Archive for the ‘Food’ Category
Bid and be a Bianco’s VIP
Does having a James Beard Award-winning chef at your beck and call, preparing his world-famous pizza for you and your nearest and dearest sound too good to be true?
It doesn’t have to be…if you’re willing to part with a little cash.
Bid now for a private lunch for you and 7 friends at Bianco’s. Proceeds will benefit the new Urban Grocery and Wine Bar, local agriculture and micro businesses.
Other items up for auction, a brownie tower from Dancing Deer Baking Company, a Maya’s Farm membership, jewelry, and more.
Smoke up
Stacy’s Smokehouse BBQ 
is the first stop in my quest for delicious barbecue sandwiches.
The Royal experience
The new Downtown Phoenix Public Market building isn’t open to the public…yet. Royal at the Market coffeebar, however, is now open Monday – Saturday from 7 a.m. – 8 p.m.
I ducked in after picking up my weekly veggies from Maya’s Farm and took a quick pick.
Small. Cute. Coffee.
Check it out.
Check it out at:
721 N. Central
SE Corner of Central Ave. & McKinley St.
Power burger
Grass is good.
No, not THAT grass (I was born in the ’70s).
Local Power Ranch Hamburger at Essence Bakery Cafe serves grass-fed beef, and weirdly enough, you can taste the difference.
Okonomi-what?
Whenever I tell people I spent a year in Japan, people ask, “Oh my gosh, did you lose so much weight?”
Actually, I gained 20 pounds.
I blamed my second chin on my host family who fed me a steady stream of fried food, but the start of the third could have been a result of Okonomiyaki.
Even just saying it is a mouthful.
What is it? A Japanese pancake made from cabbage and flour, smothered in “Okonomiyaki sauce,” mayo and fish flakes…and if you’re lucky, paired with noodles and a fried egg. It’s considered street food throughout Japan, but to me, it was a giant plate of wonderful.
After my return home, I was saddened to find that virtually NO ONE serves Okonomiyaki in the states. In L.A., I had to drive nearly an hour to Lomita to find a place that serves it. In New York, there is a tiny stand in the East Village that sells it. But I’m not in the East Village all that often.
My husband and I have tried making it, with some success, but still, it would be nice to be able to stop in somewhere and get the real thing.
Sigh.
Today, my husband told me about a Tweet from Hana:
Say it all together now…Okonomiyaki! You asked for it, get yours tonight at Hana Japanese Eatery.
Elastic pants…here I come!
Phoenix farm food: Day 1
Today I picked up my first batch of food from the Maya’s Farm CSA, which includes 1/2 dozen eggs, a bunch of flowers, a bunch of radishes, a bag of mizuna, a bunch of eggplant, butternut squash, a bunch of mints and some turnips (see spread below).
It’s going to take some doing to figure out some good radish and turnip recipes, but I’m up for the challenge!
My husband was most excited about the pretty bunch of flowers.
Check out more Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) groups in Phoenix >>
Feel the warmth of a smothered sandwich
What’s more delicious than a big plate of starchy, tryptophan-y goodness?
You can get this (and more) every Friday at Park Central Deli.
Read about my Thanksgiving habit on my sandwich blog.
Going Greek
When it comes to downtown dining, Athenian Express (which my friends and I fondly refer to as “Greek”) is always a solid lunching choice.
There’s the infamous cheeseburger, which has righted many late-night drinking wrongs. And then there are the sandwiches….
Yes, the sandwiches. Take a look at one of my favorites:
Cheap Monday
What’s Cracking Good — $3 delicious burgers
Finally a reason to look forward to Mondays.
Maizie’s Cafe and Bistro features $3 hamburgers every Monday after 4 p.m.
My friend and frequenter of Maizie’s Mondays raves about their “legitimate burgers,” which I’m assuming has more to do with the half-pound angus beef…and not the marital status of the cows.
Word on the street is…they’re delicious.
Maizie’s Cafe & Bistro
4750 North Central Ave.
Phoenix AZ 85012
602-274-2828
Pumpkins, peas, watermelon and mes
I recently had a birthday and decided to celebrate with a relatively low-key evening: A few friends, some tacos, maybe a margarita or two.
One friend (Miss Lynh Bui!) kicked the down-home dinner up a notch with an amazing garden-inspired cake growing pumpkins, peas, melons and mes.
And a close-up… (The peas are made from frosting and green M&Ms. Genius!)
