Few foods remind us of our childhood as much as fluffy, thick french toast. On Saturday mornings when we’d been especially good lately, Mom would soak some leftover bread in thick, eggy batter and serve french toast piping hot with cinnamon sugar or maple syrup, depending on our mood. It was wonderful. This week,…
Looks like Phoenix is really growing up this year, at least when it comes to alcohol. Local wines are gaining popularity, new brewers are opening shop and P-Town is finally getting its own tequila festival. Elias Entertainment Group, the same company that produces Phoenix’s Christmas Mariachi Festival and the Las Vegas Tequila…
Editor’s note: Michele Laudig is on vacation. Her column will return next week. A couple of weeks ago at lunch, a foodie friend and I lapsed into our monthly debate on the merits of Emeril vs. Rachael Ray. Emeril’s a fine chef, though I’d rather follow his recipes than watch…
Now that technology has advanced to the point that a five-year-old with a digital camera and the right editing software can look like the next Annie Leibovitz, there’s only one thing left for photographers to do – screw shit up in the name of art. For his latest project, Phoenix-based…
In case you didn’t know, the world’s priciest coffee is Kopi Luwak. What makes it so special? Well, the beans are ingested, partially dissolved, and crapped out by a fuzzy Indonesian animal. Thanks, but we’ll stick to tea, where there’s no excretion involved. Ever. Besides, custom teapots can be works…
We’re headed into Wednesday night, and that means the Downtown Phoenix Public Market on Central Ave. will be opening in less than an hour. From 4-8 p.m. this evening, the market is hosting two free wine tastings. Sam and Dana Pillsbury of Pillsbury Wine Company will be pouring wines from their Arizona…
Not too many places have weathered 80 years in the Valley. The Orpheum Theatre. The Hayden Flour Mill in downtown Tempe. And Tom’s Restaurant & Tavern, the ubiquitous downtown hangout that was once a pool hall and the city morgue. In celebration of the joint’s 80th birthday, owner Michael Ratner is offering Depression…
Headed to Glendale for a game, but don’t want to deal with screaming bar crowds or kitschy tropical decor? In this week’s Meal Ticket dining newsletter, we’ll profile a hot West Valley restuarant that’s big on elegance, romance and traditional Italian food. We’ll also have the scoop on a local chef…
Hanukkah is a time for food, gifts and spending time with family. In New York or Chicago, it’d be a snap to find local restaurants serving Hanukkah dinner or offering latkes, brisket and kugel. Here in Phoenix it’s a little more difficult to find Hanukkah-related foodstuffs, unless you resort to the Kosher section…
Early this morning, a small kitchen fire broke out at Durant’s, the legendary lounge that hosted the likes of Marilyn Monroe and John Wayne in its heyday. The blaze was quickly contained by firefighters, but there was some minor damage to the building’s roof and ventilation system. No one was…
Doomsayers and the easily fooled are focused on 2012 right now (so much so that poor NASA had to issue statements debunking the movie myths). But we’ve got a different date in mind: 2010. The New Year begins the end of an era. Well, a decade actually. Technology has certainly advanced in…
Now, before you get all up in arms about our insensitivity to the thin set, we’re just talking about Kim Barnouin, co-author of the Skinny Bitch in the Kitch series. Barnouin is making a guest appearance at 7 p.m. tomorrow at the Changing Hands Bookstore, 6428 S. McClintock Dr. in Tempe, to discuss…
[jump] The Tamale Store (www.thetamalestore.com): There’s a reason why The Tamale Store nabbed a 2009 Best of Phoenix award, and it’s not just because they seem to be everywhere — First Friday, culinary festivals, street fairs… Their tamales are made with fresh ingredients, sans lard, in varieties from chicken mole…
What better way to spend a lazy Saturday afternoon than wandering the parking lot across from Tempe’s IKEA, sampling barbecued meats and drinking beer? This past weekend, 33 teams from across the nation turned out for Que & Brew, an official Triple Crown Event BBQ State Championship. The competition was…
”West of Western Culinary Festival? Don’t you mean Best of Western?” We can’t tell you how many times we heard the local culinary crowd gripe about the name of one of Phoenix’s largest and best known foodie events. It really was a mouthful. Take a bite out…
A few weeks ago, we interviewed Guy Fieri of Food Network’s Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives about his upcoming Road Show at Mesa Arts Center on Friday, December 18. We also speculated about why Guy had chosen Flagstaff chef John Conley to participate in the show, rather than a Phoenix chef. Though Conley’s the only…
Relax.Decorated Chef Eddie Matney isn’t leaving the valley for greener pastures. But apparently he is trying on a new role — as a poet. We received this quirky little verse today advertising the December specials at Eddie’s House, 7042 E. Indian School Rd. in Scottsdale, and thought we’d pass along the holiday cheer. ‘Twas the first…
It’s been two months and change since the adventurous Crudo Cafe opened inside Scottsdale’s Steven Paul Salon at 7035 E. 3rd Ave. in Old Town Scottsdale. The tiny eatery has been serving breakfast and lunch, and now chefs Cullen Campbell of the now defunct Fine’s Cellar and Brandon Crouser, formerly of Atlas…
Chances are, at some point you’ve written a poem. Maybe it was the love sonnet you wrote for your third-grade crush, or a rap song you penned during your Vanilla Ice phase. Or what about the “Edward is a hottie, Jacob is a nottie” rhyme you texted your bff after…
Every so often we come across a little gem for foodies while wading through the muck of Facebook. This week, we spotted something on bestselling author and former Phoencian Laurie Notaro’s FB page we just had to share. And it involves C-A-K-E…..
We’ve been wondering what James Beard Award-winning chef Nubuo Fukuda has been up to since Sea Saw closed earlier this year. Yesterday, AZ Republic restaurant critic Howard Seftel reported that Fukuda is in talks to open a Japanese restaurant in Downtown Phoenix’s Heritage Square…
Oh, how the Greek gods must die a little inside every time they hear some American order a “jy-ro” at an ethnic restaurant. Despite the constantly butchered name, the gyros (roughly pronounced “yee-ros”) remains one of our favorite meat dishes. For this week’s Battle of the Dishes, we visited two local mom-and-pop shops…
