The title “executive chef” means different things at different restaurants. For Parc Central’s Chad Burnett, it’s a soup-to-nuts kinda thing. He does it all. Burnett has been part of everything at the Scottsdale Quarter restaurant — from choosing a mixologist all the way down to the mundane task of figuring out…
In the days leading up to Caramelpalooza 2011, we’re introducing you to the local chefs who will be sharing their candy March 11 at Smeeks in central Phoenix. Today we bring you the macaron maven, Eugenia Theodosopoulos of Essance Bakery Cafe in Tempe. Theodosopoulos trained, lived and worked in Paris, and…
Whether you’re a CSA devotee, a farmers’ market weekender or consider ketchup a veg, we’ll teach you everything there is to know about local produce in our weekly series, In Season. Today’s harvest: Swiss Chard Swiss chard needs a new name. It makes me think of swiss cheese, and it’s…
Quinoa (pronounced: keen-wah) is an ancient seed native to the Andes mountain regions of Peru and Bolivia. Historically, Quinoa was cultivated in terraced fields by the Inca’s who treasured their “mother grain” for sustenance as well as its healing and mystical properties. Quinoa was used by warriors to enhance endurance while…
Caramelpalooza Countdown! The big, sweet event is less than two weeks away, and we are counting the days — and the candymakers. First up is Tammie Coe. Coe’s dream took her from her mother’s kitchen to Johnson and Wales University in Providence, Rhode Island, where she met her husband and…
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. AVION Silver Tequila “Too Good,” New Times Editorial Staff…
The best seat in this house is at the copper, wood and granite tapas bar facing Prado’s wood-fired oven. The view is of chef de cuisine Peter DeRuvo and his “pickle master,” Jay, working the oven, firing up the food, and finishing the plates. The chef says he is “having…
We’ve got some serious competition lined up for Caramelpalooza 2011 — March 11, 7 pm at Smeeks in central Phoenix. Now we’re looking for judges. Interested? Tell us why. Leave us a comment (and be sure you leave us a way to find you, like an email address) in the comments section…
Our chat with Chef Christopher Nicosia of Sassi concluded yesterday with him telling us how the best compliment he has ever received was that from a patron claiming Nicosia’s food was better than his own mother’s. The recipe he is showing us today, however, is something mom probably hasn’t made…
Oscar season and all those fancy LA parties are in full swing. Hollywood outsiders (us!) are planning to gather in front of the big screen (in ball gowns, jeans or p.j.s) to argue over best and worst dressed, critique the speeches, guffaw (yawn — maybe?) along with the hosts, dry…
Like every douchebag in college who suddenly became your friend after they found out you scored a bunch of weed, Burger King has offered Colin Firth a chance to design his own burger if he wins an Academy Award for Best Actor for his role in The King’s Speech on…
Editor’s note: Michele Laudig’s column will return next week. Homer Simpson: “I wonder why he’s so eager to go the garage?” Moe: “The garage? Hey fellas, the garage. Well, oo-la-dee-da Mr. French man.” Homer: “Well, what do you call it?” Moe: “A car hole.” Garage Restaurant & Bar, the three-month-old…
There’s nothing quite like finding a good version of that classic comfort food, macaroni and cheese. Now that we are all grown up, it’s a rare treat to find a dish that adds something new to the iconic meal, yet still makes us recall our childhood.There is definitely an art…
We covered background, heritage and his son’s exotic eating habits yesterday. Today we cotinue our chat with Christopher Nicosia of Sassi. Nicosia’s “garlic and Gaelic” heritage, as he put it, has contributed to why he became a chef. He took an interest in cooking at a young age, recalling once…
This is a beautiful video about a candy shop on a street in Hanoi, part of etsy’s Handmade Life series. Watch it — just because…
No beatin’ around the burger bush here, BurgerMap claims to be exactly what the slogan says it is: The World’s Best Burgers. On a map. But wait, not yet. BurgerMap can’t do it alone. The map’s success depends on people’s patty input, and lots of it. According to the website,…
Yesterday, Suzanne Garcia president of Chocolate Star Bakery shared the lessons she brought from a successful fashion and business background to her cookie bakery. The San Francisco native likes to keep her recipes simple but isn’t afraid to glam up a cookie with premium ingredient combinations. Today, Suzanne shares her…
Scottsdale’s Sapporo restaurant celebrated its ten-year anniversary with a facelift — not a total overhaul, but a graceful update overseen by the new owners, San Francisco-based Tavistock Group. The remodeled decor features a vibrant red color scheme, with two massive sake barrel replicas in the dining area and a Japanese…
The sprawling Italian style villa that is Sassi looks like something out of a movie. You almost expect an old-school, mustached Italian proprietor to swing the door wide open and welcome you in with a kiss on either cheek. Come to find out, the guy who runs things at Sassi is nothing of…
Looking to celebrate National Margarita Day? You’ve come to the right place. Here’s the thing. The New Times editorial staff can’t agree on anything. Most of the time, we can’t even agree on what day of the week it is. And don’t get us started on the topic of the Sprinkles…
Southwestern fast food guinea pigs, unite! San Antonio-based Whataburger is on a limited-time, new-menu-item blitz across its 10-state territory, trying out various specials across three regions. We (Arizona, New Mexico and western Texas) get Whataburger’s better-than-birds-falling-from-the-sky Green Chile Double burger and two spicy new morning items: the Chorizo Taquito and…
Spaghetti squash as an alternative to pasta is great when the mood hits for a light dish. A usual preparation is to serve it pasta style with a rich meaty tomato sauce. In this recipe it serves as the base for our meatless Monday dinner topped with sautéed zucchini ribbons,…
