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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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Great news for Downtown dwellers and the avant-garde peeps who appreciate Grand Avenue for its quirky coolness. Rene Andrade, the Nogales-born chef who garnered a following at Ghost Ranch, is opening his own Grand Avenue restaurant today in the tiny sunlit space that most recently housed Silvana Salcido Esparza’s Barrio Café Gran Reserva – and years before that, the historical Bragg’s Pie Factory and Bragg’s Pie Factory Diner. Andrade is calling his pie wedge-shaped place Bacanora, name-checking the little-known and underrated mezcal produced...

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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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Everyone’s favorite bleach-blonde host of Diners, Drive-ins and Dives has made yet another appearance in the Valley, only this time, it’s more on the down low. Guy Fieri recently added to his collection of successful restaurants with the innovation of Guy Fieri’s Flavortown Kitchen, a delivery-only chain that operates out of already established restaurants. Arizona is just one of 26 states to have launched locations in January and February. In the Valley, four Buca di...

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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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Every year at the end of January, Girl Scout cookie season arrives and gives the next generation of young girls a chance to test out their entrepreneurial skills. This year, more than 6,000 Arizona Girl Scouts are participating in the Girl Scout Cookie Program. With fewer opportunities to set up booths and an ongoing emphasis on contactless pickup and delivery, the Arizona Cactus-Pine Council developed new and innovative ways for girls to safely sell cookies....

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For many, trekking to the grocery store or the farmers market during a pandemic can be problematic for a variety of reasons. Maybe you don’t want to be around that many people at once or perhaps you just don’t like other people touching your fruits and vegetables. Enter farm-fresh produce boxes that you can pick up at a specified location or have one delivered to your home. Many programs are under the CSA (Community Supported...

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One of the trendiest pizza styles is still among the most rare. If your engine’s revving for some Motor City-style pizza – famous for its square, drip-pan shape – you’re limited to these three purveyors. The Rec Pizza & Wings Rectangular pizza has a spotty track record among mainstream pizza fans, evoking hazy memories of frozen-aisle Stouffer’s pizzas and similarly uninspiring Little Caesars flashbacks. But make no mistake: Square pie can be divine, particularly in...

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Restaurants realize that sometimes you just need to do it for the ‘gram. Heck, Highball has a whole section of its menu dedicated to Instagrammable cocktails, and there are tons of eateries around the Valley with aesthetic atmospheres and photogenic fare. Here’s a handful to inspire your next hashtag. JOJO Coffeehouse @jojocoffeehouse We featured the mimosa and coffee flights at JOJO on the blog last fall and we still can’t get over how cute the...

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Talking Stick Resort’s new Mediterranean restaurant, Tash, opened on February 6 to great fanfare. The menu fuses food from different cultures, a drink list including everything from margaritas to other popular mixed drinks and incredible views of Camelback Mountain. I got the scoop at a recent media lunch. Location 9800 Talking Stick Way., Scottsdale Opened: February 2021 The Scene Patrons are immediately greeted with commanding views when walking up the stairs that lead to the...

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Finding vegan desserts can be challenging when seemingly everything sweet contains milk, butter or eggs. Luckily, the Valley has a wide range of vegan bakeries and restaurants. Check out these 10 affordable desserts for when you’re craving a sugary, plant-based pick-me-up. Chocolate Hazelnut Pie ($7) At the Giving Tree Cafe, chocolate lovers can indulge their sweet tooth with a rich and creamy pie stuffed with crunchy hazelnuts in every bite. 2024 N. 7th St., Phoenix...

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If UnderTow and Century Grand taught us anything, it’s that transportive restaurant environments enrich the dishes and drinks being served. Downtown-ish cocktail lounge Highball, set in the old SideBar space near the Willo Historic District, is no exception. In fact, Mitch Lyons – former beverage director for the immersive menus at the aforementioned Barter & Shake concepts – is the program manager at this sleek new speakeasy. Lyons has put together a fun cocktail catalog...