12 Best Ethnic Restaurants in Metro Phoenix

Last month Phoenix New Times celebrated the cream of the crop with our 36th annual Best of Phoenix edition. Here are our top picks for ethnic restaurants in metro Phoenix. Best Japanese Restaurant: ShinBay On the exterior, chef Shinji Kurita’s James Beard Award-nominated restaurant looks like just another sleek strip…

Gabriele Bertaccini of iL Tocco Food: “Life Is About Beautiful Things”

Gabriele Bertaccini Owner, Executive chef il Tocco Food www.iltoccofood.com Gabriele Bertaccini looks more like an Italian clothing model than a hardworking, über successful chef. But if you get him talking about cooking, dining, and Italian cuisine, it becomes immediately clear that he’s much more than just a handsome face and…

Burger N Fries in Scottsdale: Good Patties, Great Custards

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…

Let’s Face It, The Commercial Kitchen Is Still A Boys’ Club

Next month some of the Valley’s top women chefs will gather in the kitchen at Chrysa Robertson’s Rancho Pinot restaurant to cook food and to make a stand, to show everyone that great, talented women chefs exist. And furthermore, that they deserve to be recognized. It’s not the first time…

5 Best Things to Eat and Drink This Weekend in Metro Phoenix

Oktoberfest at Tempe Town Lake Friday, October 10 This weekend Oktoberfest is in full swing around the Valley and the biggest celebration will be held at Tempe Town Lake over the next three days. Starting tomorrow you’ll be able to find a half dozen beer gardens with scores of beers…

After Six Months, The Local in Downtown Phoenix Has Closed

It was a bright but short run for The Local. The downtown Phoenix restaurant opened on Roosevelt Row this spring, and almost exactly six months to date from its official opening, it has shuttered. “We poured our hearts and souls into it, but at the end of the day if…

Petite Maison in Scottsdale Sold to New Owners

Chef James Porter doesn’t want to say Petite Maison is closing, per se. But the truth is he and his wife Wendy have sold their five-year-old restaurant to new owners who will not be keeping the Petite Maison name or concept. “We are re-appropriating the space,” Porter says of the…

America’s Taco Shop on Seventh Avenue in Phoenix Has Closed

Since 2008 America’s Taco Shop has been a local favorite for carne asada and other Mexican specialties but the number of local outlets has recently decreased by one. The second location of America’s Taco Shop, found at 4447 North Seventh Avenue, closed last month. The original location at 2041 North…

Gertrude’s at The Desert Botanical Garden

I was determined, while dining at Gertrude’s, not to be distracted by the chatter of tourists seated at tables on either side of mine at this Desert Botanical Garden hotspot. Fortunately, the food on Gertrude’s recently redesigned menu was mostly so dreary, it was impossible to think of much else…

Meet Phoenix’s 2014 Barista Competitors

Each year, thousands of coffee professionals around the world congregate to crown a new Barista Champion. This year three fantastic individuals from Phoenix will be traveling to Rancho Mirage, California for a chance to be crowned the Southwest’s Best Barista. This event feeds into the United States Barista Competition, which…

10 Best Things I Ate and Drank in September

Last month we released Best of Phoenix 2014, recognizing some of the best restaurants and bars in the Valley. Many of the most memorable things I ate and drank in September come from places included in the Food & Drink section of the issue though some dishes are from new…

5 Best Things to Eat and Drink This Weekend in Metro Phoenix

All Pumpkin Menu at Petite Maison Friday, October 3 though Sunday, October 5 Fall is officially here and that means an abundance of pumpkin flavored…everything. This weekend you can kick off your pumpkin binge eating with an All Pumpkin Menu at Petite Maison. The $45, four-course meal includes dishes such…