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Here’s something sports car lovers and Italophiles alike won’t want to miss: On July 18, more than 25 Ferraris will be on display  in the parking lot of Nicantoni’s Pizza in Gilbert. Although the Ferrari brand is universally known, the

Pittsburgh Willy’s is celebrating National Hot Dog Month by giving customers a raffle ticket for every meal purchased in July. At the end of the month, the Chandler hot dog shop will hold a drawing: 50 people will win a

Arriba Mexican Grill owner Raymond Perry was one of four people killed when the helicopter he was piloting crashed into the Verde River northeast of the Valley over the weekend. The Phoenix resident owned six Arribas, including restaurants in Gilbert and Ahwatukee. Read

Zucchini & mushrooms combo, antipasto salad, Balsamic Shrimp De Modena, Pork Molise and Intoxicated Love are the five courses for this week’s Taste of Romeo’s Euro Cafe dinner Thursday. Cost is $25 per person, and you can add wine pairings for another

“21 Jump Street,” the March 2012 remake starring Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum, is the Monday Night Movie at SanTan Brewing in downtown Chandler. Get free popcorn and enjoy food and drink specials. The show starts at 9 p.m.

Boulders on Broadway kicks off Samuel Adams Week today. The Tempe restaurant and bar will be showcasing Boston Lager ($3 all week), Sam Summer, Cherry Wheat, Blueberry Hill Lager, Norse Legend sahti, Griffin’s Bow barleywine, and New World tripel. Get

Get a free fountain drink and dessert with any lunch or dinner entree at The Landmark Restaurant in Mesa through Saturday. Not valid with other offers or discounts. The restaurant is closed July 4.

It seems New Times’ Chow Bella editor Amy Silverman is miffed with MXSW and its sole employee. A little ill will is not surprising. It must have been downright embarrassing to be scooped on the departure of her own dining

Burger King is celebrating Fourth of July a little early by again offering its Original Chicken Sandwich (normally $4.49) for just $1.04 this weekend. The deal, which the chain also did last year, is good today through Sunday at participating

Il Vinaio in downtown Mesa introduced its summer seasonal menus last night. Dishes include (clockwise from upper left) an Asian chicken salad ($12), BBQ chicken flatbread ($9), sarsaparilla-braised pork carnitas with blue cheese slaw and polenta cake ($17), and linguini

The 99th Tour de France cycling race starts Saturday, and Wedge & Bottle is celebrating all day. The Ahwatukee cheese will be selling French cheese plates for $12. You also can get 15% off French wines.

Jimmy & Joe’s Pizzeria is donating 30 percent of all sales today at its Mesa and Chandler stores to the Tempe family found dead in a burned-out SUV in the Arizona desert earlier this month. Tempe police say James Butwin,

Caketini, the gourmet cupcake shop at San Tan Village in Gilbert, has launched a promotion called Hot Summer Nights. From 6-9 p.m. Tuesdays through Thursdays, get two-for-one drinks, including espresso, smoothies, frapptinis, fountain drinks, and iced teas.

DownUnder Wines & Bistro is cranking up the restaurant-hopping party bus again on Wednesday, July 18. The fun starts at DownUnder at 6:15 p.m., followed by stops for food and drinks at Nicantoni’s, Romeo’s Euro Cafe, Asian Kitchen, and back to

Travel & Leisure magazine just came out with its annual list of America’s best burger cities, and Phoenix didn’t make their readers’ top 20. Apparently we don’t stack up to such burger-blessed locales as Savannah, Georgia (#12); Portland, Maine (#18);

Essence Bakery in Tempe begins its annual two-week summer hiatus next week, so stock up on their acclaimed macarons (pictured) this week. This week’s pastry specials from chef/owner Eugenia Theodosopoulos include salted caramel and French chocolate ganache tartes ($5.50) and fresh

I’ve only bought one Groupon in my life, but this will be the second. Latitude Eight, the incredible Thai restaurant in downtown Chandler, is offering a pair of deals: $13 for $30 worth of food & drink Monday–Thursday $15 for

Mediterranean Salad will be one of five courses at this week’s Taste of Romeo’s Euro Cafe dinner Thursday. Other featured items: Artichokes Vinaigrette, Shrimp Corfu, Penne Carbonara, and Ancho Fudge Tart. The cost is just $25 per person. RSVP: 480-962-4224.

Tott’s Asian Diner is testing a new menu item: Salted Pepper Crispy Chicken. Breaded leg meat is wok-tossed with jalapenos, garlic, scallions, and spices. The price is $6.50 for lunch and $8 for dinner (portion shown is just a sample

“The Woman in Black,” a 2012 horror flick starring Daniel Radcliffe, is the Monday Night Movie tonight at SanTan Brewing in downtown Chandler. Weird trivia: Adrian Rawlins, the actor who played Radcliffe’s father in the “Harry Potter” series, originally played Radcliffe’s

Personally, I’m not a fan of McDonald’s new Spicy Chicken McBites. But if you haven’t tried them yet, here’s a opportunity to judge for yourself. The national chain is selling the “snack size” version for just $1 today through Friday.

In preparation for its annual July hiatus, Chandler fine-dining restaurant Cork is bringing back its “Pilfer the Pantry” special this week. Get an impromptu five-course tasting menu for $48 per person Tuesday (the restaurant is closed Mondays) through Saturday. Cork’s

Del Piero, the Tuscan-inspired eatery at the Queen Creek Olive Mill, unveils something new tonight: Pizza. Thanks to a just-installed pizza oven, del Piero is offering six regular pizzas and two dessert pizzas ranging from $11 to $13. Regular pizzas

Robbie House Public House lends a helping hand to one of its own Sunday with an all-day fundraiser for server Mallory Crist, who is battling cervical cancer. The downtown Tempe restaurant and bar will donate 100% of sales for the

Dave & Buster’s at Tempe Marketplace has introduced some new menu items, such as the South Philly Burger (pictured, $11.99), a half-pound burger topped with thin-sliced steak, peppers, onion, mushrooms, and melted white American cheese. Other newcomers include a Black & Bleu

Rita’s Italian Ice, which opened today next to Mellow Mushroom in downtown Tempe, is giving out free Italian ices until 10 tonight. The chain also offers frozen custard and ice-custard blends. It’s the fourth Arizona location, but first in the

Sauce has brought back its annual Summer Sampler deal – a pizza, a salad, and two glasses of wine for $20 (normally $26-$28). The offer, available all day every day, runs through Sept. 11.

This Sunday, Cadillac Ranch at Tempe Marketplace will host a fundraiser for baseball player Taylor Kaczmarek, who recently was diagnosed with a rare form of leukemia. The Mesa resident graduated from Gilbert’s Desert Ridge High and was named Arizona’s 2010

Groupon alert! One of today’s deals is $15 for $30 worth of sushi and Japanese food at Otaku in Chandler. Get it here.

Have you checked out the newly expanded Cornish Pasty Company in Tempe? Not only has the formerly shoebox-sized interior been enlarged, but work has just begun on a patio, that will provide even more seating when temperatures cool down.

On Saturday, SanTan Brewing hosts its fourth annual Hawaiian Luau, which will feature a pig roast and island music starting at 11 a.m. and running all day at the downtown Chandler brewery. A special menu also will include lomi salmon, macaroni

If you’ve ever wanted to learn the basics of sushi, here’s your chance. Ra Sushi will hold a Sushi 101 class from 11:30 a.m. t0 1:30 p.m. Sunday at its downtown Tempe location. The interactive class will cover the history of

Some free advice for AZ Central: Stop recycling old food & drink stories and pretending they’re new information. The top food story on AZ Central’s home page today – Top 10 wine bars in Greater Phoenix (pictured above) – has

They got my attention at Maple Bacon Porkwich. The drool-inducing sandwich – pulled pork with a chile-maple sauce, crumbled bacon, and white American cheese ($9.89 with fries, pictured on left) – is one of 18 items on the new “Life

Venetian roasted reppers, ravioli salad, shellfish tortellini, goat shrimp, and chocolate-dipped Florentines are the featured menu items for this Thursday’s Taste of Romeo’s Euro Cafe Dinner at the downtown Gilbert restaurant. The weekly five-course dinner, hosted by chef/owner Romeo Taus

Chandler hot dog shop Pittsburgh Willy’s has introduced a new menu item in honor of one of the Steel City’s most famous athletes. The Franco Harris Dog – named for the Hall of Fame running back who played 12 seasons

Why did I start an East Valley-centric site like Mouth by Southwest? This story is a typical example of the AZ Republic’s skewed geographical perspective, even in its dining coverage, especially this sentence about Postino locations: The company also operates two

Mi Amigo’s Mexican Grill, which has two locations in Mesa, celebrates its 35th anniversary this week with five days of specials: Today: Kids eat free all day (kids 12 & under receive one kid’s meal per adult meal purchased) Tuesday: Bring in

El Rico’s Mexican Restaurant in Gilbert has closed, following in the footsteps of its sister location in Queen Creek. The second location had opened last summer on the southeast corner of McQueen and Elliot, and the original El Rico in

“Sherlock Holmes:  A Game of Shadows,” the 2011 film starring Robert Downey Jr. as the famed detective and Jude Law as his sidekick Dr. Watson, is tonight’s Monday Night Movie at SanTan Brewing in downtown Chandler. Little known fact: When

Ra Sushi is celebrating International Sushi Day today by giving away Tootsy Maki rolls (crab, shrimp and cucumber topped with crunchy tempura bits and drizzled with sweet eel sauce). Go to their Facebook page to get the coupon, which is

Groupon alert! One of today’s deals is $10 for $20 worth of food and drink at Gilbert Pizza. Snatch it up here.

Bread Connection, the new artisan bakery in Chandler, has introduced something special just in time for Father’s Day: Chocolate baguettes. The bread is available in sticks ($2.99) and rounds ($3.49) – and it’s delicious. Pick up one (or more) between

Jimmy John’s is celebrating its annual Customer Appreciation Day with $1 sandwiches until 3 p.m. at all Valley locations, including Tempe, Chandler, and Mesa. There’s a limit of one 8-inch sub per person, and it must be eaten in-store. The

Postino launches brunch this weekend at its new downtown Gilbert location. The menu, which had been available only at the central Phoenix Postino, features: Country Toast with Italian ham, dijonaise and gruyere with sunny side up eggs (shown on left,

Sweet Republic isn’t located in the East Valley, but it would be food journalism malpractice not to alert you the state’s best ice cream shop is giving away scoops today to celebrate its fourth anniversary. Between 4 p.m. and 7

Look out, Joe’s Real BBQ! Burger King reportedly will add barbecue items on its menu summer. According to Foodbeast, BK will introduce a Memphis BBQ Pulled Pork Sandwich with creamy coleslaw sauce, white onion, and smoky-sweet Memphis BBQ sauce. It also will

Wiener schnitzel (pictured) is one of the five dishes that will be spotlighted at this week’s “Taste of Romeo’s Euro Cafe” dinner Thursday. Others are Romeo’s choice skins, Mandarin Dijon chicken salad, Mediterranean Paprikash, and mocha espresso brownies. Cost is just $25,

A young CIA agent (Ryan Reynolds) is tasked with looking after a fugitive (Denzel Washington) in “Safe House,” this week’s Monday Night Movie at SanTan Brewing in downtown Chandler. The film, which hit theaters in February, already has made $126 million

D’Vine Chandler will host an Opolo wine dinner at 7:30 p.m. Thursday. The Paso Robles, Calif., winery’s acclaimed varietals will complement five courses of food. Price is $65 per person. • Event details: Opolo Wine Dinner

Chandler hot dog eatery Pittsburgh Willy’s temporarily closed Sunday when someone stole an underground city water meter and some copper pipe. Owner Randy Walters arrived at work at 6:30 a.m. Sunday and unknowingly waved to the thief, who appeared to be

Eric “The Red” Denmark scarfed 30.5 hot dogs in 10 minutes to win the Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest qualifier at Arizona Mills on Saturday. It was the fourth victory in the annual Tempe contest for the Seattle competitive eater,

Last fall, we told you about Chandler mom Erin Carr-Jordan‘s campaign to clean up fast-food playgrounds. Her YouTube exposés got her banned from six East Valley McDonald’s. Now Maricopa County health officials may finally be getting involved. The county is

When a second group of restaurants approved for Sky Harbor’s Terminal 4 was announced last month, many readers asked when these new eateries would open. There’s still no word, but we now have a schedule for the first group of

Chandler’s D’Vine Bistro & Wine Bar, which celebrated its fifth anniversary Saturday, introduces a new Sunday summer BBQ menu today. Available from noon to 8 p.m. Sundays, it features such items as bacon-wrapped hot dogs, BBQ brisket sandwiches, “backyard” burgers,

Romeo’s Euro Cafe in downtown Gilbert celebrates its 21st anniversary today. Congratulations to owner/chef Romeo Taus, his wife Janice, and their entire crew past and present. Read some the story behind the restaurant’s success here. Get details on its anniversary

Today is the start of Arizona Dairy Month, which the Dairy Council of Arizona is celebrating with what it’s calling a “Moo-ving Milkshake Shop.” The pop-up shop starts its tour at BLD in Chandler today through Sunday – its only East

I’ve never seen a ranking of the most popular bartenders in the East Valley, but there’s a good chance Gavin Rutledge would top such a list. He’s been a fixture at Tempe’s Casey Moore’s, where the bartender/manager/partner has performed his

Former “Top Chef” contestants Ryan Scott and Richard Sweeney will face off in a trio of quickfire-style cookoffs when Bravo’s fifth annual Top Chef Tour comes to Tempe Marketplace on Friday, June 8. We’re not exactly talking about marquee names

Sierra Nevada hosts the inaugural Tour de Tempe bicycle cruise on Sunday. Participants will meet at the Tavern on Mill (pictured above) at 10:30 a.m. Other stops: Cadillac Ranch, Tempe Tavern, The Vine, and Casey Moore’s. The cost is $10, which

I found myself in downtown Mesa this morning so I stopped by Sweet Cakes Cafe for my usual well-balanced lunch incorporating all four food groups – Snickerdoodle, peanut butter M&M, chocolate chip pecan, and oatmeal coconut. I noticed the cafe has closed

Arizona Wilderness Brewing appears to be coming to the southeast corner of Arizona Avenue and Guadalupe, based on a semi-cryptic photo (shown above) on its Facebook page. The space shown is the former Korean BBQ joint QQ Grill, which closed

Foccacia de la Provincia (open-faced foccacia bread with fresh basil, fresh mozzarella, garlic, EVOO and thinly sliced portabello mushrooms) will be one of five items featured at Thursday’s weekly Taste of Romeo’s Euro Cafe dinner at the Gilbert eatery. Also

Tempe sports bar and billiards hall Lucky Break is closing out National Burger Month by offering all 10 burgers on its menu for just $5 today through Thursday. The burgers normally range from $8.95 to $10.95. See the menu.

It’s been a long time since we’ve seen a Groupon that’s excited us, but there’s one today: DC Steak House in downtown Chandler. Actually, it’s two different Groupons: $23 for $50 worth of food and drinks Sunday through Thursday $25

Organ Stop Pizza kicks off a month-long celebration of its 40th anniversary today. The pizzeria features the world’s largest Wurlitzer organ, which has nearly 6,000 pipes, more than 1,000 buttons, knobs and switches, and two fulltime organists. The original Organ Stop

DownUnder Wine Bar & Bistro is selling what it claims is the only case of Firestone Wooky Jack bombers in the Valley. The 22-ounce bottles are $8 apiece. The seasonal is an unfiltered Black Rye IPA. Email kirsten@downunderwinebar.com to reserve one.

The bad news: The Coyotes’ ouster from the NHL playoffs means Pittsburgh Willy’s lost its bet with famed Los Angeles chili stand Pink. The Chandler hot doggery will donate a meal for 100 to teh charity of Pink’s choice. The good news:

I’m not sure why this has the food media’s collective undies in a bunch today, but Carl’s Jr. is testing an “ice cream burger.” It’s not what you might think. It’s simply chocolate ice cream between two sugar cookies. The

The Phoenix City Council has approved a second set of Valley restaurants to open locations in Terminal 4 at Sky Harbor International Airport, including Joe’s Real BBQ (pictured) from Gilbert and Four Peaks Brewing Company from Tempe. The full list of

The Farm at Agritopia – those fields and orchards next to Joe’s Farm Grill in Gilbert – is kicking off peach season with a you-pick-’em event on Saturday. From 7 a.m. to noon, pick all the ripe and juicy peaches

If you hurry, you can still get a seat at this week’s “Taste of Romeo’s Euro Cafe” dinner, hosted by chef/owner Romeo Taus and wife Janice, at 6:30 p.m. Thursday. The weekly dinner, which often has been sold out in

Just an hour before the puck dropped for Game 1 of the NHL playoff series between the Phoenix Coyotes and Los Angeles Kings on Sunday, Pittsburgh Willy’s owner Randy Walters was on the phone with Gloria Pink, co-owner of legendary

Just a reminder: Mother’s Day is this Sunday. I’ve already detailed the specials at East Valley faves like Cork, Trophy’s and  D’Vine. Here are some media roundups of offers at other restaurants throughout the Valley: 20 places for Mother’s Day brunch [AZ Central] List of

It’s a bit last-minute notice, but chefs Jared Lupin for DownUnder Wines & Bistro and John Wong from sN Asian Kitchen are teaming up for a four-course wine dinner Wednesday at DownUnder: 1st course: BLT red pepper vinaigrette salad (with Ramsay

Transylvania Chicken (pictured) and Tortellini Gianni will be two of the featured dishes at this week’s “Taste of Romeo’s Euro Cafe” dinner Thursday at the downtown Gilbert restaurant. The five-course tasting menu, offered at 6:30 p.m. every Thursday by chef/owner Romeo

There’ll be three seatings – 9 a.m., 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. – for a special four-course Mother’s Day brunch at D’Vine Chandler. The $30 prix fixe menu will offer five entrees: Breakfast pizza topped with sausage, fingerling potatoes, fried

Trophy’s Steakhouse in Queen Creek has posted its Mother’s Day menu, which will feature four entrees: Chicken picatta with mango chutney wild rice and a broccoli crown ($19) Stuffed sole with red pepper coulis, mango chutney wild rice and julienne

Cork discontinued its Sunday brunch last month, but the Chandler restaurant will bring it back this weekend for Mother’s Day. The a la carte menu will be offered 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday. The Mother’s Day menu will feature

Today’s the 13th annual Free BBQ Day at Joe’s Real BBQ. The downtown Gilbert smokehouse will give away 5,000-plus meals from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. and 4-8 p.m. Diners will get their choice of a pulled pork or chicken sandwich along

Steven Raichlen, host of PBS show “Primal Grill,” signs his latest book, “Best Ribs: 100 Killer Recipes Including Slaws, Baked Beans, and Finger-Lickin’ Sauces,” at 7 p.m. Thursday at Changing Hands. Prior to his current show, Raichlen hosted four seasons of

It’s May 1, which means farmers markets across the East Valley are shifting to earlier hours to mitigate the rising temperatures. Here are the new hours: Ahwatukee Farmers’ Market: 8-11 a.m. Sundays at Ahwatukee Swim and Tennis Center (Warner Road, west of

The menu is out for this week’s “Taste of Romeo’s Euro Cafe” dinner at 6:30 p.m. Thursday: Spinach Puffs Tortellini Feta Salad Sherry Cranberry Pork Chicken Veneto Rhapsody in Blush Cost is $25++. RSVP: 480-962-4224

Congrats to Terry Letterly, who was named grand champion of Saturday’s 28th annual Salsa Challenge at Tempe Beach Park. Letterly, who also won the Hot division of the Individual/Open competition, won $1,000. Letterly’s salsa will be featured on the menu

Essence Bakery, the award-winning bakery and bistro in Tempe, announced it will be closed Mondays during the months of May and June. It will keep its regular hours – 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. – Tuesday through Saturday.

OK, maybe it’s not officially BBQ Week in the East Valley, but it’s a great week for ‘cue fans. Today: New BBQ restaurant Porkopolis opens at Arizona Avenue and the 202 in Chandler. (Look for more info about this later

It’s Sunday Funday at Vintage 95 in downtown Chandler. The new promotion features several drinks specials, including: Half off select wine bottles all day (about 25 bottles to pick from, split between reds and whites, starting at $14) $15 mimosa

Arizona Restaurant Week, which launched in 2008 and now occurs twice a year, has been trying to grow into a statewide promotion. It might need to work on becoming a Valley-wide promotion first. The list of participating restaurants for this