Food & DrinkSpace Case: Windsor
Nikki BuchananDecember 2019
Take a peek inside the trendy eatery, part of a nexus of deliciousness on Central Avenue just north of Camelback Road.
Nikki Buchanan, Author at PHOENIX magazine
Food & DrinkToca Madera
Nikki BuchananDecember 2019
Dazzling décor aside, this modern Mexican import in Scottsdale gives our critic the blahs – and a minor case of generational dissonance.
Food & DrinkFabio on Fire
Nikki BuchananDecember 2019
Third-generation pizzaiolo Fabio Ceschetti is the culinary Jesus of North Peoria.
Drink ThisThe Killer Queen
Nikki BuchananDecember 2019
Mixing tequila with green Chartreuse may sound awkward but credit The Parlor’s bartender Brent Nurre for recognizing the latent love connection.
See which tyro restaurants best tickled the fancy of PHOENIX dining critic Nikki Buchanan in 2019.
Sam Olguin, talented mixologist and proud new partner in So Far, So Good at The Churchill food-hub in Phoenix has created a lusciously smooth classic, combining butterscotch-infused vodka with a welter of cool-weather goodies.
Food ReviewsMaple & Ash
Nikki BuchananNovember 2019
The buck is prodigious, the bang scant at this much-hyped, Michelin-starred Chicago import.
Food ReviewsSpace Case: Ocean 44
Nikki BuchananNovember 2019
Dennis Mastro broke ground on Ocean 44 near Scottsdale Fashion Square last year – a spectacular glass-and-steel scratch build with interior design by Testani Design Troupe.
Food ReviewsThe Hidden House
Nikki BuchananNovember 2019
With its greatest-hits-style modern menu, this cozy, crowd-pleasing gastropub is another welcome addition to the rising Chandler dining scene.
Food & DrinkAtlas Bistro
Nikki BuchananOctober 2019
Chef Cory Oppold creates modernist, multi-course wonderment at this storied Scottsdale BYOB.
Food ReviewsSpace Case: Taco Chelo
Nikki BuchananOctober 2019
Serial restaurateur Aaron Chamberlin never planned on opening a down-home taqueria. But a trip to Southern California changed all that.
Food ReviewsSeydi’s Pupuseria & Grill
Nikki BuchananOctober 2019
Pupusas are having a moment – and this North Phoenix pupuseria might be the Binkley’s of them.
Drink ThisDrink This: Mercury Mirage
Nikki BuchananOctober 2019
Weft & Warp at the Andaz Scottsdale Resort & Bungalows amplifies the smoked cocktail trend with the Mercury Mirage, a robust Sazerac-like sipper that uses smoke three ways.
Food ReviewsLittle Miss BBQ
Nikki BuchananSeptember 2019
Our food-line-averse critic finally gets her first taste of the Valley low-and-slow legend.
Food ReviewsBeCe Kitchen
Nikki BuchananSeptember 2019
Go east, Beaver Choice. Shuttered last spring, the European comfort-food favorite reappears in SanTan Valley with a new name and trimmed-down, fast-casual menu.