'Battle of the Dishes' Archives

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Stories

First Kneaders Bakery & Cafe Comes to Gilbert

By Laura Hahnefeld
Renegade by MOD Launch Event Last Night in...

By Lauren Saria
Five Things to Eat and Drink This Weekend in...

By Lauren Saria
A Recipe for Summer: Easy Whole Roast Chicken

By Andy Broder
Late-Night Italian Restaurant Now Open in...

By Laura Hahnefeld
Don & Charlie's: Eric Schaefer's Comfort Food

By Eric Schaefer
T. Cook's Closes For Summer to Renovate, Hires...

By Nikki Buchanan
Amy's Baking Company: Video of the Grand...

By Melissa Fossum
Has Service in Restaurants Become Too Casual?

By Laura Hahnefeld
5 Desserts That Pastry Chef Rachel Miller Is...

By Rachel Miller

Battle of the Dishes

Paletas Betty vs. AZ Pops: Who's Gonna Freeze Out the Competition?

By Heather Hoch Wed., May 22 2013 at 10:00 AM

Categories: Battle of the Dishes

Heather Hoch

Two gourmet popsicles on a hot summer day.

As summer approaches, we can't help hiding in the freezer aisle at the local grocer. Though you can find all of the basic popsicle choices there, you'll have to venture elsewhere to grab some truly gourmet pops. AZ Pops gives the classic treat a classy twist, while Paletas Betty adds tasty Mexican flair to the flavor combos. Which icy treat is the tops?

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Battle of the Dishes

Salvadoreno v. Guanaquito: Clash of the Pupusas

By Nina Gruber Wed., May 15 2013 at 10:30 AM

Categories: Battle of the Dishes

Nina Gruber

Southwesterners often pride themselves on their knowledge of Latin American food, mostly focusing on the all-encompassing "Mexican" description. Well, it is time to broaden our horizons, people! Move on down toward El Salvador and discover possibly the most delectable and perfect combination of the Latin flavors we know and love: the Pupusa (poo-POO-sah). What appears at first as a thick, homemade corn tortilla, the Pupusa reveals itself as a masa treat stuffed with beans, cheese, meat, and/or flowers (yes!). Ever been frustrated by the difficulty of eating a taco? How about the discomfort of an overstuffed quesadilla? Well, a pupusa may be your answer. (Though please refer to business associate tacosmog.com for an expert comparison of the three options.)

A typical Salvadorian treat, this meal traditionally is accompanied by a pickled cabbage mixture called curtido and salsa roja, a thin and flavorful tomato sauce. It's cooked on a griddle and sold on the streets of El Salvador for a quick bite. With just a few options for this Salvadorian treat here in Phoenix, it only makes sense to pit them against each other. Have at it, you perfect little treats, you.

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Battle of the Dishes

Toddy Takedown: Press Coffee Roasters vs. Cartel Coffee Lab

By Heather Hoch Wed., May 8 2013 at 7:00 AM

Categories: Battle of the Dishes

Heather Hoch

Which cold-brewed coffee can't take the heat -- Press or Cartel?

Toddy-style brewed iced coffee is better than hot drip for a few reasons. First of all, the acidity levels are lower in cold-brewed coffee, making it more drinkable in those indigestion-filled crunch times. It's also higher in caffeine, which means you pretty much only need one cup to keep you going through the workday. We love the more complex flavor of the toddy, which is why we had to know which local coffee roaster did it best.

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Battle of the Dishes

Slice of the City: Downtown Pizza Lounge vs. Brooklyn NYC Pizza

By Heather Hoch Thu., Apr. 25 2013 at 12:00 PM

Categories: Battle of the Dishes

Heather Hoch

Downtown's got some serious competition going for the best pizza by the slice.

No downtown is complete without a pizza rivalry. Downtown Phoenix may be lacking some things but this it has -- and it's a juicy beef because Downtown Pizza Lounge and Brooklyn NYC Pizza are located within a stone's throw of one another. Who will win the taste test?

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Battle of the Dishes

Crepe Bar vs. La Grande Orange: Granola Showdown

By Nina Gruber Tue., Apr. 23 2013 at 8:00 AM

Categories: Battle of the Dishes

Nina Gruber

Two restaurants known for their fresh and interesting take on breakfast -- it only makes sense to put them up against each other. And, no, this is no battle of the crepes. That would be too easy. This is a battle of granola.

A surprisingly versatile dish, granola is an easy way to peek into the style of a chef: Is it burned, sticky, filled with clusters or fruit? Nutty or oaty? Subtleties like these can easily be overlooked, but granola holds powers that have captured the stomachs of hippies and beyond and that deserve to be respected. So let us find out who bakes up the most honorable granola.

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Battle of the Dishes

Gnocchi Knockout: Rancho Pinot vs. Crudo

By Heather Hoch Wed., Apr. 17 2013 at 11:00 AM

Categories: Battle of the Dishes

Crudo and Rancho Pinot battle it out to see who makes the better gnocchi dish.

Growing up, we loved everything potato-based. It was no chore for Mom to get us to chow down on French fries, mashed potatoes, and hash browns. It's hard to remember exactly when we found out that our other favorite, pasta, also came in potato form, but we do remember falling in love instantly. The pillowy little potato dumplings called gnocchi found a fast and enduring place in our hearts, but there's only room for one knockout dish, and this week we'll see if Rancho Pinot or Crudo has the best.

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Battle of the Dishes

Soup and Salad Skirmish: St. Francis vs. Carly's

By Heather Hoch Wed., Apr. 10 2013 at 12:00 PM

Categories: Battle of the Dishes

Heather Hoch

Carly's Soup and St. Francis' Salad duke it out with their tag team partners.

On the quest for a light and healthy lunch, there are many hurdles to overcome -- the convenience of fast food, the breakroom doughnut box, and even the fatty richness of artisanal local joints. One of our go-to lunches is the soup and salad combo, which gives the energy you need to finish the workday without hindering your progress toward a pool-worthy bod. There's a lot of variety possible with this mix and match, but two local restaurants serve our favorite soup and salad plates.

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Battle of the Dishes

Green Chile Mac and Cheese Smackdown: The Main Ingredient vs. Roaring Fork

By Katie Johnson Fri., Apr. 5 2013 at 12:00 PM

Categories: Battle of the Dishes

Photos courtesy The Main Ingredient Ale House & Cafe and The Roaring Fork

In Arizona, we want things done a certain way. We like our hot dogs Sonoran, our margaritas prickly peared, and our mac and cheese chock-full of green chiles. A classic dish of Americana delivered with a Southwestern spin is the comfort dish of many locals. So whose kitchen should you head to when you're feeling blue (or green)? We gathered our two top contenders for some hand-to-hand smack and cheese.

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Battle of the Dishes

Pineapple Cocktail Clash: Gallo's Picoso vs. Hula's Hurricane

By Heather Hoch Thu., Mar. 28 2013 at 1:00 PM

Categories: Battle of the Dishes

Heather Hoch

Not all tropical cocktails were created equal.

Nothing says relaxing on a sunny day quite like a pineapple cocktail. We've recently found our cravings for them rising along with the temperatures, so we decided to put two of our favorites up against each other and see which is the ultimate unwinding drink. We kind of played fast and loose with the rules on this one, so the only qualifications are the use of pineapple and the use of liquor.

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Battle of the Dishes

Chicken Pot Pie Fight: The Duce vs. Porte Cochere

By Heather Hoch Thu., Mar. 21 2013 at 9:00 AM

Categories: Battle of the Dishes

Heather Hoch

Special delivery -- a chicken pot pie and market salad from Porte Cochere.

This might be the last week we can handle hearty comfort foods before the heat imposes a salad-only diet on us. In honor of the waning winter, we put two local pot pie makers against each other to see which savory pastry is the tops.

Chicken pot pies have several components that must be executed and utilized perfectly in order to make the dish sing: The crust should be buttery and golden brown, the chicken should be moist, the veggies should still have a good crunch despite being baked, and the sauce should be creamy and seasoned to accent the rest of the dish. With all of those pieces, plus an abundance of plating options, this battle is bound to be a close one.