Students and professors: If you love to grab a venti java chip Frappuccino before heading into the lecture hall, you’re in luck. Starbucks is testing out its new mobile trucks at Arizona State University just two months after the company announced plans to reimburse tuition for certain employees through the…
Taste Talavera: Backwards! Saturday, August 23 This weekend Talavera at the Four Seasons Resort in Scottsdale is breaking your mom’s rule about no dessert before dinner. The upcoming installment of the restaurant’s Taste Talavera dinner series is called Backwards! and will offer a menu that turns the traditional idea of…
Get excited Lux patrons. One of central Phoenix’s most popular spots at which to eat, drink, and be seen is opening up a second location in downtown Phoenix. Although currently in the early stages of development (construction has yet to begin), the new location will be called Lux Commonwealth and…
Last year we marked the hundred day countdown to Best of Phoenix by sharing some of our favorite food folks’ “Personal Best” lists. This year we’re bringing back our list of 100 Favorite Dishes. Have a suggestion for a dish you’d like us to try? Leave it in the comments…
A popular new spot in the Ahwatukee foothills is opening up a second location after less than a year. The Perfect Pear Bistro will open in Tempe later next month, bringing its “new American comfort food” and bistro eats to the corner of Priest Drive and Ray Road…
Add yet another local restaurant to the list of places going for a rebrand this summer. Every time we turn around, it seems another spot has gotten a face lift and a new name. This time, it’s The Sushi Room in Chandler’s turn to change things. The restaurant, which opened…
Last year we marked the hundred day countdown to Best of Phoenix by sharing some of our favorite food folks’ “Personal Best” lists. This year we’re bringing back our list of 100 Favorite Dishes. Have a suggestion for a dish you’d like us to try? Leave it in the comments…
We’re going behind the scenes and getting up close and personal with some of the Valley’s favorite chefs, learning what it takes to make one of their best-known dishes. Welcome to The Trail. It’s hard not to smile when you walk into Crepe Bar in Tempe. Everything from the walls…
For years, Mabel’s on Main was a go-to spot in Scottsdale for a well-crafted cocktail you could enjoy in a dramatic, high-style atmosphere. The dark wooden bar, leather banquettes, and hidden private room (or didn’t you know about that already?) made it a one-of-a-kind spot in Old Town. Now chef-partner…
For every year that my palate matures, two more bad experiences come to my plate. Though most of us would not claim to be picky eaters, we have to admit we’ve all suffered some form of culinary trauma. Like any sour encounter of my life, my best is not to…
Entering Cyclo for the first time, you’ll notice one thing before anything else: owner Justina Duong. On a recent summer evening, she’s wearing a flowered maxi dress, dramatic false eyelashes, and a hip pixie cut. Her elegance appears effortless, like she’s a guest herself. She immediately starts talking to a…
Last year we marked the hundred day countdown to Best of Phoenix by sharing some of our favorite food folks’ “Personal Best” lists. This year we’re bringing back our list of 100 Favorite Dishes. Have a suggestion for a dish you’d like us to try? Leave it in the comments…
The Chef: James Porter The Restaurant: Petite Maison The Animal: Octopus The Dish: Grilled octopus Maybe there’s something in the air or maybe octopus is just on trend right now, but for whatever reason we’ve noticed several restaurants around town have added the cephalopod mollusc to their menus. It’s a…
For this week’s Grind column, I decided to walk into a coffee shop I had never been to, ask for a recommendation, and review it. This was clearly the best decision I have ever made, because it led me to discover the Dank-Dank (pronounced Daynk-Uh-Daynk). This secret off-menu gem is…
Chef Silvana Salcido Esparza of Barrio Cafe in Phoenix has a lot going on right now, including plans for a new restaurant in Gilbert and a fast-casual concept on the west side of town. What she doesn’t have to worry about anymore is Barrio Queen, the Scottsdale restaurant she opened…
Last year we marked the hundred day countdown to Best of Phoenix by sharing some of our favorite food folks’ “Personal Best” lists. This year we’re bringing back our list of 100 Favorite Dishes. Have a suggestion for a dish you’d like us to try? Leave it in the comments…
When it’s well-written, a menu is your map to a restaurant experience. It tells you what kind of food to expect and how much it’s going to cost. It might even give you a little insight into the chef and his or her vision for the restaurant. When it’s poorly…
I met my husband at Queens College in New York City in a Psychology of Personality class. I had my eye on him for a few weeks before I got up the nerve to approach him. We were scheduled for a test, so I invited him to study with me…
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…
Last year we marked the hundred day countdown to Best of Phoenix by sharing some of our favorite food folks’ “Personal Best” lists. This year we’re bringing back our list of 100 Favorite Dishes. Have a suggestion for a dish you’d like us to try? Leave it in the comments…
Since April, Valley residents have been eating for a good cause at Arizona’s largest homeless shelter. Helpings Cafe is located at UMOM New Day Centers on Van Buren Street, where trainees from the shelter go through a six- or nine-week training program to gain work experience…
If you’re looking for another reason to hate on Chipotle — you know, in addition to the fact that it raised prices and then claimed we gave it permission to do so — here’s a good one: The chain has bullied a local restaurant into changing its name. As of…
