The New Year is right around the corner, which means an inevitable spike in gym memberships and attendance at Weight Watchers meetings. We could remind you that 88-92% of Americans fail to keep these self-promises, but we know you’ll probably make one anyway. If shedding a few pounds is on your agenda for 2011, you…
Every city has a certain type of cuisine it’s known for. In New York, there’s a pizza place on every corner. Memphis and Kansas City have great BBQ joints. In Phoenix, it’s Mexican food. While finding a late-night burrito or enchilada in this town is a piece of cake (tres leches, of…
We got a five-pound wakeup call this week — in the form of the holiday red velvet cake, coconut macaroons and sugar cookies that landed on our thighs. So with the inevitable New Year’s resolutions of dieting and gyms looming on the horizon, we went in search of a lunch spot that would offer intense…
Oregon or Auburn? We’re still on the fence about which team we hope wins the BCS (Bowl Championship Series) next week. What we’re really excited about is the Bud Light Fiesta going on at Scottsdale’s SouthBridge January 3-7. As the name of the festival implies, there will be plenty of…
Locals always complain about Phoenix’s lack of a solid identity as if it’s a bad thing. Hey, where else can you see a skyscraper, a haute couture boutique and a working farm, all in the span of an hour? We have everything here. When we’re clamoring for the old-school charm of…
Chef Andrea Volpi of Local Bistro learned to cook at an early age, watching his mother in the kitchen and helping her with fresh, simple recipes like this delicious Italian Bolognese sauce. Mangia! Pappardella Bolognese What you’ll need: 1/ 4 lb. ground pork, coarse1/2 lb. ground veal, coarse1/2 lb. ground beef, coarse2 large…
When bakeries started selling decorated cupcakes at three bucks a pop, I thought the fad would fall faster than an overbaked soufflé. I was wrong. Call it the Starbucks effect, but years later people are still willing to shell out thirty bucks for a dozen cupcakes they could make at home for…
Yesterday, we spoke with Chef Andrea Volpi of Local Bistro about his gypsy ways and his life growing up in Italy. Today, the conversation continues… First cooking job: I was a manager at a 14-top place in Chicago in ’87. My job was to make espresso, cappuccino, slice of cake…. Favorite…
Call it jealousy over decorated pine trees or disappointment at the lack of a Jewish equivalent of that creepy Elf on the Shelf, but over the decades Jews have created their own non-commercial, non-religious tradition of dining out in the spirit of A Christmas Story. Because nothing beats kvetching about holiday commercialism over plate of…
As we bid farewell to the year and look ahead to 2011, for the next two weeks Chow Bella contributors will bring you some greatest hits from 2010. We’ve already highlighted Carol Blonder’s most memorable food-related books. Today, we’re looking at Wynter Holden’s top Battle of the Dishes moments. A…
Wild holiday parties are great, unless you’re the one sober person watching everyone else prance around with gift wrap bows on their heads, slurring mangled X-rated versions of “Jingle Bells.” Sucks for you! The least we can do to ease your pain is to provide a few holiday “Mocktail” recipes that taste…
Courtesy of Local Bistro Milan-born chef Andrea Volpi fancies himself a gypsy. After learning to cook in his mother’s kitchen, Volpi enrolled in a top Italian culinary school; then traveled through Italy and Spain for several years before crossing the ocean and settling in Chicago in 1989. He later moved to Arizona, where he…
Better hurry up, or this will be your holiday dinner. Hey, procrastinator! Yes, you. Christmas is less than a week away and somehow you’ve managed to avoid finalizing the holiday feast. We can’t blame you for getting a little behind. Who has time to do things like shop or cook or eat…
It looks like East Valley sushi geeks will be getting a little gift after the New Year — Otaku Sushi, a restaurant that’s currently under construction at 2430 S. Gilbert Rd. in Chandler. The restaurant’s name translates to “geek” or “hardcore fan” in modern Japanese slang and was chosen because the chefs are seriously…
Chef Charles Wiley is busy preparing for the upcoming holiday dinners at Cafe Zuzu, but he took a few moments to share an easy appetizer recipe that you can use at your own holiday parties: Southwest Chicken Salad on Crisp Tortilla Rounds Yield: 32-48 hors d’oeuvres What you’ll need: ½ cup vegetable oil24 tortilla…
Cookie exchanges are a staple at every holiday office party, including the offices of Chow Bella. But the contributors to this blog are a cutthroat bunch, and with an inordinate amount of trash talk thrown about, our cookie exchange quickly became a cookie showdown. Check back here each day through…
New Year’s is a time for resolutions, many having to do with working out, losing weight or eating healthier. With that in mind, we figured now is the time to load up on calorie and fat laden foods before we’re forced to start battling broccoli and sugar-free crap. This week’s…
Yesterday we heard from Chef Charles Wiley of the Hotel Valley Ho in Scottsdale. Wiley has cooked at the James Beard House in New York, was named one of Food & Wine’s Best New Chefs in 1994 and regularly appears on 3TV’s Your Life A to Z. Today, our chat continues… Favorite local restaurant:…
Though he’s never been east of New Jersey or west of Alaska, Chef Charles “Chuck” Wiley traveled a long way to get where he is today. As a child, Wiley dreamed of working on cars. He was hired at a local auto body shop in New Jersey at the age of 12 and worked his way up to doing brake…
If you’re like us, you’ve got at least one geeky loved one who seems impossible to buy for. Maybe it’s your tech savvy mom, your nerdy BFF with the L33T-speak license plate or a boyfriend whose Halo 3 addiction has him peeing in soda cans to avoid bathroom breaks. When we checked…
Sorry to disappoint, but no, we’re not indulging in pot brownies or some other drug-laced food during the Festival of Lights. This is a serious religious holiday, folks. So for this week’s Battle of the Dishes, we’re clogging our stomachs and arteries with greasy donuts! Apparently, oil-fried dough balls (called sufganiyot or loukoumades depending…
Imagine a plate piled high with crisp tortilla chips smothered in seasoned ground beef, tomatoes, beans and a tasty cheese-like substance. Yeah, there’s nothing wrong with that picture. But plain old restaurant nachos can get (pardon the pun) stale, since the chips often come from a bag and the ingredients are always…
