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...
J’Asada Tacos | Photo by Madison Rutherford As a local reporter, I’ve had the pleasure of connecting with a slew of small business owners who have palpable passion and pride for their craft. It’s a pretty gratifying gig, one that I don’t take for granted. And when I see that mirrored in Valley restaurants, retail spaces and other institutions, it reminds me why I love what I do. One such inspiring instance is husband-and-wife...
Beaut Burger exterior | Photo by Nikki Buchanan Everyone gets a hankering for a burger now and then — even vegetarians and vegans — which is the beauty of Beaut Burger, a Tucson-based vegan burger joint so successful that it’s recently opened a second location here in Phoenix. Housed in a crisp-looking refurbished shipping container on Indian School just east of 32nd Street, BB makes almost all of its fresh, plant-based food in-house —...
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...
It’s her third day as proprietor of Hot Daisy Pizza, and Tammie Coe — the classically trained pastry chef famous for ooey-gooey cupcakes, big cookies and whimsical fondant-covered cakes — seems to be having fun in her new role as pie slinger. At 3:30 in the afternoon, her tiny Roosevelt Row shop (formerly known as Tammie Coe Cakes) enjoys a steady stream of curious neighborhood customers, eager to try a slice of pepperoni or margherita...
“Houston’s for seafood fans.” That was my Yelp-assisted initial impression of this high-toned California import, which debuted in upper Scottsdale’s Gainey Village area in November. It’s the latest and most-inland (by far) location in the emerging chain, which has found success delivering highly repeatable, upscale-but-not-astronomically-priced cuisine to diners in Ventura and Santa Barbara counties. For his Arizona landfall, owner David Cortina – a part-time Chandler resident who, interestingly, was arrested in Taiwan two years ago...
Peter Kasperski, the crazy-creative Scottsdale restaurateur behind dearly departed Cowboy Ciao, Sea Saw, Digestif, Kazimierz World Wine Bar and Counter Intuitive, partners with longtime friend, former employee and inventive master barman Richie Moe to open Roosevelt Row’s most sophisticated restaurant and bar to date (Speakeasy Alias, which sits behind Character, hasn’t opened yet, but it’s almost ready to rock). I popped in to see how Kasperski, an Old Town Scottsdale boy since his salad days...
Set in the storied strip-mall spot formerly occupied by Crudo and, ages ago, an Italian restaurant with mob connections, Nanaya Japanese Kitchen opened in October to minimal fanfare – a “stealth opening,” one might say. This was dictated both by form (the speakeasy-ish, around-the-back location is easy to miss from the street) and function (the restaurant is evidently serving as a “test kitchen” for a future project in Old Town Scottsdale). When the tavern-style Japanese...
Looking for a new place to wine and dine? Cooper’s Hawk Winery & Restaurant just opened in North Scottsdale and it’s the perfect place for date nights, family dinners and catching up with friends. Upon entry, you immediately find yourself in a tasting room with more than 40 varietals. And if vino isn’t your vibe, there are amazing cocktails and beer and even non-alcoholic options for the teetotalers in your tribe. Location: The Promenade in Scottsdale...