Food ReviewsReview: Hao Hao Brings Proper Chinese Cuisine to Scottsdale
Nikki BuchananSeptember 12, 2025
The former – and formerly retired – owners of Nee House bring top-shelf Chinese to North Scottsdale.
City Guide 2025A Guide to Food & Drink in North Scottsdale/Paradise Valley
Editorial StaffDecember 14, 2024
It’s difficult to have a bad meal in North Scottsdale and Paradise Valley, which brim with foodie haunts.
City Guide 2024Where to Eat in North Scottsdale
Editorial StaffOctober 30, 2023
It’s difficult to have a bad meal in North Scottsdale and Paradise Valley, which brim with foodie haunts.
City Guide 2024Destination Dining in North Scottsdale and Paradise Valley
Editorial StaffOctober 27, 2023
Put these special-occasion fine-dining establishments on your Valley dining bucket list.
City Guide 2024North Scottsdale Seafood Hot Spots
Editorial StaffOctober 27, 2023
Destroy the seafood-in-the-desert stigma once and for all at these eateries specializing in fresh fish.
City Guide 2024Best Wine Bars in North Scottsdale
Editorial StaffOctober 27, 2023
Grab a glass of vino and a bruschetta board at these cozy North Scottsdale hangouts.
City Guide 2024Final Four Fan GuideWhere to Eat, Drink & Play During the Final Four: North Scottsdale
Editorial StaffOctober 26, 2023
The swankier, quieter end of the long, rectangular stretch of land occupied by The West’s Most Western Town, North Scottsdale is home to tony resorts, luxury shopping and restaurants galore – all the amenities of Old Town, without the clamor. And you might spot a baller at brunch.
Now that summer is officially here, it’s time to break out the salad recipes. At Thompson 105, a new North Scottsdale restaurant, executive chef Bob Reardon makes a refreshing citrus salad and has shared his recipe with us. “I love the brightness of the vinaigrette – the sweet profile balances well against the peppery arugula,” he says. “It’s a great way to showcase the amazing citrus Arizona produces.” Thompson 105 Citrus Salad Prickly Pear Dressing...
Desert DigestFirst Dish: sneakybird
Kristy DurkinApril 6, 2023
When I was invited to North Scottsdale to try out a new casual restaurant concept called sneakybird, I immediately jumped on social media to do a little research before my visit. I discovered that this new restaurant claims to specialize in “crispy, tender and flavorful chicken that tastes fried, but never is.” That seemed like a bold claim and I was eager to find out how good this faux fried chicken could really be. Located...
Desert DigestFood & DrinkFirst Dish: The Vanilla Gorilla
Nikki BuchananNovember 11, 2021
The Vanilla Gorilla interior | Photo by Nikki Buchanan If you’re up on urban slang, you probably already know that “vanilla gorilla” is the term for a big, burly white guy. It’s also the shared nickname of feuding UFC fighters Chase Sherman and Jason Witt. More importantly, in my food-and-drink-loving world, it’s the moniker for a terrific new tap room and bottle shop that sits alongside Hush Public House in North Scottsdale. For all...
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...
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...
Like many businesses, salons and spas had to temporarily close when the pandemic hit. But unlike bars and restaurants, they couldn’t provide takeout services. However, Remedy Salon & Spa owners Suzanne Theune and Michelle Keoghan thought outside the box, creating custom at-home color kits for their clients while the salon’s doors were closed. “If you were an existing client of the salon and we had your formula, you could call and get your base color...
Food ReviewsReview: The Americano
Nikki BuchananSeptember 21, 2020
Barely a month old when the pandemic hit, the ultra-luxe Italian steakhouse reemerges with toned-down ambitions.