A new family-run pizzeria has opened in Downtown Phoenix. While it’s still finding its footing, it’s jumping off to a tasty start. Located on the corner of Van Buren Street and Fifth Avenue next to We’ve Got Flowers! is the new Via Della Slice Shop. Its housed in a historical warehouse, which I discovered after scrolling back through Via Della’s Instagram. I learned that the building was originally built in the 1920s as a car...
Photo by Nikki Buchanan I’m a sucker for good fried chicken, so when I read about Fryd Bird, a new fast-casual in Mesa, getting rave reviews, I grabbed a friend and headed there for lunch. Modern and cheerful, one yolk-yellow wall displaying a huge rendering of an UN-fried, alive and kicking bird, the place had a small, steady line during the lunch hour. Lots of the customers appeared to be working guys, there for...
It’s easy to get overwhelmed at the Valley’s new Cooper’s Hawk location in Chandler, which opened its doors on Monday. Those doors lead you into an expansive tasting room lined with every varietal you can imagine on one side, a glass case displaying glistening chocolate truffles on the other, and an array of upscale wine accessories splayed out on tables in the middle of the room. Before you even set foot in the dining area,...
Ryan and Caitlin Jocque are no strangers to the restaurant industry. The duo, who are behind the popular Valley eateries Original Chop Shop, Diego Pops, The Montauk and The Hot Chick, recently opened Eat Up Drive In, a new fast-casual concept in Arcadia that pairs homestyle meals with convenience. When the Jocques first saw the property at 40th Street and Indian School Road, they immediately thought it would be a great location for a drive-in...
For many of us Westerners, the word “Babel” conjures the Biblical story of the Tower of Babel, erected by Babylonians who aimed to reach for the heavens and incurred God’s wrath for their arrogance. But that’s not where Marwan Kandeel, the owner of De Babel — an upbeat Middle Eastern fast-casual in North Scottsdale — was going with the name at all. “Babel” is also the Hebrew word for Babylon, one of the ancient world’s...
Grilled Maine Lobster | Photo by Madison Rutherford A serpentine stroll through We-Ko-Pa will take you to a calm corner of the casino that doesn’t feel like you’re in a casino at all. Such is the charm of Ember, the casino and resort’s new fine dining destination – a culinary oasis that is well worth the trek to far-flung Fort McDowell. The kitchen is helmed by critically acclaimed chef Richard E. Pelz, who places...
Photo by Nikki Buchanan I’m not sure when it happened exactly, but somewhere along the line, “namaste,” considered nothing more than a respectful greeting of “hello” in India, evolved into something much more profound here in the States. Routinely repeated in yoga classes across the land, it’s come to represent spirituality and deep reservoirs of calmness and peace . . . and then SNL and social media got ahold of it. Here’s a typical...
Kaw | Photo by Nikki Buchanan Thai and Lee Kambar (she’s Cambodian, he’s Iranian) describe their menu as “Khmer and Arab finger foods,” which isn’t, perhaps, as accurate or enlightening as it could be. For starters, Thai makes lots of daily specials that require a knife and fork. Meanwhile, “Arab” seems a misleading tag for dishes like gyros and naan, which make provincial Americans (me, in particular) think of Greece and India respectively. (Side...
Photo by Nikki Buchanan Sugar Jam, The Southern Kitchen is the inevitable next step for pretty Dana Dumas, who began baking sugar cookies with jam for friends and co-workers when she worked for NASCAR back in the early aughts. Their effusive praise encouraged her to start selling her cookies at farmers markets when she moved to the Valley with her husband over a decade ago, opening her own bake shop near Scottsdale Airpark in...
Food trucks morphing into brick-and-mortar operations is becoming more and more popular. Just ask the team behind Aioli Gourmet Burgers, which started six years ago as a restaurant on wheels. Now, the award-winning burger joint has three stationary eateries across the Valley, including inside Fry’s Marketplace in Litchfield Park. Its sister company and fellow mobile culinarian, Modern Tortilla, is now following in its footsteps. The Aioli team’s second food truck concept is now setting up...
Tostada de Pescado | Photo by Nikki Buchanan I’ve never actually counted, but I’m going to hazard a guess that metro Phoenix has more Mexican seafood restaurants than American-style seafood restaurants, which is a plus if you’re more interested in great, reasonably priced seafood than, say, la-di-da décor. El Heroico Guaymas, which opened in Peoria last December, is the newest of these no-frills, no-BS spots and based on a terrific lunch I had there...
Photo by Nikki Buchanan As the pandemic drags on, resourceful chefs and restaurateurs are opening ghost kitchens (delivery-only restaurants) at a clip this year, and Food Network star Guy Fieri, host of Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives, is right there riding the trend. In recent months, the spiky-haired, red Camaro-driving reality TV icon has launched Guy Fieri’s Flavortown Kitchen in 26 states, opening three virtual operations within Bucca di Beppo restaurants here in metro Phoenix...
Photo by Aimee Smith Stoop Kid is a new concept housed in The Churchill in Downtown Phoenix. It offers bagels in the morning and burgers in the afternoon and evening. The menu is short, but you’ll still have a hard time choosing between options like the Money Shot (spicy bacon jam shmear, marinated tomatoes, Tillamook cheddar, soft scramble and a hash cake on an asiago bagel), Egg Thee Scallion (scallion and Parmesan shmear, soft...
Restaurateur Peter Kasperski of Cowboy Ciao fame scores a first-round knockout with his new Downtown bistro.
Photo by Paul Markow Celebrated Valley chef Christopher Gross will open his highly anticipated eponymous restaurant at the Wrigley Mansion on March 23. Christopher’s at the Wrigley Mansion will not only highlight the James Beard Award-winning chef’s globally inspired gastronomic expertise, but will also showcase 180-degree views of the Valley via floor-to-ceiling windows and a retractable roof. Set adjacent to the historic Wrigley Mansion, the 26-seat restaurant will offer an intimate dining experience and...