The PHiXStudio Session with Wei Tai
Marilyn HawkesFebruary 2020
Wei Tai, who hails from rural village south of Shanghai, China, learned to paint at age 5, taught by his father, an accomplished artist silenced during the Chinese Cultural Revolution.
Marilyn Hawkes, Author at PHOENIX magazine
The Dressing Room at MonOrchid in Downtown Phoenix recently added weekend brunch to its repertoire. The restaurant features all-day breakfast, but chef Joe Rodger has added some new items, including shakshuka, a popular egg dish in Israel and other countries in the Middle East. Most shakshuka is made with red tomatoes, but Rodger puts a Southwestern spin on the dish by using tomatillos. When making this recipe, Rodger suggests wearing gloves while handling the tomatillos....
Veg OutVeg Out: Vegetable Hash
Marilyn HawkesFebruary 2020
Every now and then a breakfast dish – even a vegetarian breakfast dish – comes along that steals your heart and satisfies your longings. To wit: Hearth ‘61’s vegetable hash.
A staple of Southeast Asian cooking, the green papaya salad is not what you think it is.
Local ProductsLocal Product: Guacbox AZ
Marilyn HawkesFebruary 2020
Check out Myriah Castillo’s popular avocado spreads that stemmed from a health-focused Mexican meal prep service.
Desert DigestRecipesRecipe Friday: The Shrimp and Grits from Voodoo Daddy’s Steam Kitchen
Marilyn HawkesFebruary 2020
Mardi Gras is coming up on Tuesday, Feb. 25 and if you plan on celebrating at home, we’ve rustled up an easy shrimp and grits recipe courtesy of Voodoo Daddy’s Steam Kitchen in Tempe. Sometimes customers shy away from grits, says Voodoo Daddy’s owner, Ron Lynch. “People have a negative feeling about them because their only exposure was at a Waffle House. They just serve bland, white grits,” he says. To that end, Voodoo Daddy’s...
Desert DigestRecipesRecipe Friday: The Shrimp Spring Rolls from Tea Light Café
Marilyn HawkesFebruary 2020
For the past 14 years, Tea Light Café has been turning out fresh and healthy Vietnamese food from its location a few doors down from The Cine Capri in Scottsdale. Owner Chris Price says he’s also been a vendor at the Scottsdale Arabian Horse Show for the same amount of time. “We started out as a mobile espresso van,” he says. The Prices still sell coffee and baked goods at the show, as well as...
The Americano Restaurant, Pomo Restaurant Group’s newest outlet, is set to open in North Scottsdale on February 5, taking limited reservations until their grand opening in March. The kitchen will be headed up by executive chef Matthew Taylor, who is also executive chef at Mora Italian, and chef de cuisine CJ Kahley. The Americano will offer antipasti and pasta as well as steaks cooked over wood fire, a raw bar and caviar service, an innovative...
Desert DigestRecipesRecipe Friday: The Mediterra Bread Pudding from Phoenix City Grille
Marilyn HawkesJanuary 2020
Valentine’s Day sometimes presents a challenge for couples: Should we go out for a romantic dinner or make a cozy meal for two at home? For those of you staying in for Valentine’s Day and need a swoon-worthy dessert idea, Nick Ambeliotis of Mediterra Bakehouse offers a decadent bread pudding recipe that’s guaranteed to please. Ambeliotis devised the recipe for Phoenix City Grille. “I like to involve local chefs since I don’t have a café...
If you have a citrus tree or two in your backyard, you’ve probably accumulated a surplus of fruit and have already run out of recipe ideas. Have you ever tried making marmalade? Chef Chris Smith of Merkin Vineyards offers an easy recipe that you can use in a variety of ways, from topping toast to glazing a ham to enhancing a charcuterie board. You can eat right away or can in Mason jars for later...
Veg OutVeg Out: “Pow” Cauliflower
Marilyn HawkesJanuary 2020
When chef-owner Chris Gruebele designed Verdura’s menu, he sketched a picture of what would become the restaurant’s popular General Pow Cauliflower.
Three BitesThree Bites: It’s a Date!
Marilyn HawkesJanuary 2020
Confronted by the mystically sweet meatiness of Medjool dates, Valley chefs have but one logical course of action: Stuff them.
Using a brick hearth hand-built in France, Nick Ambeliotis and his crew craft about 20 different varieties of slow-fermented bread.
Desert DigestRecipesRecipe Friday: The Everything Bagel Spice Salmon from Nook Kitchen
Marilyn HawkesJanuary 2020
When Nick LaRosa of Nook Kitchen put together his menu, he wanted to do a spinoff on bagels and lox. Then, he had a great idea: “Why not put everything bagel seasoning on salmon?” LaRosa tried different preparations and decided pan seared and finished in the oven would be the best way. Once you make up a batch of Everything Bagel Spice, you can use it for all sorts of dishes, LaRosa says. “You can...
Desert DigestDinners & PromotionsFemale-Driven Dining Series Debuts at The Phoenician
Marilyn HawkesJanuary 2020
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, only about 20 percent of America’s kitchens are headed up by women. But at The Phoenician, women play a much bigger role, with four female chefs in leadership positions. “We put our power on the plate,” says executive sous chef Rebecca Tillman. To celebrate, the resort will present “Fierce Females at The Phoenician,” an all-woman chef series of multicourse dinners served community-style at Mowry & Cotton. The...