Nikki Buchanan, Author at PHOENIX magazine

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Desert Digest Food & DrinkNew Restaurant Alert: Dom Ruggiero’s Fire at Will Set to Open This Fall

Nikki BuchananAugust 1, 2022

Dom Ruggiero, the chef-owner of wildly popular Hush Public House in North Scottsdale, has a knack for figuring out where the market is under-served, and a good restaurant is needed. Case in point: North Scottsdale was a dining desert until Ruggiero opened Hush and resolved the problem in 2019. From day one, the place was packed with customers who loved Hush’s laidback vibe and Ruggiero’s sophisticated version of comfort food. Now, he and his wife...

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Food ReviewsPhoenix Thai Cuisine Dining Review: Lom Wong

Nikki BuchananJuly 7, 2022

Unlock magnitudes of Thai food rapture heretofore unknown to Phoenix at this new couple-operated restaurant on Roosevelt Row.

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Food ReviewsScottsdale Seafood & American Dining Review: Rockefeller

Nikki BuchananJuly 7, 2022

Though not as high-toned as the name suggests, this seafood-focused Scottsdale restaurant cashes in with great oysters and a raucous vibe.

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Drink ThisDrink This: Desert Jade at KHLA in Phoenix

Nikki BuchananJuly 7, 2022

Try this refresher inspired by the flavors found in Southeast Asian bakeries.

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Food ReviewsScottsdale Dining Review: Etta

Nikki BuchananJuly 7, 2022

Chef Danny Grant’s rustic companion piece to Maple & Ash hits its marks in trendy North Scottsdale.

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Desert DigestOur Top 5 Flagstaff Food Experiences for the Summer of 2022

Nikki BuchananJune 10, 2022

Best places to eat and stay in the cool pines of Flagstaff this summer.

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Desert Digest Food & DrinkFirst Dish: Far Away Wine and Provisions

Nikki BuchananMay 9, 2022

When my friend and I wander into Far Away Wine and Provisions, we consider the cozy living room set-up — couch, chairs, coffee table — near the entrance but settle instead for a couple of stools at the tiny bar. We know we want to eat something and hunching over a coffee table is never a fun way to go about it. Besides, the bar seems to be where the action is. At 5:30, there...

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Food ReviewsReview: At My Place Café

Nikki BuchananMay 5, 2022

This all-day mom-and-pop Filipino diner has a new East Valley address and our critic’s unabashed endorsement.

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Food ReviewsReview: Neighborly Public House

Nikki BuchananMay 5, 2022

Set on the Seventh Street dining drag, this one-off concept from repeat restaurateur Chris Collins is fully off the hook.

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Drink ThisDrink This: Aloe Weed Thy Name from Garden Bar

Nikki BuchananMay 5, 2022

Skip the Long Island Iced Tea and try this hilariously named, faintly fizzy refresher.

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Food ReviewsReview: First & Last

Nikki BuchananMay 5, 2022

If the food rises to the level of its décor, this handsome Modern American restaurant in Roosevelt Row will have the whole package.

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Desert Digest Food & DrinkFirst Dish: Espiritu

Nikki BuchananApril 18, 2022

When Espiritu opened last January, it was cast as a bar not a restaurant, a let’s-get-crazy play place for drinkers unashamed to admit they like getting a little toasty. Under the short cocktail menu (five regular cocktails and one daily special) is a section called “Shots & Other Mistakes,” featuring nine possibly bad decisions (their verbiage, not mine). Here, you’ll find wild concoctions given hilarious names and descriptions, including Yeetlejuice (Jaeger cold brew, pineapple amaro,...

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Desert Digest Food & DrinkChef Cory Oppold to Open New Dining Concept in North Scottsdale

Nikki BuchananMarch 28, 2022

Cory Oppold | Photo by Ian Cahill/Precision Photography AZ Former Food Network Chopped champion Cory Oppold has worked everywhere, it seems. His resume is impressive. After graduating from Scottsdale Culinary Institute, he started his career at Different Pointe of View, later working as sous chef at Binkley’s, chef de cuisine at L’Auberge and executive chef both at Tarbell’s and Atlas Bistro. Now, at last, he’s opening his own Modern American restaurant in Scottsdale, and he’s...