7 Best Happy Hours in Metro Phoenix

Not all happy hours are created equal. In this year’s Best of Phoenix® issue, we scoured the Valley to find the best places to grab a drink and a bite after a long day. Here’s a look at the seven best places to enjoy happy hour in Metro Phoenix…

The Blind Pig: Scottsdale’s Newest “Meat Market”

The Blind Pig in South Scottsdale is the new venture of restaurateurs Bob and Sally Ann Molinari (Uncle Sal’s Italian Eatery, the Side Door bar and restaurant) and Bret Pont, owner of Hobe Meats, a butcher shop in business for more than 50 years in Phoenix. Whether The Blind Pig’s…

Top 5 Things to Eat This Weekend in Metro Phoenix

Festival season continues this weekend with the fourth annual Arizona Taco Festival but if you’re looking for something a little more celebrity-driven, may we suggest catching some of the region’s best chefs as they tour the Valley on Saturday? And if you’re planning on heading to Tempe at all, we’ve…

12 Ideal Arizona Brunches of Valley Chefs and Restaurateurs

Welcome to Chow Bella’s Bites & Dishes, where Valley chefs and restaurateurs respond to a question New Times food critic Laura Hahnefeld has on her mind. Have a question you’d like to ask? E-mail laura.hahnefeld@newtimes.com. It could be said that no meal makes us feel more sociable, cheery, and worry-free…

The Blind Pig in Scottsdale Is All About the Meat

Is The Blind Pig in Scottsdale a butcher shop with a restaurant or a restaurant with a butcher shop? In either instance, it’s all about the meat. Consider its centerpiece: a gleaming glass case stretching from one wall to the other and full of freshly butchered offerings. On one side,…

The Stupidity of the Adult Milkshake

Welcome to “Schaefer,” in which Eric Schaefer — a local guy with a big (but discerning) appetite and a sense of humor to match — takes on the Phoenix food scene. There are a lot of terms tossed around in the world of food that are overused and meaningless. Some…

Arizona State Fair: Judging the Goats

Sure, the Arizona State Fair is full of fun rides, greasy food and some of the best people watching around. But, for a moment let’s return to a “Charlotte’s Web” sort of agricultural era, where the State Fair was about judging animals, food, and animals that make or become food…

Oregano’s Coming to Cave Creek

On the heels of opening its first West Valley location in Glendale last week (6738 West Bell Road), Oregano’s Pizza Bistro, the local pizzeria chain headed up by CEO Mark Russell, has announced plans to open a new location in Cave Creek. “We’ve found a really cool, and truly old,…

The House at Secret Garden in Phoenix Welcomes New Chef

When notable farm-to-table chef Greg LaPrad left Quiessence at the Farm at South Mountain to open his own restaurant, Overland Trout in Sonoita, owner Pat Christofolo (who also owns Morning Glory Cafe and The House at Secret Garden) filled the high-profile position with her chef-son, 32-year-old Dustin Christofolo of The…

6 Things We Ate at the Arizona State Fair

Lovers of deep-fried foods, rejoice! The Arizona State Fair is now in full swing. Whatever food you can think of, the odds are good that someone has deep fried it, covered it in bacon, or both. We went out this weekend to indulge in some of the more unusual eats…

Chicago-Style Giardiniera Hits the Valley, Thanks to Kelsey D’s

A new brand of giardiniera, Kelsey D’s, has made its way to local store shelves, courtesy of Arizona State University alumna Kelsey Digman, who has turned her family recipe into a thriving business. Digman had grown up eating giardiniera, an Italian specialty condiment made of chopped garden-grown vegetables marinated in…