Many years ago, I dated a chef with a thing for chile peppers. He couldn’t get enough of the hot stuff, couldn’t shut up about habaneros and serranos, and usually ate jalapeños with everything from noodle soup to pizza. I loved his cooking, but the pepper thing drove me crazy…
Now that September’s almost upon us, get ready for the seasonal roll out of new menus and new chefs around town. One of the latest places to undergo a late-summer revamp is Bloom, at Gainey Ranch. Jason Frandsen recently took over as executive chef there, after working on the launch…
Any new Central Phoenix lunch option is cause for celebration, in my book — especially when it’s a restaurant I already enjoy for dinner. The fact that I’ll be able to eat moules frites more often only adds to my happiness. Starting next week, on September 4, Trente-Cinq 35 will…
It’s good to push your boundaries once in a while, and recently, I tested the limits of how far I’d travel for this column. The answer? About 40 miles from downtown Phoenix, to the southeastern reaches of Queen Creek. I know, I know — that’s a hike for just about…
I know, you don’t need somebody to twist your arm for some Thai food and a wine tasting, but doing indulging for charity is extra motivation to get out and mingle. Tomorrow night, Aug. 21, the Phoenix Corkscrews — an enthusiastic group of wine lovers who don’t care if you’re…
I don’t know if it’s because it’s been a long week, or what, but my ass is dragging this morning, and I’m looking forward to being holed up in my office indefinitely, with a big project to finish. It’s only 9, and I’m already fantasizing about taking a nap. On…
I’m usually good at keeping secrets, but when it comes to a great restaurant find, I just can’t keep my mouth shut. Apologies to my friends who consider Al-Hana Restaurant, at Baiz Market, a treasure that should stay well-hidden. I can’t tell you how many people have told me they’ve…
Ed Aiona Let the good times roll: Roshambo Winery makes a pit stop in Scottsdale tonight Right now, I envy the dudes from Roshambo Winery — you’d recognize their labels by their distinctive rocks-paper-scissors logo — who’re touring California and Arizona in their tricked-out Roshambus. These guys get to party…
You know those handy little 19-minute parking spaces right in front of La Grande Orange? I guess now they’re off-limits for everyone except people picking up pizza orders that they’ve called in. It’s no secret that parking’s a total bitch in the area around 40th Street and Campbell (and man,…
Jackie Mercandetti Chef Greg LaPrad and sous chef Anthony Andiario ride their vacation high with a culinary take on Tuscany. Fresh off the plane from a trip to Italy, the kings of the Quiessence kitchen have cooked up a tasty looking menu for next week’s special dinner (6:30 p.m., Aug…
As my colleague Booze Pig can attest, there’s no shortage of little hole-in-the-wall joints to grab a cold Bud in this simmering city of ours. But a glass of wine? Not quite as easy. I’m not talking about a too-warm pour of two-day-old cheap stuff from the corner dive, nor…
The Foodbar was just the first of seven restaurants in the works for the upscale, canal-front SouthBridge development in Scottsdale. Next up, with a planned debut in October, will be Canal, a scenestery spot where there decor will include 30 feet of high-definition projection screens along a fashion runway. But…
When it comes to restaurant openings, I’m like a hungry kid who wants another helping of mac ‘n’ cheese. Another new place? Yes, please! The latest place I’m looking forward to checking out is called dish: a food experience, a new market and bistro that’s set to open this Friday,…
Wow, this is a first: having a server blame you for your shitty food. I met my friend at Pho Bang for lunch — we usually frequent Da Vang — and her order of catfish came out smelling very, very wrong. She told me to taste it to see if…
If this were 16th-century Europe, David Pham would be considered a renaissance man. Not only does Pham, hands-on owner of Bamboo Bakery on West Glendale Avenue, have a degree in computer science from Phoenix College, he’s also an artist and painter, as well as a radio host whose weekly, three-hour…
A cute little ningyoyaki (spongy cake filled with, you guessed it, sweet red bean paste) that says “Kaminari Mon” (Thunder Gate, the famous gate at Senso-ji Temple in Asakusa). Does it remind you of the Phoenix skyline? (Ha.) The view from the observation level of Roppongi Hills was almost as…
The day after I got back to Tokyo, my sweetie and another friend and I trekked up to Mt. Takao, outside the city. So many restaurants have plastic models of food on display outside, but at one place, they had a cute display made out of papier-mache. Engrish is everywhere!…
The lunch set at Imobou, this tiny restaurant on the northern edge of Maruyama Park in Kyoto. The place has been there for generations, and it’s famous for the dish on the lower left: a kind of boiled potato with dried cod. I dutifully ate it, but it had a…
Edible souvenirs in Himeji: Bean-paste-filled pancakes with images of Himeji Castle. Can you imagine having this right in the middle of town? This castle is the pride and joy of Himeji, a.k.a. Phoenix’s sister city in Japan. I’d been there eight years ago, but it was fun all over again…
Aw, thanks for worrying about me, guys! Everything’s cool, I’m alive and well, but just a little jet-lagged. As some of you know, and some have correctly guessed, I was on my annual jaunt to Japan, this time for a bit longer than in years past. My pre-vacay trying-to-get-ahead workload…
Last August, when I heard that Sabuddy, the popular Israeli restaurant in Tempe, had opened a second location in Scottsdale, I took it as a sign of progress (and felt a pang of envy of folks who live and work near the new spot on Shea Boulevard). I’m not a…
When I heard chef Brian Ford was opening his own place, I got excited. The last place on his resumé was Quiessence, the wonderful fine dining spot at the Farm at South Mountain, so I expected something good from Madelyn’s Restaurant & Wine Bar. But when I heard the new…
