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We could all use a little pampering after the last year. If your self-care plans involve multiple salon visits, you can streamline your routine with a visit to Beauty and Propaganda, a “lifestyle salon” that opened in the Grove on Hayden shopping center in Scottsdale in February.  Beauty and Propaganda is the brainchild of Zuleika and Karla Zaragoza, sisters from El Paso, Texas, who experienced culture shock after relocating to Scottsdale. The salon grew from their desire to offer services and an atmosphere that celebrates diversity and...

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Local-food lovers have a new spot to stock up on artisanal delights: nomada provisions, the latest concept from Valentina Huerta and chef Gian Franco Brugaletta of Nonna Urban Eatery in Scottsdale.  The retail space is located at 3410 N. 24th Street in Phoenix and opens this week. In addition to a carefully curated selection of goodies – cheese, charcuterie, oils, vinegars, condiments, spices, baking products and teas – nomada has a “cozy coffee corner” where guests can sit and linger over a latte or an Americano and purchase beans. Globally inspired ready-made and heat-and-serve...

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THE SCENE  As a pretty patient introvert, I’m much more likely to get JOMO (joy of missing out) than FOMO (fear of missing out). I get excited about new restaurants – and in “normal times” I am grateful to visit them during media previews – but I’m not someone who has to be among the first to try a place. I’m OK with waiting until the buzz abates, because crowds and lines made me itchy even before COVID-19.  My chill approach has held throughout the pandemic, even...

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“If food is the body of good living, wine is its soul,” author and media personality Clifton Fadiman is reported to have said. Chef Joey Maggiore is sharing a bit of his soul with diners with the launch last weekend of his private selection wine label at all locations of The Sicilian Butcher.  “Growing up in a big Sicilian family, great wine was always a staple in our home,” Maggiore says. “My dad really loved wine, and I know he’d be just as excited as...

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Spirituality, romance, history and mystery intersect in Temple Dancer (Tumamoc Press, $16.95) by Amy Weintraub, a Tucson author, yoga instructor and founder of LifeForce Yoga Healing Institute (amyweintraub.com). The novel tells the interconnected stories of Wendy, an American divorcée on a spiritual pilgrimage to India, and Saraswati, an intriguing older woman who claims to have been a devadasi, or “temple dancer,” before they were outlawed. Wendy uses Saraswati’s youthful diary and her own meditation to...

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THE SCENE The Peoria outpost of this local Mexican chain is situated in the Park West shopping complex off the 101 and Northern Avenue. It’s modern, bright and airy inside, with blue and yellow chairs and bench cushions popping against pale neutral wood, breeze blocks and dangling geometric light fixtures. A decent wraparound patio has twinkling lights, fans and space heaters. Jalapeño Inferno’s Scottsdale locations (Pinnacle Peak and DC Ranch) boast even more spacious and charming outdoor dining.  THE FOOD Owners Terry and Laura Craig are...

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Whether you’re smitten with Valentine’s Day or think it’s a corporate conspiracy, we’d wager you could benefit from a little chocolate in your life. Order some for yourself or share the love with friends, family or your paramour – or all of the above. Chocolate for everyone, we say!    Skip the chains and support an indie chocolatier this year. Here are some of our favorites.  Zak’s Chocolate Longtime loves Jim and Maureen Elitzak make “bean-to-bar” chocolate in their North Scottsdale shop. In addition to their regular retinue of chocolate bars (including vegan...

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Snail mail is in again. Old-fashioned cards and letters are enjoying a resurgence thanks to a desire to bridge our physical distance from loved ones and a renewed cultural interest in supporting the United States Post Office. “Letterpress is a labor of love,” says Scottsdale native Lauren Thoeny, who is Wren House Brewing Co.’s graphic designer and the self-taught printer behind Lately Press Paper Co. “I love the tactile feel of letterpress and getting my...

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The Valley has lost one of its culinary luminaries. This past weekend, legendary Italian chef/restaurateur Tomaso Maggiore died after a long battle with lung cancer. He was 73 years old.  Maggiore immigrated to the United States from Sicily as a young man and worked his way up the restaurant ranks in New York City before moving west. He and his wife, Patricia, opened Tomaso’s Italian Restaurant in the Camelback Corridor in September 1977. Their children, Joey and Melissa, grew up in the industry and joined their parents in running a...

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THE SCENE These irreverent, British pub-influenced bars (locations in Old Town Scottsdale and Uptown Phoenix) draw raucous patrons for sports viewing, bar games, off-track betting and general merriment. A wooden bar, plentiful barstools and plush banquette booths set the stage for lingering at both Bevvy locations.   THE FOOD Our go-to at the Old Town location is the juicy Bevvy burger, topped with American cheese, tomato, arugula, red onion, pickles and red relish on a buttermilk bun. It’s way better than your average bar burger. The...

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After a rancorous election and the insanity of 2020, it’s tempting to give up social media entirely. Not so fast, says Kindli, a “social unity” app developed in Scottsdale to foster kindness with a “pay it forward” model of good deeds and interactions. “There is zero tolerance for negativity, hate speech, politics, bullying or other abusive behavior,” says founder and CEO Martin Diamond. “The focus remains our goal to create a safe, fun platform that...

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Fatigued by last year’s record-setting fire season? If you’re an SRP customer, you can make a monetary donation to prevent future fires. In November, the utilities giant launched a new program that allows residential users to invest $3 per month in strategic forest thinning projects, which officials say will protect the watersheds that provide H2O to the Phoenix metro. “Arizona forests are not only essential to the Valley’s water supply, but they also provide a...

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Winter dining al fresco is usually a treat in the Valley of the Sun – we devoted a whole cover story to patio dining, after all. This week’s dreary, drippy weather has limited outdoor dining options, though. As if anticipating this, Scottsdale Quarter and Culinary Dropout have been plotting Desert Domes, partially closed geodesic domes for outdoor dining.   They follow in the wake of several major U.S. cities whose restaurants have introduced private dining structures to provide “COVID-safe” experiences. These pop-ups huts – from New York City’s yurts to Chicago’s greenhouses – are technically outdoors, yet they protect patrons from the elements, which...