It had been quite a while since I’d been to Chelsea’s Kitchen, and ages since I’d heard anyone talk about it. But I stopped by recently when I’d heard good things about new executive chef Bruce Kalman, who’s keeping some menu faves for the regulars but playing around with daily…
Upscale American cuisine with a Southwestern spin is the house specialty at CORE Kitchen & Wine Bar, which opens today at Tucson’s new Ritz-Carlton, Dove Mountain. Chef Joel Harrington, formerly of Fearing’s Restaurant in Dallas, incorporates plenty of regional ingredients in his dishes, such as barbecued quail and pulled rabbit…
For me, college was mostly a blur of all-day breakfast at Tom’s (the diner storefront always pictured in Seinfeld episodes), roast beef sandwiches from the student center, and bagels from anywhere I could get ’em. But college kids these days are eating a lot more sophisticated grub, it seems. Sodexo,…
SavorySweetLife.com blogger Alice just posted an incredible-looking recipe for salted hot caramel hot chocolate, with a porn-worthy photo to boot. Wow, does it ever look delish . . . The genius thing about it is that created her own version of the drink after she got addicted to the Starbucks…
Coffee fanatics have been waiting for the opening of Lola Coffee on Roosevelt, the second location of Daniel Wayne’s popular java joint, and it’s finally here. Stop by the historic Gold Spot building at 1001 N. 3rd Ave. (the entrance is actually on Roosevelt) between 7 and 10 p.m. tonight. Wayne’s done…
Posh chef-owner Joshua Hebert has more than just New Year’s Eve to celebrate on December 31. It also happens to be his restaurant’s first anniversary.Situated on the ground level of the Optima Camelview condos, the fine-dining spot is known for its lack of a traditional menu. Instead of ordering a la…
Doug Czufin and Bruce Lazarus of Sam’s Cafe are now the new owners of another Biltmore restaurant, Steamers Genuine Seafood, and from the sounds of it, they’ve really changed things up.The lunch and dinner menus have been tweaked, with lower pricing as well as new dishes, the decor’s gotten an…
Today, I’m geeking out over the latest post on The Japanese Food Report, an excellent blog that feeds my insatiable cravings for Japanese culinary esoterica. They’re talking about the sophisticated technique for butchering fish that extends the process of rigor mortis in the fish, and thereby enhances its umami (that is,…
It’s really kind of surprising that more people don’t talk about Essence Bakery Cafe — it’s one of the best places for lunch in Tempe, situated in that building on University that was the longtime home of Sabuddy (R.I.P.).I stopped by for a bite and was tempted by the most…
Living in Central Phoenix, I’m not about to state any allegiance between East Valley and West Valley restaurants. I’ll go wherever there’s good food to be had. But I can’t deny the overwhelming surplus of self-consciously hip sushi spots in the East Valley, where the trend is toward sleek and…
The fact that Christmas is right around the corner and it’s gift-giving season is certainly a good excuse to visit Red Hot Robot, but seriously, wouldn’t you want to buy these crazy toys for yourself? I dropped by a few days ago and found myself giggling at every turn, from happy,…
For my dad’s annual visit to Arizona last weekend, I wanted to take him out to a nice dinner at someplace where the food would be great and the atmosphere would be comfortable — anything too trendy wouldn’t suit him one bit. So we hit up Caffe Boa in Tempe, which…
Three years ago, the folks behind the Scottsdale Culinary Festival invited local foodies to make nominations for its Arizona Culinary Hall of Fame, whose winners are selected by private committee and then feted at the culinary fest’s awards dinner. It was the first time in the award’s history that nominations were open…
Let’s say this up front: The new Stingray Sushi at Biltmore Fashion Park — a spinoff of the original in Old Town Scottsdale — is not opening any day now. But it seems to be moving forward. The news that the hip, retro-inspired eatery (from the same folks who own tiki-tastic…
You don’t need to twist my arm to read menus, especially when the food is French and the setting is charming Petite Maison in Scottsdale. The restaurant tweaks its offerings pretty much daily, but these new lunch and dinner menus are what the restaurant’s PR gal Wendy Goldman calls “a…
You’ve been holing up and watching too many Phoenix Suns games on TV, folks. Meanwhile, Stoudemire’s Downtown has been hurting for business (as well as dealing with a rent dispute with its landlord, according to ABC 15). The restaurant just filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. The eatery is owned…
Calling all carnivores in the Camelback Corridor: Hot meat is on the way. Burger chain Smashburger, which recently made Arizona inroads with a Tempe location that debuted this fall, plans to open another restaurant at 1949 E. Camelback Rd., #164, in February 2010, according to its new Series 12 liquor…
5th and Wine, the new restaurant from the folks behind Humble Pie pizzeria, is open for business now, and the proprietors have passed along their new menu for Chow Bella readers to drool over: 5th%20and%20Wine.pdfLocated at 7051 E. 5th Ave. in Scottsdale, in the spot that used to be Fine’s Cellar,…
Seems like every year I tell Chow Bella readers when to get their vote on with local food mag Edible Phoenix’s Local Hero Awards, where readers are invited to participate in recognizing the area’s hardest-working food producers by simply submitting write-in nominations on the mag’s website.This year, I’m a little…
Since I first visited Japan 18 years ago, I’d only ever seen the faint outline of Mount Fuji through the clouds. Last week, though, I got a clear view of the iconic Fuji-san on three different occasions — too exciting! This was the first one, taken from the window of…
I’ve been going to Japan every year for quite a while now, but I never get tired of a plate of sashimi this gorgeous. This was just the first of many courses at the fabulous Yamadaya, an izakaya near the famous Tsukiji fish market that chef Nobuo Fukuda had recommended…
You’d be forgiven for never having visited the Biltmore Grill. As you might guess from the name, it was the main casual restaurant at the luxurious Arizona Biltmore Resort & Spa, geared toward hotel guests craving breakfast, lunch, dinner, or just a few drinks at the bar. It wasn’t really…
