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. Part of the fun of road trips is packing up the jalopy with food to…
Green vegetable juice is not consumed so that one can revel in the flavors of muddled kale and raw ginger, rather it is preferred for the health benefits. Juice Core and Original ChopShop Co. each recently opened in Old Town Scottsdale so this was an, um, natural battle. Juicing is…
Restaurateur Sam Fox’s reach into the dining world at the Biltmore Fashion Park is expanding. In addition to True Food Kitchen, his healthy eating concept, and the wine and burger bar Zinburger, Fox will be opening his third restaurant at the high-end shopping center later this year: the modern Mexican…
Summer in Phoenix isn’t just rough on restaurants; coffee houses struggle, too. And as of last week, one of them has permanently shut its doors. Citizen Espresso Bar, located on Central Avenue just south of Camelback, opened its doors last February in the former home of Lola Coffee. The java…
When business partners and friends Rick Mikulic and Marshall Roossin came up 2 Fat Guys Grilled Cheese as the name for their new food truck, subtlety wasn’t part of the equation. “Everybody likes grilled cheese,” Mikulic says, “and it’s a broad enough category to do a lot of different things…
Introducing “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. Everyone has an annoying tendency. It’s human nature. I annoy you. You annoy me, often more than I annoy you…
This is part two of our interview with Brad and Kat Moore, the owners of Short Leash Hot Dogs and the soon-to-open brick and mortar restaurant, Sit…Stay, named after their weekly Friday night dinner events. If you missed part one, you can read it here…
This time of year, conversations at Chow Bella meetings tend to turn to who’s eaten what — where. With the summer travel season in full swing, we bring you Food Tours, our writers’ suggestions of what to eat and drink out of town. We will freely admit that we get…
In celebration of the fifth anniversary of the Apple App store, the company is giving away five games and five apps for a limited time. The list of popular apps available right now at no cost includes a download of the iPhone or iPad app for Mark Bittman’s famous kitchen…
After Chow Bella fried up some of the ever popular Cronuts™ a few weeks back, we have had our ears to the ground, waiting to see who would attempt this trendy treat locally. The Cronut™ craze has slowly trickled outside of New York, from Dominique Ansel Bakery, into neighborhood bakeries…
Looks like Tempe’s main drag will be getting a taste of handcrafted Italian cuisine this month (and only this month), courtesy of Tony Andiario. The former executive chef of Quiessence, the venerable farm-to-table restaurant at The Farm at South Mountain, worked alongside friend and fellow chef Greg LaPrad before the…
Brad and Kat Moore Short Leash Hot Dogs and Sit…Stay 110 E. Roosevelt St. www.shortleashhotdogs.com This is part one of our interview with Brad and Kat Moore, owners of the Short Leash Hot Dogs food trucks and Sit…Stay in downtown Phoenix. Today, they dish about their soon-to-open permanent location and…
The countdown to Best of Phoenix is on. Mark your calendar: This year’s issue will be on newsstands September 26. What better way to warm up than by asking some local “experts” to list their own personal bests? This week, Lauren Bailey of Upward Projects shares her favorite hidden treasures…
When I started as an intern at New Times, I mentioned at my first Chow Bella meeting that I wanted to write about burgers. Immediately, the room erupted: “He should do a peanut butter burger battle!” Being the new guy, I apprehensively agreed to it, even though I had never…
While Valley food trucks like Short Leash Hot Dogs, Mamma Toledo’s, and Jamburritos are preparing to add four walls to their four wheels, a popular Chandler restaurant is putting things in reverse. The Hungry Monk, the three-year-old neighborhood bar and eatery from ex-Buffalo Wings & Rings franchisee Jim Lolli, now…
Looking for something to put in your mouth this weekend? We’ve got you covered. Check out what’s on our plate. Patriotic Celebration at Granite Creek Vineyards Even if you couldn’t let loose on the Fourth of July, there still are a few chances to celebrate in patriotic fashion. About two…
As punishing and relentless as a Phoenix summer, Amy Bouzaglo, the high-strung owner of Amy’s Baking Company in Scottsdale, is back in the news with more tales highlighting her and husband Samy’s (who’s still up for deportation) tenuous grasp on reality. This time, Amy’s target is Miranda (last name unknown),…
Oscar Graham, chef and owner of Tumi, the tiny and unassuming restaurant of Peruvian cuisine in Chandler, makes very good ceviche. His ceviche de pescado features a mound of chopped pieces of white-flesh tilapia in a thin, bracingly sharp and spicy juice of lime and Peruvian chile peppers, topped with…
The Guilty Pleasure: Habanero Lime Soft-Serve Ice Cream Where To Get It: Certain QuikTrip locations Valleywide The Price: $2.39 and up What It Really Costs: “You’re eating what?!” I feel weird writing about convenience store food. For the most part, convenience stores’ “fresh” items are of questionable provenance, sitting in…
For a refreshing dish of the coastal variety, it’s hard to beat Peruvian-style ceviche. Even at its most basic, the South American country’s popular staple of raw fish marinated in lime juice is nothing short of tart and spicy satisfaction, the best ones so fresh they taste as if they’ve…
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…
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. For most chefs, summer in the Valley means a chance to take a much-needed break…
