Food ReviewsReview: The Americano
Nikki BuchananSeptember 21, 2020
Barely a month old when the pandemic hit, the ultra-luxe Italian steakhouse reemerges with toned-down ambitions.
Nikki Buchanan, Author at PHOENIX magazine
Opening a Valley restaurant in the summer is always a bold maneuver – and this summer, doubly so. See what our critic has to say about these new eateries.
Here’s a small snapshot of the takeout scene in the Valley this summer.
Drink ThisDrink This: Singapore Sling
Nikki BuchananApril 27, 2020
MercBar at The Esplanade offers a classy version of the gin-based Singapore Sling, an oft-adulterated refresher invented in 1915 at the Raffles Hotel in Singapore.
Food ReviewsSpace Case: Persepshen
Nikki BuchananApril 27, 2020
Take a peek inside Persepshen, the new restaurant that took over the quirky ‘60s-era space in Phoenix that formerly housed Hula’s Modern Tiki.
Food ReviewsEric’s Family Barbecue
Nikki BuchananApril 26, 2020
Attention, brisket bros: The West Valley has a new barbecue king.
Food ReviewsJosephine
Nikki BuchananApril 25, 2020
Led by one of the Valley’s top young chefs, this adaptive reuse gem in RoRo pleases all senses at once.
Desert DigestPHXTogetherCoronavirus Chronicles: A Food Critic’s Case for Takeout Food
Nikki BuchananApril 14, 2020
PHOENIX magazine dining critic Nikki Buchanan on the shutdown, curbside dining and the specific, special challenges faced by Valley restaurants. As a person who has written about restaurants for decades and enjoyed more fabulous restaurant meals than anyone has a right to, I have a special little worry-place in my heart right now for restaurants and all the people associated with the industry. Restaurants across the country are closed indefinitely, putting 15.6 million cooks, bartenders,...
Drink ThisDrink This: Penicillin
Nikki BuchananMarch 28, 2020
If you appreciate smoky spirits such as mezcal, but haven’t made the leap to scotch, the Penicillin is a splendid gateway.
Food ReviewsSpace Case: Rancho Pinot
Nikki BuchananMarch 27, 2020
Rancho Pinot captures Old Arizona with more lived-in authenticity than any other restaurant in town.
Food ReviewsSherpa Kitchen
Nikki BuchananMarch 26, 2020
Say namaskar to the Valley’s one and only Nepalese restaurant.
Food ReviewsCentury Grand
Nikki BuchananMarch 26, 2020
Climb aboard a dining experience like none other in the Valley, where chef Sacha Levine’s dim sum program is almost as transportive as the ticklish Prohibition-era train motif.
Food ReviewsPoppy
Nikki BuchananFebruary 20, 2020
Newly gentrified RoRo gets an airy, agreeable, millennial-friendly restaurant all its own.
Food ReviewsFLINT by Baltaire
Nikki BuchananFebruary 20, 2020
Like some enchanted upscale reimagining of Pita Jungle, this spot-on Mediterranean import from L.A. could ignite a dining renaissance at the beleaguered Esplanade.
Drink ThisDrink This: La Otra
Nikki BuchananFebruary 20, 2020
Vecina bar chief Miguel Mora captures a less-is-more mentality with this three-ingredient spring cocktail that looks feminine but packs a manly wallop.