Alright, peeps. I know a lot of you hit up the big two-day culinary festival at Phoenix Art Museum this weekend, because I ran into so many of you when I stopped by on Sunday afternoon. What did you think of it? I thought it was a fun convergence of different…
The cover of the latest issue of Saveur — a drool-inducing photo of ribs, in all of their charred, meaty glory — really got me craving some barbecue. Oh, you want some too? Well lucky us, a brand-new barbecue joint is set to open by the end of this month. Located in Cave…
Change can be good. That seems to be the case for Poco, the Scottsdale Spanish restaurant formerly known as Imagine Spain (7000 E. Shea; 480-991-3170). When I checked out the place last fall (read my review), I liked the paella but couldn’t stand the soulless surroundings. I wrote, “Imagine Spain does have…
Shangri La? Not the first image that comes to mind when you read the recent county restaurant inspection report for the so-named Chinese restaurant on Alma School Road in Mesa. Raw sprouts were too warm. There was no hand soap in the employee restroom. Opened cans of food were stored…
With last week’s abrupt closing of Palatte, I’ve heard several friends complain about the lack of breakfast options in Central Phoenix. But I guess the restaurant gods were listening, because I just found out about a brand-new spot that’s in the works: Two Hippies Breakfast Joint. It’s the latest brainchild of…
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: Brew Review: Great Arizona Beer Festival Opening This Month:…
Frozen yogurt season is upon us, it seems. Did you see the coming week’s forecast? With highs in the high 80s? Seems like spring has already sprung and summer’s coming soon. The timing’s right for the brand-new Mojo Yogurt at Biltmore Fashion Park, now a week old. Its sister location on Mill Avenue…
When I recently chatted with David Stone, one of the three owners of the upcoming Dos Diablos Mexican Restaurant in north Scottsdale, I couldn’t help but notice the blaring noise coming over the phone. I don’t even think I had to ask him where the heck he was before he…
Wife-and-husband Chandler farmers Sri and Richard know how to make their fresh produce a hot commodity: Control access. You can’t find Sri’s Fruits and Vegetables anywhere, any time, except at the Ahwatukee Farmers’ Market each Sunday morning. (Okay, it’s a small family business, and it’s not as though they’re sitting…
It didn’t take long for Napa Valley Soda Co.’s marketing shtick to work on our tasters. “Look, it’s from Napa Valley, I bet it’s good,” said our art director, Peter Storch, upon seeing four bottles of the stuff, purchased from Big Lots for $2. After trying the stuff, he wasn’t…
It’s no secret that I’m a sucker for neat old buildings — especially ones that house restaurants — so imagine my delight when I discovered that somebody leased that far-out building in the middle of the Haus/Movies On Central/soon-to-be Lola Coffee strip (4700 N. Central). You know, the one with the…
Hungry for Italian eats? Look no further than this week’s Cafe column. New Times shines some light on the corner of First and Pierce and more specifically on Chef Wade Moises’ PastaBAR. Food Critic Michele Laudig on PastaBAR: The menu is streamlined, nothing tops out over $17, and portions are…
I doubt I’m the first person to say this, but I’m certain I won’t be the last: First Street and Pierce has become the coolest corner in downtown Phoenix. It happened in a flash. A year ago, it was a culinary no man’s land (unless you count the Pizza Hut…
I have to ask myself, is there such a thing as a professional chicken wing eater? Because Native New Yorker is billing its Battle of the Bone as “Arizona’s only amateur wing eating contest.” No professionals allowed! (ha) Starting tonight at the Tempe restaurant, the contest will be held at a different Native…
If you’re familiar with The Splendid Table, which airs every Sunday on KJZZ, then host Lynne Rosetto Kasper might already be a favorite part of your weekends. With her soothing voice and encyclopedic knowledge of the culinary arts — not to mention her vivid way of describing food — she…
At Wright on Main (on Main Street in Mesa), Maricopa County restaurant inspectors recently found something rare — at least, it hasn’t turned up in dozens of inspection reports reviewed in the last few months. Mice. And roaches. Also “excessive” droppings from both. (What would qualify as non-excessive, one wonders?) Food…
It happened as swiftly as dominoes fall. Just days after the late August closing of Katz Deli, a Phoenix institution on Central Avenue, Craig and Kris DeMarco snatched up the early ’60s building and got crackin’ on their plans to turn it into a second outpost of their popular wine bar,…
Here’s something you don’t see very often, if ever — a special event at the highly acclaimed Binkley’s. On Monday, March 23, the Cave Creek fine dining destination will be hosting a six-course winemaker dinner to showcase Frank Family Vineyards, a boutique winery in Napa Valley. AZ Wines Company’s Carefree location is also involved in…
Lola Tapas owner Daniel Wayne — who founded the ultra-hip Lux Coffeebar, then sold it and opened the tapas joint four years ago — is getting back into the coffee game. He tells me he just signed a lease on a 1200-square-foot space on Central Avenue, just south of Camelback (4700 N…
If you eat at Efes Turkish Cuisine in Tempe (in the same strip mall as Changing Hands Bookstore, southwest corner of Guadalupe and McClintock), chances are, you’ll be doing some naval gazing. The restaurant often features belly dancing. But you might be better off checking out the cooks’ fingernails. A recent…
I got word last night that Palatte, the popular downtown brunch spot known for its eclectic menu and relaxed historic-house setting, just closed yesterday. Supposedly the restaurant was still doing a bangin’ business on the weekends, when people would line up for frittatas, scrambled egg “mishmashes,” and roasted sweet potato pancakes,…
We’ve already reported on the delicious meals and bread to be had at Il Terrazzo Restaurant located at The Phoenician Resort. What if we told you that this Italian eatery also has a new selection of top quality tequila? Surprised? So were we when we sat down at a press…
