Amuse BouchesAmuse-Bouches February 2018
Mike MeyerFebruary 1, 2018
Tasty local news bites to whet your appetite
CocktailsSeptember 4, 2026Interview with a Mixologist: Zach O’Haire from Mea Culpa
Openings/ClosingsSeptember 2, 2026August 2026 Openings & Closings
Food ReviewsSeptember 2, 2026Dining Review: Quiessence
Veg OutIndian Crêpes
Marilyn HawkesFebruary 1, 2018
Masala dosai are a gentle introduction to exotic Indian fare at Ruchi Vegetarian South Indian Cuisine
Local ProductsHeft Bread
Shelby MooreFebruary 1, 2018
Baker Tom Brecke uses airborne bacteria and a sourdough starter to craft heavenly loaves of his old-school Heft Bread
Food ReviewsBreaking Bad
M.V. MoorheadFebruary 1, 2018
Get egg on your face with these recently opened Valley brunch joints.
Food ReviewsSecond Story Liquor Bar
Nikki BuchananFebruary 1, 2018
With its fourth chef in as many years, the swank Scottsdale gastropub may have found a keeper.
Food ReviewsQuiessence
Nikki BuchananFebruary 1, 2018
With a new-ish chef and sharper service, the legendary farm-to-table restaurant remains a Phoenix date-night classic.
ListsAre You Big Game Ready, Phoenix?
Lauren LoftusJanuary 30, 2018
Whether you are a huge Patriots fan, bleed green and silver or just want to watch the commercials while eating something called tater tot nachos, there's a place for everyone to enjoy Super Bowl LII this Sunday. Kick-off is at 4:30 p.m. Arizona time.
It's Tuesday. And that only means one thing: tacos! While we'd never turn up our nose at traditional tacos, sometimes the same old, same old can get, well, old. So, we've mixed it up a bit and found some local creative twists on everyone's favorite Tuesday treat.
RecipesRecipe Friday: True Food’s Kale Guacamole
Marilyn HawkesJanuary 26, 2018
It’s hard to imagine going to a Super Bowl party that didn’t include a sizeable bowl of chunky guacamole surrounded by crisp, salty tortilla chips. If you’re a guacamole devotee, you’ve probably got your own special recipe that you trot out for parties. But if you want to try something different, the folks at True Food Kitchen have provided a recipe to help you take your guacamole game up a notch and even make it a little healthier by adding kale.
Avocado and kale are both superfoods loaded with vitamins and cancer-fighting elements, says Brad Brunin, manager of culinary standards at True Food Kitchen. In other words, this guacamole is good for you times two.
“It’s simple, but it has the extra wow factor,” Brunin says. “It’s a great accompaniment to vegetables and you can use it as a dipping sauce, put it in sandwiches… or you can eat it with a spoon.”
ListsJanuary Team Picks: Eating in 2018
Lauren LoftusJanuary 20, 2018
Each month, we of the PHOENIX magazine editorial team ask ourselves a different question about our favorite dining and drinking experiences in the Valley. Our picks are usually hidden in the back of the magazine among our Dining Guide restaurant listings. Not any more. Our picks are going digital! Feel free to follow us on social media (at least, those of us who tweet) and be sure to tag us (@PhoenixMagazine on Twitter and @PHXMagazine on Instagram) on pics of your favorite picks.
Happy January! As we welcome the new year with open arms, we're asking ourselves, "What are you most excited to eat in 2018?"
RecipesRecipe Friday: Chick-In Falafel
Marilyn HawkesJanuary 19, 2018
Have you ever wondered what’s in a falafel? For the uninitiated, falafel is a traditional Middle Eastern food made from garbanzo beans and spices, rolled into a ball and fried in oil until they become crunchy and golden brown. Typically, they’re stuffed in pita or served with hummus.
Yariv Elazar, owner of Chick-In, a popular student eatery located on Arizona State University’s Tempe campus, makes about 200 servings of authentic Israeli falafel from scratch every day. He’s sharing the recipe for his vegan and gluten-free falafel, but cautions that aside from the garbanzo beans, most everything else will depend on your taste buds. If you like garlic, add more garlic; and if you swoon for cilantro, double down. What really matters? “The freshness of the ingredients is the key to a good falafel,” he says.
RecipesRecipe Friday: The Nile Cafe’s Chai Tea Scones
Marilyn HawkesJanuary 11, 2018
If you’ve ever thought about making scones, but you’re not an avid baker, Michelle Donovan of the café inside the historic Nile Theater in downtown Mesa has a “pretty simple recipe” for you. “It’s really hard to mess it up,” she says.
Donovan offers a pair of tips for making the scones: If you don’t want to use vegan butter, use vegetable shortening instead; and make sure the dough isn’t too wet or the dough will fall flat and the scones will be “ugly.” But to be fair, even when scones are ugly, they’re still delicious.
2018. January. New Year, New You. It’s resolution go-time… so what’s on your list?
A few of the people at the PHOENIX offices are partaking in the clumsily-named Drnuary: no drinking for the entire month of January. New York writer John Ore claims responsibility for inventing the portmanteau of “dry” and “January” in this Slate article, though the concept of abstaining from alcohol during the first month of the year is not a new one. “Janupause” has long been popular in the U.K., while getting generally healthier has always been the No. 1 new year’s resolution. Think of Drynuary as a sort of wringing out after all the egg nog, mudslides and endless wine of the holidays.
It’s almost hard to find a breakfast menu these days that doesn’t have avocado toast on it. Some are simple – plain avocado smeared on toast – while others are more elaborate. Ryan Mead, co-owner of The Place in DC Ranch, says avocado toast isn’t on his regular menu, but he offers a special seasonal version. Currently, he’s whipping up winter avocado toast topped with roasted butternut squash laced with maple syrup.
Food ReviewsEscape to Food Mountain
Nikki BuchananJanuary 1, 2018
Pound for pound, the greatest Arizona dining town is… Flagstaff? Led by a cadre of motivated restaurateurs, the mountain hamlet of 70,000 is scoring hit after restaurant hit.