If I could afford it, I’d eat sushi and sashimi about every other day, interspersed with Italian, Thai, and Vietnamese cuisine. But the problem is, I’ve become such a Japanese food geek that I won’t eat just any raw fish, lest I get mad for wasting my hard-earned paycheck on…
Maybe the name has something to do with it, but the Happy Lady Eats blog is so darn charming that it can’t help but lift your mood to read it.Editor Joy Deangdeelert Cho, a visually creative foodie who applies her graphic design skills to making her blog into pure eye…
Are you fond of fondue? Now you can get your dip-and-swish fix at the Valley’s third location of popular fondue house The Melting Pot, located in the Citadelle Shopping Center at 19420 N. 59th Avenue (at Utopia). At nearly 6,200 square feet, with seating for almost 200 people, it’s the largest…
Who can resist a weather-centric special? Especially when it involves booze?Not me. I talk a good game about wanting a cup of hot tea, but I would not refuse a Jameson’s Irish Coffee if one mysteriously appeared in front of me.This week’s crappy weather is reason to celebrate at Cadillac…
Got a mouthwatering pie recipe that you’re dying to share with fellow cooks?KAET Eight, the local PBS station, is accepting recipe submissions for a new cookbook, called Eight Cooks: P is for Pie. From savory meat pies and pot pies to the whole spectrum of dessert pies, they’re including every recipe…
Recently, I got an e-mail from a regular New Times reader who was looking for some good restaurants in the far East Valley. I mean really far — somewhere closer to Apache Junction than Tempe’s Apache Drive. “It’s not all chains on this side of town,” he wrote, urging me…
This is the sign out front of Tammie Coe Cakes today, where the doors are wide open and you can see workers putting final touches on a renovation that’s set to be finished for tomorrow’s reopening. (Was that a hot cocoa menu I saw in there? Hmm…)There’s going to be…
Even as restaurateur Sam Fox’s culinary empire continues to grow, one of his spots has just gone indie. As of January 1, Chloe’s Corner, the pint-sized lunch counter at Kierland Commons, is under new ownership, purchased by general manager Ashly Young. This is the first time a Fox restaurant has been sold…
Looking for an upscale dining option before getting a culture fix at Mesa Arts Center? You’ll have to look a little bit harder now that S’Bistro has closed. A dispute over rent between chef-owner Brian Banasek and landlord Craig Pouty led to the shuttering, as reported in detail by The Trib…
Now that they’ve mastered mind-blowing authentic macarons, the talented folks at Essence Bakery Cafe are branching out to croissants. Chef-owner Eugenia Theodosopoulos says this is the first time her Tempe shop has offered freshly baked croissants and chocolate croissants. It’s no novice attempt, though. Theodosopoulos got some expert guidance from…
Why try to come up with a new concept when you can resurrect and refresh a time-honored Valley favorite? La Hacienda at The Fairmont Scottsdale was an iconic fine dining destination before it unexpectedly closed back in 2008, a high-profile victim of the recession. It was one of only two upscale…
If you’re thinking about eating Japanese food this week, do it on Tuesday, January 19. Sushi Roku, the stylish in-house restaurant at the W Scottsdale, is hosting a special day of fundraising to benefit Haiti earthquake relief efforts by the American Red Cross, Yele Haiti, and the Clinton Foundation. Dine…
Fox Restaurant Group has announced next week’s scheduled opening of a new gastropub concept at the Scottsdale Waterfront, called Culinary Dropout. Situated in a completely revamped space that used to house Pink Taco, the restaurant will open its doors on January 27…
Along with a $2 million remodel of the Hermosa Inn, Lon’s at the Hermosa has new kitchen leadership as well. The AAA Four Diamond restaurant has just named its new executive chef, Jeremy Pacheco, who comes on board after a two-month search; the previous exec chef at Lon’s was Michael…
Farewell to a place with real character. Word from a very reliable source is that Tempe favorite Efes Turkish Cuisine has closed; there’s no answer at the restaurant’s number during scheduled business hours. The six-year-old eatery was well-known for its exquisite kebabs, friendly service, and exotic, cozy Turkish decor…
After a weekend of private friends-and-family events, The Main Ingredient Ale House & Cafe finally opens its doors to the public tonight (2337 N. 7th St.) Owners Matt and Courtney Diamond have transformed the former Lisa G Cafe Wine Bar, which they purchased from Lisa Giungo back around Halloween, into…
If you consider yourself a card-carrying coffee geek — or, as restaurateur Joe Johnston would put it, a “disciple” of the “true gospel of coffee” — then you need to bookmark Johnston’s excellent new blog, Roaster Project. But even if you don’t consider yourself a java expert or even drink the…
Just got an interesting tidbit from a friend that I thought I’d share.It’s a list of the top 10 recipes that were searched on Google last year. As someone who compulsively Googles everything — and who consults with the online search engine far more often than the recipe box — I…
Good ol’ Middle Eastern Bakery & Deli.This Central Phoenix restaurant has been one of my favorite lunchtime go-to spots ever since I started working at New Times over nine years ago. I recall one of my coworkers taking me there during my first week on the job, and I was…
Even when businesses were dropping like flies earlier this year, it still came as a surprised when popular north Phoenix pastry shop Wicked Bakery closed its doors.But chef-owner Slade Grove is back on the scene, now operating out of Luci’s Healthy Marketplace, which made its own comeback in October, reopening…
Has Avalon executive chef Travis Watson been lured back into the fold at Fox Restaurant Group to work at the soon-to-open Culinary Dropout?The rumor isn’t confirmed, but one thing is true — Watson left the swanky Scottsdale restaurant just after the new year. Before he joined the opening team at…
Craving a cupcake in North Scottsdale? If you were hoping to swing by Scottsdale Bakery & Cupcake Company (15090 N. Northsight Blvd.) for a little frosted confection and a drink, you’re out of luck. The family-owned storefront closed in mid-December due to lack of traffic in a struggling retail complex. However,…
