Lunch for less than ten bucks inevitably gets attention from us bargain-minded Chow Bella writers, but the $7 pricetag isn’t the only thing Regions Bistro’s Express Lunch has going for it. They’ll give you lunch for free if your order isn’t out of the kitchen within ten minutes. And if…
Who would name their eatery FnB? Turns out it’s FnB owner Pavle Milic and chef-owner Charleen Badman. The name apparently doesn’t do justice to the food. Food Critic Michele Laudig on FnB: The majority of FnB’s dishes could be considered starters or sides (they’re not labeled as either), but you…
The proposed class-action lawsuit against Yelp we described earlier today is gonna be ugly.Beck & LeeThe guy who’s going to make it that way is Jared Beck, a Harvard grad who plans on being the bulldog here. The Miami lawyer — who also practices in California, where the suit was filed –…
Culinary Mischief, the roving secret supper club that debuted late last year, is returning on March 6 with another upscale dinner at an undisclosed location in Phoenix. This time, it’s a penthouse somewhere downtown. There are only 30 seats total for the event, which features six courses of Tuscan cuisine…
Barbeque sauce and grilled meat go together like Tiger Woods and cocktail waitresses, it seems like you hardly ever find one without the other. Sharon Stein says that customers of her locally made barbeque sauce, R Sauce, often mention how much they love the sauce, but don’t always have time to…
With weather this glorious, whose “fur kid” isn’t antsy to get out of the house and join you for a bite to eat? My pal Sarah and I spend a good deal of time talking about our dogs and their funny antics, and she’s even written a column about taking…
This week, we’ve heard from Julian Wright of La Bocca Pizzeria + Wine Bar on juggling concept restaurants and his love for Desert Sweet Shrimp. Today he shares his recipe for La Bocca’s Sicily Pizza…
kaszeta/FlickrDid the S.F.-based user review site engage in practices tantamount to extortion?A year ago, the East Bay Express went public with stinging accusations that user review site Yelp engaged in shady pressure tactics to remove or bury negative reviews for businesses that advertised or coughed up sponsorships. Last May, an…
Once again, my yin and yang cravings have kicked in. To make up for a fattening food coma brought on by a cheeseburger, fries, and chocolate malt shake from Johnny Rockets (on a junkfood binge before I went to finally see Avatar at the Arizona Mills IMAX), I needed something…
Life just got a little sweeter for pastry chef Tracy DeWitt. The chef-instructor at Le Cordon Bleu College of the Culinary Arts (formerly known as Scottsdale Culinary Institute) just accepted her 2010 American Culinary Federation Western Region Pastry Chef of the Year award at the ACF regional gala on Monday. DeWitt beat out…
Home cooking gets all the credit for being comforting and soul-satisfying, but every so often, a restaurant comes along that’s as cozy as a warm blanket. Such a place transforms deceptively simple ingredients into something that lifts your spirit and makes you feel cared for — like you’re meant to…
For die-hard baseball fans, there’s no better place to watch rundowns, shoestring catches, or tape-measure blasts than in Arizona during spring training season. And with the Valley’s nine stadiums hosting 12 major league teams, baseball buffs can work up a sweat, and an appetite.That’s why The Chow Bella Guide to…
Steamer’s Genuine Seafood and Sam’s Cafe, two longtime players in the Biltmore Fashion Park dining mix, will be closing on April 4. Even though Sam’s Cafe owners Doug Czufin and Bruce Lazarus recently bought Steamer’s and renovated it last year, they’re being forced to close both eateries as a result…
Yesterday we sat down with Julian Wright of La Bocca Urban Pizzeria + Wine Bar. Lucky for you, there’s a part two! Want to hear about his love for Desert Sweet Shrimp or his pitch for the Food Network? Read on! What are your rules in the kitchen?It’s really simple…
Thank heaven for food spies. Slow Foodie-about-town Valerie Paxton was at FnB last night for a special fundraising dinner for local Slow Food advocate Natalie Morris, who’s about to head to Italy to get her master’s in food culture and communications at the University of Gastronomic Sciences. Paxton took lots…
To a Southerner, chicken and waffles seems as natural a combo as peanut butter and jelly, rum and coke, Brad and Angelina. To the rest of us Yankees, it seems a little strange — fried chicken is clearly a lunch/dinner/picnic food, while waffles are for breakfast or dessert. Right? A couple of Southern transplant friends…
The beauty of the stealth dining trend is how it’s so free-form. Who’s running it? Where will it be held? How to do they organize their dinners? Each incarnation is unique. MF Tasty is the newest to emerge on the local scene, a “secret supper club” run by a local…
I bet you already have a favorite local French spot for your onion soup fix, or for a decent plate of steak frites. But what about crepes? Sadly, they’re not so easy to come by. I usually get mine at the Saturday market at Vincent’s on Camelback. That’s what’s so smart…
Could Thai food possibly get any more popular? The last few years have seen a boom in Thai food across the Valley, and still more new restaurants are opening their doors. The newest is Lao Thai, which opened last week in the former Kam’s Garden space on Scottsdale Road at…
Like flower buds almost ready to bloom, a new crop of local restaurants is gearing up to debut in March, and from the looks of it, this will be one busy season. The trend is toward accessible, affordable fare, even at a couple of upscale resorts. At the InterContinental Montelucia Resort…
Winning a James Beard Award is the holy grail of culinary achievement. (Yes, despite what you might think, having your own Food Network show is not quite as important as the Beard Awards.) Last week, when the nominees for this year’s awards were announced, it got me thinking about how life…
Julian Wright learned the art of opening restaurants the hard way. When he introduced La Bocca Urban Pizzeria + Wine Bar in 2008, food critics (including our own) offered lukewarm reviews. A little more than a year later, he’s back with a vengeance. “La Bocca has been a challenge,” he…
