paradise Valley luxury hotel has been looking for a new executive chef. Now, a little over four months later, they’ve got one. Chef Michael Cairns will head up all aspects of dining…

Next Tuesday, February 14, Arizona celebrates 100 years of statehood. So where are the eats? The official state food eats? Sadly, there’s not one to be found. Which is why, after this long, it’s time to get hungry for an official state food. Here’s an excerpt from my column in…

You would think that after 100 years of statehood, Arizona would have gotten hungry enough to give itself an official food. Nope. Today, the only state symbol you might want to eat is the state fish, the Apache trout. But given its listing as threatened under the Endangered Species Act…

If the most creative thing you’ve done with your seasonings lately is re-organize your spice rack, get an eyeful of artist Kelly McCollam’s works created using salt, spices, and food coloring. The Ohio-based McCollam is primarily a fine art photographer, but took a step out of her comfort zone to…

As if the stars were aligning to ensure at least one of my predictions for the Valley food scene actually comes true, Windsor, the cozy North Central neighborhood bar and restaurant from restaurateurs Craig DeMarco and Lauren Bailey, has announced it will debut its very own brunch menu — which…

Sheesh Portillo’s, what took you so long? That’s what a lot of Chicago transplants in the Valley may be saying to themselves upon hearing the news that the Chicago-area restaurant company is bringing its Chicago-style hot dogs, Italian beef, hamburgers, Maxwell Street Polish, salads, and desserts to several locations in…

In what may be the Valley’s quickest opening and closing of a new restaurant by a legendary tastemaker, Barrio Cafe owner and chef Silvana Salcido Esparza has decided to close the second of her two concepts, Silvana Bistro, and devote all her energy (and Silvana Bistro’s space) to the first:…

With Valentine’s Day right around the corner, it’s always nice to see the love, especially on a national level and when it’s given to Valley restaurants. Three Valley dining spots and L’Auberge Restaurant on Oak Creek in Sedona made the list of the 100 Most Romantic Restaurants in the US…

A few years ago, downtown’s menu of dining options could be counted on one hand, but slowly, ever so slowly, that situation has been changing. With the arrival of CityScape, the high-rise residential, retail, office, and hotel complex in 2010, those in downtown now have more options of where to…

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, some menu items. First Taste, as the name implies, is not a full-blown review, but instead a peek inside restaurants that have just opened,…

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. From predicted national trends in cuisine like Scandinavian flavors, caneles,…

After a little over four months at Cuoco Pazzo, the Italian restaurant in Old Town Scottsdale, chef Peter DeRuvo has left. Citing differences in the management and business operations of the restaurant with father/son owners and operators Mario Rana Sr. and Jr., who also owned Mad Chef Gastropub before it…

In the Valley Dongbei cai, or the food of the Northeastern China, is a rare find indeed. In fact, at Chou’s Kitchen in Chandler, owners Tong Rizzo and Ping Chou may be the only ones serving up this region’s comforting and sometimes unfamiliar cuisine of distinctive flavors, colorful presentations, soft…

Chou’s Kitchen isn’t just the kind of restaurant that’s used to being excluded. It’s the kind of restaurant that’s used to being excluded twice. In the Valley, this restaurant’s menu of mostly unfamiliar northeastern Chinese cuisine (devoid of Americanized General Tso’s chicken, crab wontons, and fortune cookies) might turn less-adventurous…

Today, the Phoenix location of Morton’s The Steakhouse, located at 2501 East Camelback Road (in The Shops at the Esplanade), has been shuttered. The Denver Post reports the closing of the Phoenix Morton’s and eight other locations across the country, each employing around 40-60 people, coincides with Landry’s Inc. boss…

Did somebody say bacon? The Oink Cafe, a new breakfast and lunch spot in Paradise Valley, is slated to open at 6 a.m. Monday, February 13, at 4326 East Cactus Road (across from Paradise Valley Mall). Along with breakfast and lunch fare, The Oink Cafe will offer five kinds of…

For North Scottsdale folks in search of Italian cuisine, Bella Notte Ristorante, a new upscale Italian eatery located at 10989 East Dynamite Boulevard (in the former location of the Painted Horse Cafe at East Dynamite Boulevard and Alma School Road) may be worth taking note of. From chef and owner…