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With just three weeks until the 19th annual Komen Phoenix Race for the Cure, many East Valley restaurants are pitching in to help fight breast cancer. The latest is Oregano’s Pizza Bistro, whose five East Valley locations are well-known for the

Have you tried a sour beer yet? As the name implies, sour beers have a sour or tart taste. And although the Belgian style dates back hundreds of years, it’s been getting quite popular lately. You can learn all about

It’s Educator Appreciation Day at Dilly’s Deli. If you’re a teacher or administrator, just show your school ID to get 20% off at the Tempe or Chandler locations today.

This week I have “spring fever.” The weather is finally breaking and the only thing on my mind is going on holiday. So where is a want-away beer geek to go with a limited budget and only a few days

Bar en Gril, billed as a “please-all” neighborhood eatery, has opened in the former Native New Yorker space on the southwest corner of Val Vista and Elliot in Gilbert. Owner Aaron Lopo, a Philadelphia native whose resume includes stints at

Summer-friendly Pacific Rim cuisine will be the theme of this month’s community dinner at Liberty Market. The downtown Gilbert restaurant hasn’t finalized the menu yet, but chef David Traina will create for five courses for the Monday, Sept. 26, event.

Seasons are changing, and the October beers are here once again. Today, I believe a list is in order. A list of five seasonal craft brews I have been looking forward to all year. To start, we have a few

Count Hopula is back at SanTan Brewing Co. in downtown Chandler. The seasonal ale emerged from its crypt today. Brewmaster Anthony Canecchia’s concoction – a “blood red” Imperial IPA – received rave reviews when it debuted last fall. The spooky

Think “barbecue” and “fine dining” are mutually exclusive? Cork just might change your mind. The award-winning Chandler restaurant offers a special four-course regional tasting menu from 4 to 8 p.m. Sundays that changes every month. In September, it was French

Vine Expressions, a wine bar and retail store that closed six months ago in Gilbert Town Square, reopened today under the new leadership of Brandon Crouser and John McLoughlin. If the names sound familar, they should. Crouser’s locally focused, fine-dining

Yet another week languishing in the hot Arizona sun has begun to fry my brain. So this week we are going to discuss a coffee porter called Café Negro from Bridgeport Brewing. Why not a summer beer you ask?  Well,

The calendar may say September, but East Valley residents know the arrival of fall is far from imminent. Which makes it the appropo time for Joe’s Farm Grill‘s annual Dog Days of Summer promotion. All month, the Gilbert restaurant –

Chandler Whole Foods will host a Dog Days of Summer Beer Fest from 3 to 6 p.m. Saturday. The indoor event will feature more than 100 craft beers. Participating breweries, which will be previewing their fall seasonals, include: San Tan Brewing

Grilled Ave Teriyaki House, a new teriyaki and sushi restaurant from the owners of Sushi Ave in Gilbert, has opened next to ASU. It takes over the former Gyros Hut building at Forest and Seventh Street, just north of University

Cork, which took nearly a year’s hiatus from its popular wine dinners, is back with a doozy. On Monday, Aug. 29, the south Chandler fine-dining restaurant will offer Pinot Noir Battle, a six-course feast featuring nine wines. Pat Jasmin from

Oregano’s Pizza Bistro opens its ninth Valley location today on the southwest corner of Priest and Elliot in south Tempe. The building formerly housed Kashi’s Bakery & BBQ and, before that, Atlanta Bread Company. Oregano’s offers a menu of Chicago-style thin-crust, stuffed

Paletas Betty, the downtown Chandler shop that sells handmade Mexican ice and cream pops, opened its spinoff location in downtown Tempe today. The new store is located on the northeast corner of Mill and Fifth. Flavors change daily at both locations. The

It’s been a good month for burger lovers in Chandler? First came Habit Burger. Then Coal Burger. Now it’s Flame Burger. Decked out in red and white, independently owned Flame Burger takes over the old El Pollo Loco building on

Coal Burger, a new fast-casual burger concept from Patsy Grimaldi’s pizzeria, opened today at the Casa Paloma shopping center at I-10 and Ray in Chandler. The environmentally conscious restaurant offers six coal-fired burgers made with Angus beef from Niman Ranch:

The bad news: Bill Johnson’s Big Apple, one of the Valley’s oldest restaurants, has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. The good news: Its five locations, including an East Valley one in Mesa, are not expected to close. CEO Sherry

Ncounter, a stylish eatery offering breakfast and lunch seven days a week, opened Saturday on Mill Avenue in downtown Tempe. Located on the southwest corner of Mill and Third Street, Ncounter is the brainchild of Thom and Kathy Coker, owners

In addition to Chandler’s Whole Foods and SanTan Brewing, two other East Valley venues have announced plans for National IPA Day: The Hungry Monk in Chandler will have a dozen IPAs on tap today. Sleepy Dog Brewery in Tempe will

Thursday is National IPA Day, and East Valley beer lovers have several options to celebrate. Whole Foods Chandler at the Loop 101 and Ray is hosting with a five-hour party featuring 21 India Pale Ales on tap: Dogfish 90 min. Dogfish

There are three days remaining for the local ice cream sale at Chandler’s Whole Foods. Local brands on sale are: Berto’s Sweet Republic Freezees Nutcream Pints are two for $7.

The Hungry Monk in Chandler has four newcomers among its 28 beers on tap this week: Lumberyard Belgian Trippel Lost Abbey Judgment Day Green Lakes Organic Sleepy Dog Red Rover

This week’s “Table of 10” dinner at Romeo’s Euro Cafe, hosted by chef Romeo Taus and his wife, will feature: Aegean Wings Bleu Caesar Salad Tortellini Kalypso Wiener Schnitzel Intoxicated Love dessert The dinners, limited to 10 people, are held at 6:30

Downtown Chandler’s SanTan Brewing is teaming up with Lon’s at The Hermosa for a five-course beer dinner Thursday at the Paradise Valley resort. The menu and SanTan beer pairings from Lon’s chef Jeremy Pacheco: Beer-braised cockles with HefeWeizen Beer-battered soft shell

Burger Daze are back at Liberty Market in downtown Gilbert. Chef David Traina, who was the original chef at Delux Burger in Phoenix, will offer a different burger every day this month, starting with today’s California Burger with avocado, Swiss, sprouts

For a limited time, Jack in the Box is selling a Jumbo Breakfast Platter. The new item, which debuts today, includes mini pancakes, scrambled eggs, hash browns and a choice of bacon or sausage for just $2.99. Like the rest

Four Arizona breweries – SanTan, SunUp, Grand Canyon and Sonoran – are teaming up with the Pointe Hilton Squaw Peak Resort for a six-course beer dinner to benefit brain cancer research. The special evening, which will be held at the Phoenix

It looks like Gilbert isn’t getting a Barrio Café spinoff this fall after all. Chef-owner Silvana Salcido Esparza has canceled those plans. The reasons? Disagreements with the landlord over the Mexican restaurant’s name – Barrio Tequileria – and design, she tells the

The Republic reports upscale burger joint 25 Degrees has closed at CityNorth in northeast Phoenix. It lasted 13 months. New Times reports Brugo’s Pizza, a Reno, Nev., import that just opened in April, already has closed at Phoenix’s Esplanade.

I’ve kinda been burned out on wine dinners, beer dinners and other multi-course menus for awhile now. Let’s face it, they’ve become de rigueur at Valley restaurants – and not just fine-dining ones. But here’s one that stands out from

I know summer is the toughest time of year for Valley restaurants, but the pace of high-profile closings is getting scary. Trader Vic’s, the Polynesian-themed throwback at Scottsdale’s Valley Ho, is the fourth closure announced in seven days. (The restaurant

Spitfire Grill & Tavern, a upscale gastropub that opened in south Tempe in September, has closed its doors after nine-plus months. Owners Don and Tonya Lococo had offered a mostly made-from-scratch menu of familiar pub grub with a global wine

Four East Valley restaurants are among 15 participating in Yelp Eats, the user-reviews website’s version of Restaurant Week. Today through Sunday, you can get 50 percent off select menu items at BLD in Chandler, Caffé Boa in Tempe, Jimmy’s of

Pittsburgh Willy’s, the award-winning hot dog shop located inside Chandler’s Market Square antique mall, unveiled a larger, more private dining room Saturday with the help of a well-known Valley fine-dining chef. The move, which has been in the works for months,

Caffe Boa Bistro, the 18-month-old east Mesa spinoff of Mill Avenue stalwart Caffe Boa, has closed, former New Times dining critic Michele Laudig reports. The bistro, opened by owners Jay and Christine Wisniewski after they hired chef Payton Curry, never really

Approximately 1,800 people showed up Saturday for the first-ever Ameri”Can” Canned Craft Beer Festival in downtown Chandler. Organized by downtown’s SanTan Brewing, the four-hour event featured canned beers from more than 30 breweries from as far away as Hawaii, Minnesota

Three months after the unexpected closure of Simply Bread, the Republic tries to figure out what went wrong for the seemingly booming business. Co-owner Harold Back blames his bank; the bank and other creditors say Back didn’t make his payments.

BLD, the all-day Chandler restaurant opened by the owners of Cork just two months ago, has revamped its dinner menu. Gone is the large lineup of sandwiches, still available for lunch. In their place, entrees and pastas: Herb-Crusted Chicken Breast($15)

Chef Shinji Kurita, who closed his acclaimed ShinBay in Ahwatukee five years ago, quietly has reopened his sushi restaurant at the Scottsdale Seville. The new spot, which seats just 30 people, will feature a “New Tokyo-style” menu, meaning no sushi rolls. To

The first-ever AmeriCAN Canned Craft Beer Festival takes place Saturday, but the pre-festival competition occurred over the weekend at SanTan Brewing Co. in Chandler. Awards were given in nine categories (see the winners). As host of the event, SanTan didn’t enter

Naked Pizza, a New Orleans-based chain known for its all-natural pizza, will open its first Arizona franchise this month at Elliot and 48th Street in Ahwatukee. Naked Pizza features crust made with 10 grains and seeds, sauce void of added sugar or

Struggling like many other restaurants during the recession, Culinary Solutions Cafe in Tempe came up with a unique way to renovate. Taking a customer’s suggestion, it turned to social media and other local businesses: Customers helped with the demolition of

Great news: Freelance food writer Sharon Salomon has been reunited with her missing dog Xena, according to her Twitter: Xena is home!!! Someone found her at Granada Park, saw my flyer and called.She’s safe and sound.Thank you all again Today

It’s peach season, and the Republic has put together a helpful list of where to find the flavorful fruit at 19 Valley eateries: Peaches & cream at Beckett’s Table Peach tart at Coup des Tartes Peach cobbler at Karim’s Cobbler Shop &

Tonight is the kickoff of the first-ever spring Arizona Restaurant Week. Through next Sunday, you can find special, three-course dinner menus for either $30 or $40 at participating restaurants. Although a fall version started in 2009, the concept has been

Help Floridino’s Pizza & Pasta fight hunger in Chandler by bringing in four or more cans of food and you’ll receive 20% off your bill. The offer is good through May 31.

The Skeptical Chymist Irish Restaurant and Pub in Scottsdale will host a social hour Saturday to raise money for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. For $25, attendees get appetizers, a drink and $10 worth of credit on LocalDines.com. There also will be a

Valley freelance food writer Sharon Salomon’s home was burglarized today, and her beloved dog Xena was either taken or let loose in the neighborhood of 20th Street and Glendale Avenue in Phoenix. Salomon, who blogs at Diary of a Dieting Dietitian, describes

One year after Matt McLinn and his partners launched The Grind burger eatery in east Phoenix, the chef has left the restaurant. McLinn is going to work at one of Joel Robuchon’s restaurants in Las Vegas for a while, but says

Four Peaks Brewing and Seacat Gardens will team up for a five-course beer dinner at 6 p.m. May 27 at the Musical Instrument Museum Café in north Phoenix. Cost is $65, which includes tax & tip. See menu. Tickets may

SanTan Brewing Co. in Chandler is teaming up with two California breweries for a special four-course beer dinner May 19 to raise money for Ear Candy, a local non-profit that provides kids with music education. Besides SanTan ales, the dinner

Chandler’s Heart Attack Grill is threatening to sue a New York deli over its “Instant Heart Attack Sandwich” (pictured). The sandwich, offered by 2nd Ave Deli, features a choice of corned beef, pastrami, turkey or salami piled high between two potato

Taste of the Nation – a nationwide series of culinary events to raise money for Share Our Strength, a nonprofit group fighting childhood hunger in America – comes to the Valley on Friday. Organizers say about 20 tickets remain for the

Urban Picnic, which offers sandwiches and salads, has taken over the former Jersey Girl Café in downtown Mesa. Breakfast options include frittatas ($6.50), breakfast burritos ($7) and Nutella French toast ($5). Among the lunch sandwiches: prosciutto and fig ($8), grilled

Häagen-Dazs will be giving away free scoops of ice cream from 4 to 8 p.m. today at its stores. Valley locations can be found at the Arizona Biltmore, Scottsdale Fashion Square and Tempe Mills.

BLD, the recently opened all-day Chandler restaurant from the owners of Cork, will hold a job fair from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesday to hire 30 servers and 10 line cooks. Applicants should bring a resumé and be prepared

Famous Dave’s Bar-B-Que founder Dave Anderson will be one of six barbecue masters competing in “Best in Smoke,” a four-episode Food Network competition that debuts at 10 p.m. Sunday. A couple of the items Anderson makes on the show –

Betty’s Nosh, a restaurant and wine bar that opened April 21 in Glendale, is offering the Valley’s first mushroom bar. Diners can choose from 22 different delicacies stuffed into mushrooms as an appetizer or even a full meal. Betty’s Nosh

Cave Creek Coffee Company – a coffeehouse, wine bar, restaurant and live-music venue – has reopened after renovations to expand the lounge area. CCCC also has introduced new Southwest-themed menus for breakfast and lunch, as well as the bar. Cave

Joe’s Real BBQ in Gilbert will be handing out free meals today for its 12th annual Free BBQ Day. From 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and 4 to 8 p.m., about 5,000 people will be served: BBQ sandwich (pulled pork

Barrio Cafe chef-owner Silvana Salcido Esparza vents to New Times about the Americanization of Cinco de Mayo: On May 5, the celebration is puro Americano, with folks north of the border gorging themselves on such un-authentic Mexican dishes as nachos, fajitas,

Chef Gina Buskirk, who owns Gina’s Homemade with her husband, makes her debut this weekend at Cycle, the pop-up restaurant in downtown Phoenix. Gina’s Homemade is a branded line of handmade mozzarella cheese, ricotta, mascarpone, biscotti and sauces that will

The Arizona Republic takes a look at the career of Vincent Guerithault, whose restaurant, Vincent on Camelback, is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year. Guerithault, winner of the James Beard Award for Best Chef Southwest in 1993 and a finalist for

Mother’s Day nearly has become synonymous with brunches, but that’s not the meal your mother probably is craving. According to a survey by the National Restaurant Association, 75 million U.S. adults will eat out Sunday, but: 10 percent will go out

A health-conscious Mediterranean grill called Bowl of Greens will open in July on the bottom floor of ASU’s Walter Cronkite School in downtown Phoenix. Owner Jay Krishan, a New Jersey transplant, promises: (Bowl of Greens) is a fine salad company where you

The Food Network has created a interactive map listing all the restaurants that have appeared on any of its shows. For the Phoenix area, that includes: Chino Bandito (“Diners, Drive-ins and Dives”) El Chorro Lodge (“The Best Thing I Ever

Arizona restaurateur and chef Shelley Sikora, who launched Bobby Q steakhouse and barbecue in Phoenix, has started a food blog, Back Pocket Recipes. Sikora and her ex-husband operated dozens of Bobby McGee’s restaurants in eight states. She later launched Juice Works smoothie

When Pro’s Ranch Market announced in January it had closed its attached Mexican restaurant Tradiciones to remodel the space and change the menu, people probably expected things to move a little faster than they have. The Republic reports the market

ThaiPan, a well-regarded Thai restaurant in north Scottsdale, has closed after nearly nine years and been replaced by Thai Basil Scottsdale & Sushi Bar. Thai Basil already has locations in Tempe, Ahwatukee and Phoenix, and plans to open another in

India will be the focus of the Sunday night regional tasting menu in May at Cork in Chandler. From 4 to 9 p.m. Sundays, diners get four courses for $35: 1st course: Mulligatawny soup with chicken breast, sweet potato, apple, wild

Stone & Vine Urban Italian, described by chef chef Martin Kucera as a “small, East Coast-style eatery,” will open next month at 92nd Street and Shea in Scottsdale. Owner Joe Popo and Kucera both worked previously at Sapporo in Scottsdale. Stone & Vine

A roundup of Cinco de Mayo 2011 roundups: Cinco de Mayo restaurant specials [AZ Central] 18 restaurants to celebrate Cinco de Mayo [AZ Central] Cinco de Mayo events [AZ Central] Guide to partying on Cinco de Mayo [New Times] Cinco

Who’s ready for berry season? Angel Food Cupcake with Mixed Berries at Liberty Market in Gilbert.

No announcements have been made, but MXSW has heard several whispers from inside New Times in the past 24 hours all saying the same thing: Laura Hahnefeld will be the alt-weekly’s new restaurant critic. Hahnefeld, a regular contributor to the paper’s

Coverage of the British royal wedding begins at 12:30 a.m. tonight, with the actual ceremony starting around 3 a.m. The George & Dragon Pub in Phoenix will stay open all night to watch it live (alcohol sales stop at 2

Citizen Public House chef Bernie Kantak will pop up next Thursday at Cycle for Cinco de Mayo. From 6:30 to 9:30 p.m., Kantak will be serving five dishes: Oaxacan mole short rib picaditas ($9) Scallop ceviche ($9) Chilaquiles ($7) Green

Eater.com highlights newly launched blog Yelp Elite as its Website of the Day today: Finally! A blog that reaps the fertile soil of Yelp reviews for laughs: introducing the Yelp Elite, which pulls ridiculous quotes from reviews and presents them without

Bonfire Grill and Bar, which opened last month in Old Town Scottsdale, is launching a compact brunch menu from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturdays and Sunday: Bonfire Potato Cakes and Sunny Side Up Eggs: Potato pancakes, charred scallions, bacon, cheese

Today is Baskin-Robbins‘ annual 31 Cent Scoop Night honoring America’s firefights. Get scoops of ice cream for 39 cents (limit of three scoops per person) from 5 to 10 p.m. at all 10 Valley locations.

Just when you thought they might be running out of flavors for vodka, a California vineyard has introduced Cupcake Vodka. The vodka comes in four flavors: Original, Devil’s Food, Chiffon and Frosting.

Denver-based Smashburger is celebrating the opening of its 100th restaurant in Schaumburg, Ill., today with a food giveaway. Just say “Happy 100 stores” when you order a sandwich and you’ll receive a free side. Options are Smash fries, regular fries, sweet

Saber Rouin, a fixture at Valley farmers markets as his commercial alter ego Doctor Hummus, is opening a restaurant in Tempe. Wild Flavors will be located on the southeast corner of Broadway and McClintock. Rouin hopes to open by the end

As temperatures rose last week, The Vig Uptown in Phoenix cooled things down by offering smoked beef with mixed greens, mango, black beans, goat cheese, mint, basil, cilantro, crispy corn tortilla strips and prickly pear cactus fruit vinaigrette.

Tex-Mex chain restaurant Ninfa’s Mexican Kitchen has closed its Glendale location after 20 months. Corporate president Chris Harter notes: Glendale is a tough market. … We cut prices in half, but customers still complained. The same company owns recently opened Taberna

Looks like the Valley will have one less all-you-can-eat option: LJ’s Pizza, the 38-year-old Mesa pizzeria best-known for its lunch buffet, will close next month. Owner Clay Moser says the number of pizzas served during the lunch buffet has dropped

Chicago-based Italian restaurant chain Mia Francesca has pushed back the openings of its first Arizona restaurants in Scottsdale. The DC Ranch location, formerly San Felipe Cantina, has been postponed from June until this fall. The midtown Scottsdale location, formerly the Quilted Bear,

Chipotle Mexican Grill – which has heavily promoted its use of “naturally raised” chickens, cattle and pigs for years – is having trouble finding enough chickens. After an Orange County (Calif.) Register reader noticed a local Chipotle wasn’t using “natural”

From the well-duh department: Arizona Beer Week, which debuted in February and was a huge success, is officially returning next year. The dates will be Feb. 18-25.

Sixth-month-old Beckett’s Table in Phoenix celebrates its “half birthday” with a week of specials (available only at bar or community table): Today: Half off all appetizers Wednesday:Half off all desserts Thursday: Half off all pichet (half bottles) Sunday: Half off

Roka Akor is offering a free lunch entree to office professionals during Administrative Professionals Week. The only catch: Your boss must accompany you and buy an entree of equal or greater value. The offer, which runs all week, is limited

From Noca‘s Easter brunch menu: Wagyu corned beef hash, soft poached farm egg, duck fat potatoes, melted onions, pickled peppers and fines herbes.

Cycle, the weekend “pop-up” restaurant at the Lexington Hotel in downtown Phoenix, is launching an Industry Night on Mondays, starting tonight. KB Smokehouse and BBQ will be serving ‘cue, and drinks will be half-price for food & beverage industry peeps.

More than 50 Arizona restaurants will participate in Dining Out for Life, a one-day fundraiser to fight HIV/AIDS, on Thursday. [AZ Central] Former Urban Campfire chef Robert Stempkowski is opening a restaurant next month in downtown Phoenix, according to blogger

Relate, San Diego’s first “pop-up” restaurant, has posted the menu for its one-night-only stop at Posh in Scottsdale tonight: Appetizers BLT Risotto: Bacon & onion risotto, warm arugula salad, tomato cream 62 Degree Celsius Egg: With star anise potato mousseline, wild

Big Earl’s BBQ contributing chef Tony Morales (pictured on left) and New Times critic Martin Cizmar (right) mixed it up on Twitter over the weekend. At issue: Cizmar’s mostly negative Big Earl’s review, which was published last week. Cizmar, the

Postino founder Craig DeMarco’s two newest concepts – a neighborhood restaurant and bar called Windsor and an ice cream parlor called Churn – open today in midtown Phoenix. The side-by-side businesses are housed in a restored 1940s-era building on Central

Anyone who follows the Valley food blogging scene probably heard about a dust-up this week between blogger Eric Schaefer and Channel 12. The incident occcured Thursday when the Scottsdale resident was invited to judge a sandwich contest on the Tram