The wait is almost over. On May 4, the first downtown Scottsdale location of Postino Wine Cafe opens its doors to the public at 4821 North Scottsdale Road, just north of the intersection of Scottsdale Road and Highland Boulevard. The restaurant and bar is Upward Projects’ sixth metro Phoenix location of…
The Guilty Pleasure: Thai-style ice cream rolls Where to Get It: Nomadic Ice Cream Rolls Price: $3 (small), $6 (large) What it Really Costs: Your last ounce of willpower because these rolls are too much fun to resist. Just in time for summer, a new ice cream dessert has landed…
The folks behind Old Town Scottsdale party spots El Hefe and Dierks Bentley’s Whiskey Row are about to take things healthy with a new restaurant. Called Farm & Craft, the soon-to-open health-focused dining spot will be located at 4302 North Scottsdale Road, in the space most recently occupied by Stingray Sushi. The…
It was heartbreak that led Lenard Rubin, the executive chef at the Country Club at DC Ranch, to the culinary arts. “I had a girlfriend in Rhode Island who was going to school in Boston,” he recalls of his college days. “I got a job in Boston at the Ritz,…
When a new spot opens in town, we can’t wait to check it out — and let you know our initial impressions, share a few photos, and dish about some menu items. First Taste, as the name implies, is not a full-blown review, but instead a peek inside restaurants that…
Heads up, Lobster Stalkers. This weekend is your last chance to catch The Maine Lobster Lady food truck in metro Phoenix before the rig and its owner, Diana Santospago, head back to the East Coast for the summer. For those who already know the Lobster Lady and her delicious lobster rolls,…
Slightly greasy Detroit-style pizza is an art form. At least, it is if you grew up in the city from which this region-specific style of pizza hails. So, when we heard Jet’s Pizza, a popular Michigan chain known for its Detroit-style pies, was setting up two outposts in metro Phoenix,…
Remember in January, when we told you Central Phoenix’s well-loved English pub, George & Dragon, might appear on an episode of Spike TV’s Bar Rescue? At the time, there were a circus’ worth of not-at-all inconspicuous tents planted outside the pub, and we even spotted the Bar Rescue host Jon Taffer…
It’s been almost six months since EVO owner Nick Neuman abruptly parted ways with chef Peter DeRuvo. At that time, both were tight-lipped about the cause of the split, except to say that diners could expect business as usual at the Scottsdale restaurant. And business as usual it has been…
Sure, we’ve been to plenty of restaurants, but without actually working in the food and beverage industry, it’s hard to understand what goes into making a restaurant tick. If you’ve always been curious about what happens behind those kitchen doors or how the business really works, then we’ve got some answers…
Chandler residents, you’ve got a new destination for salads, wraps, and other healthy fare. Last week, Crisp Greens opened its doors at 250 South Arizona Avenue, near the intersection of Arizona Avenue and Chicago Street. The restaurant comes courtesy of Brandon Fisher and Darron Moffatt, who enlisted help from chef…
Sorry, sailors, but it looks like you have one less place to get your seafood fix. As of earlier this month, The Yacht Club in Arcadia has closed its doors for good. The restaurant, which occupied a high-profile location on Indian School Road near 44th Street, has been dark for…
Terri Nacke thinks sugar is the new salt. Of course, as the owner of Terre Botanicals, a local company that makes aromatic sugars, she’s somewhat biased. But with sugar getting such a bad rap these days, Nacke’s trying to revitalize its popularity, to bring attention to what she calls the “new…
When a new spot opens in town, we can’t wait to check it out – and let you know our initial impressions, share a few photos, and dish about some menu items. First Taste, as the name implies, is not a full-blown review, but instead a peek inside restaurants that…
Don’t act like you’re not excited, Phoenix. Because the truth is, ever since we told you Lou Malnati’s was coming to the Valley last year, we know you’ve been dreaming about Chicago-style, deep-dish pizzas with gooey cheese, pepperoni, and beautiful, buttery crust. The good news, pizza lovers, is the wait…
Things rarely stay the same in the restaurant industry. Whether it be a remodel, a menu overhaul, or a new executive chef, sometimes time and transitions mean we want to give a restaurant a second look. A Double Take, unlike a full review, revisits restaurants to check in and check…
Chef Tomaso Maggiore’s namesake restaurant has long been a fixture of the Camelback Corridor, thanks in no small part to its prominent location on the northeast corner of 32nd Street and Camelback Road. Many restaurants have come and gone since the restaurant debuted nearly 40 years ago, but the white…
Growing hops in Arizona. Sounds impossible, right? After all, more than 95 percent of domestic hops — that all-important flavoring and stability agent in beer — are cultivated in the area stretching from the Pacific Northwest to Idaho’s panhandle, places with notably different climates than the Sonoran desert. To grow hops,…
Chef and restaurateur Aaron Chamberlin already has two well-loved Central Phoenix restaurants, St. Francis and the Phoenix Public Market Cafe. But the success of both eateries isn’t slowing him down. This spring, Chamberlin launched a new wholesale bakery division of his downtown eatery, making Phoenix Public Market Cafe the largest…
I bet you thought there’s no way metro Phoenix can support another fast-casual pizza restaurant where diners can — gasp! — customize their own pizza pies by selecting ingredients from a list before sending their creation through a super-sized, really hot Easy Bake oven. “We’ve already got plenty of places…
We’ve got bad news for sports fans and trivia lovers. Next month, Arcadia’s well-loved sports bar Hazelwoods First Place Sports Grill will close its doors to the public and shut off its many flat-screen TVs. The bar and restaurant, located at 3626 East Indian School Road, has been sold to new…
Unless you happen to live or work nearby, it’s unlikely that your first visit to Cafe Agit will happen by accident. Most likely, you’ll be drawn to this nondescript Korean bar and grill in Mesa, which resembles any other number of aging strip mall bars from the outside, on the…
