Can any metropolitan area top the Valley for sheer quantity of culinary festivals? Seems doubtful, since the number of food-centric events across town only continues to grow. This Saturday happens to be the debut of TASTE Chandler’s Culinary Festival, which will take over AJ Chandler Park (between Arizona Ave. and…
Imagine a world where you can drink cocktail after cocktail and never feel it in the morning. Jeff Freiberger said that’s just what he was doing with a drinking buddy when he came up with the idea for Rhythm Liquor. After talking to doctors and scientists, Freiberger found the cure…
Editor’s note: Michele Laudig’s Cafe column will return in next week’s issue. It’s great being the first one in your circle to discover something: the horseshoe jewelry fad, chunky-heeled boots, or a new Vietnamese restaurant. Makes you feel like a trendsetter. By the same token, when something becomes so popular…
It’s one thing when you get a tough cut of steak or a dry chicken breast at a restaurant, but it’s a whole other kettle of fish (pardon the pun) when you’re dealing with bad seafood. Metallic-tasting snapper. Green lobster. Catfish that smells like dirty socks. Yeah, we’ve had it all. At one…
Honey Bear’s BBQ vs. Monti’s La Casa ViejaWe thought we’d let word-of-mouth lead us to excellent peach cobbler in Tempe. A week later, we’re unsure whether we found the best in town, but we had fun hunting.In One Corner: Honey Bear’s BBQ7670 South Priest Drive, Tempe480-222-2782…
Is it finally fall? It doesn’t feel like it today, but this Saturday, between the forecasted mild temperatures and the start of chef Vincent Guerithault’s farmers market, it most certainly will. This is the 19th season for the Saturday market, and it’s a favorite tradition among Phoenix epicureans. Set outdoors in…
Michael Leung of Asian Cafe Express says each of his dishes have a specific taste, smell, temperature, and color that set them apart from other restaurants. As far as we can tell, the specification for most of those qualifications is delicious.Leung’s finger-lickin’-good chicken wraps are one of the most popular…
Now that’s summer’s coming to a close, many of our favorite hotspots are reopening for Phoenix’s best season of the year — FallWinterSpring! In this week’s Meal Ticket dining newsletter, find out which cozy Old Town Scottsdale cafe is back in action with homemade waffles and custom-tailored lunches. We’ve also got the scoop…
Ready for a steak-out? As of October 1, you no longer have to wait until dinnertime to stuff your face with all the grilled meat you can eat. Fogo de Chao, the Scottsdale location of the upscale, Brazil-based churrascaria, will offer its full dining experience — namely 15 cuts of meat, grilled on skewers in…
Fresh from a trip to Japan, chef Nobuo Fukuda is geared up for another special “Japanese street food” event at Welcome Diner this Saturday night, from sundown until midnight. This is the third street food dinner that the James Beard Award-winner has hosted for his hungry masses of fans since shuttering Sea…
You might be saving your dough to dine out over the weekend, but The Cove Trattoria just launched a tempting new dining deal for the beginning of the week. On Monday and Tuesday evenings, grab a friend and head in for the 2 for $20 special — salads and a…
There’s no reason to be in a restaurant rut these days, with all the spots opening around town. The past couple weeks have been especially busy for the season’s crop of newcomers. The newest, two eateries from chef Aaron May, are set to open today in North Scottsdale at the Alltel Ice Den…
62-year-old Michael Leung has been working in the restaurant industry for almost 50 years. Yes, your math is correct; Leung got his first job as a line cook at a restaurant in Hong Kong when he was 12. This is probably why he already owns his second restaurant in the…
Another week has come and gone leaving us to ponder the upcoming events that will shape our lives and, more importantly, our dinners out. But before we move on, let’s have one last look at the blog posts from this week: TV Chef Wants to Fix Your Love Life with…
The first thing we noticed about Thai-E San, located at the northeast corner of 7th St. and Indian School Road in Phoenix, was the smell. The authentic aroma of coconut curry and Thai spices infused the place. After the waitress seated us at a large marble table, we had to…
Edip San has been cooking meat with a thirty-year-old secret family recipe. The recipe has wowed everyone from ASU frat boys to the Moroccan prince and princess. And San gave it to us… well, almost.San wouldn’t tell us exactly what goes into the marinade. He admits he’s left out one ingredient…
If you’re looking for a spot to watch Sunday’s home game between the Arizona Cardinals and and the Indianapolis Colts, Kabuki Japanese Restaurant is hoping to get your business. To sweeten the pot, they’re offering “One Dollar Game Days” for every Sunday home game this season.Specifically, Kabuki is offering “select…
If you attended the Downtown Phoenix Market on Wednesday, and you got a parking ticket, you may not have to worry about it.According to market organizers, folks that parked in the lot on the southwest corner of McKinley and First Street may have been ticketed by mistake. Community Food Connect…
There’s nothing like a cold, frosty beer on a warm day — especially when it’s brewed locally and served straight from the tap. Phoenix is about to get a new microbrewery in Dave’s Electric Brewpub, tentatively scheduled for a soft opening this weekend in a prime location on the corner of College Ave. and…
When progressive dinner parties (called “safari suppers” by the Brits) fell out of favor in the mid-’80s, we admit we were a little dissapointed. Not that we’d ever been to one. But we grew up hearing about mom’s culinary adventures making canapes for the first course, and how…
There are some (namely just us) who would call us asian food enthusiasts. Dim sum? Yes, please. Udon? Slurped loudly with chop sticks. We know where fish sauce comes from and it makes us want to eat it even more. That’s why we’re salivating like bakas (idiots in Japanese) and…
That’s why we loved the idea of sampling the cuisine at Cheuvront, a downtown staple that we hadn’t yet visited, during Arizona Restaurant Week. At $29 for three courses, you can afford to venture outside your tried-and-true culinary standbys. If you don’t like a dish, no worries; you’ve got two more. Or five more,…
