Three BitesBao Factor
Marilyn HawkesDecember 20, 2019
Steam the bun, supercharge your appetite with this addictive Asian hand-food.
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Drink ThisThe Killer Queen
Nikki BuchananDecember 20, 2019
Mixing tequila with green Chartreuse may sound awkward but credit The Parlor’s bartender Brent Nurre for recognizing the latent love connection.
To quote the great Happy Gilmore, “Sorry, ladies, I’m not the golfing type.” I like my birdies fried and my bogeys Lowenstein, thank you. Occasionally, though, the promise of good food lures me to restaurants that just happen to be at golf courses. Take Toro Latin Restaurant & Rum Bar, which is a property of Fairmont Scottsdale Princess resort but lives across the street on the 18th hole of the TPC Scottsdale’s Stadium Course, with...
Spend your 2020 getting acquainted with this crowd-sourced centenary of essential Phoenix eateries.
FeaturesFood & Drink2019 Best New Restaurants
Nikki BuchananDecember 19, 2019
See which tyro restaurants best tickled the fancy of PHOENIX dining critic Nikki Buchanan in 2019.
After a few days of drizzle this December, I was ready to neglect the Trader Joe’s frozen meals sitting in my fridge and drop $20+ on a Postmates delivery. I decided to turn to the holy grail of recommendations, the Instagram Story question feature, for some cozy suggestions. Readers, I was not disappointed. Here are some of the places I was directed to cozy up with: Phở at Phở Thành By far one of the...
Desert DigestRecipesRecipe Friday: The Hazelnut Chocolate Pudding Pie from The Giving Tree Café
Marilyn HawkesDecember 13, 2019
The Giving Tree Café, an organic, gluten-free restaurant, recently opened on Seventh Street in Phoenix. The café, also known as “a space of love,” offers all-day breakfast, a vegetable-heavy lunch and dinner menu, along with some really creative desserts, including a vegan and gluten-free Hazelnut Chocolate Pudding Pie made with avocado. I know you’re wondering if the pie tastes like avocado and the answer is no, says Giving Tree’s owner David Warr. “…The cacao flavor...
Desert DigestTempe-Based Rango Honey Supports Adults with Autism
Madison RutherfordDecember 12, 2019
Four years ago, Karen Greenstein was looking for a way to simultaneously support the environment and adults with autism. Greenstein, who has a son with autism, decided to take a leap, buy some bees and get into the honey business. Based in Tempe, Rango Honey produces raw, natural honey while providing job training and support for autistic adults. Its profits also fund Neshama, an assisted living community for people 18 and older with autism. Neshama...
Desert DigestOpenings/ClosingsHula’s Modern Tiki Opens Third Location
Helena WegnerDecember 11, 2019
Restauranteur M. Dana Mule’s new Hula’s Modern Tiki location is set to open this January on High Street in north Phoenix. “You’ll get everything you used to at Hula’s but with a slightly different perspective,” Mule says. The new space will depict the same ’50s and ’60s modern mid-century inspired tiki bar elements like the Old Town Scottsdale and Uptown Phoenix locations, but Mule says this new restaurant will be beachier and “a little less...
Desert DigestRecipesRecipe Monday: Kowboy Kicked Toast from Garden Goddess
Marilyn HawkesDecember 10, 2019
This time of year, some of us go a little overboard on eating and drinking and throw our digestive systems into a tizzy. If this sounds like you, check out Suzette Smith’s Kowboy Kicked Toast recipe that uses her Garden Goddess Kowboy Kraut. It’s chockfull of probiotics to help with gut health. You can purchase Garden Goddess products online or at local farmers’ markets, but Suzette is also sharing the kraut recipe if you want...
Desert DigestFood for Thought: Mountain Shadows Resort Launches Cooking Demo Series
Leilani FitzpatrickDecember 9, 2019
Hearth ’61 at Mountain Shadows Resort in Scottsdale will launch a new cooking demo series and tasting with executive chef Charles Wiley this January. For one Saturday afternoon each month, the public can join Chef Wiley for one hour of intimate cooking instruction. Each event will be suited to the corresponding season and will be held in a private dining room. Chef Wiley has over 40 years of culinary experience and is excited to not...
Desert Digest3 Drive-Through Coffee Spots to Hit Up Instead of Dutch Bros.
Cody FitzpatrickDecember 9, 2019
For better or for worse, Dutch Bros. Coffee has become known over the years as a stereotypical Arizona staple, despite the chain being based in Oregon. That popularity recently backfired on Dutch, at least at its central Phoenix store. Because of traffic overflowing on the road, the stand on Central Avenue and Camelback Road will be forced to close on Dec. 28, the Arizona Republic reported. It’s currently the only Dutch Bros. in central Phoenix,...
Desert DigestQ&AChef Lee Hillson Returns to T. Cook’s at Royal Palms Resort
Marilyn HawkesDecember 9, 2019
Chef Lee Hillson recently returned to T. Cooks at Royal Palms Resort and Spa as executive chef and he couldn’t be happier. He spent 12 years at the iconic resort in the early 2000s as executive sous chef and then as executive chef. Hillson, a James Beard House featured chef and a participant on the Food Network’s Iron Chef America, has also graced the kitchens of The Phoenician Resort and the Sheraton Grand at Wild...
Desert DigestScale & Feather is a new medieval-themed meadery in Avondale
Madison RutherfordDecember 5, 2019
Mead is decidedly having a moment. In fact, a new meadery opens in the U.S. every three weeks. There are now five in Arizona. The Valley’s most recent is Scale & Feather, a medieval-themed meadery that set up shop in Avondale in May. For the uninitiated, mead is wine made from fermented honey. Scale & Feather’s mead is made in giant, egg-shaped tanks that co-founder Ben Chaney affectionately refers to as “the dragon eggs.” He...
Desert DigestRecipe Monday: The Ancho Caesar Lettuce Wraps from Dave & Buster’s Tempe Marketplace
Marilyn HawkesDecember 2, 2019
We skipped last Friday due to the holiday, so here is Recipe Monday from Dave & Buster’s at Tempe Marketplace. Epi Ortiz, kitchen manager, shares the Ancho Caesar Lettuce Wrap recipe and with so many football games to watch in the coming weeks, we thought a healthy recipe (well, healthier than potato chips) might be something you could offer your football-loving friends and family. For the best results, make sure to buy anchovies and capers...