Somebody had a lot of fun with this. Just look at those funny little fondant pigs! A friend just sent me a link to a darling website where they’ve created incredibly detailed cupcake designs inspired by classic games and retro video games, and then made a guessing game out of…
Chinese New Year doesn’t officially happen for another month, on February 14. But with a fresh new 2010 calendar at my desk and an out-of-the-blue craving for dim sum, I had the upcoming Year of the Tiger on my mind and figured I’d round up some friends for a feast…
Chocolate cherry sourdough. Olive walnut sourdough. Rosemary bread. Pumpkin bread. Sun-dried tomato bread. Is your mouth watering yet? These are just a few examples that illustrate why The Phoenician’s master baker Ben Hershberger has gained a following for his outstanding artisanal breads, which he bakes daily for Il Terrazzo, Windows on the…
As part of local franchisee Sunwest Burgers LLC’s plans to open 30 Smashburger locations in Maricopa County over the next few years, another one of the fast-food burger joints is set to open at Gateway Crossing in Avondale (9915 W. McDowell, Ste. 101) on February 3. (The Tempe store is pictured above.) …
The past six months have been a blur. It was only back in July that the newly formed non-profit organization Devour Phoenix, a coalition of local indie restaurants affiliated with Local First Arizona, was making news with its plans to launch a high-profile culinary festival that would replace West of Western at…
Will new Touch of Thai give Malee’s on Main, a long-running Old Town Scottsdale Thai spot, a run for their money? Time will tell, but a little competition never hurt anybody, especially in a neighborhood where sushi is plentiful but spicy Thai cuisine is hard to come by. Located at 4th Avenue…
Slow Food Phoenix is teaming up with Kai, the highly acclaimed fine dining restaurant at the Sheraton Wild Horse Pass Resort & Spa, for a special interactive culinary event geared toward the truly food obsessed. Since attendance is capped at 60 guests, reservations are a must for afternoon of Saturday,…
It was tempting enough to take frequent jaunts to the East Valley when Wisconsin-based Culver’s debuted in Mesa a couple years ago, but now the Midwestern favorite is heading to Central Phoenix, bringing its famous ButterBurgers to a stretch of the city that’s surprisingly sparse when it comes to fast food burger chains…
One of Restaurant Business Magazine’s 50 Great Ideas for 2009 comes from Petite Maison, one of my favorite new restaurants in the Valley. Wendy Goldman, the restaurant’s marketing gal, says their Staff Meals were featured in the January issue. Available only between 10 p.m. and midnight, Thursday through Saturday, the bargain-priced…
It was probably inevitable. In light of the excitement generated by deliciously bad-for-you deep-fried goodies traditionally found at the fair and at festivals, now there’s a new restaurant called Festival Foods Services, dishing up said naughty treats all the time. And not ironically, it’s in the Arizona Mills Mall food court, which…
There was already plenty of excitement about the opening of FnB, a collaboration between Pavle Milic, Peter Kasperski, and chef Charleen Badman, since it opened in Scottsdale a little over a month ago. Now, they’re keeping up the momentum with a revised menu and an attention-getting wine list featuring all Arizona…
How many times has Ty Largo made me smile or flat-out laugh my ass off? Too many times to count. Between food news-and-gossip-fueled email exchanges (he does marketing for local fave Quiessence, as well as various foodie events around town) and his ever-clever quips on Twitter (@juxtapalate), he’s been cracking…
Fandom has its privileges, even if you’re a bandwagoneer. So just in time for the NFL playoffs, it’s smart to be an Arizona Cardinals fan if only for the free and cheap eats it’ll get you. The better the team does, the more of these deals we’ll likely see. At Rubio’s…
Originality and tuna sandwiches don’t always go together, but that hasn’t stopped me from keeping an eye out for new takes on a lunchtime favorite. Zinc Bistro does an interesting and tasty version, piling up smoked tuna salad on crisp toasts. Capers and dill keep the smokiness in check, and…
Finally! I’d been wanting to check out the new weekday lunch at Lola Tapas ever since it debuted a few months back, and it was worth my (unintentional) wait when I stopped by this week. The place is just close enough to downtown that I can justify repeat visits from…
ere’s something pretty novel for Phoenix. It’s True Food’s special prix fixe menu geared to keeping you healthy during cold and flu season, called “Andy’s Immune Power Menu.” Andy, of course, is the acclaimed wellness guru Dr. Andrew Weil, who’s been involved with the health-centric eatery since the beginning. Executive chef Michael Stebner created…
The thought of eating some good barbecue has me tempted to hop in my car and take a nice long lunch break. I just got the word on a new spot in Mesa called J. Ruggs Southern BBQ (6610 E. Baseline) where father-and-son team Ian and John Ruggles have been dishing up…
In Tempe, where people gravitate toward bright commercial clusters like Mill Avenue and Tempe Marketplace, it can be hard for off-the-beaten-path businesses to do well. The corner of Fifth Street and College Avenue is one of those places that’s had a revolving door in recent years — maybe it’s a…
After busy Friday and Saturday nights, many Valley restaurants take a break on Sundays. But it’s not a day of rest for everyone. It’s business as usual for some eateries, a few of whom are promoting special prix fixe menus as a way to get more people in the door…
Do you ever get a midday craving for a restaurant that’s only open evenings? Or a nighttime urge to eat at a favorite lunch spot? Two new-ish local restaurants have just expanded their hours. For the past four months, chef-owner Aaron Chamberlin has been sticking to dinner-only service at St…
Gelato master Moreno Spangaro, whom I profiled in a 2007 cover story, sold his business as of January 1 — something he once considered unthinkable. After years of being solicited for his recipes and potential business partnerships — and after someone even broke into the store to try to steal Spangaro’s secrets — the…
Bittersweet seems to be the best way to sum up the Valley restaurant scene for 2009 — sweet that more than 100 restaurants opened in the midst of a very rough recession, but bitter that more than twice as many places shut their doors. Some of the bright spots? Read…
