The Valley’s lost some favorites lately. A few high-profile restaurants closed for business just within the last week or two — Tapino, Fine’s Cellar, and the historic El Chorro Lodge. Mesa’s Grill El Quetzal, a Guatemalan joint in the strip mall across from Mekong Plaza, is gone. And two established…
Happiness is discovering a shiny new Korean grocery store. Paldo Market opened up about two months ago at the southeast corner of Southern and Mill in Tempe (9 E. Southern), and it’s quite a find. Although it’s not supermarket-sized, Paldo’s got a really well-rounded selection of Korean edibles and ingredients,…
Matthew Ramirez stepped out on to a raised platform in the Arizona Mills Mall food court and struck the sort of body building pose that would make Arnold Schwarzenegger proud. Unfortunately, muscular definition would be all but useless to the task that awaited 22-year-old Ramirez. No, he would require jaw…
James Beard Award-winning chef Nobuo Fukuda is closing Sea Saw, his seven-year-old Stetson Drive eatery, to focus on a new project. Sunday, June 7, will be the last night of service. It’s truly the end of an era in the Valley culinary scene, but also the beginning of a new…
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: Now Open: The Parlor Fine’s Cellar Closes Over the…
Sea Saw chef Nobuo Fukuda’s cutting-edge sashimi creations and luxurious omakase dinners have earned him not only legions of devotees, but a prestigious James Beard “Best Chef: Southwest” award. And since the opening of NOCA last August, chef Chris Curtiss has gained a cult following for his stunning crudo dishes and…
We talked with farmer Sri about what’s in this week’s harvest, and she waxed eloquent about summer fruits: “The figs are awesome! And we have a whole big apple box of lemons for ten bucks. Lemons are almost gone — they’re dropping,” probably from those storms just before Memorial Day…
I love that they’re calling it Lobster Madness. Chef Eddie Matney is cooking up the quintessential summer beach dinner tonight at Eddie’s House, and the price sounds pretty tasty, too. It’s Maine lobster, sweet corn on the cob, and buttered potatoes for $19.95; the twin lobster dinner is $29.95. To…
When it comes to Mexican food the amount of arm-twisting required to get us to go is minimal. Perhaps if we could utilize margaritas and burritos as motivational devices we’d get more work done. That’s why we’re excited about Gallo Blanco Cafe. Food Critic Michele Laudig on Gallo Blanco Cafe:…
Seems like NOCA has something different going on every night it’s open — soft shell crab suppers on Tuesdays, lobster rolls on Wednesdays, Simple Suppers on Sundays — and now there’s one more thing to add to your dining schedule: Bar Bites on Thursdays. It’s an affordable menu of creative dishes that will…
This morning, celebrated pastry chef Tracy Dempsey officially announced that as of June 8, she’ll be leaving her gig overseeing desserts for Cowboy Ciao, Digestif, and Kazimierz, a position she’s held for the last five years. “It’s not an easy decision,” she says. Dempsey is busy working on opening Galette Dessert…
When I called Doug Robson, chef-owner of the fantastic new Gallo Blanco Café at the Clarendon Hotel, I almost expected him to ask me not to write about his restaurant. “I wanna be just kind of quiet about it,” he said, pausing to take a deep breath before talking to…
This afternoon, I finally got some time to catch up with chef Cullen Campbell in the wake of Fine’s Cellar’s recent closing, and he says he’s really upset about it. “It was pretty much the economy, and with the way things have going, the investors didn’t want to put more…
Just got the word tonight from chef Cullen Campbell that Fine’s Cellar is no more. To some, who’d seen the Old Town Scottsdale eatery not nearly busy enough in recent months, that might not come as a surprise, but to the many who’d become fans of wine guru Mike Fine’s…
It’s that time of year when we all start to crave ice cream, watermelon and light, refreshing sushi. In this week’s Meal Ticket dining newsletter, we’ve got the dish on all-day food and drink specials at Pearl Sushi Lounge & Bomber Bar, plus tantalizing tidbits about new sushi offerings in…
Gather ye stickybuns while ye may! Tomorrow, May 27, is the last day in business for El Chorro Lodge, the Paradise Valley eatery where a scenic mountain view, killer eats (everything from eggs benedict to steaks) and old-school cool have earned it many Best of Phoenix awards over the years…
A holiday weekend is a good time for a soft opening, it seems. The Parlor quietly opened its doors a few nights ago, and incredibly, I’ve already talked to a few friends who’ve been there. People must be hungry for this stuff. Word is, the food is straightforward and pretty…
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: Monday Night Martha: Mexican Chocolate Tofu Pudding Bing Soo:…
Here’s some really new news: Event management company Pro Em is hosting a farmers’ market and rummage sale (plus an informal job fair) at their facility at 4707 East Baseline Road (just west of I-10) tomorrow from 8 a.m. to noon. If all goes well, the event might return in…
We’re not into putting all of our eggs into one basket, but if Scramble is half as delicious as this week’s Cafe column makes it out to be, we’ll make an exception. Eggs? We’ll take two, scrambled. Bacon? Give it here. Cheese? You shouldn’t have. Food Critic Michele Laudig on…
I’ve seen the future of breakfast in Phoenix, and it is called Scramble. I say that not because the menu is so cutting-edge — it’s heavy on classics like biscuits and gravy, pancakes, and steak and eggs. But honestly, if the selection here got a few tweaks and additions for…
He’s been on board for a while, but as of today, former Digestif front-of-the-house personality Pavle Milic has officially been named the new general manager of Prado, the fine-dining restaurant at the InterContinental Montelucia resort. Another well-known local talent, Paul Xanthopoulos, has joined the team as maitre d’. Prior to this gig,…
