Stumped for what to buy those special someones on your list? Let Chow Bella do the shopping — or at least the browsing — with our 2014 gift guides. Today: gifts for the vegetarian. Whether or not you agree with their dietary decisions, the vegetarian in your life probably deserves…
Food City Tamale Festival Saturday, December 13 and Sunday, December 14 This weekend Food City’s annual Festival del Tamal will take over downtown Phoenix for a weekend of food, drink, and dancing. The event will be held on Saturday and Sunday between 1st Avenue and 4th Avenue on Washington Street…
Since opening last March Barrelhouse American Kitchen & Cocktails has been a bright light in the East Valley dining and drinking scene. With knock-out cocktails and mostly-satisfying food, the restaurant has brought a welcome new option to the neighborhood. Now the restaurant has welcomed a new chef to lead the…
The Guilty Pleasure: Chestnut Praline Latte Where to Get It: Starbucks, locations every-freaking-where Price: Five bucks, give or take. What it Really Costs: As usual per Starbucks, your hipster coffee cred. When Starbucks releases a new item, my usual reaction is minimal at best. They have so many different seasonal…
Tomaso Maggiore Owner, Executive chef Tomaso’s www.tomasos.com Vivo Ristorante www.vivoaz.com Tomaso Maggiore opened his 12th Valley restaurant, a shiny new Italian spot, in a trendy Scottsdale strip mall earlier this fall. But while the restaurant, with its more affordable menu and relaxed atmosphere, fits well in current times, its owner…
In September, Phoenix New Times celebrated the cream of the crop with our 36th annual Best of Phoenix edition. Here are our top picks for Mexican dishes in metro Phoenix. Best Chilaquiles: Pepe’s Taco Villa Breakfast, lunch, or dinner, there is no wrong time to sink your teeth into chilaquiles…
Rumors about the possible closure of Songbird Coffee & Tea House have been flying around for a while now. The Roosevelt Row coffee shop has been located inside the monOrchid gallery for the past two years. Now, owners Jonathan and Erin Carroll have announced their plans for the future. The…
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…
This week Chef Silvana Salcido Esparza answered the question we were all asking about her new Barrio Urbano breakfast concept: who will provide the coffee?…
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After two years of serving craft brews and bites to the north Scottsdale neighborhood, Fate Brewing Company is ready to expand. According to a post on the brewery’s Facebook page, Fate Brewing Company plans to open a an even larger second location in south Scottsdale sometime next year. Owner and…
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…
Last month, eight of Valley dining spots failed to pass county health inspections, and though some of the violations seem harmless enough, others might have you squirming in your seat. Let’s put it this way, you won’t catch us at the spot where the health inspector spotted several live and…
The Guilty Pleasure: Cookies & Creme Cookie Butter Where to Get It: Trader Joe’s Price: $3.69, are ya out of your mind? What it Really Costs: Like you needed more fattening food around for the holidays. One of my very favorite treats to have around the house is Biscoff Spread…
We’re going to need a moment to get over this one, folks. Because while there are a number of solid options for Chinese cuisine around town, there was only one place where you could pay $8 for an excellent and sizable portion of succulent roasted duck. And unfortunately for us…
Festiv-Ale Saturday, December 6 Beer lovers looking to support a good cause this weekend can head to the Icehouse in downtown Phoenix for Fetiv-Ale, a beer tasting event to raise money for the non-profit Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. General admission to the event costs $75 and includes a 4 oz. souvenir…
Hey, what are you doing at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, December 16? Wrong answer. You’re heading downtown to Crescent Ballroom to hear some of the Valley’s best writers bite down on the holidays, in the form of “Eating Christmas” — our third annual Christmas/Food mash-up. Here’s the lineup:…
If there’s one lesson to be learned from last month’s best bites, it’s that a dish doesn’t have to be big to make a lasting impression. Whether we’re talking about a side plate, an appetizer, or a simple pastry, sometimes it’s the smallest morsels that make the most powerful memories…
Wine lovers looking for interesting buys and a good deal will have a lot to appreciate about a wine membership program launched by a familiar local wine shop. Red Goat Wine, which operates as a division of AZ Wine Merchants, will give members access to a curated list of wines…
Tempe residents with a soft spot for pancakes and coffee will be happy to hear that the wait is almost over for the newest location of Snooze, an A.M. Eatery. The second Valley location of the Denver-based chain will open its doors next week on Wednesday, December 10. Snooze fans…
In the ’70s, my friends and I ate at La Rosa, a Glendale diner that served both Mexican and Chinese food — not only because we liked both chow mein and chimichangas, but because we thought it was hilarious that a restaurant would offer two such diverse cuisines. Although fusion…
Last month we welcomed quite a few new dining spots into the local dining scene. The newcomers include a second restaurant from Michael Babcock and Jenn Robinson (Welcome Diner) and a new restaurant concept from chef Silvana Salcido Esparza. In November we also said good-bye to a few of our…
