MasterChef Season 5 Premieres Next Month; Features Contestant From Phoenix

Fox’s hit television show featuring celebu-chef Gordon Ramsay, restaurateur and winemaker Joe Bastianich, and Michelin-starred chef Graham Elliot will return for its fifth season in May. The show, which searches for the country’s best home cooks, will feature 30 contestants from 14 states competing to win the title of MasterChef,…

Gorditas Battle: El Ranchero vs. Gorditas El Tio

Devouring a “little fat one,” known as a gordita, is one of the joys of life. They resemble arepas or pupusas, and are filled with meat, cheese, onion, and sometimes cabbage, all stuffed in a thick tortilla. We did the dirty work and tried gorditas at Gorditas El Tio and…

Here Are the Winners of the 2014 Foodist Awards

Thursday night, the Arizona Restaurant Association announced the winners of the second annual Foodist Awards during an event at the Montelucia Resort in Scottsdale. The awards celebrate “the most amazing tastes, faces and places in Arizona food and beverage.” Finalists were announced in early April with 30 chefs, restaurants, and…

5 Food and Garden Products to Buy in Metro Phoenix This Spring

If you compulsively shop local or hit up farmers markets on the weekend with reckless abandon, as we admittedly do, you might have noticed some awesome new stuff. Lots of businesses have expanded with new offerings to seem to have come out of nowhere. From books to botanicals, we’ve been…

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

Artopia Friday, April 25 This Friday night, we’re announcing the winners of the fifth annual Big Brain Awards at Artopia, a celebration with food, drinks, and, of course, art. We’ve already introduced you to all the finalists in the Culinary Arts category, which includes Aisha Tedros of A.T. Coffee Oasis,…

A Take on 2 Thai Cooking Schools, Plus Recipes

Having recently traveled to Asia to attend classes at a few cooking schools, I brought back a number of great recipes, memories and a long list of ingredients not available at Fry’s. While in Thailand I had the opportunity to attend day long classes at two very different schools. Chiang…

Domino’s New Specialty Chicken: A Taste Test

The Guilty Pleasure: Specialty Chicken Where to Get It: Domino’s Pizza. Locations everywhere, but you were getting delivery anyway. Price: $5.99 when you buy another item from their mix-and-match menu What it Really Costs: [opens box] Jeez, that’s it for six bucks? Domino’s Pizza has me scratching my head lately…

James Fox of Bootleggers on the Barbecue Trend in Phoenix

James Fox Executive Chef Bootleggers (Phoenix, Scottsdale) www.bootleggersaz.com It’s taken a while, but if you’re a fan of slow-smoked barbecue, then you’re probably already aware that we have a solid selection of ‘cue joints in this town. There are the standby options like Bryan’s Black Mountain BBQ in Cave Creek,…

Sushi Ken vs. Posh: Chow Bella’s Ultimate Battle of the Ramen

Things are getting down to the wire for this ramen battle bracket. There have been some upsets, like Republic Ramen beating out fan favorite Umami, and there’s also been a disqualification due to T.Spot closing shortly before it was set to battle against Posh’s ramen. This week Posh will try…

Chodang Tofu and BBQ in Chandler: A Korean Love Story

I’ve fallen in love. The waitress rolls a gray, plastic cart up to my table and holds up an egg. As I nod approvingly, she casually cracks the egg into a black earthen bowl of simmering, bright red, spicy soup, in which the egg poaches perfectly in a matter of…

Chilaquiles Battle: La Tolteca vs. Pepe’s Taco Villa

Crispy fried tortilla strips smothered in sauce that makes the nose run, covered with cheese, a fried egg and chicken. We’re talking chilaquiles. The Mexican breakfast dish — which is perfect for any time of day — makes us want to rewind our meal just to savor the flavors once…