It took me 43 years to get over my fear of matzoh balls. Making them, that is, not eating them. I’ve eaten my fair share of the Jewish dumplings over the years — in many homes, in many delis. And one thing that my collective experience (both making and eating) has taught…
Vegetarians, beware! We’re getting down and dirty with all kinds of meat products this week, from glorious bacon to Italian beef to pepperoni. So stop reading now if you consider tofu “the other white meat.” Pizza’s really the perfect food. Everyone loves it, even picky kids who’d rather eat a…
America Corrales wasn’t exactly playing hooky; she was checking up on her restaurant. The full-time teacher and owner of America’s Taco Shop decided it was time to pack up her first grade classroom last year and focus on her Downtown taco shop. The buzz that used to be in her…
How well do you know your favorite cookhouse contraptions? See if you can guess today’s gadget and check back next week for the answer, and to see if you’ve won a most-awesome prize. Here are a few shots at this week’s trickster, add yours to the comment box below: -…
Ryan Avery The performance artist will be featured with Father’s Day at The Real Coachella Saturday, April 24 at The Trunk Space at 8 p.m. What’d you eat for dinner last night? I went to Olive Garden to visit some of my family. I ate the cheese ravioli with alfredo…
After the launch of one of the worst jokes sandwiches in fast food history, the KFC Double Down, it seems a lot of folks have their feathers ruffled over the Colonel’s latest cause-marketing effort, Buckets for the Cure — a program in conjunction with Susan G. Komen for the Cure…
Like any ginormous corporation, you can’t blame Food Network’s faults on the folks in the trenches doing the real work. You have to look up, way up. To the millionaires calling the shots, keeping the company profitable at any expense, and wringing their hands in anticipation of their next bonus…
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: Arizona Barbecue Festival: Lessons Learned from Competing in a…
There’s something magical about making food or drink with your own two hands. Not that I haven’t passed a few store-bought cakes off as my own at dinner parties, but it just doesn’t feel the same when your contribution to the meal comes out of a bottle, box or KFC bucket. But what…
This week’s feature story, “Down on the Farm,” chronicles an increasingly heated national battle over “factory-farmed” food. On one side: a phalanx of corporation- and family-owned farms across the country. On the other: the Washington, D.C.-based Humane Society of the United States.Caught in the middle: independent farmers and voters.Voters? Indeed…
It can be hard to find good sea food in the desert. Unfortunately, the restaurant featured in this week’s cafe column won’t exactly help your search. Food Critic Michele Laudig on Ocean Prime: Given his background working for Christopher Gross and Eddie Matney, and the sophisticated food he cooked at…
This week, Takeshi Hosoda of Radio Cafe has dished on shokunin, sexy sushi and sharp knives. Today, he shares a new addition to the Radio Cafe menu, his sweet potato sushi roll. Here’s how it’s done…..
Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. Grandma Laudig’s wisdom has always held up well, except when it comes to reviewing restaurants. I’m talking about those places I really don’t care to set foot in again, but still I go back in the name of…
Did I miss something? Did I not get the memo from one Colonel H. Sanders stating that KFC fans want their fried chicken sans skeleton? Sure, I get the fish sandwich. No one wants the shock and awe of a fish bone swimming around in their mouth. But a piece…
Yesterday we heard from Chef Takeshi Hosoda of Radio Cafe. Today the conversation continues. One of Chef Hosoda’s passions is cooking rice, which may sound simple (there are appliances that do that with a press of a button!), but the chef insists there’s a better method. “To me, rice is…
Visionary businessman Fred Harvey has been credited with many things — from the invention of chain restaurants, to romanticizing train travel, to providing opportunity for the first significant female workforce in the United States. You can hear all about it tomorrow when Stephen Fried visits the Heard Museum (2301 N. Central…
One can never have enough Thin Mints. At least that’s what we thought until Managing Editor Amy Silverman brought in a dozen unsold boxes to a recent Chow Bella meeting. If one must make lemonade when life hands one lemons, we theorized one must make dessert when life hands one…
Ah… apple pie. It’s as American as mom and baseball, Botox and Internet porn. When I spotted a gargantuan version of this classic dessert in one local restaurant’s refrigerated case, I knew it was fodder for a brutal Battle of the Dishes. Will my original find nab top honors in this…
Greetings fast-food fans. With the introduction of KFC’s new Double Down Sandwich this weekend in addition to their boneless filet, yours truly did some diggin’ to find out what all this no-bone brew-ha-ha was all about. As a breaking news bonus, I’m posting this week’s story early so you can…
One can never have enough Thin Mints. At least that’s what we thought until Managing Editor Amy Silverman brought in a dozen unsold boxes to a recent Chow Bella meeting. If one must make lemonade when life hands one lemons, we theorized one must make dessert when life hands one…
When’s the last time you were intentional about your food — noticing every bite, exploring the flavors of an appetizer with your tongue or resting in-between sips of a good cocktail? Blaming our lack of time, most of us end up scarfing down even the most gourmet meal in mere minutes. Either that or we’re…
“Trust Me,” says the sign above Chef Takeshi Hosoda’s head in Radio Cafe as he busily chops ginger for tonight’s sushi orders. You can trust the sign. Hosada was raised in a suburb of Tokyo and moved to Phoenix because he needed a change of scenery. He says he chose Arizona because he didn’t know…
