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Nicole Erny – one of only four master cicerones in the world, and the only female one – will be hanging out Papago Brewing tonight. Generally speaking, cicerones are beer experts – the equivalent of sommeliers in the wine world. The
The Beer PHXation blog noticed the Arizona legislature temporarily suspended its typical crazy-ass pursuits last week to actually pass something worthwhile. Almost unnoticed, lawmakers amended Arizona statutes to allow bars and liquor stores to fill and sell growlers. A growler,
Rum cakes are coming back to Chandler. The Bread Connection, which recently opened in the defunct Cathy’s Rum Cake space on the northwest corner of Alma School and Chandler Boulevard, is now serving Lisa’s Rum Cake. Lisa’s Rum Cake is the
Ree Drummond, author of the acclaimed The Pioneer Woman blog, will sign her new cookbook, “The Pioneer Woman Cooks: Food from My Frontier,” at 2 p.m. Saturday at Dobson High School in Mesa. The cookbook, her second, came out in
Dominic Armato, who writes the food blog Skillet Doux, has launched a Valley food discussion website called PHXfoodnerds. Armato, who moved to the Valley two-and-a-half years ago, outlines his goal in an introductory post: My hope is that PHXfoodnerds can
Chandler Mexican restaurant El Palacio will defend its 2011 grand championship when the 28th annual My Nana’s Salsa Challenge returns to Tempe Beach Park on Saturday. The event, which runs 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., features professional and amateur salsa
Woody, Deschutes Brewing‘s traveling beer barrel, is in the Valley for a couple days. The portable pub’s schedule is kinda sketchy – you can follow its Twitter account for updates – but it will be serving beers in the parking
The last Sunday of every month, Cork offers a themed tasting menu instead of its regular dinner menu. This Sunday, the focus is “Taste of Spring.” The four-course prix fixe menu, which is $35, features three entry choices: mustard-crusted pork
D’Lish, the Scottsdale breakfast-and-lunch spot that offers health-conscious fare, just opened a second location on the southwest corner of Apache and Terrace in Tempe. The restaurant, billed as the Valley first “healthy fast food drive-through,” offers breakfast options like Oatmeal
I’m not sure what Brio Tuscan Grille is thinking. The Italian restaurant chain, which has a location at San Tan Village in Gilbert, is celebrating Administrative Professionals Week – by offering 20% off all catering and to-go orders. That’s right.
If you planed to attend this week’s “Taste of Romeo’s Euro Cafe” dinner Thursday and haven’t RSVP’d yet, you’ve waited too long. The weekly dinner, which features tasting portions of regular menu items and is hosted by chef/owner Romeo Taus
“Do you really wanna jump? Do you wanna?” If you recognize that line of dialogue, you’re probably a fan of 1987’s “Lethal Weapon,” starring Mel Gibson as a burned-our LAPD detective partnered with a reserved family man played by Danny
All hail Jimmy Peng, who won Flancer’s annual charity pizza-eating contest and the $500 first-place prize for the second year in a row and third time in four years Sunday. The slightly built Scottsdale man crammed down 18-and-a-half slices –
This week’s three reviewers fall all over themselves heaping well-deserved praise on The Deli in Queen Creek. Check it out:
BLD chef Ehren Litzenberger will teach a pair of classes this month: • At 2 p.m. Saturday, he’ll demonstrate how to cook Sustainable Seafood at Whole Foods Chandler. The class is free. • At 3 p.m. next Saturday, April 28,
Given the current price of bread, this “Deli Fest” deal looks pretty good: Anyone who buys a pound of premium deli meat at Chompies will get a free loaf of fresh-baked Jewish rye, seedless rye or challah for free. Also, those
“Jiro Dreams of Sushi,” the most acclaimed food film of 2011, finally makes its debut in the Valley today. The documentary profiles 85-year-old Jiro Ono, who’s considered the world’s greatest sushi chef despite his restaurant’s humble location in a Tokyo subway
Playing off today’s unofficial counterculture holiday, Pittsburgh Willy’s jumps on the bandwagon with a special: Get a Chicago Dog (pictured) or Big Willy, along with chips and a soda, for $4.20 at the Chandler eatery.
We finally have an opening date for Can’t Stop Smokin’ Bar-B-Q: Thursday, May 3. The New Mexico import will open its first Arizona location on the northeast corner of I-10 and Chandler Boulevard in Chandler. The 5,200-square-foot building is just
I guess the headline pretty much covers all the basics. See the fine print here.
A few seats still remain for a Pillsbury Wine Dinner at 6 p.m. Thursday, April 26, at D’Vine Bistro & Wine Bar in Chandler. Arizona winemaker Sam Pillsbury (pictured) will be the featured guest. You can check out the five-course menu
“Check, Please! Arizona,” Channel 8’s restaurant review show, turns its focus to The Deli in Queen Creek tonight. Also reviewed on tonight’s 7 p.m. episode: Carly’s Bistro in Phoenix and Eddie’s House in Scottsdale. The epsiode airs again at 3 p.m.
Gustavo Arellano, who writes the nationally syndicated column “¡Ask a Mexican!,†comes to the East Valley this weekend to discuss and sign his new book, “Taco USA: How Mexican Food Conquered America.” Arellano, who’s also editor of the California alt-weekly OC
There’s still time to enter Flancer’s 12th annual charity Pizza Eating Contest, which will be held at 11 a.m. Sunday at the Gilbert restaurant. Jimmy Peng of Scottsdale ate 16 slices – the equivalent of two 18-inch cheese pizzas – in 15
Andrew Zimmern, the host of the Travel Channel series “Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern” and “Andrew Zimmern’s Bizarre World,” will be a featured guest at this weekend’s Great Arizona Picnic, the two-day culmination of the week-long Scottsdale Culinary Festival. Zimmern – who’s
The Thirsty Lion Pub & Grill at Tempe Marketplace has unveiled its spring menu, including some new additions: Steamed Mediterranean black mussels ($9.95) Grilled asparagus, endive & grapefruit salad ($6.95) Snake River Farms Kobe beef burger ($13.95) Italian fennel sausage
Il Vinaio in downtown Mesa will host a pairing of Arizona wines and tapas Thursday, matching four small plates with four homegrown wines: Tuna, shrimp, and scallop ceviche with wonton crisp and wasabi vinaigrette (Oak Creek Vineyard Fume Blanc) Grilled cappicola-wrapped
Flancer’s continues its month of fundraising events for the charity Warfighter Sports with a chef demo and wine tasting at its Mesa location Wednesday. Dubbed “Spill the Wine, Eat that Cheese,” the event runs 6:30-8:30 p.m. and includes: Flancer’s chef
File your taxes yet? Three East Valley restaurants are offering Tax Day specials to make the pain a little more bearable: P.F. Chang’s in Tempe, Chandler, and Mesa will give you 15% any dine-in and takeout order today. No coupon necessary.
Spicy lamb potatoes is just the first course of this week’s “Taste of Romeo’s Euro Cafe” dinner at 6:30 p.m. Thursday. Other courses are roasted eggplant salad, chicken ziti, Mediterranean stuffed gyros and cannoli (pictured). All are smaller portions of regular
Urban Picnic, the lunch-only eatery that opened in April 2011 in downtown Mesa, is getting new owners. Chris Ackerland, who opened the restaurant with his father, made the announcement today on Facebook: I have decided to sell the brand and
Little-known movie fact: “Die Hard” was actually a sequel. After the box-office success of the 1985 Arnold Schwarzenegger flick “Commando,” the studio commissioned a follow-up but The Ahnold wasn’t interested. So the title was changed to “Die Hard, TV actor Bruce
Lucky Break, a sports bar and billiards hall that opened in late December, is doing a soft launch of its weekday lunch service at 11 a.m. today. The men offers a dozen burgers – ranging from the Mean Green (with
BLD was featured on the latest episode of Channel 8’s “Check, Please! Arizona.” See how the Chandler restaurant fared:
Based on Saturday’s forecast – rain and 60s – Queen Creek Olive Mill has canceled its weekly farmers market. The market will return next week at its regular hours, 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. The Olive Mill’s store and bistro
Kristina Grabowski, former executive chef at Red White & Brew, has taken over as head chef at Il Vinaio in downtown Mesa. Grabowski replaces James Bacon, who left the Il Vinaio to head the kitchen at the new Monsterland Bar
Cork, the Chandler fine-dining restaurant that changes its menu every season, has unveiled its spring 2012 version. Among the eye-catching items: Grilled asparagus & artichoke salad with fried egg, shaved parmesan, Parma prosciutto, pine nuts, and olive oil ($13, pictured above
Today is National Fondue Day, and The Melting Pot in Ahwatukee is celebrating by offering $5 pots of cheese fondue from 4 to 6 p.m. The Melting Pot serves six different types of cheese fondue, ranging from traditional Swiss cheese
D’Vine Bistro & Wine Bar in Chandler is celebrating its fifth anniversary today with free appetizers, free wine tastings, and a ribbon-cutting ceremony with the Chandler Chamber of Commerce. The party, which runs 4:30 to 7:30 p.m., also marks the official
Whole Foods Chandler’s new Wednesday Wine Night got off to a smashing start last week, and organizer James Swann is determined to keep the momentum going. Tonight’s fun, which starts at 5 p.m., includes live music by Skully Lawrence. Reps
Double digits! Please welcome D’Vine Bistro & Wine Bar, which today becomes MXSW’s 10th advertiser. Thanks to these East Valley restaurants, I’m able to provide the eating and drinking information you find here. If you get a chance, please let
Smoke & Barrels, an annual cigar and microbrew tasting, will take place 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Wednesday at Fox Cigar Bar in Gilbert. The event will feature cigars by Perdomo, beers from Four Peaks, and food from Flancer’s. It’s the
Congrats to Arizona Wilderness Brewing Company, which reached its $40,000 Kickstarter goal with two days to spare. If you’re not familiar with Kickstarter, it’s a crowd-sourced fundraising tool. People pledge donations toward a proposed business, but only pay if the
Bread Connection, the new artisan bakery in Chandler, is offering a special today: 24-ounce rounds of sourdough for 50% off. Just tell them you saw it on Facebook. (If I remember correctly, the regular price for sourdough rounds is $4.99.)
Spanaki Balls, Hellenic Salad, Kasseri Chicken, Pork Molise, and Euro Delight are the five menu items that will be spotlighted during this week’s “Taste of Romeo’s Euro Cafe” dinner at 6:30 p.m. Thursday. Cost is $25 per person. RSVP: 480-962-4224.
Jesus of Suburbia has been sighted at SanTan Brewing:Â American Idiot Ale debuts today at the downtown Chandler brewery. Named for Green Day’s 2004 rock opera album, the limited-edition beer is an extra-hoppy version of SanTan’s flagship Devils Ale, according to
The Great Chandler BBQ War of 2012 has begun, with Rudy’s Country Store & Bar-B-Q firing the first shot. The Texas import just opened in a large, garage-like roadhouse on the northeast corner of I-10 and Chandler Boulevard. (Only about
Starting today, Thirsty Lion Pub & Grill at Tempe Marketplace is offering a $19.95 pizza-and-a-movie deal every Monday. The deal includes a brick-oven pizza of your choice (normally $11.95-$12.95), two non-alcoholic drinks and two Harkins Theatres tickets.
Yippee-ki-yay! Relive Bruce Willis’ heyday tonight when SanTan Brewing shows 1988’s “Die Hard,” starring Bruce Willis as New York cop John McClane and Alan Rickman as terrorist Hans Gruber. If there’s any doubt this is an American classic, look no
Native New Yorker, a regular hangout for many East Valley wing-lovers, won the “King of Wings” trophy at Wingstock Saturday at Mesa Amphitheatre. The annual festival features chicken wings and live music. Native New Yorker, which originally opened as LaMonica’s
Never heard of Taiko? I’m not surprised. The Japanese restaurant, on the southwest corner of Cooper and Ray in Chandler, is one of those underrated restaurants that never seems to get the publicity it deserves. Sunday, though, is a perfect day to
Easter is one of the busiest brunch days of the year. Here are some of the special brunches in the Valley this Sunday. Reservations are required for most. Cork: A la carte menu includes Cork Benedict ($18), Italian-style omelets ($16), sweet
This is something East Valley wine lovers will want to check out: Whole Foods Chandler, already host of a popular Friday Night Beer Class, is launching a weekly Wine Night tonight, and it looks amazing. Enjoy a glass of wine (choice
Tempe eatery NY Boyz Subz & Wingz returns to defend its “King of Wings” title at Wingstock 2012 Saturday at Mesa Amphitheatre. Billed as “Where Music & Chicken Meat,” the 6-hour festival features live music and chicken wings. Other restaurants participating
Just four seats remain for Thursday’s Four Peaks Beer Dinner at D’Vine Bistro in Chandler. The 6 p.m. dinner features five courses by chef Ramon Rice paired with five beers from the Tempe brewery: Mussels sautéed with kale, onions, bacon
Chandler fine-dining restaurant Cork, which discontinued its longtime Sunday brunch last month except for Easter and Mother’s Day, has announced its menu for the former this Sunday. The a la carte menu features the eatery’s signature Cork Benedict ($18), Italian-style
Most P.F. Chang’s restaurants – including the ones in Tempe, Chandler, and Mesa – launched a new lunch menu today featuring 21 dishes for less than $10. The new dishes, which come with a choice of salad or soup, include
El Palacio reports some tickets still are available for Thursday’s SanTan Beer Dinner at the Chandler Mexican restaurant. The 6:30 p.m. dinner offers five courses: Prickly pear guacamole, spicy red chili popcorn, and a cilantro pesto shrimp with cilantro sour
Fast-food restaurants introduce new menu items all the time, but this may be the first time a national chain has rolled out 10 items in one day. The chain I’m talking about is Burger King, which unveils a bunch of
If you’re like me, your allergies already have informed you the olive trees are blooming in the East Valley. I guess this makes it official: Queen Creek Olive Mill kicks off its two-weekend Olive Blossom Festival today in its grove.
O’Neill’s Place, the restaurant that took over the former Indigo Joe’s space in northeast Mesa, has expanded its menu. Among the new items: boneless chicken wings ($6.99), chef’s salad ($6.49), a New York strip steak ($16.99) and housemade potato salad.
Lon Weatherson, brewmaster at recently opened College Street Brewhouse & Pub in Lake Havasu City, will be the featured guest at Whole Foods Chandler’s weekly beer class at 7 tonight. Weatherson will provide samples of six of his beers –
Recently opened BoomBozz Pizza & Taphouse in Gilbert has good reason to be excited about Saturday’s NCAA Final Four showdown between Louisville and Kentucky. The East Valley newcomer is a spinoff of a well-known Louisville pizzeria, which has four locations in that
Nicantoni’s Pizza and Down Under Wines & Bistro are teaming up tonight to host “B*tch and W(h)ine,” a benefit for two local non-profit pet charities. The two businesses, neighbors on the northeast corner of McQueen and Warner in Gilbert, will
“Spring is in the Air” is the theme of BLD‘s monthly cooking class, which will be 3 p.m. Saturday at the Chandler restaurant. Chef Ehren Litzenberger will show how to create dishes from spring and early-summer produce, and also share
Looks like the next step for the struggling Bill Johnson’s Big Apple restaurants might be new ownership. A Valley fixture for more than 50 years, Bill Johnson’s had been trying to reorganize through bankruptcy, but now has listed all five Valley
OK, this isn’t local but it’s too hilarious not to post!
There are birthday parties, and then there are BIRTHDAY PARTIES! And when there’s free booze involved, it’s definitely the latter. BLD, the casual sibling restaurant of fine-dining Cork, celebrates its first birthday today with several deals. The hightlight: A free
Whole Foods Chandler will hold a free Passover Cooking Class taught by chef Nathan Hirsch at 6 p.m. tonight. Using kosher ingredients, Hirsch will demonstrate how to make a vegetable spring salad, chicken tagine with quinoa and potato, and mushroom
I feel hopeful, and a little sorry, for the Great American BBQ & Beer Festival. On one hand, the third-year event continues to grow. Organizers say a record 12,000 people attended Saturday’s eight-hour fest in downtown Chandler. On the other
The day has finally arrived: Postino East, the second spinoff of Arcadia’s popular wine cafe, opens at 11 a.m. today in downtown Gilbert. Located on the northwest corner of Gilbert and Page, Postino takes over the southern half of the
Earlier this week, I spotlighted a dozen of the biggest St. Patrick’s Day celebrations in the East Valley on Saturday. There are, of course, many other eateries offering specials. Here are 10 more to consider: • The Hungry Monk: The corned
Congrats to Joe’s Farm Grill, which has been nominated for induction into the Arizona Culinary Hall of Fame. The Gilbert burger stand’s competition for “Exceptional Establishment” is formidable. This year’s other nominees: Binkley’s in Cave Creek FnB in Scottsdale Barrio
If you can’t wait until Saturday’s Food Truck Round Up at Superstition Farm, you can sate your food-truck jones tonight when the southeast Mesa dairy hosts a Pop Up Pig Out. For $15, get all you can eat from four
Irish Republic: The party at the former Murphy’s Law is spilling across the street  into  A.J. Chandler Park. It’s a family-friendly affair from noon to 5 p.m. with bagpipers, Irish dancers, and games. After 5, it’s 21-and-over with music from Kung
“Breakfast for Dinner” is the theme of Liberty Market‘s next community dinner, which will be Monday, March 26, at the downtown Gilbert restaurant. The menu has yet to be finalized, but chef David Traina (pictured above talking to guests at
Fat Willy’s Family Sports Grill opens its fifth East Valley location today in Chandler, and is giving away free burgers to celebrate. Located in the former Red White & Brew space on the northwest corner of Gilbert and Chandler Heights
How many people can you cram into the Phoenix Art Museum’s sculpture garden before Devoured becomes overcrowded? The answer, apparently, is fewer than 2,500 – the attendance cap that organizers had put on the annual all-you-can-eat-and-drink festival and was reached
A crowd of nearly 2,000 people was “pigging out” – literally – during the first day of Devoured. Pork was the unofficial ingredient du jour from restaurants at Arizona’s premier culinary festival, an all-you-can-eat-and-drink affair held on a picture-perfect 70-degree
If you subscribe to the MXSW Weekend Guide, you already know about the top things going on this weekend. (If you don’t get that newsletter, you subscribe at the top of the left column of this page.) But there are
One of the unheralded success stories of the past year is the Gilbert Farmers Market. What got off to a shaky start about a year ago with just a handful of vendors has blossomed into one of the Valley’s top
Coach & Willie’s in downtown Chandler has launched new happy hour food and drink deals. The $5 appetizers: Italian nachos, lettuce wraps, potato skins, fried chicken skewers, meatballs, prime rib sliders, Mediterranean vegetable dip, margherita flatbread, fried mozzarella caprese, and shrimp tostadas.
If you missed last night’s “Craft the Next Blue Moon” event at Papago, you have two more chances to sample and vote on the brewery’s fall seasonal prototypes – Blackberry Tart, Caramel Apple Spiced Ale and Dark Chocolate Bacon Porter. Your
Kokopelli Winery and Bistro hosts its ninth annual Jazz, Wine, Blues and Barrel Tasting Weekend in downtown Chandler. Starting at 7 p.m. Friday, attendees can taste wines directly from barrels before they’re bottled. “I began this event to give wine lovers and novices
Kai at the Sheraton Wild Horse Pass Resort & Spa near Chandler has announced its 2012 wine dinners, which will be held on the second Tuesday of each month April through July: April 10: DeLille Cellars of Woodinville, Wash. May 8: Elk Cove of Willamette
My Wine Cellar & Bistro in Ahwatukee will host its first-ever beer dinner Tuesday, March 27, with downtown Chandler’s SanTan Brewing Co. In October, My Wine Cellar was bought by Zoya Vora-Shah (pictured), formerly a sales representative with Quail Distributing. Chef
Tomorrow’s the Big Day for Taco Bell: The debut of its long-awaited Doritos Locos taco at 5,800 restaurants nationwide. If you can’t wait until tomorrow, the fast-food chain is holding a special “Midnight Drive-Thru Premiere” tonight at select locations. To
Blue Moon is testing a trio of prototype fall seasonal ales at select bars across the country this month. The first of four Arizona samplings is 6 p.m. tonight at Papago Brewing. The beers: Caramel Apple Spiced Ale Blackberry Tart
Mushrooms Meteora (pictured), Broiled Chicken Salad, Vasco De Gama, Paella Barcelona, and Chocolate Cheesecake are the featured menu items for this week’s “Taste of Romeo’s Euro Cafe” dinner. The dinners, hosted by chef Romeo Taus and his wife, Janice, at
New Mexican Grill is opening its second location today on the southwest corner of Gilbert and Queen Creek roads in Chandler. The strip-mall space formerly housed Ellie’s Native & Mexican Food. New Mexican Grill’s all-day menu offers traditional New Mexican favorites like huevos
I got the opportunity during Arizona Beer Week to have lunch with Dave Walker, who teamed up with his brother-in-law Adam Firestone to launch Firestone Walker Brewing Company in 1996. A native of Cornwall, England, Walker is a big fan
Colorado’s Odell Brewing will be at Old Chicago at Arizona Avenue and Ocotillo in Chandler to give away Myrcenary pint glasses tonight. The fun starts at 7 p.m.
China Magic Noodle House in Chandler is among the 50 best Chinese restaurants in the United States, according to a ranking by CNN website CNNGO. The rankings are “based on interviews with chefs and Chinese restaurant associations, surveys of local
Arizona’s premier culinary festival – Devoured – will be held this weekend at the Phoenix Art Museum. Saturday and Sunday, attendees can sample food and drink from more than 70 of the Valley’s best restaurants, 33 wineries and nine breweries.
Wedge & Bottle in Ahwatukee is hosting a Beer & Cheese Pairing Class from 6:30-8:30 p.m. Thursday. Participants will taste five different craft beers and pair them with five cheeses. Cost is $20 per person. RSVP: 480-704-1255.
Got salsa? My Nana’s Salsa Challenge is issuing its annual call for contestants for its April 28 festival at Tempe Beach Park. Contestants can compete in one of three categories: individual, business or restaurant. Each category is further divided into hot
Cafe Rio, a Utah-based chain of Tex-Mex eateries, tops this year’s survey of U.S. fast-food excellence. The annual survey, conducted in 80 U.S. markets by research firm Sandelman & Associates, ranks chains based on 16 attributes such as food, service, cleanliness,
After courting dozens of brewers over the past two years, downtown Mesa finally appears to have landed its first microbrewery. Joe Campbell and Jeff Bryant plan to open Desert Eagle Brewing Company this summer on the north side of Main
Joshua Maloney, director of winemaking at Washington state’s Milbrandt Vineyards, will be the special guest at a wine dinner Tuesday at Romeo’s Euro Cafe in Gilbert. Chef Romeo Taus‘ four-course menu will feature pesto-ricotta flatbread, gorgonzola-walnut ravioli, mahi-mahi brushed with sweet
Cookies From Home is celebrating National Chocolate Chip Cookie Week by giving customers a choice of three free cookies or 50% off a dozen cookies. The offer is good all week at the Tempe bakery, which is open 8 a.m.
