It’s only been open two months, but Sunnyslope’s Central Grille is already undergoing a menu overhaul — and an upgrade, from the sounds of it. Executive chef Bruce Griffin III, who took the helm in the kitchen last week, is the former sous chef at the AAA Five Diamond dining destination…
You’re working late. You’re partying late. You’ve had too much to drink and you need to soak up the booze in your belly. Or maybe your idea of a midnight snack is more elaborate than those leftovers in your fridge. Where to go? Good question — the Valley could stand…
Downtown Tempe is getting in on the local farmers market scene with its own weekly event starting this week — just in time for ASU students to stock their tiny dorm room fridges with goodies from the farm. The Market on Mill debuts Thursday, September 3, presented by the Downtown Tempe…
Get out your calendars, folks. And your credit cards. You’ve paid your dues through the most boooring part of summer, and now you can finally treat yourselves with tickets or reservations for some exciting culinary events coming up in the next month or so. It’s just the beginning of the…
If you’ve driven past Sonora Brewhouse sometime in the last month, you might’ve noticed a different name on the sign for the brewpub. Now it goes by SunUp Brewing Co. But if you’re a fan of this cozy little hangout — where you can chow down on really good burgers…
It makes sense that the brand-new Total Wine store in Tempe is right next to IKEA. They’re both the kind of places where you could lose yourself wandering the aisles, browsing an overwhelming variety of products, and imagining all the possibilities. In the case of Total Wine, you can end…
After seven years in business, Old Town Scottsdale comfort food favorite Fusion has closed its doors. Owner Matt Long says he decided to quietly close in early July, blaming the opening of the W Scottsdale — and with it, fewer area parking spaces — for a decline in business. People don’t…
How would you define the quintessential Phoenix restaurant? For me, the old cliché about the mythological firebird rising from the ashes rings strangely true when it comes to some of the more distinctive neighborhood spots. We preserve our old buildings — and with them, our history — by repurposing them…
For most people I know, hot dogs are usually an occasional indulgence — maybe a dog with the works and a huge beer at a baseball game, a Nogales dog when the mood strikes, or hot dogs on the grill on a lazy Sunday by the pool. But Joe’s Farm…
The clouds are still on the horizon, but it feels like a monsoon of restaurant closures is suddenly raining down on the Valley. In Scottsdale, Pink Pony (Old Town’s baseball memorabilia-laden institution) and Quilted Bear (the old-school American eatery founded by the late restaurateur Dale Anderson) have closed, as have Mesa’s Pizza…
What’s chef Matt McLinn been up to lately? Among other things, the former Methode Bistro owner has been working as the menu consultant for Dos Diablos Fine Mexican Food, a new upscale Southwestern restaurant that takes over the former Mancuso’s space at the Summit Shopping Center in north Scottsdale (32427 N…
Just a month after we said R.I.P. to Canal, chef Joseph Gutierrez is already up and running in that space with his second of three restaurants at Scottsdale’s turnover-prone SouthBridge development. Acua opened for dinner service last Thursday, serving an Asian-French fusion menu comprised of ten small plates, ten large…
All the time I spent studying Japanese literature was not in vain, as of this morning, when I got a look at the Eric Eats Out blog. I’m giggling as I write this. No, Eric doesn’t simply write a haiku. He actually writes a restaurant review in some approximation of a…
Andy and Jan Goldstein, the two husband-and-wife hippies behind Two Hippies, are expanding their mini-empire. By the end of this week, Andy Goldstein tells me, they’ll be opening Two Hippies Dropped Out of College and Opened a Pizzeria. Has there ever been a restaurant whose name was a full sentence?…
Looking for something new this weekend? Chef James Porter’s new French bistro, Petite Maison, opens its doors to the public this Sunday at 5 p.m. It will be dinner-only until September 5, when breakfast, brunch, and lunch service start up. Petite Maison is located at 7216 E. Shoeman Ln. in…
Great news for the caffeine-deprived: Fair Trade Cafe, an indie coffee shop that specializes in hand-roasted, small-batch, certified fair trade coffee, is about to double its downtown presence by opening its second location tonight. The original shop is just off the Roosevelt stop of the light rail (1020 N. 1st…
I’ve always considered myself a pretty DIY person, even when it comes to cooking. Although I haven’t tried to tackle a culinary masterpiece like Mastering the Art of French Cooking à la blogger Julie Powell, I can at least list from-scratch puff pastry among my kitchen accomplishments. But let me…
A lot can happen in six months. For Regions Bistro & Bar in Scottsdale (9343 E. Shea), that span of time included a February debut (followed a month later by the opening of a sister location in Tempe), the swift departure of its original executive chef, a sudden closure in June…
Delicious news, cheese freaks. Lara Hardwick’s indie cheese shop, Petit Fromage, is open for business. It’s located inside D’licious Dishes, at 7th Avenue and Missouri, and boasts a well-curated selection of gourmet cheeses from artisanal producers around the world. Business hours are 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., Monday through Friday,…
Listen up, downtown watchers. A brand-new, independently owned restaurant is in the works for a Phoenix landmark. It’s an Italian eatery called Via Roma Ristorante, set to take over the space inside the historic Hotel San Carlos that used to house the often-dead-seeming Copper Door. The menu’s not available yet, but the…
Is the Mondrian Scottsdale about to say adios to Asia de Cuba? Hotel management could “not confirm or deny” any imminent changes at the high-style Asian-fusion restaurant, and Asia de Cuba’s parent company, China Grill Management — which owns two-dozen eateries around the world — officially says there are no changes in…
Call me a shameless arugula eater, but I still can’t get over the Obama family’s choice of dinner destination when they were in Phoenix this past Saturday night: Macayo’s Mexican Kitchen on Central Avenue, the flagship among the Southwestern chain’s 18 locations. Seriously? Sure, Macayo’s has been around long enough to…
