It’s been a long time coming. Tuesday marks the first official day for the new Phoenix Public Market Urban Grocery & Wine Bar, after non-profit Community Food Connections’ extensive fundraising efforts, planning, and renovation of the vintage red brick building that’s now its permanent home. Business hours are 11 a.m. to…
Yesterday was perhaps the longest — and most ridiculously fun — brunch of my life. Some friends invited me to meet up for a bite at Casey Moore’s in Tempe, and somehow we killed 5 or 6 hours on the patio, laughing it up and entertaining our waitress with our increasingly…
Things must be going well for the wine industry — or at least for the vino superstore Total Wine & More. The retail chain is stocked from floor to ceiling with thousands of bottles from around the world, along with beer, booze, cigars, and bar-friendly accoutrements. Today’s the opening of…
When rustic American restaurant St. Francis finally opened its doors for Labor Day weekend, I think Phoenix food fanatics heaved a huge sigh of relief. Why? To say the place was highly anticipated is an understatement. First, take a look at chef-owner Aaron Chamberlin’s résumé. After working in Washington, D.C.,…
I can only go so long without a Gallo Blanco fix. Even after having been there too many times to count, I still get indecisive when I look at the menu, just because I want one of everything. So I dragged my colleagues there for a meeting yesterday, and once…
Seems like there’s no end to the gourmet burger trend. Delux has been getting the lion’s share of the attention for the past few years, but come December, there will be a new kid in the neighborhood. Headed by chef Matt McLinn (former chef-owner of Methode Bistro) and owned by…
The folks behind Crave Arizona set the bar really high with the event’s debut last year (it was originally dubbed Eats3), but round two, set for October 22 to 24, promises to be an even bigger culinary blowout, featuring 50 high-profile Arizona chefs and a handful of celebrity guests who’ll…
I know there are some longtime Chow Bella readers who go crazy for bouillabaise, so this blog’s for you. Petite Maison PR gal Wendy Goldman just dropped a line to tell me about the latest menu change-up at the bite-sized Scottsdale French restaurant. Although their whole fish for two (so…
Chef Payton Curry had planned on staying with Digestif through this coming weekend (for the Crave culinary festival), but last night was his final turn in the kitchen there. Curry recently gave notice at the Old Town restaurant to make a move to Tempe’s Caffe Boa. Spaghetti Western “buzz and…
Will it be the gourmet panini restaurant, inspired by Ino in New York City, that he’d been trying to open before the economy took a dive? Or will it be an entirely new concept? It remains to be seen, but Prado general manager Pavle Milic — one of the city’s…
We love the East Coast-style pizza at Mamma Mia, but this latest special has us thinking twice about our order. With all of those fried goodies shoved into a cheesesteak, that sandwich has got to be one fat bitch. Do we dare eat one?…
Thanks to props from Oprah, Martha, and all the culinary mags, Pizzeria Bianco’s wood-fired pies are about as famous as it gets. But the wait at the restaurant is just as legendary. On a good night, you might wait an hour and a half, killing a bottle or two at Bar…
This Sunday brings another chance to eat, drink, and be merry in the name of charity. Taste of the Park, Litchfield Park’s third annual culinary festival, will be held from 4 to 8 p.m. on October 18 in downtown Litchfield Park, at Old Litchfield Rd. and Wigwam Blvd. And it…
Seafood and sushi fanatics, rejoice. Starting tomorrow, you’ll be able to stuff yourself silly at Roka Akor’s decadent new Saturday brunch buffet. For $35, take a deep breath and dig in to five kinds of sushi rolls, such as the salmon avocado roll, as well as salads and appetizers like…
America’s Taco Shop hasn’t even hit its first anniversary yet (that’s next Tuesday) but the successful restaurant is already planning a second location. Remember the short-lived Bantu Bistro on 7th Avenue? That’s the spot (4447 N. 7th Ave.) America’s Taco Shop owner Terry Bortin says he’s already torn up the…
Unless you happen to catch a free demo at a culinary festival, it doesn’t get much cheaper than ten bucks for a cooking seminar. Sounds too good to be true, but believe it. Fleming’s Peoria is offering the irresistible price for 90 minutes of instruction from chef Jeff Fearing, who’ll be giving guests…
Matt and Ernie Pool haven’t opened their new spot, Giant Coffee, but I just got word that they’ll be hosting another soft opening event tomorrow, in conjunction with the Third Friday gallery reception for the New Times Best of Phoenix “Wonderland” exhibition. Stop by for some coffee and a glimpse of downtown’s…
Founded in Milan in 1926, the first BiCE Bistro to hit the States opened in New York in 1987. Now the Italian restaurant has a new Arizona location in its lineup. BiCE Bistro’s Glendale home debuted last week in the Westgate City Center (6751 N. Sunset Blvd.), with a modern, 80-seat dining room, a…
Want to learn more about eating a sustainable diet? Stop by Changing Hands Bookstore in Tempe tonight for a signing event with author Terry Walters, whose book Clean Food has a subtitle that explains it all: “A Seasonal Guide for Eating Close to the Source With More Than 200 Recipes…
Cozy wasn’t what I was in the mood for until a couple of weeks ago. But then somebody flipped a switch — the nights dropped from balmy to crisp, my wardrobe shifted from tank tops to light layers, and my appetite went from cool gazpacho to comforting French onion soup…
It doesn’t have a name yet. But a new market-meets-restaurant that Gallo Blanco chef Doug Robson is working on may be open as early as December. Robson’s renovating a former Coffee Plantation at 48th Street and Warner in Ahwatukee. The freestanding building is in a neighborhood packed with chains, so…
After a few weeks of speculation that Metro Brasserie chef Matt Taylor was heading to glitzier pastures — Vegas, baby — word is out that he’s given notice with restaurant owner Fred Unger and will soon be heading to Sin City to head the kitchen at Michael Mina at the…
