You’d think after 34 years of orchestrating the renowned Scottsdale Culinary Festival the organizers would be tired.

And right now, they probably are. The festival (April 17-22) is just a couple of weeks away.

But they certainly aren’t bored — and you won’t be either because organizers have dreamed up some new events to add spice to the usual line-up.

By the way, that’s Chef Eggbert (above), the unofficial mascot for this year’s festivities. If you follow the festival’s Facebook page, you know he’s been “hiding” around town, and if you spot him, you can win tickets to some of the events.

You can get the full line-up of events here at the official Scottsdale Culinary Festival website, but I’ve highlighted a couple of the new events and offerings: (in chronological order)

Shaken & Stirred – Tuesday, April 17, 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. 

Get retro with this $40 event at Mabel’s On Main and sample three throw-back cocktails paired with nibbles from Chef Aaron May, plus live entertainment. Perfect venue for this classic cocktail fête.

Burger Battle – Thursday, April 19, 6 pm to 9 p.m.

This new event ($55) at the Scottsdale Stadium on Osborn Road features 16 Valley chefs battling it out for burger bragging rights.

Not only do you get to sample the goods and crown the burger “king”, you might win the raffle for a brand spanking new Charbroil  TRU-Infrared 3-Burner Gourmet grill.

 Here is who is competing for your vote for best burger:

• Zinburger
• The Capital Grille
• RnR Restaurant
• Petersen’s Old Fashioned Ice Cream, since 1919
• Old Town Whiskey
• Modern Burger
• Lush Burger
• Lenny’s Burger
• La Grande Orange Grocery & Pizzeria
• Indulge Burgers and More
• El Hefe
• Chelsea’s Kitchen
• Bueno Burger Mex American Grill
• Bourbon Steak Scottsdale, a Michael Mina Restaurant
• Bobby Q Great Steaks and Real BBQ
• Cold Beers and Cheeseburgers
• Whoopie Baking Company (you’ll need a sweet treat after all those burgers)

Epicurean Expo – Saturday and Sunday, April 21 and 22, noon to 6 p.m.

This event (free with purchase of a Great American Picnic (GAP) ticket –$10 per day) replaces Cooks & Corks from years past. This mini-trade show will feature cooking demos from Robin Miller (TV Food Network star and cookbook author) and Barbara Pool Fenzl (PBS host, cookbook author and Les Gourmettes Cooking School owner), among others, and will showcase the latest kitchen appliances, culinary products, cookware, knives and gadgets from 21 vendors.

Celebrity Shows – Saturday and Sunday, April 21 and 22, 1 p.m. and 3 p.m.

GAP ticket holders can purchase a ticket to see the Travel Channel’s Adam Richman (Man vs. Food Nation) and/or Andrew Zimmern (Bizarre Foods) perform their wildly popular culinary schticks at the Scottsdale Center for Performing Arts. (Tickets are $30 in advance/$40 at the door, if any are left). Saturday, Richman is up first at 1 p.m., followed by Zimmern at 3 p.m., and they flip slots on Sunday, with Zimmern up first at 1 p.m.

VIP Access – Saturday, April 21, noon to 9.m. and Sunday, April 22, noon to 6 p.m.

There are three VIP access programs to choose from:

Picnic All Access: ($50 per day)

If you’ve been to GAP before, you know the drill: pay $10 to get in, and then pay extra to get into the Southwest Festival of Beers, the SKKY Bar, the Tequila Experience and on Saturday, the jamming After Party. This year, you can buy an all-access ticket for each day, and skip the extra fees to gain entrance to these specialty areas, plus you’ll get a one-year subscription to Food & Wine magazine. (You should know that access to the specialty areas is free with this pass, but the food & beverages in these areas is not free, so bring some extra cash.)

Gold Picnic Access ($200 Saturday / $175 Sunday)

In addition to the benefits of the Picnic All Access ticket, you’ll get guaranteed premium parking, preferred seating to your choice of one of the Celebrity Shows, access to the VIP Lounge featuring food from Distrito with premium beverages and entertainment. You’ll also get a one-year subscription to Food & Wine.

Platinum Picnic Access ($300 Sautrday / $250 Sunday)

In addition to the benefits of the Gold Picnic Access, the Platinum package includes a meet & greet and book signing (books cost extra) with either Richman or Zimmern, depending on which show you select. You’ll also get a two-year subscription to Food & Wine.

Other Returning Events:

Friends of James Beard Benefit Dinner, Wednesday, April 18th, 6 p.m.
Chocolate & Wine Experience, Wednesday, April 18, 7 p.m. to 10 p.m.
Bubbles & Bliss, Thursday, April 19, 7 p.m. to 10 p.m.
Eat, Drink & Be Pretty, Friday, April 20, 7 p.m. to 11 p.m.
Chef Wine Dinners, Saturday, April 21, 6:30 p.m.
Wine Country Brunch, Sunday, April 22, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Best of the Fest (Grand Finale, almost sold out) Sunday, April 22, 6:30 p.m.

Why support the Scottsdale Culinary Festival?

Don’t forget that even though you’re getting a unique culinary experience, no matter which venue you choose to attend, the purpose of the festival is to raise money for local arts.

The festival was started by the Scottsdale League for the Arts in 1978. In 1992, the League instituted a grant program to further support local arts, and with funds from the Scottsdale Culinary Festival, the League has distributed more than $3.5 million dollars to local arts and education programs in the Valley.

So as you ponder which venue to attend, remember that you’ll have a great experience and the local arts community will benefit from your generosity. Sounds like a win-win.

Which events are you attending? I’ve got my eye on the Burger Battle.

Tags: Adam Richman, Andrew Zimmern, Great American Picnic, Scottsdale Culinary Festival
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Devoured Phoenix Culinary Classic 2012 will go down in the books as the one of the best — if not THE best — in its 8-year history. Restaurants pulled out all the stops (most of them, anyway). I mentioned in my Day One post that Day Two restaurants better bring their “A” game, because Day One chefs sure did.

There wasn’t anything to worry about. Day Two chefs were all over it — including Bernie Kantak of Citizen Public House, who veered off his typical tricked out comfort food fare with an avant garde, tea-smoked Ahi tuna paired with lavendar-scented tapioca and a sweet, herbal-soy gastrique, topped with red-shiso micro greens. Brilliant.

Before I recap Day Two, I want to backtrack to the luscious lamb meatball with Sicilian lentils from The Parlor Pizzeria I tasted yesterday (they returned on Sunday, too). I forgot to snap a picture, and seriously, no description I could write could convey its deliciousness more than a photo, so here it is (yes, I ate it again and loved it even more the second time):

The biggest difference between Day One and Day Two?

Sunday was far more crowded, and some lines were long (undeservedly so in one case, more on that later).

I heard the event was filled to capacity (2,500 tickets sold) but at times it seemed as if double that amount were waddling around The Phoenix Art Museum’s Dorrance Garden. The indoor room housing more desserts, beer, wine and silent auction items did little to create more outdoor elbow room. Looking back, it made Day One seem a ghost town by comparison.

The other difference was, of course, the food. As much as I gushed about Day One restaurants, Day Two raised the bar even higher. That said, the pork belly topped with kimchi from Roka Akor from Day One is still one of the best dishes I’ve tasted at Devoured. Ever.

The Breadfruit, a downtown Phoenix Jamacian-inspired restaurant kept it simple but flavorful with a smoky mussel (above) steamed with a sweet and spicy rum reduction. Delicious.

Best effort by a family restaurant goes to Hana Japanese. I lost count of the offerings from the Hashimoto clan, but every bite I popped into my mouth danced and thrilled, especially the uni (sea urchin) shooter (above). Fantastic.

The fully-cooked hamachi with sweet marinated daikon radish was tasty, too — and different.

Other punchy bites were kushiyaki (marinated and grilled bites of rib-eye, shishito peppers, and two different chicken versions (above), and sweet cup of Hana an Mitsu, jellied aloe vera, red bean paste and mandarin orange.

The Mongolian BBQ Shrimp with lemongrass grits and kimchi from the House of Tricks brought me back to their booth to find out if it was on their menu, because if it was, I was going to make a reservation on the spot. It isn’t on the menu, but it should be.

J & G Steakhouse at the Phoenician brought a nice aged strip loin with cilantro pesto, but their juicy, spicy black pepper shrimp with dried pineapple, diced jicama and pea shoots really stole the steak’s thunder.

Most creative display goes to the Tuck Shop for their old-fashioned crawfish boil, dumped straight from the kettle to a newspaper-draped table. No one seemed to mind digging in, peeling shrimp and mud bugs, and gnawing on corn-on-the-cob.

Tuck Shop wasn’t content with just the crawfish boil. They plated up hearty  muffalettas, too, and poured Four Peaks brews to go with them. Watch for their new, next door breakfast and lunch spot, The Astor House, to open within the next month.

Chef James Porter of Petite Maison is a showman, and a funny one at that. He had the crowd in stitches during his demo, while back at his booth, I dove into rustic head cheese, with a tart and sweet beet and bean salad. Head cheese isn’t for everyone, but Porter’s version was as refined as pig parts suspended in gelatin can be.

Most creative (and perhaps the most expensive) serving container goes to Beckett’s Table. Pork ‘n beans in a can? There was a twist: this wasn’t any ordinary pork (it was rillettes) and the beans weren’t typical either, at least not the fava beans. Fun, fun, fun — and tasty, too.

Hot dogs at a refined culinary festival? Why not, especially when said pups are from food truck phenom Short Leash Dogs. They brought three dogs: a phyllo-dough wrapped sausage, a Frito-pie version and the Lady dog, with chipotle sauce, sweet caramelized onions, and a fried pickle (above). That puffy bread underneath is Short Leash Dogs’ version of a “standard” bun.

Silvana Esparza Salcido proved she is still Queen of the barrio (Barrio Cafe and Barrio Queen), with four tastes, including creamy, tangy corn in a cup and a refreshing Mexican shrimp cocktail.

The natives might revolt if Silvana didn’t bring her famous cochinita pibil, and the pomegranate guacamole was a bonus. I noticed Silvana tossing Barrio branded T-shirts to the crowd, and thought, “smart lady.” Those folks will be walking billboards for her restaurants. It always surprises me when restaurateurs try to turn T-shirts into a profit center instead of recognizing them as a marketing tool.

CIBO offered three tastes: a tasty pear salad, a so-so arincini (breaded, fried risotto ball) and a killer cauliflower soup with a touch of coconut milk and heat, topped with a popcorn piece. I had two spoonfuls but would have happily devoured a full bowl.

Cork in Chandler offered different bites throughout the day, and I wasn’t particularly taken with any of the three I tried. Although they were fine, they certainly didn’t wow me. (Clockwise from top: macadamia nut bread pudding with coconut; strip loin with garlic, basil and Syrah glace; sweet potato cake topped with a marinated golden raisin.)

Hula Modern Tiki surprised me with a generic “white fish” ceviche that was too salty and too tart, but the potent, delicious Mai Tai quickly erased all bad thoughts I had about the dish.

And now we come to the end of the line. A long, snaking line.

Kai, Arizona’s only Forbes Five-Star restaurant, had the longest lines of the day. I’m going to go out on a limb and say their offerings didn’t deserve any longer lines than half a dozen other restaurants.

What on earth did they bring to make the food-obssessed stand in line for half an hour?

Oh. Right. A suckling pig. Impressive for sure, and the shredded pork on top of a fresh-fried (but tough and dry) puffy fry bread was really, really succulent. It was good.

Actually, it was great, but it wasn’t the best of the fest and it was tough to stand in line when so many other deserving restaurants had no lines. Fortunately Kai brought along some front-of-the-house folks who recognized the fans were getting antsy, so they began bringing trays of the pork and their other terrific offering, a cedar planked Artic Char, to the line of not-so-patient patrons.

One bite of Tammie Coe’s “crack” cake erased any memory of lengthy lines and crowded pathways. There was simply no better way to end the two day festival than with this small slab of dark chocolate ganache dusted with rich cocoa powder. It was crazy-good, elevated to utterly fantastic when paired with the roasted banana “tea.”

Another Devoured Phoenix Culinary Classic  is now in the books, and organizers should be proud of this two-day extravaganza. I think this 2012 festival will be the one we talk about for years to come.

Other Day Two Recaps:

Howard Seftel: AZ Central

Jess Harter: Mouth By Southwest

Tags: Devoured Phoenix, Devoured Phoenix Day Two, food festival, Phoenix dining, Phoenix restaurants
Posted in News & Nibbles | 2 Comments »

Devoured Phoenix Culinary Classic is a two-day festival for the fairly well-to-do food-obsessed. Tickets for the four-hour event were $69 per day in advance and $79 at the door. Rumor had it Saturday’s 2,500 allotted tickets darn near sold out.

It was crowded, almost claustrophobically so at times, but at least the crowd got their money’s worth with unlimited food, wine and beer. Still, this upscale crowd didn’t seem the type to gorge until their eyeballs bulged, or drink until they stumbled around the grounds of the Phoenix Art Museum. Devoured is a classy event, and this year, at least based on the first day, seemed to run smoother than previous years. No one ran out of food, the water troughs stayed full of bottled water, the trash cans were plentiful and emptied before overflowing, and Mother Nature was kind with mild temperatures and plenty of sunshine.

If Saturday’s round-up of (mostly) locally-owned restaurants is any indication of what Sunday will be like, ticket holders are in for a treat. If you don’t have a ticket, well, you best get their when the doors open at 11 a.m. Saturday was the best first-day showing I can recall in 8 years of the festival. My advice to Sunday’s restaurants? Shine your chaffing dishes. The bar has been set high.

Not all restaurants made the grade (although I did spot the health department making the rounds, clipboard and thermometer in hand, I’m not talking public safety). But there were far more highs than lows.

I can’t stop thinking about a few, including little ol’ Maizie’s Cafe, who brought a killer Ruben (above). A spot-on balance of buttered, toasted marble rye, gooey cheese, tangy mustard, pickled cabbage and flavorful corned beef.

I am kicking myself for not capturing a picture of The Parlor Pizzeria’s juicy, spiced lamb meatball topped with mint pesto and served with Sicilian lentils, because it was one of my favorites. Chef Jared Porter knows how to inosculate flavors until they sing in harmony, but still remain soloists. It was outstanding.

Speaking of lamb, Taggia brought a saffron-scented lamb with fennel salad (above) that had a symphony all its own. Lovely.

If there was a central theme, it had to be pork — and pork belly.

If I had to pick one favorite dish of the day, it would be (above) Roka Akor’s robata grilled pork belly with a sweet and spicy kimchi. One small bite of utter bliss.

That’s not to say I didn’t coo when I took a bite of the House at Secret Garden’s rendition using local Meat Shop pork belly, with macerated fig, pistachio, and maple mascarpone — because I did.

I wish I would have eaten Dustin Christofolo’s very tasty steel head trout (above) with apple, beet and Crow’s Dairy chevre first because while it was remarkable, it was upstaged by his figgy pork belly.

Lon’s smoky pulled pork “slider” with BBQ sauce made with 7 Wives Saison, Chef Jeremy Pacheco’s collaborative brew with Sonoran Brewing, was my second favorite. I use the term “slider” loosely, as this was more “Jr.” size than slider size (side note: many restaurants forgot this was a “tasting” festival and gave near super-size portions.)

Speaking of Lon’s, I spotted the amazing bartender Travis Nass (he eschews the term mixologist), who was pouring tastes of a tongue-tickling beer cocktail with pineapple and tequila. I hear he’ll be developing the cocktail program at Lon’s Last Drop saloon.

Gallo Blanco’s pork belly tacos could just as easily be my top choice, and if the line hadn’t been so long, I would have returned for seconds and thirds.

The white dude (slang for Gallo Blanco, Doug Robson, above left) knows how to sling a taco. His street corn, served off the cob was off the hook, too.

Timo Wood Oven & Wine Bar wasn’t on my radar before, but it is now, and not because of the respectable braised beef straddling a cheesy corn cake (above). No, it was their other offering, the one that made me go back to the booth to make sure I heard the description correctly.

Timo’s Brie soup with drops of truffle oil and slivers of scallion was good enough to bath in (best that I stuck to sipping, lest I wake up in the middle of the night and gnaw on my arm).

Cartwright’s seared quail with Jack grits and blackberry sauce reminded me how lucky Cave Creek residents are.

Not to be outdone, sister restaurant, Tonto Bar & Grill wowed with red chile shrimp on a griddled corn cake. Delicious, with a sneaky heat punch.

Sens chilled sesame-ginger shrimp with papaya slaw nestled in a crisp prawn cracker was zingy and refreshing, but I’m not surprised. Sens is still a downtown favorite.

I wasn’t crazy about downtown’s Province when I reviewed them last summer for PHOENIX Magazine, but I have to give them credit for a couple of solid dishes here: a zesty meatball and a jicama slaw.

As beautiful as Sierra Bonita Grill’s Oaxacan chocolate espresso rubbed pork tenderloin with diced potatoes, carrots and chayote squash was, I couldn’t get past the butter vanilla sauce that overpowered the dish.

District American Kitchen, another downtown restaurant, gets props for cool containers, both for their salad and for their boxes of pork n’ beans. I just wish the beans would have been cooked through. District will be back on Sunday, and surely the beans will be done by then.

Windsor’s brown bag chicken slider was a mouthful — and flavorful with grilled bread, roasted tomatoes and avocado. The chicken, however, was chewy and dry.

I’m not sure what Chelsea’s Kitchen was thinking. This hot mess of a taco (above) was piled high with mushy short ribs.

Fortunately the day ended on a high note with the gorgeous, fresh salad of quinoa, local lettuces (including the sparkling glacier lettuce from Two Wash Ranch), radishes, carrots and asparagus from St. Francis.

It was stunning to look at and the perfect palate cleanser after a day of porking out.

Other Devoured Phoenix Day One Wrap-ups:

Howard Seftel: AZ Central

Jess Harter: Mouth By Southwest

Jennifer Woods: Chow Bella Phoenix 

Tags: Devoured Day One, Devoured Phoenix, food festival, Phoenix dining, Phoenix restaurants
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Tillamook Taco Week? Sure, I’ll bite. Who doesn’t love tacos?

And Tillamook Cheese is a cooperative of nearly 110 dairies who pool their milk to produce award-winning cheeses (they’ve won over 600 awards since they started more than 100 years ago).

Four Phoenix restaurants have signed on to create a signature taco using Tillamook Cheese as part of the Tillamook Cheese’s Loaf Love Tour.

The Loaf Love Tour will also be making a special appearance at each restaurant during the week so keep an eye out for their yellow mini-buses (which, not coincidentally, resemble a loaf of Tillamook cheese).

Photo courtesy of Tillamook Cheese

Here’s where to get your Tillamook taco fix from February 11 through February 18:

Fuego Tacos

From Chef Holly Arguello: “The Arizonan” – A homemade taco shell with local chorizo, green onion salsa, braised chicken thigh meat and Tillamook Pepper Jack cheese. Served with arroz gandules and Cuban black beans. ($10)

Carte Blanche Gourmet Tacos

From chef/owner Shantal Chase: “Griddled Fish Taco with Slaw” – a steak or chicken taco served with tomato arbol chile sauce and Tillamook Pepper Jack Cheese. (3 tacos for $8)

Vitamin T

From Chef Aaron May:  “viTamin T quesoTilla Taco” –  made with a blend of Tillamook medium cheddar and Tillamook Monterey Jack cheeses. ($2 per taco or 3 for $5)

Ticoz Resto-Bar

From Chef Gabriela Quevedo: “Braised Beef Tillamook Tacos” – two corn tortillas filled with braised beef, sautéed onions, red and green peppers and Tillamook cheddar and Monterey Jack cheeses. Tortillas are topped with melted Tillamook cheese and served with rice and pinto beans. ($12.95)

Tags: Carte Blanche Gourmet Tacos, Fuego Tacos, Ticoz Resto-Bar, Tillamook cheese, Tillamook Cheese's Loaf Love Tour, Vitamin T
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UPDATE 1-22-2012: Just got word that these Lamb Roast dinners have been cancelled. Too bad, because we’d bought tickets and were looking forward to meeting this dynamic duo and eating local lamb. 

Former Phoenician Tamara Reynolds sings for fun (she studied to be an opera singer at ASU) but she cooks for a living (and fun, too) in New York City.

Reynolds’ underground supper club, The Sunday Night Dinner in Astoria, started innocently enough 10 years ago. She and friends started cooking dinner at home and inviting other friends who brought even more friends. Word spread and soon the table of friends of friends grew and she realized she had a business.

The supper club spawned a cookbook, Forking Fantastic: Put the Party Back in Dinner Party, as well as appearances in Jamie Oliver’s documentary Jamie’s American Road Trip, Unique Eats and Food(ography) on the Cooking Channel. Now she’s working on bringing her own show to the Cooking Channel, tentatively titled Married with Dishes. She blames all of this culinary windfall on inviting strangers into her home for dinner.

Reynolds is coming home to Phoenix, bringing a little bit of her supper club with her. For three nights only starting January 29, Reynolds and her friend Chef Millicent Souris of Resto in NYC and author of the upcoming Let Them Eat Pie: How To Build A Better Pie will host pop up lamb roast dinners at the downtown Phoenix Public Market.

The duo is sourcing local Arizona lamb and gathering vegetables from Crooked Sky Farms, as well as seeking out other locally made products to incorporate in the dinners. The menu is mouthwatering:

Golden & Chiogga Beet Pickle Slices with Honey Whipped Goat Cheese & Biscuits

Greens with Fennel, Radish & Grapefruit

Spit-Roasted Lamb with Pomegranate Glaze

Lebanese Slow-Cooked Beans & Chickpeas with Cumin & Smoked Paprika

Grilled Endive, Chicory & Oranges with Miso Butter

Caramelized Date Upside-Down Cake

If you go, ask Reynolds to serenade you. We hear her voice is angelic.

Details:
Pop Up Lamb Roast with Tamara Reynolds and Millicent Souris
Phoenix Public Market, January 29 at 5 p.m. and January 30 and 31 at 6 p.m.
$55 per person, wine is included
Purchase tickets: http://popuplambroastinphx.eventbrite.com/

photo courtesy of Tamara Reynolds

Tags: Millicent Souris, Phoenix Public Market, pop up restaurant, supper club, Tamara Reynolds, The Sunday Night Dinner in Astoria
Posted in News & Nibbles | 4 Comments »

It’s that time of year again, when everyone and Bob’s uncle crank out a trends list.

We maintain a running list of food and beverage finds throughout the year. The ones with multiple entries are considered for our year-end Food Fads or Trends? list.

In 2009 and 2010, we easily identified Sweet 16 Trends (or Fads). This year it wasn’t so easy — we settled on 10.

Are they trends or fads, or just really good at bubbling to the top via marketing and mentions?

You decide…

Ingredients:

1. Rabbit

We joked in April about rabbit belly becoming the next hot trend. (Could “Beyond Pork Belly” be a trend? A good writer friend says lamb belly is the latest rage).

Back to the bunny, it turns out we weren’t too far off, but it wasn’t just the belly… it was the hindquarters and loin, too. Home cooks got in on the act, too, with more access to fresh rabbit through high-end butcher shops, grocery stores and sites such as Gilt Taste.

2. Harissa

We’re talking about the hot red chile condiment originating in Tunisia, not the Arab soupy lamb and wheat dish that goes by the same name. Restaurants, such as FnB in Scottsdale paired the spicy relish with vegetables for a kick, and others were marinating meats with harissa, such as Barley Swine in Austin.

3. Kimchi

This fermented cabbage dish is the first thing we think of when thinking about Korean food. We spotted kimchi (also spelled kimchee) at farmers’ markets and on restaurant menus and in cookbooks. And of course, the Kimchi Chronicles launched on PBS this year, featuring Marja Vongerichten.

4. Black foods

Rice? Check…Forbidden rice. Lentils? Check…black beluga. Pasta? Check..squid ink. Garlic? Check…fermented black garlic. Crackers? Check… blackened with charcoal powder. We did a round-up of black foods earlier this year.

Beverages:

5. Bitters

A common theme from planet cocktail was the rise of bitters, from the classic standards Angostura and Peychaud’s, to small batch bitters made by individual bartenders. The book Bitters: A Spirited History of a Classic Cure-All pushed the fever for bitters even higher. Home “pharmacists” are experimenting, too, including a Phoenix-based engineer-turned-weekend bitters warrior, who documents his experiments on Facebook at AZ Bitters Lab.

 Media:

6. Online food magazines

Print Gourmet magazine may have kicked the bucket but it lives on (sort of) online as Gourmet Live. Other print magazines moved from paper to internet, including Culinary Thymes, while others began media life online, such as Organic Connections. We expect to see more food magazines with online only issues.

7. Culinary apps

Sure, there were culinary apps before 2011, but this year the floodgates opened as everyone got in on the “there’s an app” for that. Want to know where (and what) chefs eat? There’s an app for that. It’s called Chefs Feed. Martha Stewart’s Whole Living smoothies, Baking with Dorie Greenspan, and The Professional Chef from the Culinary Institute of America are just a few that launched this year.

8. Cookbooks

Printed cookbooks had a banner year, and two themes that seemed prolific were chefs cooking at home (Jean-George Vongerichten, Ferran Adriá, and John Besh) and bloggers-turned cookbook authors (Lisa Fain of the Homesick Texan, Matt Armendariz of Matt Bites and Jessie Oleson of CakeSpy.)

Desserts:

Photo courtesy of Our Feeding Frenzy Blog

9. Popsicles & Paletas

The Zoku pop machine hit home kitchens and entrepreneurs like Fru Fru Pops hit the farmers’ market, cooling us down in the process. Mexican popsicles (paletas) were big, too, as Chandler, AZ based Paletas Betty opened a second location in Tempe, AZ. Our Feeding Frenzy blog spent a good bit of the summer tempting us with very grown-up cocktail ice pops, ensuring everyone got sweet relief from the summer heat wave.

Other:

10. German Pub Grub

We don’t have solid data on this one, but we feel it. Maybe it’s because of the fabulous alpine cuisine at Grüner in Portland. Or maybe it’s the continuing rise in “gastropub” popularity (Meddlesome Moth in Dallas, Citizen Public House in Scottsdale). For whatever reason, we think there’s room for gastropubs who focus on updated German classics (charcuterie, terrines, potatoes, sausages, pickled vegetables, etc.)

Bonus round: Things we can’t seem to get enough of

Burgers

Oh, America, will you ever tire of burgers? Apparently not, especially if said burger is piled high with fried things and there’s a big honking knife stuck in it.

Southern food

Bon Appetit magazine anointed Husk, a Southern restaurant in Charleston, the best in the land. Countless cookbooks on Southern food emerged, including Basic to Brilliant by Virginia Willis. Grits, cornbread, and fried okra spread from sea to shining sea.

Small plates

Few restaurants can survive serving only small plates, but it’s rare for a modern American restaurant to not have a least a smattering of small plates. A few of those doing it well include FnB in Scottsdale, Ned Ludd in Portland, and Barley Swine in Austin.

Related:

2010 Sweet 16 Food Fads or Trends?

2009 Sweet 16 Food Fads or Trends?

Tags: bitters, black foods, food fads, food trends, food trends 2011, German Pub food, harissa, kimchi, popsicles, rabbit
Posted in News & Nibbles | 2 Comments »

We were floored when the Phoenix New Times awarded Pen & Fork with the Best Food Blog in Phoenix for 2011.

Apropos to this interconnected world we live in now, we found out through a congratulatory tweet on Twitter.

We didn’t believe it until we read it with our own eyes.

You can read it here, with your own eyes but here’s a taste:

“Her food blog is always ripe with juicy descriptions of local grub, penned by Walters or such notable foodie contributors as James Beard Award-winning editor Linda Avery.”

It’s a huge honor, and we are so grateful to New Times and to all of you who keep coming back to devour our recipes, cooking tips, cookbook reviews and restaurant and travel eats journals.

Gracious thanks to New Times for recognizing us, and special thanks to our loyal readers who make what we do such a delicious task.

Please let us know if there are other food related things you’d like us to cover. We always love hearing from you.

Tags: Best Food Blog, Best of Phoenix New Times, Pen & Fork wins Best Food Blog, Phoenix New Times
Posted in News & Nibbles | 7 Comments »

You might want to save some of your holiday cash.

A new cookbook is arriving at the end of the month, and this one is worth bellying up to the bar for.

photo © by David B. Moore

Guitar-strumming chef Bryan Dooley of the award-winning Bryan’s Black Mountain Barbecue in Cave Creek, AZ, just penned a cookbook, along with Leslie V. Bay, with photos by David B. Moore.

We got a sneak peek at the roughly 112-page, soft-cover book that will be released on December 27.

Frankly, we’re shocked (in a happy, woo-hoo! way) that Dooley is spilling the beans about his smokin’ barbecue and off-the-hook side dishes.

Lest you think Dooley has revealed everything, he has not — at least not completely — but he does include recipes for his Bryan’s BBQ sauce and rub, aptly named “Almost” and “Nearly.” (Hey, the guy can’t give away all his secrets.)

He does give the whole enchilada away for some serious fan favorites, such as:

photo © by Gwen Ashley Walters

* Bryan’s pulled pork

* Brisket & black-eyed chili

* Sweet pickled jalapenos

* Pulled squash BBQ sandwich

* Watermelon with jalapeno & cardamom honey

* Root beer battered apples

And he’s included some new dishes, too:

* Beer & pickled jalapeño hush puppies

* Crawfish mac ‘n cheese

* Shrimp Evelyn (a nod to his grandmother’s shell-on shrimp appetizer)

* Chicken Brunswick stew

* Snickerdoodle cardamom ice cream sandwich

photo © by Gwen Ashley Walters

The book is not just a cookbook.

It’s a story book — you might even say it’s a love story.

Dooley and Bay document his journey from how he became a chef to his 13-years at the Scottsdale Princess Resort, to how an accident and an ultimatum from his wife Donna led the fine dining chef to open a casual barbecue joint.

Dooley’s right-hand man in the kitchen, Rob Olson, contributes to the cookbook, too, including a recipe for his renowned collard greens.

The narrative conveys how Dooley fell in love with the Old West, and how he puts his own spin on dishes that are more apt to resemble the New West, such as a smoked sausage hoagie with pickled watermelon chow-chow.

Along with 48 or so recipes, there is a whole section on smoking and another on how to stock a BBQ pantry.

Much like Dooley himself, the book is filled with character, including personal family photos. Dooley dabbles in poetry, too, and there’s a smidgen of his wordsmith wizardry tucked here and there.

For now, plans are to sell the book at the restaurant starting December 27 (note: the restaurant will be closed for the holidays from December 22-26).

photo © by David B. Moore

Details:
Stories & Recipes from Bryan’s Black Mountain Barbecue
by Bryan Dooley and Leslie V. Bay

Photos by David B. Moore
Designed & illustrated by Lori Cowherd of The Orange Gourd Design Studio

Available December 27.
$21.99
bryansbbq.com
6130 East Cave Creek Road, Cave Creek
480-575-7155

Tags: Bryan Dooley, Bryan's BBQ, Bryan's Black Mountain Barbecue, Cave Creek AZ dining, cookbook, Leslie V. Bay
Posted in News & Nibbles | 2 Comments »

Me, oh my, pie.

10 celebrity chefs, 10 pies … including this brownie bacon pie.

And I got to judge them all at the 2nd Annual Chow Bella Pie Social.

It’s a tough job. No, really. But I wouldn’t trade it for a minute. We all know I love pie.

Joining me under the judging tent was returning judge and Chow Bella contributor Carol Blonder, restaurateur Matt Poole (along with his cream pie-loving son), Andrea White from Saffron Kitchen, and Barb Harris from Feeding Frenzy.

We all took our jobs very seriously, tasting each of the pies and then tasting them again. And again.

The results will be announced on Monday on Chow Bella, but here is a preview of some of the pies. We tasted blind, so we didn’t know who made which pie.

Who doesn’t love gooey caramel and pecans, especially one dusted with a whisper of glitter?

A simple, but elegant apple crumb. Not too sweet, and the apples retained a touch of crispness. Lovely.

Roasted cashews, caramel, chocolate mousse and cream — a candy bar in a pie.

The crust cutouts were a hint of what was in this apple, mango and pepita pie: jalapeños. Lots going on in this busy pie.

This apple crumb pie also held a surprise — a serious kick of green chile. Absolutely delicious. My favorite, by a crumb.

Now this is what I call a balanced plate.

Thank you Amy Silverman and Shannon Armour from Phoenix New Times Chow Bella for putting on another fabulous Pie Social. And congrats to all the chefs and bakers — you’re all winners.

Now, I think I’ll go have another slice of pie.

Tags: Chow Bella, Phoenix New Times, pie, pie contest, Pie Social
Posted in News & Nibbles | 1 Comment »

Peace, Love, Cupcakes

UPDATE: The random number generator spit out #7, so congratulations to Andrew Ruiz, winner of a pair of general admission tickets to the 2nd Annual Cupcake Love-In. Thank all of you who took the time to enter. If you didn’t win, we hope you still will buy a ticket to the event (general admission is $20, proceeds go to CASS).

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Sunday, October 30, 33 professional bakers and chefs will compete in the 2nd Annual Cupcake Love-In at the Hotel Valley Ho.

Last year’s family-friendly charity event sold out, so this year the hotel is giving the event a bigger venue to accommodate more cupcake lovers. Co-founders Kelly Garcia and Tracy Dempsey expect this year to sell out, too.

Pen & Fork bought a pair of tickets to giveaway, so if you want to stuff your face with unlimited cupcakes and support Central Arizona Shelter Services (CASS), leave a comment below, telling us your favorite cupcake flavor.

We’ll randomly pick a commenter who will win two general admission tickets (because really, it’s more fun to have someone along to help you stuff your face with gobs of cupcakes).

Taste cupcakes from Urban Cookies (winner of Food Network’s Cupcake Wars) and from Tammie Coe Cakes, Posh Restaurant, Barb’s Bakery and dozens of others. Don’t worry, there will be vegan cupcakes, too, from 24 Carrots and gluten-free cupcakes as well.

Judges include local celebrity Chef Aaron May, New York Times best selling author Jenn McKinlay, author of the Cupcake Bakery Mystery series, Rachel Kramer Bussel, Founding Editor of Cupcakes Take The Cake Blog and Wynter Holden, former Phoenix New Times Night & Day Editor (who has no idea what she’s gotten herself into).

Come out and support CASS and our local bakers and chefs. Bring the whole family because there is nothing as magical as seeing a room full of kids with pink frosting smeared on their faces.

Read the fine print and enter to win a pair of tickets:

Fine print:

One entry per person, on this post only.

Barring natural disasters, broken bones, virus-infections, etc., you agree to attend the event if you win.

Deadline to enter (via a comment) is midnight (PST) Wednesday, 10-26-11.

One winner will be selected at random to receive both general admission tickets, and will be announced on Thursday, 10-27-11.

Tickets will be left for the winner at “will call” at the Hotel Valley Ho the day of the event (10-30-11).

Event Details:

Cupcake Love-In
Hotel Valley Ho
Sunday, October 30 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Visit Cupcake Love-in for more information

*** To enter the ticket giveaway, just leave a comment with your favorite cupcake flavor. Good luck!

Tags: charity, Cupcake Love-In, cupcakes, giveaway, Heather Gill, Hotel Valley Ho, Kelly Garcia, Tracy Dempsey
Posted in News & Nibbles | 15 Comments »

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