Chef Mauro Martina of OEB Breakfast Co. recently shared his energy-boosting, vegetarian and gluten-free recipe for chia seed pudding, a favorite dish of OEB’s customers. Besides being tasty, the pudding has the added benefit of chia seeds – little powerhouses that add antioxidants, minerals, fiber and omega-3 fatty acids to your diet. When deciding which fruits to puree, Martina recommends natural, sugar-free purees made from mangos, bananas and strawberries. Choose your own milk and sweeten...
We recently caught up with Lee Hillson, executive chef at T. Cook’s at the Royal Palms Resort, to chat about fine dining, menu development and how he kept his staff happy during the pandemic. The veteran chef spent 12 years at T. Cook’s in the early 2000s, and then left for another opportunity. He’s been back since 2019 overseeing the iconic resort’s food and beverage operations. Here’s what he had to say. How has fine...
After making waves in late 2020 with their debut restaurant, Southeast Asian-influenced Belly Kitchen & Bar (named one of our Best New Restaurants in 2021), Phoenix restaurant veterans and longtime friends Robert Cissel, Paul Waxman and Michael Babcock are back at it. This summer, the Instrumental Hospitality partners will launch a second Belly at Epicenter in Gilbert. Then they’ll head back to Downtown Phoenix to open Sin Muerte, a vegetarian restaurant set to debut...
New craft beer releases to close out the last weekend in April.
Want a taste of our Baja California spreads from the May/June issue's cover story? Mix up this "tasty and extremely potent" margarita from chef Iker Algorri of Iker's Colibris Café at Los Colibris Casitas.
All the news that’s fit to nosh. Genuinely Exciting: The Genuine, the long-awaited restaurant from Genuine Concepts (The VIG, Ladera Taverna y Cocina, Campo Italian Bistro & Bar, et al) opens this Thursday, April 28, on 16th Street north of Bethany Home Road, in the former The VIG Uptown space. Chef Jeremy Pacheco will helm the restaurant, with menu highlights including wood-oven-roasted mussels with orange blossom ale and Schreiner’s sausage, roasted chicken, pastas...
Beer business is bigger and better than ever here in the Valley of the suds.
When Espiritu opened last January, it was cast as a bar not a restaurant, a let’s-get-crazy play place for drinkers unashamed to admit they like getting a little toasty. Under the short cocktail menu (five regular cocktails and one daily special) is a section called “Shots & Other Mistakes,” featuring nine possibly bad decisions (their verbiage, not mine). Here, you’ll find wild concoctions given hilarious names and descriptions, including Yeetlejuice (Jaeger cold brew, pineapple amaro,...
Photo by Jessica Jameson Two iconic Arizona institutions have teamed up to bring a one-of-a-kind dinner series to the desert. Cloth & Flame creates temporary venues for events that combine culinary innovation and community involvement. Though the Phoenix-based event company puts together pop-up dinners in unexpected places, it’s ongoing partnership with Arcosanti actually makes perfect sense. Both enterprises honor the design, art, food and community that set the Grand Canyon State apart and aim to...
THE SCENE “Hidden gem” is one of the most cliché phrases in a food writer’s tattered toolkit, but in S. Maranto’s case, it is literally true. The bright little bistro, a modern spin on a classic Italian American joint, is downright difficult to find in the sprawling Scottsdale 101 shopping plaza at Mayo Boulevard and the 101 – technically in Phoenix, though it’s literal steps from Scottsdale city limits. It’s smack-dab in a sea of...
All the news that’s fit to nosh. Flower Power: To honor National Autism Awareness Month, on April 14 Flower Child will donate 5 percent of its sales – up to $10,000 – to The Autism Community in Action. This year marks the restaurant’s third Give Back Day to TACA. It has raised more than $33,000 for the nonprofit since 2019. Reason enough to feast on the Flying Avocado wrap and gluten-free mac and cheese. Meat...
Golf, baseball and a cold beer sound pretty good this weekend.
Local food and beverage maestros Mezcal Carreño and Los Sombreros recently partnered up to prepare a four-course meal and mezcal pairing to highlight the Mesa location of Los Sombreros’ brand-new mezcaleria, a cozy space with ample seating above the restaurant where guests can enjoy mezcal tastings, cocktails, mezcal-centric events and live music. The dinner, which took place on March 30, was the first event in the Mesa mezcaleria. The partnership between the restaurant and spirit...
Crust Simply Italian, a local chain known for its Sicilian-style pizza and extensive pasta selection, recently launched a creative new concept called Calzone Connection. Calzone connoisseurs can now order specialty craft calzones for pickup or delivery from the Crust locations in Scottsdale and Chandler. A Gilbert location is also slated to open later this year. These aren’t your average Italian turnovers – small, doughy dishes typically filled with meat and cheese. Calzone Connection’s creations are...
Whether you’re looking for a fancy brunch, a family-friendly lunch or a fast-casual dinner, there’s a fair share of fare at Valley restaurants this Easter (Sunday, April 17). Fired Pie With 18 locations across the Valley, it’s easy to pop into this popular fast-casual pizza place and order a custom pie. Even easier, all locations are offering 20 percent off orders on Easter Sunday when you use the discount code “BUNNY22.” This deal is available...
